Trumpet Ministries,From Egypt to the Land of Promise
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Before we go further, let us define the terms used in the third and fourth chapter of the Book of Hebrews.
Egypt refers to the spirit of the world, which we leave when we believe in Christ, repent of our wicked ways, and are baptized in water.
The rest of God is speaking of our goal, our land of promise. In these two chapters the expression "partakers of Christ" is synonymous with attaining the goal, the land of milk and honey.
Egypt is the spirit of the world. The "rest" of God is referring to our overcoming the enemies that come against us until we are in the moral image of Christ and are dwelling in untroubled union with Christ. We have ceased from our own works and are resting in God’s perfect will. Such rest is possible only as through Christ we overcome our love for the world, the lusts of our flesh, and our personal ambition, for it is these three factors that keep us performing our own works, that prevent us from resting in the will of Christ.
One finds throughout the Book of Hebrews a stern warning to Christians who are not pressing into the rest of God. Let us look closely at comments in the third and fourth chapters.
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6)
"If we hold fast the confidence." Our salvation always is conditional, always is an opportunity we either grasp or let slip.
As we study this section of Hebrews we must keep in mind that the picture is that of God’s Israel, not of the salvation of the world but of the royal priesthood. Notice we are not saved, in the sense of becoming the house of Christ, unless we continue pressing forward with joy and confidence throughout our lifetime on the earth. We must endure to the end if we would be saved.
The concept of our not being saved unless we continue serving God steadfastly, moving each day toward the rest of God, the fullness of Christ, is absolutely revolutionary in our time. The current teaching is that we are saved the moment we "accept Christ." The Scriptures teach we are saved the moment we accept Christ provided we continue in faith until we finish our course.
Perhaps this is a good point at which to give an overview of the Divine plan of redemption.
To begin with, the God of Heaven sent His beloved Son to the earth to die for the sins of the whole world. Sin is never a problem for anyone as long as he or she does not resist Christ when His will is made known.
And he is the propitiation [appeasement] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2)
The Lord Jesus Christ appeased the wrath of God concerning the sins of the whole world. No more sacrifice for sin is needed. By the same token, the whole world belongs to Christ in that He paid the price for it.
It is God’s plan to establish a kingdom on the earth in which His will always is performed. God’s will shall be imposed on the earth by force, at the return of Christ and His saints, and then maintained under the rulership of Christ and His saints.
And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. (I Corinthians 15:28)
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:5)
"They [the members of the royal priesthood] shall reign for ever and ever."
To be "saved" is to be brought into the Kingdom of God. To be "lost" is to be denied entrance to the Kingdom and to be confined forever in the Lake of Fire, eternally shut away from the Presence of God. This is a fate so terrible as to be incomprehensible. Think of being confined for eternity in an area of torment along with Satan, his angels, and the demons, as well as the most wicked people of history!
The Lord Jesus began His Kingdom with twelve people. The Lord taught the multitude and commissioned seventy disciples to go forth preaching the good news. But His main effort was directed toward the twelve.
From the twelve, and those who followed them, the Word of God has been carried to every nation, calling out those whom God has chosen to be part of the royal priesthood. The Gospel call never has been randomly addressed. It is true that whoever will choose to do so may receive Christ. But no individual ever at any time is able to come to Christ unless the Father draws him.
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:16)
Notice in Acts (below) that while the Apostles preached the Word to everyone, it was only those who were ordained to eternal life, that is, the chosen members of the royal priesthood, who were able to believe. This is the same pattern that we found in John, Chapter 17.
And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48)
What about those who were not ordained to eternal life? The answer is, they were not chosen from the foundation of the world to be part of the royal priesthood.
This may be a difficult concept for us to accept because we are so filled with the spirit of humanism, but it is the clear teaching of the Scriptures.
The resurrected Christ has given gifts of ministry to the members of His Body, to the royal priesthood. The purpose of the gifts is to build each member of the royal priesthood into a perfect man as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying [building] of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:11-13)
Each saint is to press forward to become part of the Body of Christ, and at the same time to be ministering his gifts to the other members of the royal priesthood. He or she also is to be bringing the Gospel to outsiders as the Lord directs. In addition there are all sorts of good works that the saints are to do, such as helping the poor and praying with all who ask for assistance—especially those who are of the household of faith.
Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. (Acts 8:4)
In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, (Titus 2:7)
Something else is to take place with the members of the royal priesthood, the Body of Christ. They are to bear witness to the heavens and the earth of the Person, way, will, and purpose and Kingdom of the Lord God of Heaven.
The gifts and ministries of the Spirit have as their purpose the building of the Body of Christ, which is the holy Lampstand of God. As the Lampstand is being constructed it is giving light—light that makes clear to angels and men the Person and will of God.
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by [through] the church the manifold wisdom of God, (Ephesians 3:10)
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:14)
In the present century there has been considerable emphasis on evangelism. The idea is that every Christian has been charged by the Great Commission to "go out and get souls saved."
