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Now tonight we find ourselves studying again this wonderful thirteenth chapter. And we've entitled it the "Believers Behavior" or "Christian Ethics." What does God require out of Christians? And as we begin I'd like to introduce our study which is really part 3 of the study of Christian ethics which we began a couple of weeks ago, by just reflecting on a particular attitude that may have been in the mind of the writer as He penned this chapter. I've read several volumes that say that the 13 chapter may have been written by somebody else and just tacked on to the book of Hebrews, others say it was written at a later time, some say it was kind of an add on thing. My own particular view is that it is very, very important—it is intrinsic to the entire letter and it is anything but an add on, it is a climax. And there are several reason why I believe that and I've given you a couple of them in the past two weeks, let me give you another one tonight.
The Jews, as you well know, to whom this was written, lived their lives according to the law. Under the old covenant which they had all lived under, there were many, many rules. In fact, life was governed by rules. There were so many, many rules that it became very difficult not to break some of them just by virtue of the volume of them. They had made their way in life on the basis of obedience to standards; that was a way of life with them. The Old Testament itself is loaded with standards, it is loaded with ethical patterns, it is loaded with principles of conduct dealing with every kind of situation and every kind of relationship. So the Jews were very accustomed to living that kind of a life. They were very accustomed to living a life of legalism—a life that had to be moving along from principle to principle to principle, that's how it was conducted.
They had laws on diet, what they could eat. They even had laws on how they could cook it. They had laws on clothing, what they could wear. They had laws on the domestic issues of life, the home, the situations around the home. They had laws on economics, everything was pretty well cut and dried, even in terms of their economy, there was X amount of income that had to be given to the Lord at given times during each year and every third year, a part of what they owned. There were laws about relationships, whether they were relationships within the family or outside the family, laws about relationships with neighbors and with those in authority and so forth and so on. There were laws of morality, there were consequences even laid out for certain kind of moral kind of misconduct. There were laws of health, there were certain things that they could and could not do on the basis of health. And so they were very, very rigidly tied in to a system of rules, this is how they lived their lives, they knew nothing else.
They understood very little about any kind of libertinism or any kind of lawlessness, they were prescribed and circumscribed to legal patterns all their lives. And, in fact, from the very beginning this had been God's design, for God designed that they, by following these certain patterns, would be a very unique nation in the world. That anybody in the world would be able to tell a Jew by the diet, by the clothing, by the economy, by all of the features of his relationships to other people, by his attitude toward men and his attitude toward God. God wanted the Jews to stick out in society as a very unique people. He wanted them separate. He wanted them different. So that people might turn to them, see that they were different, see the positive features which they possessed and be drawn to the God that was their God who made it all possible.
And so really their uniqueness had to do with the witness. Their reaching the world was dependent upon the fact that the world looked at them and saw something in them that they desired. A kind of life that was different. God wanted a national witness, God needed a national witness and Israel was that witness. And so they lived by all these standards to show forth God. In fact, Isaiah 43:21 says, "This people have I formed for Myself, they will show forth My praise." In other words, I have set them aside so uniquely they will be a living witness of Me in the world.
In fact, in Exodus, I think it's chapter 19, the Bible calls the Jews a kingdom of priests. Now a priest's function was to take men to God, to take men to God. And that's exactly what Israel was to do. Men were to look at Israel see Israel's distinctiveness by virtue of the kind of conduct they maintained and come to them and say - What is it that causes you to live like this? And then Israel would usher them to God. And so they were in the true sense a kingdom of priests. And the hook, really, that was to catch men and draw them to God was their unique identity as they followed certain ethical patterns, certain principles of conduct.
In Deuteronomy chapter 4, just to kind of set us thinking in Biblical terms, it says in chapter 4, well, we'll start at verse 5; "Behold I have taught you statutes and ordinances, or laws, even as the Lord my God commanded me that you should do so in the land to which you go to possess it." Now listen, "Keep therefore, and do them." In other words, God has given you laws to be maintained, to be kept, to be obeyed. "For this is your wisdom and your," watch, "and your understanding in the sight of the nations." You see, this is the thing that sets you apart as wise and understanding in the eyes of the nation. "Who shall hear all these statutes and say surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great that hath God as near unto them?" You see, the world is supposed to look at you and say - Wow, those people have some standards; they have some principles that operate, that function. Is any people as near to God as they are? That's a dynamic witness. And then people who wanted to know God would come to them and be introduced to God. And so verse 9, he says, "Only take heed to thyself and keep thy soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life, teach them to thy sons and thy sons sons." Don't forget the rules, don't forget the principles, don't forget the statutes and the laws and the ordinances, you teach them to your children because generation after generation they will stand in the midst of the world as a witness to the living God. So laws to Israel were very, very important. Their very identity legally and legalistically was their witness in the world. And their conduct was based on these principles and was for the purpose of drawing men's attention ultimately to God.
Now it's interesting too, that they became so absorbed in legalism that they went way, way further than God ever intended. God gave them enough laws to maintain things and they just got real law happy and went bananas to put it in the vernacular and just started inventing laws hand over fist. And they came up with a whole series of laws than they passed on orally. In other words, they would just speak them from generation to generation. And this series of oral laws was known as the Mishnah. And you're perhaps familiar with that if you know anything about Jewish history. The word shnh means to teach or to repeat orally. So, this was orally transmitted called the Mishnah. Finally, they felt they ought to write it all down and they wrote it all down and they called it the Talmud. And the Jewish Talmud is the codification of all the Jewish laws added to Scripture. And I mean it is massive. It is a monstrous thing. The word Talmud simply means teaching.
There are six parts to the Jewish Talmud, some of you may have seen one. But there are six parts to it. There is a section on agriculture, all the laws regarding what you can do and what you can't do in agriculture. There is a section on feasts. There is a section on women. There's a section on civil and ceremonial law, legal matters. There's a section on sacrifices. A section on unclean things and their purification. Now all of those sections are loaded with law after law after law for the conduct of the Jew.
During the time of Jesus Christ if you study the New Testament, you find that the Jews were meticulously concerned with obeying laws, weren't they? They got literally in knots when they saw Jesus' disciples not doing the things that were prescribed by the law. Or when Jesus did something that was not allowed in the law they had a terrible time handling that issue. Jesus said your only problem is you strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. What He meant was you are all worried about the minutiae of the law and you're blasting to pieces all of the principles that God really wanted to communicate through the law. You kept the letter of the law and lost the message of it.
But nevertheless by the time you come to the group of Jews that's being written to in the book of Hebrews, they are legalists, believe me. They are legalists in the sense that no other nation in the history of the world has been legalists. They live by the law, they function by the law, they know nothing about liberty only about being attached to a system. They were not free spirits. They were not do-your-own thinkers. They were not libertines. They were staunch, absolute legalists. The only life they knew.
Now watch this, here comes the new covenant. Right? Here comes the new covenant and the first guy that really expounded on the new covenant was Paul. And Paul came along and said - I want you to know that the new covenant is not law it's grace. And, of course, he blew the minds of the Jews with that. They knew no concept like that. They really should of known it because the Old Testament is full of God's grace. They were so locked into legalism that they thought this was some kind of horrifying heresy. And even when Jews became Christians they found it extremely difficult to let go of all of the rituals. And that's what fouled up the early church and Paul writes to that issue in Romans 14, because, you know, Gentiles would have Jewish Christians over for a little afternoon meal and they'd serve pork and the Jewish Christians couldn't handle that. And so it was becoming a real issue in the church because they still hadn't liberated from the concepts of the law.
But you know, as we study the New Testament we find that the new covenant releases them from all of the ceremonial features of the law, not the moral issues but the ceremonial ones. There is to be no more feasts, no more sacrifices, no more holy days, no more rituals, no more Temple, no more priests, no more offerings, that's all gone. All of those little minute legalistic standards are passed away. It's all grace. On the cross Jesus said - It's finished. He did it all. And all you have to do is believe. Well, you know for a Jew to handle that is a very, very difficult problem, very difficult. The perfect work by the perfect high priest through a perfect covenant who offered a perfect sacrifice brings about perfect promises and perfect salvation and what do I do? You just believe. See, and the Jew says - No. I can't handle that. That cross-grains everything I've ever known. Don't we have to do something? I mean, are there any standards at all? I mean, I feel so comfortable if I had a few. Is law no longer the way? Aren't there any principles at all? Can I just exercise a free kind of liberty and do whatever I want? Well, the answer to the question is no. Because you become a Christian doesn't mean all of a sudden there aren't any rules any more. God has standards.
