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12-23-2020 – Hebrews 11-13 (Live)

In Bible Classes Videos, Live Streams, The Book of Hebrews by Aaron Cozort

Automated Transcript:

We’ll begin with a brief prayer as we normally do. And then we’ll have some concluding thoughts and just informational things at the end, let’s begin with a word of prayer, our gracious father in heaven, we bow before you grateful for the day you’ve given to us the life that we have, the honor that we have to serve you. We pray that you will be with us as we go through this period of this holiday season during this time where some of us are separated from one another,

but we might be close to those many others whom we love. We pray for those who were separated from their loved ones in their family because of health reasons. And we pray that they might have the strength to be courageous and, and comforted at this time, pray that you watch over them as they go throughout their daily lives. We pray for those who are struggling and with illnesses,

especially those who are dealing with COVID at this time or mindful of congregations that are mourning the loss of loved ones because of this disease. And we pray that they will have comfort in hard times as well. We pray for continued health among all those of our congregation. And we pray for all those whom they love all this. We pray in Jesus name,

amen. As Hebrews chapter 10 concludes Hebrews chapter 10 ends with these words. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul, the Hebrews writer wants these Christians to know that he knows who they are. He knows what they’ve been through. He knows what they believe and what they were taught.

And he has confidence in them. The way God had confidence in the righteous people in Judah in the days of Habakkuk, when God told Habakkuk the just shall live by faith. Now that didn’t mean that the just didn’t undergo difficulty. Imagine you were Daniel, Hannah and I as riot Michelle. And you found yourself carted off as a young man to Babylon.

Now, did you experience difficulty? Yes. But did God provide for you? Yes. And so God tells Habakkuk the just shall live by faith. The Hebrew writer tells these Christians, the just shall live by faith. And if anyone draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. And the Hebrew writer says, but we know you. We know you and you’re not going to draw back.

You’re going to remain faithful. That brings us to chapter 11, verse one. Now the Hebrew writer says faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence as the new King, James puts it of things not seen beginning. At this point in the, in the passage, the Hebrew writer is going to begin from here and the entire chapter, all of chapter 11 and into chapter 12 is a discussion of people who by faith obeyed not having seen the promise.

Now go to the end of chapter 11 and let’s set this discussion. He says beginning in verse 36 of chapter 11, still others had trial of mockings and scourgings yes, and have chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn into, they were tempted slain with the sword they wandered about in sheepskins. And goatskins being destitute afflicted, tormented of whom the world was not worthy.

They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth and all these having obtained a good testimony through faith did not receive the promise. The entire chapter is about those who were faithful because of God’s word, their faith. Having heard, having believed what God said, having been promised some thing they were faithful and didn’t give up, even though he says all these never obtained the promise,

what he doesn’t mean is he doesn’t mean God promised them something and didn’t deliver yet. They were faithful in a way that no, no, no. That’s not what he’s talking about. He’s saying the promise, the promise that they were looking for all ultimately was a spiritual promise and any terminal promise in contrast to a physical promise, they received the physical things though.

They may not have received them in their day. The future generations might have, but they did all of it and obeyed by faith, looking for a promise that they never obtained in their lifetime on the earth, God, verse 40, having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. So he’s talked about the blood of Christ,

which flowed backwards for their forgiveness, flowed forwards for our forgiveness. And he said they didn’t receive those better things apart separate from us. But instead we were an integral part of their promise. So we begin in chapter 11, okay. With a discussion of faithful people in the old Testament, he says, verse two for by it, the elders obtained a good testimony.

He’s talking about faith. He’s talking about confidence in things that are not seen. Verse six. We’re just going to mention it here. We’ll cover it when we get there. But he says, without faith, it is impossible to please God, please him for he, that cometh to him or he who comes to God must believe that he is. And that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him two basic premises that he lays forward here for an obedient.

Faith is number one, the belief that God is the belief in his existence and that he is what he said he Is. And number two, That he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Every single one of the people listed all the way throughout this chapter had faith that God would reward them for obedience. In other words, that when God promised something,

the reward he promised he would deliver, okay, this is not a pie in the sky. God’s going to do wonderful things in my life because I’m obedient to him. This isn’t every day’s going to be good because I’m faithful to God. This isn’t anything like that. This is God will reward those. According to his promises who are faithful, according to his promises,

okay? That’s the point of chapter 11. So he begins with Abel Verse four, Actually, let’s, let’s go back to verse two for a minute for, by at the elder. So he’s talking about those who came before the elders obtained a good testimony by faith. We understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. So that the things which are seen were not made of things which are Visible.