There are some considerations that need to be added if this admonition is to be scriptural and fruitful.
The Great Commission was given to eleven men specially chosen by the Lord. The record of the Book of Acts reveals that the Apostles of the Lamb were greatly revered by the believers as being representatives of the Lord.
And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. (Acts 5:13)
The Great Commission was not to go out and "get souls saved" but to make disciples, teaching them to obey the commandments of the Lord.
Go ye therefore, and teach [make disciples of] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19,20)
The parables of Jesus teach us that the Gospel of the Kingdom is seed that is sown that hopefully will grow into a great "tree," a Christ-filled personality producing righteous behavior.
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. (Matthew 13:31,32)
The emphasis on evangelism in our day tends to be a blind proselytizing with little or no understanding of the distinction between the world and the royal priesthood, no sense of the Lord’s timing or of His calling out an elect, no willingness to sow the seed of the Kingdom and then wait for God to give the increase. Instead there is a blind stress on getting people to make a profession of belief. Those who do make the profession are counted to see how many "decided for Christ."
Today we use the expression "winning souls for Christ." This expression is not found in the New Testament. It may be true that by this saying we mean persuading people to receive the Lord Jesus. However, when we use an expression not found in the Scriptures it probably is because there is a shade of meaning that is not scriptural.
The expression "winning souls for Christ" is used as though the Lord is looking down to see how many people we can persuade to receive His salvation. The work of the Kingdom does not proceed in this blind manner. Rather, the Holy Spirit speaks to those whom the Father is giving to the Lord Jesus. The Lord then receives them and gives them eternal life.
We are not teaching that Christian people have no place in the work of the ministry. Rather we are stating that the true work of the true ministry proceeds as the Lord Jesus directs His workers, not as they figure out what the need is and attempt to meet the need by their own wisdom, strength, and money.
The Lord commanded us to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth laborers into the harvest. The directive of the Lord has been changed into, you go forth as a laborer. There is an uncrossable gulf between praying that the Lord would send forth laborers, on the one hand, and deciding to go because the fields are white unto harvest, on the other hand.
The Apostle Paul toward the end of his life was attempting to "win Christ" (Philippians 3:8). "I count all things but loss . . . that I may win Christ."
Some well-meaning teachers have quoted Paul as saying "I count all things but loss that I may win some to Christ."
This may appear to be a harmless alteration of the Word of God, but the spirit behind it is that of Babylon, of attempting to build the Kingdom of God by human means.
Our argument here is not academic trivia, something impractical, harmful, or of no consequence. It is true rather that the current attempts to "save" everybody in the world produce Babylon, not the Kingdom of God.
One minister recently claimed that if he had a hundred million dollars he could "win the world." A Christian writer at one time stated that the Kingdom of God can move only as money is provided. These two incidents give us some idea of the blind proselytizing that characterizes the work of the ministry.
The idea of "church growth" is to get as many people into a building as possible regardless of the calling of the Lord or the growth of the individual in Christ. The concept of sowing the seed of the Kingdom is not always present. The worth of the church is measured by the number of heads present on Sunday morning.
Every sincere, experienced believer knows it is impossible to judge the worth of an assembly of believers by the number of members. Still the "numbers game" continues to be played with very few exceptions.
The Lord said He would build His Church. The Lord adds to the Church daily such as should be saved.
Sometimes there is work for us to do. Timothy was charged to "do the work of an evangelist" (II Timothy 4:5). But every gift and ministry must be guided by the Lord. If it is not, the product is worthless in the Kingdom of God. The Book of Acts reveals clearly that Paul was guided in all he did.
After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. (Acts 16:7)
For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. (Acts 18:10)
Of special importance is the understanding that the purpose of the present age, the Church Age, is to call out and build up the Body of Christ. Some passages of Scripture inform us that when the Lord perfects a remnant of saints He will appear with them. At that time many nations of people will come to the Lord.
The evangelist is one of the major ministries of the Body of Christ. The goal of the evangelist during the Church Age is to recruit new members for the Body of Christ. He is one of those who builds up the Body in this sense.
In a larger sense, all members of the Body are "evangelists." To evangelize is to bring the "good news" to those around us. Each member of the Body by means of his or her unique gift, whether giving, making intercession, being helpful, teaching, administrating, "evangelizes" in the sense of helping bring the good news to other people.
It is important, when discussing the role of evangelism during the Church Age, to recognize the difference between evangelizing and witnessing. Formal evangelizing is the process of leading those people whom God has called, His elect, to a belief in Christ so they may receive the forgiveness of their sins. The candidates for salvation are then to repent and be baptized in water.
Witnessing, on the other hand, is the act of revealing the Person and will of God. Each member of the Body of Christ is to be a witness to the heavens and the earth of the Person, will, way, and coming Kingdom of God.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
While Acts 1:8 was spoken to the Apostles whom the Lord had chosen, it is true that every member of the Body of Christ, of God’s Israel, of the royal priesthood, is to reveal in himself or herself the Personality and will of the Lord God of Heaven.