Now I believe, people, that if you slide into chapter 13 with that in your mind you have a good grip on what He's hitting at. He needs to close this book with some principles or He's going to leave some Jews really strung out trying to figure out what in the world their obligation to God really is, because they know that God hasn't changed and God expects certain things out of His children be they old covenant or new covenant. And so as you come to chapter 13 the Holy Spirit says a resounding "Yes" to their questions and says "Yes" there are standards. They do not save you they do not get you to God, they don't even make God like you better, He likes you totally. He loves you infinitely. But there are some standards that are very, very important.
And you can imagine a Jew saying - Well, we're not the national witness anymore. We've been replaced by the church, guys, the pressures off, live it up. I mean, we don't need to stand out in the world anymore, we don't need to obey the statutes and commandments that the nations might look at us and say - Look at that, they must be belonging to a God who is above all gods. My, we ought to turn to that God. No, we don't have to do that anymore, guys, it's all over. Israel is temporarily set aside, the church is it; we can just play it cool. The Holy Spirit says - No. You're a part of the church, the church is made up of Jew and Gentile; the standards aren't lessened at all. The standards are there, God expects you to behave in such a fashion that men still see your good works and do what? Glorify your Father which is in heaven. That hasn't changed at all. So while Israel is no longer a witness nation, the whole body of the church, Jew and Gentile is God's witness. And so there are principles.
And so as you come to chapter 13 that's truly what He just delineates. He just goes right on down the chapter giving some very basic principles for Christian living. So we might have a testimony in the world.
Now we see three things in the chapter and we never can get to the last two, we will next week. We see ethics, the principles, example, the pattern we are to follow; energy, the power that makes it possible. We have the principles, we have an exemplary life we are to follow, and we have the energy to make them operate.
Now we've been talking about the principles, the ethics. And we see that in the first 19 verses the ethics of the Christian life are given. And really what happens here is that everything is kind of reduced to simple general concepts. And, first of all, let me just say this. There are three categories of Christian ethics. Number one in relation to others, we've covered that, right? And in relation to others He calls for two things, sustained love and sympathy—sustained love and sympathy. Love will just blanket the whole issue, won't it? And care for each other. Then second category beginning in verse 4 was in relation to ourselves. There are some very important standards in relation to ourselves. Number one was sexual purity, verse 4, "Marriage is honorable, let the bed be undefiled, fornicators, adulterers God will judge." I read where Paul said that when you sin with sex you sin against your own body. The second in relation to ourselves is satisfaction. Remember that from last Sunday night? Verses 5 and 6, "Lear to be without covetousness, learn to be content with such things as you have and know that the Lord's going to help and take care of your needs." So in relation to ourselves there has to be sexual purity and satisfaction.
Thirdly, and we'll pick it up at this point tonight, there is to be steadfastness. In relation to ourselves God desires that we be steadfast. Notice verse 9 and we'll read it, "Be not carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with foods which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." Now here He is saying to them - Don't get hung up on legalism. Yes, there are moral standards but they are not the external ceremonial deals like what you eat. Look what He says, "Let your heart be established with," what? "Grace," not law. Let your life be rooted and founded on grace not on external law. Superficial things like ceremonial laws and certain kinds of food and certain kinds of clothes and certain kinds of holy days and certain this and certain that. "Which have not profited them which have been occupied with them." He says - Look, in effect, at all those who are still hung up in Judaism, they're still carrying out all the observances and they're lost. They're lost.
Now back up a moment to verse 7. "Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the Word of God whose faith follow considering the end of their manner of life." He says this - Look at those who came before you and look how they stayed true. Then He says in verse 8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever." Look at Him, did He change? Did the ones who were your spiritual fathers change, verse 7? No. Did the one who is your spiritual creator change, verse 8? No. Then verse 9, don't you change either, "be not carried away with various and strange doctrines." The word "carried away" simply means removed, stay where you are.
One of Satan's most subtle approaches to the Christian is to move him away from sound doctrine, to get him wrapped up in some kind of doctrine that happens to be blown about in the breeze by any given point. Christ hasn't changed. Your forefathers haven't changed. Don't you change. One of the saddest things in all the world is somebody who makes a profession of Christ, who believes in Christ maybe is truly saved and all of a sudden gets sucked off into some false doctrine and is rendered ineffective, loses joy, loses reward, loses his effectiveness. This is a problem in Galatians, you know, in the first chapter and the 6th verse, "I marvel that you are so soon removed," there is the same concept, "You, Galatians, you started so well but you're removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel." You started out in grace and somebody removed you. He said - It's not really another gospel at all; there's some that trouble you and pervert the gospel of Christ.
And then somebody always says - Ah, but they're such good people. Oh, but he's such a nice fellow. Oh, the evidence is such wisdom and he's so kind and he knows the Bible. And so Paul says, "But we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you then that which was preached unto you let him be accursed." I don't care what he's like, if it's something that isn't true, it's a perversion of the truth let him be accursed. And just to make sure nobody missed it he repeated it again in verse 9. What happened to the Galatians was sad. They started out in grace and got messed up with law. They began in the Spirit and tried to continue in the flesh. He says - What happened to you that you started out in grace and got dragged into legalism? You know what happened? They got agitated by false teachers. The idea of perverted there is to be agitated, they got all stirred up, messed up in their minds by false teachers.
Now this is Satan's ploy. Satan has destroyed many a Christian's testimony, robbed many a Christian of all of his joy and all of his effectiveness by getting him derailed on false doctrine. A good illustration of that is about two miles down the road, this way. These people are forever and ever coming around here announcing to us that they have found the truth. And many of them are Christian people. I had a mother come to me one time, just with tears in her eyes saying her husband and her son had made commitments to Christ and all their life in the church, and they got sucked up into this thing and they were into that thing up to their ears and they had lost all contact with the truth of God's message and there was a sad and tragic thing and that's exactly what Satan would like to do.
Just to give you a little bit of an indication of how Satan operates in this way, let me just share some passages in the Scripture with you and let the Holy Spirit do the teaching for a minute. In Acts chapter 20 verse 29, don't try to follow me, just if you want to write them down, you can look them up later, but Acts 20:29, Paul is getting ready to leave Ephesus and he spent three years there and I mean three diligent years, he spent night and day praying for those people, teaching them all day long for three years, I just can't imagine anybody doing that hour after hour after hour, day after day after day for 3 years. Not just on Sunday but constantly. And he loved them and he gave them all that he had and all that he could possibly give. And now he was leaving and he had one great fear and this was it: "I know this," I don't doubt it, I know it, "that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock." I know this is going to happen. Grievous wolves, who are they? False teachers. "Also of your own selves shall men arise," people you trust right out of your own midst, "speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them." And he says - You just watch, "and you remember for the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears." And he says, "Now, brethren, I commend you to God, to the word of His grace which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified." All I can do is say - Here's the word, get into it. That's your only protection. Three years I warned you night and day with tears, they're going to come and they will ... and you know the sad, sad, thing is that the church of Ephesus went out of existence eventually because of that. Satan works that way.
At the end of the book of Romans, chapter 16 verse 17 Paul says in closing, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them." Avoid them, "For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own body." They're in it for the money. And by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the innocent. Satan infiltrates the church forever and always with false teachers.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 13, the Spirit of God continues to speak and He says this: "For such are false apostles deceitful workers," watch this one, "transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ." People say - Well, he talks about Christ and he seems to be really a believer in Jesus. Of course. If he came along and told you he was a believer in Buddha you wouldn't listen to him. And he says - Don't be shocked, don't marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light, therefore it's no great thing, no big thing if "his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works." Of course Satan is going to play the role.
In Colossians chapter 2 verse 4, "And this I say lest any man should beguile you with enticing words," verse 8, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men and the rudiments of the world and not after Christ." Don't listen to philosophies that draw you away.
John said - You better try the spirits and see whether they be of God, 1 John 4:1.
In Jude, that little epistle verse 3, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith." You're going to have to fight to hang on. Why? "For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." Always, always, always false teachers.
And the apostle Paul said of the Galatians in chapter 5 verse 1, - You better stand fast in the liberty for Christ has made you free and don't get hung up again on legalism. There are standards, there are moral standards not ceremonial ones.
Now this is a very serious problem—so serious a problem that in Ephesians chapter 4 and I would like you to look at that for a minute. The apostle Paul brings this out as one of the salient features of a church that teaches the word of God. God knows that the greatest battle that we fight in the church is the purity of the church doctrinally because from that springs every other issue. If we do not have pure doctrine we run into terrible problems. And so He knows then that if we need pure doctrine this is what we have to direct our attention to. So he gives to the church in verse 11 "apostles, prophets, evangelists, teaching pastors, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body to bring about unity." Then verse 14; "Why," why all this? "That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men." "Slight," the word in the Greek, means the cast of the dice and loaded at that. Cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive. He says - You build the church men, you build the church up into the stature of the fullness of Christ because if you don't they're going to get tossed around by false doctrine. And you know something, you can just watch it happen.