He says, you look at the world around you and the things you see, don’t Clearly demonstrate where they originated because They originated by the word of God. And yet he says, we understand that the things which aren’t seen have an impact on the things which are seen. And so the faith is the substance. The Undergirding of own Understanding of things hoped for that is things confidently assured of the use of hope in the Hebrew writers.

Writing is again, not a leap in the dark, not faith without evidence. It is instead the confident assurance of testimony that is the confident assurance of God’s word. So he says that faith is the substance, the undergirding of the things that have been confidently promised by God and in which we have assurance the evidence of things we have not seen. And then he goes to creation to say,

Here you go, you see This, but you know, it didn’t originate itself. There are some people today who Still believe it originated itself. How foolish, where did the first thing come from? They have no, cause They have no origination point. They have no substance whereby they can get the very first thing, because back of the first thing,

there had to be something in that case that is first physical thing. The back of all that is God and his word. So by faith, we understand verse three, that the worlds were framed by the word of God. So that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. And then he’s going to begin with Abel talking about faith,

obedience, and confidence in what is not seen by faith. Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain through which he obtained witness, that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. And through it, he being dead still speaks. The Hebrew writer says, Abel’s talking to you, he’s talking to you because by his actions, he obeyed having confidence that what he was told to do mattered,

that what he was told to do was exactly what he should do. You go back to Genesis and you read about Cain and Abel. And the, the obvious difference is one of them obeyed what they were told to do. And one of them did what they wanted to do. And the one who obeyed was the one who was, was righteous, verse five by faith,

Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him for four. He was taken, he had this testimony that he pleased God, not just God looked at emic and said, you know what? I like him I’ll hold so much better than everybody else. No, no, no, no. That he was obedient and pleasing to God.

But then also verse six, commenting on<inaudible>. But without faith, it is impossible to please him. Okay. So we’ve got clarity on what this, this action was that caused<inaudible> to be pleasing to God. It was his faithful obedience without faith. It is impossible to please him for he that comes to God must believe that he is. And that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him by faith,

Noah being divinely warned of things. Not yet seen, watch that all the way through this. Not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an art for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness, which is according to faith, by faith, Abraham obeyed, when he was called to go out to a place,

which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going. Where did he someplace he had not seen yet? He did it in faith confidence that what God promised he would deliver by faith verse nine. He dwelled in the land of promise as in a foreign country dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.

And yet did Isaac or Jacob received the promise? Did they receive the land promise? The land that had been promised to Abraham? No, they didn’t receive it either. They as well dwelled in a land with a promise. They never had fulfilled in their lifetime For he waited. Now this goes back to Abraham for he waited for the city, which has foundations,

whose builder And maker is God Abraham. Ultimately I wasn’t looking for God to build him a physical city to dwell in. He wasn’t looking for a home or habitation on this earth. He was looking For any terminal abode Builder or, or a city built with foundations and not made with hands verse 11 by faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed.

And she bore a child when she was past the age because she judged him faithful who had promised talk about something, not yet saying here’s Abraham and Sarah, having confidence that God will give them a seed when they’ve never seen someone born out of season, that is out of the age where it’s past the point of, of childbearing. And yet they’ve never seen that.

And yet they have confidence that God is able to do what he says might make note not perfect confidence. They it’s not as though they always understood everything and always had complete confidence after all, both of them at different times laughed when God said he was going to do what he said he was Going to do. Perfection Is not the same as faith, faithful obedience over overcomes Perfect knowledge.

Okay? Because it relies on the testimony of God. Instead of Our own knowledge. When we Out of our own senses, our own observation, think we have discovered everything and we no longer need God. That’s when we will lose Our faith. When we stop believing The word of God and substitute our own understanding, therefore from one man, verse 12 and him as good as dead.