Evangelizing is successful when the Gospel has been brought to someone whom God has ordained to eternal life and he or she repents and receives Christ. Witnessing is successful when the Person, will, way, and eternal purpose has been portrayed clearly, whether or not the witness is received.
The result of attempting to minister apart from the guidance of the Lord is that today numerous churchgoers have never really met the Lord. If the demands of discipleship were presented to them they would flee from the Gospel of the Kingdom. Many ministers, realizing that if they present the demands of discipleship they will lose most of their members, soothe their congregations with flattery and platitudes. The preacher may speak of living a righteous life, of presenting our body as a living sacrifice, of laying down our life, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. But he understands and the congregation understands that these are things that are said in church but no one is actually going to do them.
Such churches are worthless. They are not being built by Christ. Both the minister and his congregation accept the fact that the people have no intention of offering their body to God as a living sacrifice. The game goes on!
Intense persecution is ahead for the Christian churches in the Western world. The true members of the royal priesthood, the elect of God who were predestined from the beginning of the world, will stand true to the Lord Jesus. They will be refined until they are a bride without blemish.
The great majority of "believers" will grow cold. They never have been ordained to the royal priesthood. They were brought into Christianity by the devices of the Christian "ministry." They do not know the Lord. They are not His sheep. They are churchgoers now, but in the time of persecution they will compromise with the authorities until the Holy Spirit leaves them completely. They are members of Babylon, not of the royal priesthood.
However, it always remains true that any person at any time can choose to serve the Lord. Any "vessel unto dishonor" can become a "vessel unto honor" by turning away from sin and following the Lord Jesus. No person will be able to say to the Lord, I truly wanted you but you did not want me. Whenever someone seeks the Lord with all his heart the Lord will be found!
Back now to the Book of Hebrews.
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6)
We are not speaking here of the members of the saved nations. Their time of salvation will come in the future. Notice this in the following verse:
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:2)
The "court which is without the temple" refers to the nations of people that God will save at the coming of the Lord. They are the "sheep" of Matthew, Chapter 25. The nations of "sheep" are not judged (measured) at this time and the spirit of Satan continues to dominate them.
The goal of becoming a part of Christ’s house is the goal of the royal priesthood. Becoming a part of Christ’s house includes vastly more than just being saved from the wrath of God, although the members of the house indeed are saved from the wrath of God.
The nations of people on earth will also be saved from the wrath of God provided they believe in the Lord when He is presented to them. But they will not be made part of the house of Christ. The house of Christ is the eternal Temple of God, the new Jerusalem, the holy city that will govern the nations of saved people for eternity.
Each member of the royal priesthood must understand he is a member of Christ’s house only as long as he continues in confidence and rejoicing to the end of His discipleship.
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12)
It is entirely possible for an individual to be called out of the world (the meaning of the term church ) and then to depart from the living God. If we are to pursue our goal of becoming the house of Christ we must, through God’s grace, overcome every enemy that comes against us.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13)
"Exhort one another daily." It is not enough for us to get together on Sunday. The believers must be in contact with one another each day so if a member begins to be overcome by sin we can exhort that person concerning his or her need to continue in Christ.
The Word of God is living and powerful—sharper than any two-edged sword. As we make our way through the wilderness of this life the Word of God keeps cutting deeper into our personality. As it does, the love of the world, our lusts, and our self-love and self-will keep being exposed at a deeper level. The instant the Word of God exposes the darkness in us at the new level our pursuit of God is challenged.
The question is, now that we are confronted with this new evil, this new temptation, this new trial, what will we do?
The Israelites in the wilderness were continually faced with thirst, hunger, doubt, fear, discouragement, human enemies, discomfort. How did God’s chosen people, His royal priesthood, respond?
They responded by questioning God’s intentions toward them. As a result they all died in the wilderness.
Why has the failure of Israel been written in the New Testament? It has been written in order to warn God’s royal priests of today that they will be tested in the "wilderness." If they cast away their confidence in God they will perish without becoming a part of Christ’s house.
Two factors are of the greatest importance if we are to partake of Christ. One factor is belief in God’s goodness and faithfulness. The other factor is obedience to all that God says. If a saint permits the pains and doubts of his wilderness experience to cause unbelief and disobedience to enter his personality he is in danger of not becoming a partaker of Christ.
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; (Hebrews 3:14)
We saints, the members of the royal priesthood, enter the rest of God on the condition we continue stedfastly in Christ every day of our pilgrimage in the world. If we stumble we are to get back up on our feet and fight on. The Lord will forgive us as we repent and keep on pressing ahead in Him.
But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? (Hebrews 3:17)
We know that of the generation of adults that left Egypt, all but two died without entering the land of promise. The writer of Hebrews is warning us that if we abandon our joyous hope and confidence in the Lord Jesus, turning away from our discipleship because of unbelief or disobedience, we will not be a partaker of Christ.
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