Look at the church today under the name of Jesus Christ and see how the church tends to follow every new wave of whatever comes along. Satan will always endeavor to work in the area of false doctrine. And the church can be like little kids. You know, your little kids, if yours are like ours, they crawl along the floor and they don't have any idea of what goes in the mouth, what's supposed to go in the mouth and what isn't. They stick it all in there. Why? They have no ability to discern. They don't even know what's good for them. You told a kid, by the time he was 3 he could arrange his own diet, he'd be dead by the time he was 5. He'd be sweetened to death. Children have no ability to discern what is good and that's exactly the problem in the church, the church, today, because of a lack of solid doctrinal teaching is populated massively by babes who swallow everybody's line because they do not have the maturity to be discerning.
And one of the saddest things I see at this point is very often in the ministry a man will tell his people what's good and what's bad without ever giving them the principles so that they have to follow him around like a wet nurse. We need to not only teach people what to avoid but we need to teach them the principles that will allow them to make their own mind up about it. And so it's very important that we be taught doctrine. This is where Satan moves in.
Let me take it a step further and review a passage that you're familiar with 1 John 2, "You cannot be steadfast until you're nourished up in doctrine." This is what he is saying. Now notice in 1 John 2:12; "I write unto you little children," and there the word is teknea, and he's not talking about babes in Christ he's talking about children in the general sense, just all of you who are the offspring of God, every believer whether you happen to be a babe in Christ or very mature, you're all God's children in the teknea sense. He says, I write unto all you teknea because your sins are forgiven for His name sake.
Now he splits the children of God into three categories: "I write unto you fathers because you have known Him that is from the beginning." You know, you can tell a spiritual father—he's got the depth of knowledge, he knows God, he understands something of the eternity and the character of God. "I write unto you young men because you have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you little children because you know" how to say da-da, that's all. Now here you have 3 classifications of spiritual growth, babes, young men and fathers.
Let's begin with the children. Now the word children here, "I write unto you little children," is not teknia, it's paidia, little children to distinguish them from the general term, teknia referring to all Christians, he isolates them down as specific little ones. And the only thing a little one really knows is the father, it's attachment, it's delight, it's dependence, it's simple trust, it's Romans 8:15, "Abba, Father." That's a child. And there are some Christians who don't really know anymore than that.
But young men know more than that. Verse 13, "You have overcome the wicked one." Terrific, verse 14, he says, "I write unto young men," in the middle, "because you are strong and the word abides in you and you have overcome the wicked one." You know, there's only one way to overcome the wicked one and that's to have what? The word abide in you. And how does the wicked one operate? He appears as an angel of what? Light. I told you before, I repeat it: Satan operates in the area of false doctrine—ninety-nine out of 100 times that's where he is busy. Satan, I don't think, is busy at the local bar. I don't think Satan is functioning in all kinds of things like that. I think the flesh, the lust of the flesh and all of that takes care of itself. Satan operates in the area of religion. He is an angel of light. He masks himself in religion. He is a false prophet. And so you see, it is not until you grow up in the word to the stature of a young man, that you literally overcome him.
You know who's vulnerable to false doctrine? Babes, right? He says, young men, the word abides in you and you overcome him. In other words, if I have grown to the level of a young man spiritually, false doctrine is not my problem. The Bible says when you are saved you overcome the world. When you get to be a young man you overcome the devil. There's one thing you never overcome, what's that? The flesh. We wait for the glorification of our bodies to overcome the flesh. But when you go to a certain point in your maturing in the word of God false doctrine is no longer a problem. But as long as you are a baby it is.
Now with that in mind, reading again from our passage in Hebrews let's see what he is saying, "Be not carried away with various and strange doctrines for is good thing that the heart be established with grace not with foods which have not profited them which have been occupied with them." What's he been saying? Don't be babies. Don't get dragged off into false doctrine. Now if you're going to avoid that what do you have to do? Be nourished up in what? Sound doctrine. And again you come back to the same principle that we have repeated so many times, that the word of God is the key.
Now you'll notice that He says here, you know, if the Christian life doesn't revolve around ceremonial, not meats or foods, and the Jews were so used to food laws and food rituals that it was a tough thing for them to make that kind of a break. There's an interesting verse, it's 1 Corinthians 8:8, this is what it says: "But food will not commend us to God." Pretty simple, God doesn't care what you eat. Food will not commend us to God, "We are neither the worse if we do not eat nor the better if we do eat." In other words, God does not care about your religious diet. That's exactly what he says in verse 9. Let your heart be established with grace. Not with ceremony.
In 1 Timothy, in fact, now this is an interesting verse. There's a lot of ramifications, let me just read it briefly. First Timothy 4:3, some false prophets are going to come along forbidding to marry. You watch anybody that propagates celibacy. Usually, eventually, their movement will go out of existence but apart from that, that is anti-scriptural, and commanding to abstain from foods. Some people will come along and tell you that you shouldn't eat that, you shouldn't eat this, you shouldn't eat so and so and the Bible simply says, "God has created all these things to be received with thanksgiving by them who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving. For it's sanctified by the word of God and prayer." That's why you pray before you eat. So we're not talking about dietary laws.
You remember Peter and his vision in Acts 10? He saw all the animals in the sheet and he heard the word, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat. And don't call anything unclean that God has set aside." In Romans 14, Paul says, "The kingdom of God is not food, meat and drink, but righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit. So don't listen to the Judaizers, don't listen to the Gnostics, don't listen to the Catholics, don't listen to the Seventh Day Adventists who promote the error that certain food pleases God and certain don't. That's not so. Christianity has rendered all external observance invalid. And God is concerned about the grace in your heart. So then you owe to yourself, sexual purity, so very basic, so very important. And you owe satisfaction that you be content with what you have and you owe to yourself this most important feature - steadfastness.
And this means you must pursue the study of Scripture diligently. In 1 Corinthians 15, I love this, and I'll just read it to you, remember this verse? "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." Two words, steadfast, unmovable. I think everybody likes somebody with convictions but in the Christian life it's absolutely essential to the life of a believer.
In Colossians 1:23 Paul says, "If you continue in the faith grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard." Don't let anybody drag you off into a false system. No matter what the pressure is like.
You know, sometimes the pressure can be pretty great. First Thessalonians 3:3, this is good. Timothy was under pressure: "That no man should be moved by these afflictions." You may have to suffer, don't let that move you. And Paul was really talking to a guy who was being smashed around by errorists, Timothy. Peter wrote to the Jews that were under pressure of false teachers and he said you "grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ." And then he says at the end of his little epistle, most important words, he says, "Seeing that you know these things beware lest you also be led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own," not salvation but what? "steadfastness." You're really no use to God unless you're solid doctrinally. You owe that to yourself and to God. And to be moved away is tragic.
All right, so then we see the believer's behavior in relation to others, sustained love and sympathy. In relation to himself, sexual purity, satisfaction, and steadfastness. Lastly, the believer's ethics in relation to God. What does God want? What are the things which I am to do toward God?
In relation to Him? One, separation. And that we see in verses 10 to 14. And may I hasten to say this. This is without question, one of the toughest passages, a little brief thing here, and yet it is one of the toughest passages in all the book of Hebrews. The interpretations are multitudinous, to put it mildly. I am not standing here as a dogmatic authority, I'll give you a couple of views and tell you what I think and if you want to pursue it you can pursue it yourself. Beginning in verse 10, let me just read so you'll get kind of a feel for the text. Read the two first verses, "We have an altar of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp." Told you. Now what are we talking about here? This is like the man said trying to unscrew the inscrutable.
Now we have an altar, I got that much, did you get that? Okay, we have an altar. What altar do we have? Well, some say this refers to the physical altar and that's why in some churches you have an altar. Some people say the church must have an altar because it says, "We have an altar." But that can't be the altar he's talking about "of which they have no right to eat." What kind of eating is done on that altar? Well, some have even said it's the communion table. Well, how could you have a communion table that you couldn't eat? That doesn't make sense. In verse 11 he says - it talks about "the bodies of beasts whose blood is brought there." That doesn't sound, to me, like the church. No, in fact the evidence here is on not eating, not eating.
Secondly, some people say it refers to a heavenly altar. Revelation 6 talks about a heavenly altar. And He's saying we have an altar in heaven. Well, that doesn't make any sense either. "Of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle." What has that have to do with the altar in heaven? There's no eating going on there anyways. And what is this about the bodies of beasts? What beasts were ever burned on the altar in heaven? Others say - No, it refers to Christ. How could it refer to Christ? We have an altar of which they have no right to eat. Jesus said in John 6, you can't even know God unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood.
Now I'll tell you what I think it is. And I think the weight of all the evidence is on this particular viewpoint. But I think He's talking about the idea of separation here. A Christian's obligation to God is to be separated from the world unto God, right? I think that's what He's getting at.