In other words, past the point of a bearing children were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, in numerable as the sand, which is by the seashore. These died in faith. They’re all in the point of still being faithful to God’s still trusting that God would fulfill the promise. And yet had not seen the promise fulfilled. God said that your seed would be,

is innumerable as the stars of heaven, the sand of the seashore yet. Did Abraham see all of those people be born? No, he didn’t. Yet. He saw Isaac who was born. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off we’re assured of them embrace them and confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

For those who say such things, declare plainly that they seek a Homeland. And, and truly If they had called to mine, the country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity rich to return. But now they desire a better. That is an enduring country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for. He has prepared a city for them.

Abraham, it is described, looked for a city whose builder and maker was God. And now we read and God’s going to deliver exactly what he said. God’s going to deliver exactly what he was looking for. These patriarchs died in faith, and God will be faithful To his promise by faith. Abraham. He’s not done yet By faith. Abraham, when he was tested,

offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. Here’s Abraham as another example, all right. Things not yet seen. Did Abraham ever witnessed God raise someone from the dead? No, but Abraham’s going to have confidence that God promised him Isaac, and that if he fulfills this requirement of offering Isaac, then he will receive Isaac back from the dead.

This of whom it was said in Isaac, your seed shall be called concluding that God was able to raise him up. Even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense by faith. Isaac blessed Jacob. And he saw concerning things to come. Isaac told Esau and Jacob, this is what God’s going to do for you. And yet it would not happen for years to come after Isaac was dead.

Yet he had faith and confidence that what God said he would do, he would do by faith. Jacob, when he was dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped leaning on this top of his staff by faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel and gave instruction concerning his bones. How much more confidence do you need than what Joseph had?

How much more confidence could you possibly have them, what he had and that he not only said, Hey, I want you to be sure to leave Egypt and to Israel where God promised you were supposed to go to the promised land. But he said, and take my bones with you. He made preparations for hundreds of years later for them to carry his bones out of Egypt.

And he was dead and gone, but he had such confidence that God would do what he said, that he made preparations for his bones Verse 23 By faith. Moses, when he was born was hidden three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child and they were not afraid of the King’s command by faith. Moses, when he had become of age,

refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, steaming, Sorry, just, I was afraid there for a minute that it wasn’t recording a steaming. Let me start back. Verse 24 by faith. Moses, when he became of age refused to be called the sons of Pharaoh’s daughter,

choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures in Egypt for he looked to the reward by faith. He versus Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible by faith. He kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood last.

He who destroyed the first born should touch them by faith. They well let’s, let’s talk about Moses here for a minute. Before we get into Israel, he’s uses all of these illustrations, actually beginning with Amram and Jochebed bed. The parents of Moses, he says they had faith that God would protect their son. So they disobeyed the command of the King.

You know, there’s a time and a place to disobeyed the commands of the King. The King said, you kill every male child of Israel and they didn’t do it. They protected their son and they trusted God could deliver him. And Moses then in turn, grew of age and refused to be called. The son of Pharaoh’s daughter refused to be identified it as an,

as an Egyptian refuse to take part in the riches of Pharaoh’s house. Instead being willing to suffer reproach, suffer affliction, to suffer for the eternal goal, the term reward, and the Hebrew writer describes it as esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than treasures in Egypt. How is it that Moses saw Christ? He saw Christ by seeing What God had promised you remember Deuteronomy chapter 18.

Moses said, there’s coming a day where God’s going to raise up another prophet, like under me. And who’s he talking about? He’s talking about the Messiah. He is talking about Christ. So then He did all of these things, including things not seen. God said, you put blood on the doorpost, you observed the Passover, you observed the sprinkling of blood or your firstborn.

I have every family that doesn’t do that. It’s going to be Die. Now they ever seen that happen before? No. Did they trust it was going to happen? Yeah. How do we know they did they put blood on the doorposts? They by faith obeyed concerning things. Not yet seen. So then verse 29 by faith, they passed through the red sea as by dry land.

Whereas the Egyptians attempting to do so were drowned. Had they ever seen the waters parted? Had they ever seen dry ground created at the bottom of the sea so that they could walk? No. But did they walk across anyway? Yes. And did that dry ground then get overflowed by the waters once again and destroy their enemies? Yes. By bye.

Faith, verse 30, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were in re encircled for seven days. Had they ever seen that happen? You ever decided that the best plan of action for defeating the city was to walk around it for seven days in a row? No. By faith, the harlot Rayhab did not perish with those who did not believe when she received the spies with peace.