Now watch this. We have an altar, He's not talking about Christians necessarily; He's talking about Jews. I think that's the key, once you establish that the thing flows. We, Jews, have an altar. Remember that word altar we have—and there the altar includes the sacrifice and the ritual, we have an altar, people. You remember that thing? "Of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle." Who are the men who serve the tabernacle? The priests. Was there a certain sacrifice on a certain altar they couldn't eat? Yes there was: it was the sin offering. On the Day of Atonement when the sin offering was made they could not eat it. All the other times when they made offerings, the priests ate what was left. The sin offering, once it was made and the blood was sprinkled on the holy of holies on the mercy seat, the animals were taken outside the camp and burned. That's verse 11. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned where? Outside the camp. He explains right there, I think, which altar it is. He says we have a particular altar sacrifice. We have a particular ritual, where you cannot partake. In fact, the remains of the sacrifice are taken outside the camp and burned.
This, you know what it is? It's an analogy. All He's doing is giving them an analogy to teach them a principle. Here's the principle. You people need to be separated from the system. You know, like those sin offerings that nobody could touch but they had to be taken outside the camp? You need to be so separated from the camp of the world. That's essentially what He's getting at. He's simply drawing a little analogy—you can't push it very far. He's saying like the animals in the sin offering were taken outside, the believer needs to be removed from sinful man. Removed from the system, removed from the world and come apart.
Now he takes it a step further in verse 12 by identifying Jesus Christ. And incidentally, the people didn't want any part of a sin offering anyway. They didn't want to partake of that. Verse 12 says, "Wherefore, Jesus also that He might sanctify the people with His own blood suffered outside the gate." Jesus was separate from the system, wasn't He? In the Old Testament the Jews took those bodies of those sin offerings, both the priests and the peoples' offering, and they took them outside the camp. They didn't want a thing to do with those sin offerings. They separated them from themselves. Jesus did the same thing. The system didn't want Jesus either, they threw Him out. He suffered outside the gate. And He sanctified the people, with His own blood.
Now as the carcasses then were burned outside the camp of Israel so Jesus was killed outside the city of Jerusalem. He was killed outside the wall of Jerusalem and perfectly fulfilled the picture of the Old Testament. You know those old sin offerings were the pictures of Christ, weren't they? So when He came He suffered outside as the offering had been taken outside. Now I don't want to belabor the point anymore than that. Both were rejected, the sin offering, rejected. They didn't want to eat it, put it out. Jesus - rejected, put it out. And they wanted no part of either.
And so He brings the point down to verse 13, "Let us go therefore unto Him outside the camp bearing His reproach, for we have no continuing city but we seek one that comes." Let's us separate from the system as well. We Jews have an altar then, and in it there's a sacrifice which nobody can eat. The bodies are rejected, taken out of the city and burned. Jesus, the true sin offering, also was rejected by the system though for a different reason. He's not pushing the analogy; he's simply saying this is like Jesus who was also suffering outside the city.
And of course, there are many differences, you can't push it as I said because the animal was killed already before it was taken out, Christ died outside. And Jesus was so willing to go, He was willing that He might sanctify the people with His own blood. He was despised, He was rejected, He was hated, He was unwanted, betrayed, arrested, mocked, beaten, killed like a common criminal and He accepted every bit of it to shed His blood on the behalf of men. The Bible says right here in the book of Hebrews without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Jesus knew that and He shed His blood for the forgiveness of sin. The Old Testament sacrifice was a shame to the people and they put it out. Jesus was ashamed and they put Him out although they didn't know that He was the true sin offering. They had no thought for that. And the practical point is this, people, you and I must be willing to go out from the system and to bear the reproach and the shame that both the sin offering and Christ Himself bore to be rejected by men. Moses did it, chapter 11 verse 26; "Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt." Moses considered the stigma that rests on God's anointed greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt. And so the writer of Hebrews is saying to us in 13:13 that you ought to consider the stigma, the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of the system—move out. That's all He's saying. So I see a very clean break between verses 9 and 10. He simply says we have a sacrifice in which the feature is separation. Christ was separated from men, you be separated as well.
Now Paul defines this concept in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 in some detail, let me read you these words: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship have righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and what concord has Christ with Satan, what part hath he that believes with an unbeliever. What agreement has the temple of God with idols?" Paul says you have nothing to do with the system. You're different.
Another thing that our author may be remembering here and because I'm not into this context as a Jewish individual living in that day, I can't be sure, but I have a hint in my mind that in verse 13 he's got something else in his head and seems to me like he's jamming all kinds of thoughts together here and leaving me a little bit confused. But that's often my problem. Anyway, in verse 13 he may have this in mind. You remember that at one point in the time of Israel's wanderings, God was rejected by Israel. And God, remember, moved outside the camp and manifested His presence outside the camp. And after the incident of the golden calf Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp of Israel. And you remember it was called the tent of the testimony. And so it was that everybody who wanted to approach God had to go outside the camp of Israel and approach Him there. Why? Israel in the main had rejected Him. And God set Himself apart and said if you come to Me you come apart from the system.
You know something, beloved, I believe that's exactly what God is saying today, if you're going to come to Me you're going to have to come out from the system. You're going to have to come apart from them and touch not the unclean thing. And separate yourself unto Me. Whether the analogy of the sacrifice in the Old Testament outside the gate, the analogy of Christ suffering outside the gate, or whether the idea of the tent of the testimony outside the gate the message is the same, separation. People say to me, "MacArthur, do you believe in biblical separation?" Of course, and biblical separation is this: you have nothing to do with the system. Now you need to qualify that somewhat. But let me give you a simple statement. "Love not the world," 1 John 2:15, "neither the things that are in the world." Don't love the system.
Now what was the system for them? What was it? Judaism. What is He saying then to the Jewish reader here? Separate yourself from Judaism. Separate yourself from the system of Judaism. You want to know something? The moment that Jesus Christ died on the cross, Judaism ceased to exist as a way to God. And you know what it became? It became worldliness. It just fell into the category with everything else. It became as pagan as the aberrational religions of New Guinea, Judaism. It ceased to exist in the eyes of God. And so it was worldliness. And He's saying get out of the system of law, legalism, and ceremonialism, come outside the camp to Christ who is out there.
Oh sure you'll have to suffer. Jesus said, "In the world you'll have tribulation, be of good cheer, I've overcome the world." Later on, earlier in chapter 15, He said - Don't be surprised if they kill you, they did it to Me. Are you willing to bear My reproach? You say, "Well, does this mean that we put on blinders and we go live in a monastery, you know, and we become sort of obnoxious? And does this mean we stop buying at a market that sells liquor? And we don't go to McDonald's if the boy who takes the order is not a Christian? Does this mean we don't involve anything where people aren't saved?" Of course not. Jesus said, Father, in John 17:15, and I don't pray that You take them out of the world, just keep them from the guy who runs the system.
You know, I can go to a conference somewhere, this has happened a lot of times, I'll go to stay in a hotel and I can feel perfectly at ease at the hotel. I can find my nice room in the hotel. And I can spend my time studying. Down below in the saloon, they may have a girlie show. The difference between being in the world and not being of the world is staying in the hotel and going to the girlie show. Now if I want to get from here to Philadelphia I don't run around trying to find a Christian pilot. I just get on the airplane. That doesn't mean that I participate in everything that goes on. I don't have to get belted on the free champagne.
I remember one time in Portland when we had an engine stall problem; we got down on the ground. I'm always happy when they land and say they've got trouble. I just don't want to hear it when we're in the air. So they say, "We'll be a few hours. And there was a convention of Lions on the plane and the guy next to me was a kind of a happy guy when he got on. And after a little while the stewardess came in and said we're going to be grounded for an indeterminate time, we do not know how long it will be, none of the passengers are going to be able to leave the plane because it could be fixed momentarily, so in the meantime we'll be serving free drinks. Four hours went by. The guy next to me was so bombed that he could hardly hold his head up. And we got into a conversation and it was kind of a tragic thing. Well, you know it was another illustration to me, I was in that airplane and that airplane in a real sense is a part of the world and yet I was absolutely not involved at all in the system. I had nothing to do with it. In fact, finally, the guy said to me, he said, "You've been sitting here and you haven't touched a drop," you know, he said, "What do you do?" And I said, "Well, I'm a preacher." I'll never forget his reaction, he jumped right up and he said "Oh, God," he said. And he started to yell all over the whole plane, "You'll never believe what we have here." So I just kind of, you know...about ten guys converged on my seat for about the last 20 minutes and just pumped me questions.
An interesting sequel to the thing is before we got to Los Angeles, this guy had unbarred a story of broken heartedness that would just tear your heart but...but the thing was, you know, I could be there and not have anything to do with the system. It's one thing, people, to be here, it's something else to love what the world loves.