And what more shall I say for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Bay rack of Samson. And Jephthah also of David and Samuel and the prophets who through faith, subdued, kingdoms worked, righteousness obtained promises stopped the mouths of lions quenched. The violence of fire escaped. The edge of the sword out of the weakness were made strong, became value,

and embattled turned to flight. The armies of the aliens women received their dead raised to life. Again, others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials mockings and scourgings yes. And of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two, they were tempted. They were slaying with a sword.

They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute afflicted Had these Christians given up their home, had these Christians walked about destitute, had these Christians who were Considering going back to Moses, who were abandoning their faith and their obedience of God, because they hadn’t yet received. The promise. Were these Christians, those who had walked about destitute, afflicted and tormented,

he says those who did those, who did that? The world wasn’t worthy of them. They Wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth and all these having obtained a good testimony through faith did not receive the promise. Now he says His point, Are you so much better than they are? Or do you need to be living up to their example?

Notice he says, God, having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great, a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance. The race that is set before us looking unto Jesus,

the author, the originator and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He says, you look at all those people who came before you, you look at all those people who in the old Testament who did these things, and then you look at Jesus and you look at what he did for you and what he did so that those in the past could have part in the promise with you.

Not apart from you. And you’re considering going back. Yeah. Consider him. He says, verse three, who endured such hostility from sinners. This is talking about Jesus against himself. Lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You, he says, have not yet resisted the blood shed, striving against sin. He said, nobody’s killing you.

Nobody’s torturing. You may mean you killing you, removing your head yet. Now there would Be a time that would come for the Christians, but he says, you’re not there yet. Now you look At your master. You look at your savior. What did he do for you? Did he go to the cross? So why are you giving up Now?

You Haven’t even gone to this point. All right, let’s go through the questions from chapter 11 real quick. And then we’ll move through chapter 12. I’m not sure how far we’re going to get into 13, but we’ll, we’ll see what happens. Chapter 11, questions. Number one, hopefully you’ve been able to download these from the website. They are going to available on the website.

If not, we’ll get a copy to you. They’ll also be at the church building printed off Hebrews chapter 11, verse one, question one. What is faith? Chapter 11 verse one says faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things. Not, not seen question two verse three of chapter, 11 of what did God create? The worlds verse Three says by faith,

we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. Okay? So what the God created the worlds, his word. Yes or no. I guess the other, the other possible answer is they were made of things. Not seen the End there. Verse three, Question three. Yes or no. Can gut can an individual, please. God,

without faith. This is from verse six. Answer of course is no, yes or no. Again from verse six, does God reward those who seek him? Yes. The Question for this coming through all of chapter 11, the faith of Abel Enoch, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, his parents and Ram and Jacobin Moses Ray Hab Gideon.

Bayrock Samson, Jeff, the David Samuel, and the prophets was seen by there. So the faith of all these people was seen by their Blank. Obviously that’s obedience, their actions, These people of faith listed in Hebrews 11 were seeking a, an earthly country or be a heavenly country verses 13 through 16, says it. They were seeking a heavenly country.

Now these two pertain to previous lessons, not from chapter 11, name the Bible book, which says there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. I’ll leave you to find that I know what the answer is. And I’m sure you do too. Name the Bible book, which States I can do everything through True Christ. Okay. So that’s chapter 11 questions.

Now Let’s head into chapters 12 and 13. Chapter 12 is going to focus on a couple of primary points. Number one, God, correcting or chastening his children as sons. That’s going to be verses five through 11. Then verse 12 through verse 17 is the Hebrew writers admonitions. It’s his exhortations, his commandments to strengthen their presence, their, their faith and their resolve.

And then verses 18 through 29. A reminder that they’ve received a better covenant and a better kingdom than those in the days of Israel. Okay? Some of this we’re just going to read through for the sake of time. So we can say a few things about chapter 13, chapter 12, verse three begins with the discussion of Christ for consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself.

Lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted the bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation, which speaks to you as to sons. He says, my son do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor be discouraged. When you are rebuked by him, for whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges.

Every son whom he receives. This comes from Proverbs, chapter three, verses 11 and 12. God says as the Solomon points out to his son, that when you receive chastening from the Lord, you don’t think that’s because he doesn’t love you. You remember that’s because he does love you, everyone, whom the Lord loves he chastens. He corrects, he instructs.

He sets on a right path. The obstacles, the trials, the difficulties in life, the things set before us and set before these people in the old Testament weren’t set before them because God hated them. They were set before them because God loved them. And he was teaching them. Verse seven, you endure chastening. God deals with you as with sons,

for what son is there, who may father does not chasing. If you have a good father, your father corrects you. He has from your youth corrected you. So you don’t do things that are harmful to you. But if you are without chastening of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. He describes them as those.

He says, if you want a life without chastening, then you want the life of a child whose illegitimate, whose father will have nothing to do with him. He doesn’t correct him. He doesn’t instruct him. He doesn’t set him on the right path because he is an illegitimate child and not cared for by his father. Furthermore, verse nine, we have had human fathers who corrected us and we paid them respect.

Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the father, spirits and live. There’s just a little side note here. If you have children who completely disrespect their parents, it’s not always the case, but it is often the case that that’s because their parents never corrected them. Even a child who doesn’t like the correction of eventually sees the value in it.

If they’re not a fool, they may not have liked it. And matter of fact, he brought, he was going to say, when we didn’t like it, and yet we respected them because they corrected us. Verse 10 for they indeed for a few days, chastened us as seen best to them that his parents on this earth, physical parents, but he God,

the father for our profit, he knows exactly what we need. That we may be partakers of his holiness. Now, no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful, no point when we were corrected by our earthly fathers, were we happy about being corrected? Did we find joy in being corrected, but it was useful afterward. It yields peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

As opposed to those who said, because of this hardship, I’m departing those foods Who wouldn’t be taught, who wouldn’t Here. God, therefore, verse 12. Now he’s going to move into his admonitions. His Eggert exhortations. He’s saying you need to learn this. Therefore strengthen the hands, which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet.

So that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed, pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord looking carefully. Lest anyone falls short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up, but cause trouble. And by this many become defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau,

who for one morsel of food sold his birthright for, you know, that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected for. He found no place for repentance though. He sought it diligently with tears. Okay? As he describes this, he says, here’s what you need to do. You need to strengthen. What’s weak. You need to set straight paths before your fee.

You need to pursue not just peace, but peace and holiness. And you need to look carefully. And the idea of looking carefully here is an inspection for you need to examine yourselves less there be sin in your life, and then use as Esau. As the example, Esau gave up his birthright, something he had not yet seen. He gave up his birthright.

He could see the soup. What he saw was an immediate value to him. He For suc what had greater value. So the exact opposite of the examples before here’s one who disrespected, disregarded the promise Of his birthright and sold it for a meal. Now, then we have verses 18 Through 29 through the end of the chapter, discussing their better covenant and their better kingdom.

There’s a lot that could be said here. We don’t have time to really say it. Now we’ll say this kind of summarize What’s here. This Goes back to Exodus 19. This goes back to God’s presence at Mount Sinai, where initially God said to all Israel, if you touch the mountain, while my presence is here, you’ll die. If an animal touches the mountain he’ll die.

If you climb on the mountain, you’ll die. As a matter of fact, they even had commandment to stone or to shoot with arrows. Those who did it, God, didn’t say I’m immediately gonna strike you dead. God said, you all are going to protect my mountain. As I speak to you. And he describes Moses as fear, he describes the fear of the people and all of this.

He says, they came to this earthly mountain that was burning with fire and they heard the voice of God. And they were so afraid And they couldn’t approach him. There’s the key in this text, the key is they had a kingdom and they had a covenant sealed With blood sealed with promises, but they could not Approach God. And yet you have a Better covenant because you can approach God.

That’s verses 18 through 24, verse 25, 1329. He then says, see that you do not refuse him. Who speaks for if they did not raise, did not escape. Who refused him, who spoke on the earth? How much more shall we not escape? If we turn away from him who speaks from heaven, they didn’t escape. When they turned against Moses,

how do you think we’re going to end up? If we turn away from God whose voice then shook the earth. But now he has promised saying yet, once more, I shall shake, not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this once more indicates the removal of those things, which had been, which are being shaken, the rest of Judaism,

as of things that are made and the things which cannot be shaken, that the things which cannot be shaken may return. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom, which cannot be shaken, let us have grace that by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire. And that comes from Exodus chapter 24.