I'll tell you something else, it's not just what you do it's an attitude. You're just as much a part of the system if you don't do it but wish you could as if you did it. You know, some Christians, as I've said before, don't do evil things, they just wish they could. That's being in love with the system. And as a Christian, God says we're to be separate, get out of the system; come apart unto God. It's an attitude. Jesus said, "If any man comes after Me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." What does that mean? That means bear the reproach of Christ. Go where Jesus is, outside the system. And when you meet the system it's for the sake of confrontation, not communion. Big difference. And the only people who really identify with Jesus Christ are the ones who are willing to cut the cost, to pay the cost and move out.
What does it say in 2 Timothy 3:12? "They that live godly in this world shall suffer persecution." They that live godly. A lot of Christians don't live godly, they don't get persecuted. They never come apart from the system. The apostle Paul knew what it was to come apart from the system; he didn't have anything to do with it. And yet he kept leading people to Jesus, he went to the sinner but he never joined in his sin.
Philippians chapter 2 verse 17, he says, "If I be offered on the sacrifice and service of your faith I joy and rejoice." Chapter 3 verse 10, "I want to know the fellowship of His sufferings." He says I'm willing to come all the way out there and be a sacrifice and know the sufferings of Christ in my own life just to be separate from the system because if I live that kind of life you're going to see me and you're going to come to Christ. So very important.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 10, "We are fools for Christ's sake." And here just dripping with sarcasm, Paul says, "We are fools for Christ's sake but you are wise in Christ, we are weak but you are strong, you are honorable, we are despised." You know what happens to a Christian who just plays it cool? Kidding himself, robbing himself of joy and fruit. Verse 11, "Even unto this present hour," he says, "we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place," don't even know where we're going to sleep, "and we work with our hands and we are reviled but we bless and we are persecuted but we endure it, we are defamed and we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." Paul didn't get along too well with the system.
Now these Jews in Hebrews would know a little bit about that reproach, wouldn't they? The writer's saying to them come out from among them, be separate, move to God. Sure it will cost, sure they'll rap you for it, sure they'll think something's gone wrong in your head, you'll be ostracized, you'll be condemned—small price for the glory that awaits you. And I say if a man is not willing to be separated from the world unto God, Jesus said he's not worthy to be His disciple. All these guys came along and Jesus said -Come on, be My disciple - and one guy said - Ah, I have to go bury my father. His father wasn't even dead. What he meant was I've got to go get the inheritance and then I'll be around. And so it went with the would-be disciples. If you're not willing to leave father and mother, everything in the world, come out, you're not worthy to be His disciple.
Listen, by the way, let me footnote it by saying this. Hanging on to the system is kind of dumb anyway because it's going to go up in smoke. And it's foolish. All that is in the world passes away, 1 John 2, passes away. There's not going to be anything left. You don't want anything to do with the system because it says in 1I John 5:19 the whole system lies in the lap of the wicked one. You want anything to do with that? You don't want anything to do with the system because of what Peter says, "You have an incorruptible inheritance, undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." What do you want with the trinkets of the world? There's nothing that this world has to offer you that's even worth grasping.
One other verse that comes in mind that's in 1 Corinthians 11, I think it is 32, "When we are judged we are chastened to the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world." You don't want the world because it's going to be damned. You want to come apart unto Christ. Paul gives us principle after principle in this regard so does the Holy Spirit through other writers even as here.
Let's look at a second thing. Our relation to God is not only this idea of separation but the idea of sacrifice. And we talked about this this morning—it's beautiful how the Holy Spirit ties these two together. Verse 15, sacrifice. You know how important this was to a Jew? A Jew comes in in the New covenant, he wants to know there is some rules still. And you know what he wanted to know? Are there any sacrifices left? Is anything to be sacrificed? Is that whole deal—is that concept gone? And he gets this wonderful information.
There are two sacrifices God wants, the first one is word the second one is deed. The word is in 15; "By Him," who's that? Jesus Christ, "Therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." You know what kind of sacrifice God wants? He doesn't want animals, doesn't want barley, He wants the praise of our lips. You notice the phrase "by Him?" There's only one way to God, right? Jesus Christ. Can you offer an acceptable sacrifice to God apart from Christ? Only by Him, that's the only way, by Him. We cannot enter His presence any other way. And so the believer priest comes into God's presence and he says here's a sacrifice and God says I want the sacrifice of the praise of your lips.
What comes out of your lips toward God? You ever get into such a stress that you start getting angry with God? He doesn't like that. Let me give you an idea of what to say to God when you want to praise Him. "I will extol Thee my God, O King, I will bless Thy name forever and ever." "Everyday will I bless Thee and I'll praise Thy name forever and ever." "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and His greatness is unsearchable." "One generation shall praise thy works to another and declare thy mighty acts." "I will speak of the glorious honor of Thy majesty and Thy wondrous works." "And men shall speak of the might of Thy awe inspiring acts and I will declare Thy greatness." "The Lord is good to all and His tender mercies are over all his works." "All thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord." "They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom and talk of Thy power." On and on it goes, Psalm 146, "Praise Ye the Lord," 147, "Praise Ye the Lord," 148, "Praise Ye the Lord," 149, "Praise Ye the Lord," 150, "Praise Ye the Lord." That is pleasing to God. When the cry of your lips is praise to God that's the sacrifice God desires.
Notice the key word to it. Are you ready for this? "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God," what's the next word? "continually." Continually. You say, "But you don't understand my troubles." No, you don't understand your God. First Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God Christ Jesus concerning you." Give thanks in everything. Praising God in all things pleases Him.
Second thing He's pleased with, verse 16, not only word but you better back it up with deed. "But to do good and share, forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Now while you're shooting all the verbal stuff at God be sure you're doing something about it. God says another sacrifice that I really accept is good and sharing. The lip begins and added to that is the life.
For example, James 1:27, a verse that never ceases to simplify the whole concept of religion, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this," can you believe that? Can you believe that any one verse could contain a definition of religion? Are you ready for this? "To visit orphans and widows, and keep yourself unspotted from the system." You want to know what religion is? There it is. You want to live a godly life? Go find some orphans and widows—visit them and keep yourself unspotted from the system. Do good to one another, share, minister to the needs of others. This is what God is pleased with. This is your spiritual sacrifice and we talked about this morning offer to God. Remember how we talked about that? Everything you do in your Christian life is a sacrifice to God. What are you giving Him? Are you giving Him the halt and the maimed and the crippled and the lame? Or you give Him your best?
Boy, Israel was a disaster at this area. In Isaiah 58 I want to just share a couple of concepts. In Isaiah 58 and then I'll look at maybe Zechariah 7 too, but Isaiah 58 verse 2, sounds so good, are you ready? "Cry aloud yet they seek me daily and delight to know My ways as a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinances of thy God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice, they take delight in approaching God." All of this is so good, all—they seek me, they love my righteousness, just terrific. Verse 6, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness? To undo the heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry and thou shalt bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou see the naked should cover him and thou should hide not thyself from thy own flesh?" He says hey, your religion looks good on the surface but that's not what I'm asking for. Didn't I tell you to clothe the people who are naked and give food to the hungry? That's what I'm after. That's what God wants.
"My little children," said John, "love not in word only but," what? "deed and truth." God has some principles, beloved, they're simple and they're binding. God says I want you to be separated and I want you to offer spiritual sacrifice pleasing to Me. Thanksgiving with your mouth, deeds of goodness and sharing with your life. Let's have a word of prayer.
Father, we thank You that You have reduced the Christian life to the common and simple concepts that are shared with us in this chapter. We thank You, Lord, that the Jews needed to feel that the absence of the old Levitical system didn't mean that there weren't any more sacrifices, in fact there are some. Not just superficial things like animals but those down deep things like praising You and doing good toward others. Father, that we might worship You in spirit and truth. Lord, help us to offer You sacrifices that are pleasing in Your sight. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.
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text:
Anil Dash says "Laws are ours, people -- they're not carved on stone tablets.".
Sort-of. What he says is 90 degrees out of phase with the problem. There is law, and there is legislation. They aren't the same thing. The law is the real thing. You know, like "300 million meters per second -- not just a good idea, it's the law". Laws are discovered, not made. A law might be "people won't produce some kinds of content unless you pretend that it remains their property even after they sell a copy." Legislation is just an attempt to write down a law.
So, we can decide what the legislation should be. When the legislation doesn't follow the law, we can change it, but changing laws (300,000 m/s) is a little harder.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Positive, chilled-out track with a summery vibe. Features a string quartet, acoustic guitar, electric piano and triphop-style drums.
The download features four variations (included in the above preview):
- Cool Breezes [1:56] – The full track
- Cool Breezes (no keyboard melody) [1:56] – A version of the full track without the keyboard melody in the middle section
- Cool Breezes (60s) [1:00] – A version lasting 60 seconds
- Cool Breezes (30s) [0:30] – A version lasting 30 seconds


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Receiving multiple offers when selling your home might seem like a dream, but what do you do when you're not sure who to choose? This situation is more common than you'd think, especially in popular markets where there's a lack of homes for sale. Here are the questions you should ask of your estate agent and potential buyers, when picking the new owner of your house.
How will the buyer pay for the property?
Understanding the financing involved with selling your home can seem like a headache, but an experienced real estate agent can easily break things down for you. They'll help to verify proof of funds to back the offer and explain the full terms of the buyer's financing, so you understand every nook of the deal. Another thing to consider is the method of payment. Whether the mortgage is pre-approved or not can help you decide between multiple offers when selling the house. You may find you have a cash buyer when selling your home – this can be more appealing as no lending approval is necessary.
Why do they want to move here?
Find out whether there's something specific that makes one buyer really keen on the area. Perhaps they need to move here for a new job or they want to be closer to family. Some potential buyers will even enclose a personal note explaining their motivation, which can be useful to help decide between multiple offers when selling the house. Buyers with extra motivation tend to work harder to close, and may have fewer requests for concessions in order to get their dream property.
Which timeline works best for you?
As the seller, you get the luxury of choosing an offer with a closing date that best suits you. You can always counter a closing date, if your favourite offer doesn't quite fit with your timeline too, especially if you're involved in a chain. With multiple offers on your home, don't be tempted to make it into a race for the best counter offer – a rushed deal will be less likely to close. Consider all offers fairly, allow time for counter offers, then give yourself and your agent a chance to deliberate too.
What are the conditions of each offer?
When selling your home, make sure you understand and have considered all the contingencies that the buyer has included in the offer. If these aren't met, for example passing an inspection and getting the mortgage approved, the buyer could back out of the deal. Fewer contingencies are certainly an attractive feature to help decide between multiple offers when selling the house. The flip side of this is that the buyer may be looking for homes for sale at a competitive time, or in a popular area, so may add extras in to sweeten their offer. These extras could include the offer to pay some of your closing costs, or even to escalate their offer and outbid if necessary
An experienced agent will be able to clarify, calculate and secure the very best deal for you. For help with selling your house, contact Engel & Völkers today; our expert real estate agents will guide you smoothly through the process to securing your dream deal.


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One of the region's most prominent business leaders has been honoured with a prestigious award for his outstanding contribution to the economy and business in the East Midlands.
Sir John Peace was unveiled as the recipient of this year's Special Award from the Chamber of Commerce for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, at its annual dinner.
One of the UK's pre-eminent creators of wealth, jobs and prosperity for the past 30 years, Sir John is the founder and Chairman of global information services giant Experian.
He is the current Chairman of Standard Chartered plc which ranks as one of the top 20 companies in the FTSE 100 by market capitalisation. He also leads the Board of the Burberry Group.
In 2012, he took on the Lord Lieutenancy of Nottinghamshire. He has chaired the Board of Governors of Nottingham Trent University and is a trustee of the Djanogly City Academy. He also chairs the extremely important partnership committee comprising Nottingham City Council and Nottingham Economic Growth Board.
Sir John is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and has an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nottingham. He was knighted in 2011 for services to business and the voluntary sector.
Sir John couldn't collect the award in person, as he attended a dinner at The Mansion House in honour of the Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, but the award was collected on his behalf by James Russell, Experian's Director of Corporate Communications.
Chamber President Tim Parker said: "Each year the Chamber likes to pay tribute to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to business in our area.
"This year, there was a good number of nominations and the Chamber Board had a difficult choice, but I was delighted to announce that their first choice was Sir John Peace.
"With his roots firmly in Nottinghamshire, Sir John is a giant in British business. He has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in business, of which there are many highlights. He has played an equally important role in his community and is a worthy recipient of this award."


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The heartbroken daughters of a much-loved woman who was killed by her husband at their home have told how she was "simply the best".
Julie Connaughton was repeatedly struck to the head with a hammer by husband David Connaughton, 60, before he stabbed himself to death, a Chesterfield coroner's court heard this month.
Her brave daughters Nicola and Emily Corless - from a previous relationship - have begun rebuilding their lives since the attack in August and have been comforted by an overwhelming number of tributes for their popular mum who lived on Walton Drive in Boythorpe, Chesterfield.
Emily, 29, said: "She was a loving and caring person who was really big-hearted and would do anything for anyone. She was like a friend and she would never judge us and always had a listening ear and let us live and learn.
"There are so many happy memories. Only two weeks before she lost her life we had a night out and she was the life and soul of the party. We carry on but we aren't so much coping as surviving. Mum is always there in our minds and we miss her so much."
Mrs Connaughton, aged 57, had lived in Matlock most of her life and had been secretary of the Peaks and Dales Darts and Dominoes League for 14 years after she took over the role from her father Samuel Buckley.
Julie used to run the Royal Oak pub at Tansley with her first husband Michael. She became well-known and well-loved across the region.
She moved to Chesterfield in the late 1980s and after working in fashion shops and retail she set up her business Julie's Fashion House which changed to a printing business called Julie's Printing House.
Julie played darts and dominoes for The Peacock Inn in Chesterfield where staff and regulars were devastated by her death.
She married David Connaughton about ten years ago. The couple lived with Emily as well as David's son and their pets. Julie's daughter Nicola, 34, said: "She loved animals and if she found a stray pet she would find the owner or end up keeping it.
"Our grandma and granddad competed in Derbyshire at darts and that's where mum picked up the interest and she played for pub teams and became well known."
Nicola added: "Every time that I smile, every time that I sigh, I think of mum's face and a tear escapes my eye.
"I'm finding it very hard to go back to places where mum was involved or to remember the things she did.
"There are no words to describe how much we miss her. I wake up every morning thinking of her and when I'm going to bed I think of her. We had a calm period but when we went to the inquest it took me back to the beginning.
"We have a lot of respect for Det Con Tony Owen and Det Sgt Lesley Turner for helping us and for the coroner for explaining mum did not suffer."
Nicola and Emily, of Chesterfield, said Julie always had a smile and got everyone to dance at functions. Emily said: "Tina Turner's song Simply the Best was her favourite and it summed her up because she really was simply the best."
Julie Connaughton's daughters Nicola and Emily Corless have been comforted by their father Michael throughout their ordeal and have been inundated with tributes including the following:
Danny Oldale said: "She was known and respected by a wide circle of friends especially among the darts and dominoes' community. Julie had a warm heart and was always smiling."
Janet Smith said "Julie and I became friends when our first children were little. Julie helped set up Starkholmes Mother and Toddler Group and helped at fundraising events and we had many happy times."
Kim Riley said: "She'd always sneak me chocolate and never fail to make me smile and she could brighten up anybody's day."
Abbie Riley said: "Such an amazing woman with a heart of gold."
Davina Marik said: "She was known to many of us as 'Auntie Julie'. She was a very kind, considerate and loving lady. Someone you could rely on and trust."
Peaks and Dales Darts League spokesman Anne Hargreaves said: "She was very organised and efficient as a secretary and ensured the smooth running of competition nights. Julie will always be missed."
Karen Frampton, of Chesterfield Darts League, said: "Julie was a special lady, a treasured friend who would do anything for anyone."
The Red Lion pub, at Brimington, Chesterfield, said Julie was "a very special lady with a heart as big as a lion".
Vicki Riley said: "Julie touched the hearts of many."
Sue Adams said: "Julie was a lively lady and her door was always open."
Jaye Moore said: "She was one of the kindest most honest people I have ever met."
Danielle Far said: "Julie was like a second mum to me."
Sheila Cannon and Sylvia Brailsford said Julie was a loving, happy, caring person.
Jess Broomhead said: "She would always stop - no matter what she was doing - to say hello."
Sandra Clewett said: "Julie was a wonderful, kind and lovely lady who was taken away too soon."
Emma Parker said: "Julie was an amazing woman. She was always there for me."
Neighbours Kath and Melv said Julie was a lovely friend and it is very sad to have lost her.
Neighbour Sheila said Julie was a well-liked lady who was always smiling.
Victoria Pickering said: "We will never get over how you were taken from us in such a tragic way. We love you so much."
Tim and Jenn Dann said Julie was a bubbly person whose warmth and caring nature shone through.


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Biden scheduled to speak in Danbury
DANBURY -- Vice President Joseph Biden will come to the city Thursday as the keynote speaker for a conference on gun control.
His appearance will kick off a series of conferences, symposiums and community forums on gun violence in the city this month.
Biden, who led the group that delivered recommendations for gun control measures to President Barack Obama, will address a conference on the federal effort to reduce gun violence at Western Connecticut State University. His talk is by invitation only and not open to the public.