When, as they’re instituting the covenant between Israel and God, that statement is made. And there’s much that could be talked about there in Exodus 24, verses 12 through 18. Again, don’t have time. One of these days, we’re going to come back here and talk about all this stuff we’ve said. We don’t have time to discuss chapter 13 in very Quick summary form.

He says, as he begins with a number of additional exhortations, kind of drawing these ideas to a conclusion, he says, let brotherly love continue. Just like Peter would say to those Christians in second, Peter chapter one, brotherly love or brotherly kindness as talked about in by Peter has a lot to do with our continuing faith, our thoughtfulness and care for one another.

He says, do not forget to entertain strangers for by doing so. Some of us are unwittingly entertained angels. It’s not talking about having a fancy party at your house. I was talking about hospitality, serving others. Remember the prisoners is if chained with them, those who are mistreated since you yourselves are in the body. Also, don’t just think about your own situation.

Think about those who are suffering as Christians. He says, marriage is honorable among all and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. He had just spoken about Esau as being a fornicator. And that was part of his problem. His willingness to serve his fleshly desires instead of God. And here he says, marriage is to be kept he to let your conduct be without covetousness,

be content with such things as you have for he himself has said, I will never neither leave you nor forsake you so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me? Remember those who rule over. You have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.

Jesus Christ is the same. Yesterday, today and forever. He says, you be, you be content with what you have. If what you have is Relationship with an unchanging. God, If you have that, then you have everything. If you don’t have that, then you have nothing and you can have all the possessions in the world. But if you don’t have that relationship with God,

the one who doesn’t change, you have no hope. So he says, you watch those who have the rule over you. This, I believe firmly resides in a discussion of elders. He says, you watch the elders And you live like them. If they Are what they should be. If they’re elders who are worthy of being elders, he says,

you watch their faith and you do what they do very much the same as what Paul said to the church at Corinth. When he said, you follow after me As I follow after Christ verse nine. And he says, do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited.

Those who have occupied, who have been occupied by them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat for the bodies of those animals. Whose blood is brought is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore God or Jesus also verse well, therefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood Suffered outside the gate for here.

We have no continuing city. Sorry. I missed a verse. Let’s go back to verse 12. Therefore Jesus also, He might sanctify the people with his own blood Suffered outside the gate led Or therefore let us go forth to him Outside the camp, bearing his reproach For here. We have no continuing city, but we seek the One to come. Therefore By him,

let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name, but do not forget to do good and to share for, with such sacrifices. God is well pleased and I’ll go all the way back chapter 11. And what did he say? God was pleased With faithful obedience. He says now do good to others and show your faith as James would put it by your work Works and not your faith without your works,

obey those who ha who rule over you again, looking at elders And be submissive for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account, let them do so with joy and not with grief for that would be unprofitable for You. Pray for us. For, we are confident that we have a conscience in all things declare desire. Yes, desiring to live honorably.

But I especially urge you to do this. That I may be restored to you. You the sooner now God of peace, who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do his will working in you. What is pleasing Well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ,

To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. The writer says, I want God to work In you. Is There any indication he thinks that’s going to happen without the Hebrew brethren working, Working on themselves, that would kind of fight Single. Let us, let us, let us, let us, let us statement all throughout the book. He doesn’t expect them to receive from God a change in their lives until they enact a change in their lives Drives by faith and obedience.

He says, I appeal to you brethren bear with the word of exhortation Four, I have written to you in few words, much more could have been said much longer could have been the letter, but know that our brother Timothy has been set free with whom I shall see you. If he comes shortly, greed, all those who rule over you And all the saints,

those from Italy, greet you, grace, be with you all. Amen. The Hebrew writer says a great deal to these brethren. And he says, ultimately, it’s up to them. It’s up to them to choose you. And I, it’s also up to us, it’s up to us to choose whether or not we’ll be faithful, whether or not we’ll hold fast,

our confidence, whether or not We will hold on to grace, whether or not we will by faith. Oh, bang. Whether or not we will do all of them. These things is up to us. And I can’t yeah. An answer for you. And you can answer for me, but we As Christians and as a congregation must decide independently and together that we will be faithful to him.