The conference, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., will include panel discussions on ways to reduce gun violence, protect children and make communities safer. Participants, who haven't yet been announced, will include national, state and local leaders, law enforcement, mental health experts, sportsmen, faith leaders, families and survivors of gun violence.
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty, D-5, are the hosts. They say the conference is by invitation only because of limited space. It will be in the campus center ballroom at the westside campus of Western.
The event is expected to be live streamed on the official websites of Biden, Blumenthal, Murphy and Esty.
On Feb. 25, the Association of Religious Communities will host a "Community Dialogue on Violence Prevention" from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the United Jewish Center, Clapboard Ridge Road.
The topics are gun control and violence, school safety and violence in entertainment. The presentations will be followed by five break-out sessions.
Speakers include Assistant Schools Superintendent William Glass and Saul Cornell, American history professor at Fordham University, and Shane Murphy, a psychology professor at Western.
The registration deadline is Wednesday. Visit the ARC website, www.arcforpeace.org, to register.
On Feb. 27, the United Way of Western Connecticut will host a community forum on "Recovery After Sandy Hook Tragedy."
The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Ives Concert Hall on Western's midtown campus.
The principal of Columbine High School, Frank DeAngelis, and Mary Fletchet, the executive director of Voices of September 11, are among the speakers.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will deliver the keynote speech at the invitation-only symposium following the community forum.


text: . Dechert to Speak Jun 16, Menlo Park, CA | Open Voting Consortium Login | Register Dechert to Speak Jun 16, Menlo Park, CA Alan's blog | printer friendly version Submitted by Alan on June 10, 2008 - 1:38pm. Email Signup $10,000 Challenge Grant OVC Supporters David CobbLawyer, Green Party leaderClick here for moreOVC supporters Recent News Feb 26 - Bowen slams voting systems in S.C. speechFeb 16 - California takes up transparency, open source votingFeb 7 - Diebold CEO Reviews Fate of e-Voting UnitJan 26 - Maryland Official Wants Details About California Voting Machine ProblemsJan 22 - Diebold fate hangs on whether its voting software can be fixedMore News Stories Recent Blog Posts Apr 15 - Universal Voter RegistrationAug 4 - Artist's Rendering of Proposed OVC Voting BoothMar 24 - My Testimony at February 8th Secretary of State's HearingFeb 15 - Los Angeles to see Best Voting System Demo of All Time this WeekendNov 13 - The Future of Voting Technology in California, the U.S. and the World: Why We Need a Decision NowMore Blog Posts Upcoming Events More Events © 2006 Open Voting Consortium • All Rights Reserved • Previous Site Archive Powered by CivicSpace/Drupal/CiviCRM • Development by Antinomia


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Franken-Coleman race remains in question
ST. PAUL -- Minnesota's U.S. Senate recount became even murkier Monday as both candidates could claim the lead.
Democratic challenger Al Franken took his first lead in the raw vote, but two heavily Republican Twin Cities-area counties have yet to begin their recounts. Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman stretched his lead in a more accurate way to look at the recount totals.
The secretary of state's office reported Monday night that 91 percent of the ballots had been recounted.
With a Friday deadline looming, officials at most of the state's 107 recount sites -- counties and some larger cities -- had completed their part of the 2.9-million-ballot recount. Even with the count nearing an end, the Franken and Coleman campaigns were unable to look at firm vote tallies because their supporters have challenged 5,943 ballots.
Ballots challenged by one campaign or the other - ballots for which supporters say the voters' picks cannot be determined - will not be counted for another two weeks, leaving vote totals in doubt.
The returns showed Coleman's lead over Franken at 344, compared to 292 during the Thanksgiving break. The lead was figured based on changes discovered in the recount that were applied to Coleman's 215-vote margin before the recount started.
Franken leads Coleman 1,105,030 to 1,100,922 in the raw vote, but observers expect the final numbers - once the challenged ballots are counted -- to be within hundreds. Scott and Wright counties are two big GOP areas where ballots await the recount.
Two counties started their recount Monday, and another four begin the hand count Wednesday.
As the historic hand tally entered its final week, Franken's top attorney said a court challenge or a decision by the U.S. Senate are possible routes it may consider if the campaign believes not all valid ballots are considered. Mark Elias said the campaign still is concerned about improperly rejected absentee ballots and misplaced votes not being included in a final tally.
Elias said contesting the election result in court or turning to the Senate, which has the authority to seat its own members, are "options that remain open down the road."
The Coleman campaign said it is troubling that Franken already is talking about possible Senate involvement.
Coleman spokesman Mark Drake said: "One thing has become abundantly clear: The Franken campaign intends to drag this process out until they can change the outcome and force an Al Franken win, even if it means overturning the will and intent of the Minnesota voters."
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie set a Friday deadline for all ballots to be recounted. But Minnesotans still will not know for weeks whether Coleman or Franken will be their next senator. That is because the state Canvassing Board is scheduled to meet for three days beginning Dec. 16 to settle ballots that were challenged by observers for either Franken or Coleman during the recount. And court hearings could last long after that meeting.
Elias said the Franken campaign has started reviewing copies of ballots it challenged and plans to announce this week it is withdrawing some challenges.
Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson said the campaign is ready to discuss removing challenged ballots with Franken's team. He said Coleman attorneys still are reviewing their challenged ballots.
In a separate ballot issue last week, the state Canvassing Board rejected a request by Franken's campaign to include improperly rejected absentee ballots in the recount. However, it remains unclear how rejected absentee ballots will be handled.
While it turned down Franken's request, the board asked the attorney general's office for guidance on what should be done with an estimated 12,000 rejected absentee ballots.
Canvassing Board members will not take up the issue this week, Ritchie's office said.
It is not clear how many absentee ballots were wrongly rejected because not all counties have provided information that would help determine that, Elias said. As of Monday, the campaign had not received rejected absentee ballot information from nine counties, including Carlton and Dakota. St. Louis County had not offered its data, although the city of Duluth did.
The campaign, which won a lawsuit to get absentee ballot data from Ramsey County, may consider further legal action, if needed, to get the remaining counties to comply with its request, Elias said.


text: Hi, I want to configure an ISPconfig multiserver but not with 5 servers like "howto" http://www.howtoforge.com/multiserv...se-servers-on-debian-squeeze-with-ispconfig-3 but only two servers. For example: - server1: dns1, web, email, master ISPconfig. - server2: dns2, mysql I should follow http://www.howtoforge.com/how-to-ru...and-secondary-with-ispconfig-3-debian-squeeze but customized with the mysql server in the second server. Or I should follow the multiserver (5 server) howto joining dns, email, web, master section in server1 and dns, mysql in section in server2? And another question, where should I install phpmyadmin? server1 or server2? I think that it can be better server1 because it has installed the web server. What do you think? Thanks


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Vikki Spruill Addresses 25th Anniversary Conference of the Mexican Center for Philanthropy
Thank you very much for the warm introduction. The Council has valued our partnership with Cemefi from its start in 1988, and I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to you on your 25th anniversary. We enjoyed hosting many of you at our annual conference in Chicago in April, and I am delighted to join you here today.
In particular, I'd like to thank: chairman of the Cemefi board of directors, Mercedes Aragonés; and president, Jorge Villalobos.
I also want to thank Jacqueline Butcher de Rivas, Cemefi board member who previously served on the Council global committee.
I'm honored to join you and am most grateful for your kind invitation to speak today. Mexico and the United States have an important friendship, and I see the relationship between our philanthropic communities as an essential component of our nations' continued bond.
Anniversaries like this give us reason to reflect on our efforts and the efforts of our predecessors -- in time. They allow us to rethink our ways by communing with our own past and by challenging our views of the future.
I want to begin my remarks with a brief reflection on the last twenty-five years.
Technology and social media are fostering international engagement around the world. We can now attend meetings held across the ocean and speak with grantees while they are working in remote parts of the world. We can watch in real time as daredevils jump from space down to the earth. But none of this communication means anything unless we also work to understand each others' ways.
In the U.S., the growing Latino population has made us much more aware of the culture, language, and priorities of Latin America.
Just as our populations grow closer together, philanthropy itself has become more cosmopolitan in the past twenty-five years.
Global infrastructure for philanthropy and international engagement are more robust than ever before.
At the time of Cemefi's founding, we did not have the philanthropic support infrastructure or collaboration we know today.
Early in its existence, Cemefi advocated strongly for international meetings of associations serving grantmakers. They believed that our nationally responsive work would be enhanced through international engagement. In 1998, Cemefi hosted a groundbreaking meeting in Oaxaca, which laid the foundation for the creation of a global network of grantmaker support organizations known as the Worldwide Initiative for Grantmaker Support or WINGS. In fact, I have recently joined the Board of WINGS and am delighted to play a more active role.
Recent research shows there are over one hundred forty organizations in over fifty countries supporting philanthropy. Thanks to leadership from Cemefi and others, these organizations can leverage international networks to bring the latest innovations and best practices to their national sectors.