If you’re outside the body of Christ, you’re not faithful to him. You’re not even a child of his. If you Need to become a member of the body of Christ, you can do that. You can do that. Even during this holiday season, you can be immersed In water, permission of your sins. You Can hear the word of God and believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.

Jesus said, except you believe I am. He, you will Die in your sins. You can confess his name, having repented of your sins, committing to changing your life, to match his word. And you can be immersed in water, dying to sin, dying to your old self and rising up to walk in newness of life. Part of that new and living way he writes about in Hebrews chapter 10,

you can do that. You too can live as seeing the promises that are yet unseen, knowing that God is faithful. And knowing also that our God is a consuming fire and you don’t want to be judged by him. If you’re a member of the body of Christ and you’ve turned your back on God, understand this, our God is a consuming fire and you don’t want to be judged by him.

But also we need to remember for those struggling, that there is opportunity to remain faithful, strengthen what’s weak, make straight paths before your feet to obey. God, make a plan to obey God and then fulfill that plan by removing sin and following obedience to God. I hope you have enjoyed the class. I hope it has been beneficial. I know there’s much more that could be said about Hebrews,

but I appreciate your time and your attention this evening hope everything is well with you. It is with our family and we pray that everything will go well with you throughout this week. And next week, as we’re apart from you, let’s conclude with a prayer, our gracious father in heaven, we bow before you grateful for this day for its blessings or all that you do for us every day,

we ask that you forgive us when we sin, give us your grace and your mercy each and every day. And may we do what is right in your sight. All this we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

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12-20-2020 – Sunday AM Sermon

In Bible Classes Videos, Live Streams, Sermons, The Book of Hebrews by Aaron Cozort

Automated Transcript:

<inaudible> Sorry.<inaudible> Okay. We should be working now. Note to self when fixing the problem that you don’t know what the issue is, don’t hit the wrong button because you may create far more problems than you had when, when You were just trying to fix the one problem you had. Yes, that’s fine. We can live without subtitles today. All right.

We are The book of Hebrews and we were going to get through chapter 10 and 11 this morning, but You know, I’m not sure we were ever going to get through chapter 10 and 11 this morning, but we were going to try, let’s begin with a word of prayer and then we’ll cover chapter 10 and then go through and cover the questions for nine and 10 as we Get started.

Dear heavenly father, we thank you for this day and its blessings. We thank you for all that you do for us on a daily basis. We thank you for your love and your care for your thing. The things that you do for us when we are struggling, the things you do for us, when we are blessed, we know we are always blessed by you.

We know that every good and perfect gift comes from above and we pray that we will continue to be thankful for all of those many wonderful things that you do. We pray that you be with families and loved ones and congregations that are dealing with losses as a result of COVID. And we pray that you will give them strength and comfort. During times of sorrow,

we pray that you will forgive us when we sin and fall short of your glory. All this, we pray in Jesus name. Amen, Amen. Hebrews chapter nine closes with, and as it is appointed men or for men to die once. So, or excuse me, I’m going to, I’m going to start over. It’s just not, that’s not working this morning.

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time apart from sin, for salvation, for the law, having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with these same sacrifices,

which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. There is in, in addition to what we said on Wednesday concerning the sacrifices current concerning what was offered under the old law, there was this constant looking for that better thing that better sacrifice because even those under old law, granted forgiveness, granted salvation, granted the things that God would give them through the law and through their obedience and through their re repentance and reconciliation to God,

they still gig NYSED that offering was insufficient. How many times do you read about situations where there’s multiplied offerings, multiplied co goats and calves that were offered by an individual for as if one wasn’t enough because they understood the depth of sin and the inability of an animal to pay for that sin. And so we read here that these things we’re offered year by year,

time, after time, over and over, because the sacrifice was in sufficient. And yet he says Christ died once two, four, then would they not have ceased to be offered? He says, if these sacrifices were perfect, if they took care of everything that the, the sacrifice of Christ did, then you wouldn’t have continued offer them time. After time,

after time, instead, they would have been offered once, like the sacrifice of Christ he said for then they would not, would they not then have ceased to be offered for the worshipers? Once purified would have had no more consciousness of sins, but in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

Therefore, when he came into the world, he said, sacrifice and offering, you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me in burn offerings and sacrifices for sin. You had no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come in the volume of the book. It is written of me to do your will. Oh God.