Philanthropy now engages with a multitude of international philanthropic partnerships, such as WINGS, the European Foundation Centre, the China Foundation Center, the African Grantmakers Network, GIFE in Brazil, the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, and the World Bank. The existence of these organizations enriches our work greatly and encourages all of us to consider coordinated actions to overcome the deep and systemic challenges facing our countries. We now have multiple sources of research, multiple channels for dialogue, and multiple structures of accountability.
Another critical development in global philanthropy has been the global economic recession, which has revealed the limitations of the public and private sectors. Governments have shown that they cannot address all the needs of their citizens alone, so they are developing new philanthropic and private sector partnerships.
A few months ago, some of the Council's members, like the Ford and Rockefeller foundations, helped organize a meeting on advancing global development goals to help grantmakers reach better alignment around common priorities. At the meeting, the president of the Ford Foundation Darren Walker remarked, that "You can't have civil societies without a strong ecosystem of civil society actors." His words reflect an important new consensus around the critical role that grantmakers play – and have always played -- in enhancing civil society.
Meaningful collaboration is both the door and the key to strengthening and expanding our investments.
In light of these developments, U.S. based grantmakers have rethought their global strategies and drastically increased the scale of their international grantmaking.
For example, between 1988 and 2011, U.S. foundations went from giving just $7.42 billion to giving about $49 billion – an almost sevenfold increase! Between 1990 and 2010, U.S. giving internationally has increased from just $764 million to $4.3 billion.
But we cannot and should not characterize philanthropy simply by the amount of money that gets granted. Philanthropy is so much more than a bank or a stream of funding. Philanthropy, when done well, can catalyze social change, take risks that others cannot, transform the delivery of human services, build communities, and provide new understanding through research and nonprofit journalism, as just a few examples.
The growth of U.S. philanthropic investment at the global level signifies a new audacity of common purpose grounded in a growing recognition of America's role as a global citizen
U.S. based foundations have taken a particularly keen interest in supporting Mexico, our neighbor and friend. Over the past ten years, U.S. based foundations have increased funding to Mexican NGOs by about 71%, so it is clear that U.S. philanthropy is putting its resources behind its friendship with its Mexican counterparts.
When Cemefi began in 1988, Mexico only had one community foundation. What is remarkable is that in just two decades, your country had twenty-one community foundations with hundreds of millions of pesos in assets. This development would not have been possible if Cemefi had not organized the first meeting dedicated to the expansion of the community foundation concept in Mexico in 1993. Community foundations are growing local philanthropy in Mexico with an estimated 85% of funds raised coming from private, domestic donations. The largest of these is the community foundation of Chihuahua, which has already invested more than 107 million pesos to human and community development in the state of Chihuahua.
Back in the U.S., community foundations across our country are celebrating Community Foundation Week, beginning today. This week allows us to highlight the benefits of place-based giving, and I want to speak about the power of place-based giving with a quick story.
In May 2010, nearly fifty centimeters of rain fell on the state of Tennessee in a twenty-four hour period. The resulting "thousand year flood" covered sixty counties that were designated federal disaster areas, and because a major oil spill disaster was developing in the Gulf of Mexico from an explosion on an oil rig, little national attention was given to the tragedy in Tennessee. In response, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, along with the city of Nashville, organized one hundred and fifty events across the country. They generated about 800,000 volunteer hours, repaired nearly 12,000 homes, and provided over 18,000 flood survivors with counseling. Garth Brooks, a famous American Country singer, even left retirement for nine concerts to raise awareness and money for the long term recovery efforts that would be needed. By bringing people together, they showed the resilience of community and the importance of place-based philanthropy.
American community foundations are also active in giving to Mexico. The International Community Foundation has given hundreds of grants to community based organizations in Mexico. The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona collaborated with a Mexican community foundation, FESAC Sonora, to support families with autistic children. The grant went to Enciendo al Autismo, a parent run nonprofit providing treatment and training services to low income families with autistic children in Nogales, Sonora, where the number of diagnoses is on the rise.
Because of the efficacy of the community foundation model, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Inter-American Foundation -- in partnership with several Mexican foundations including Fundación Merced -- have invested in creating the first phase of a six-year program to develop Mexican community foundations.
As part of their efforts, these funders are supporting the development of a new network of community foundations, known as Comunalia. Over the next three years, the program will develop a cohort of forty emerging community foundation leaders, enhancing grantmaking capacity for grassroots initiatives, and strengthening the institutional capacity of Comunalia members through technical assistance.
The contributions of Mott, Kellogg and Inter-American foundations, when leveraged with local and national resources in Mexico create a truly collaborative effort we should all strive to emulate.
In many ways, foundations have risen to the challenges of our time by becoming so much more than just grantmaking organizations. They have built convening power, expanded organizational capacity building, made data more available and useful, and provided flexible operating support.
A consensus has emerged that grantmaking is just one of the many tools to be utilized in spurring social innovation and meeting community needs.
As the largest philanthropic organization in the United States, the Council on Foundations has been encouraging the kind of collaboration and partnership I've discussed. Associations of philanthropies, like the Council and Cemefi, are uniquely positioned to promote information sharing and facilitate potential partnerships. Because of our unique roles in our respective countries, we have the opportunity to identify trends and patterns within philanthropy, sharing and learning from them.
I want to take the opportunity of today's discussion to outline the Council's approach to global philanthropy, which has four major objectives.
First, the Council will build stronger partnerships with global philanthropic organizations, like Cemefi and the European Foundation Centre, to better inform our own members about work being done abroad and connect our members with international grantmakers.
The Council's network of philanthropic leaders will facilitate, to the highest degree possible, the free flow of information. As a part of a holistic philanthropic network, we will all be able to create more stability and prosperity for the people we serve.
A strong example of cross-border collaboration that should interest this group is the network of foundations known as the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership, led by Executive Director Andy Carey, who is with us here today. This partnership offers networking and development tools in a bi-national context.
Since 2008, this partnership has worked with hundreds of leaders on both sides of the border, and now works with more than one hundred nonprofits and foundations serving the border region.
The second objective of our approach is that the Council will promote philanthropy as a key component of global civil society.
Philanthropy is uniquely positioned to create greater global stability, prosperity, and opportunity. The principal way that the Council will promote philanthropy as a major component of global civil society will be through our role as co-chairs of the U.S. State Department's Global Philanthropy Working Group, along with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. Last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched this Working Group to facilitate engagement with foundations and members of the U.S.-based philanthropic community.
Through this position, we will have an alert mechanism when foreign countries impose restraints on philanthropy and civil society. We will identify legal and regulatory reforms to increase cross-border grantmaking. This group will also facilitate conversations with foreign leaders about philanthropy.
We are also glad to be working with the current U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his lead advisors.
The Council can utilize these opportunities and its cross-sector networks to promote philanthropy as a key component of a healthy, vibrant civil society.
The third objective of the Council's approach is to serve as a resource to our counterparts abroad.
As you are developing programs and thinking of new ways to advance the common good, I encourage you to connect with philanthropic organizations in the U.S. Our members are working on similar issues and are increasingly seeking global partners.
As a sign of our desire for further global collaboration, I invite you to become international members of the Council. We are offering a special international membership to our global partners. The Council staff has a long history of involvement in global philanthropy, and we will continue to build upon this tradition.
I am also very excited to announce today that the Council on Foundations has been working with WINGS to put together an annual meeting where the Presidents and CEO's of national-level philanthropic infrastructure organizations may come together. Building on work already done by WINGS and other infrastructure groups, the meeting will allow us to update each other on our respective philanthropic activities and to develop better collaboration across the globe.
The final and perhaps most important objective of the Council's approach to global philanthropy is that we will engage our international partners and philanthropic colleagues with humility.
We understand that while the U.S. is home to many exciting advances in philanthropy and charity, we do not have all the answers. I acknowledge that the American style of philanthropy is not the only way, nor is it necessarily the best way.
Meaningful engagement requires mutual respect, so I believe it is critical that we listen as much as we speak, that we learn as much as we teach, and that we share as often as possible in the spirit of reciprocity.
I want to conclude by saying that I am truly appreciative of your time and attention. It is a high honor for me to be able to speak with all of you on a subject as important as the future of philanthropy.
My sincere hope is that the next twenty-five years will be known as a period of unprecedented international cooperation and collaboration in the philanthropic community.
Gatherings like this, whether they take place around a conference table or in a virtual space, should become more routine.
The Council is grateful for the collaboration with Cemefi over the past twenty-five years, and we look forward to the next twenty-five years.
In thanks for your friendship and for the work you've done to support philanthropic giving over the last twenty-five years, I would like to present you with a small token of our appreciation.
Muchísimas Gracias. ¡Feliz aniversario!