Previously saying sacrifice and offering burn offerings and offerings for seeing you did not desire nor had pleasure in them, which are offered according to the law. Then he said, behold, I come to do your Willow God. He takes away the first that he may establish the second. Okay. This whole soul section right here is here as one continual thought, going back to the old Testament,

prophecy, bringing it forward, then explaining what it means. He says this statement was made to indicate that Christ was going to remove the first covenant. Not that he was extending it, not that he was tacking onto it and becoming a part of it, but that he was going to remove it and then replace it. He said, these things were written that the,

that he might take away the first that he might establish the second. All right. The significance of that to these Jewish Christians was if they were in the situation of being unable to, or being unwilling, to stay with Christ, then they were going back to a law that didn’t have any power anymore to a covenant. There was no longer in existence to a covenant that was no longer binding and had no ability to save them because it had been taken away.

They couldn’t go, you know what? It was good enough for us then. So it’s good enough for us now. Now they couldn’t do that because Christ came to fulfill the law, but also to abolish that law, that law being the law of Moses. So verse 10 by that, will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all,

okay. The Hebrew writer, instead of leaving them in a position of saying, well, you know, you’re, you’re in a, you’re in a rough spot. You’re you’re, you’re going to, you’re going to live without any sacrifice. You’re not going to have anything because the blood of bulls and goats won’t do it. And those sacrifices are taken away and back covenants taken away and that law is taken away.

Now you’ve got nothing. He says, no, no, no, no, no. The exact opposite. Now you have a sacrifice. That’s better. Now you have an offering that’s better under a covenant. That’s better under a law. That’s better add a demonstrates that your sanctification, your becoming Holy, your being set apart by God was done, was accomplished by the blood of Christ through the will of God.

So he says, then in verse 11, every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices. This is under the law. Moses every day the priest comes and he stands at the temple and he waits and he offers sacrifices. He does it over and over and over again, which can never take away sins. But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for forever sat down at the right hand of God,

for those who would claim that Jesus Christ is not currently raining, that his kingdom does not currently exist. They have a real problem here because this says that he offered the sin, offered his blood for the sins. He offered the sacrifice for sins and having a complish that he sat down on his throne. He sat down at the right hand of God,

the father, and is raining right now. And that rain, that position, that power is part of the confidence we have in that salvation verse 13, from that time waiting til his enemies are made his footstool for, by one offering. He has perfected forever. Those who are being sanctified, but the Holy spirit also witnesses to us for after he had said before,

this is the covenant that I will make with them. After those days says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts and into their minds. I will write them. Then he adds their sins and lawless deeds. I will remember no more. This again is going back to Jeremiah now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin,

therefore brethren having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water drawing,

all the things that he said in chapter eight, chapter nine, chapter 10, drawing all of them forward to a conclusion he says, because that one sacrifice has been made one time forever. Now you and I, we sin. We fall short. We continually have to seek God’s forgiveness and repent for what we do wrong, but we don’t have to go find a new sacrifice.

We don’t go looking for a new atonement. We don’t go looking for a new sufficient sacrifice to cover our sin. We go back to the sacrifice over in first, John John describes it this way. He says that when we sin, the blood of Christ continues to cleanse us from the sin. The sin may happen again, but the blood doesn’t need the change.

We don’t need new blood. The blood was sufficient. It was us that needed the correction. And so the Hebrew writer is describing the power of the sacrifice. He says, now that we have this sacrifice before, when we have blood of bulls and goats, we had to go through our intermediary. We had to go through the high priests and even the high priest had to offer sacrifices for himself before he could enter the holiest.

Okay. Remember, we were talking about the tabernacle on Wednesday and we described the two portions of the tabernacle, the holiest of Holies, where the Ark of the covenant was. And then the Holy place, the main area where the priest went in every day. He said, before you, as, as a, as an Israel, I couldn’t even enter the Holy place.

Only the priest could, but the whole, the priest couldn’t enter the holiest of Holies till they offered a sacrifice for themselves. And then they could only do it once per year. He says now under the new covenant, under the new sacrifice, with a new mediator, he says, we have boldness to enter the holiest. The holiest here, the way he’s using that term is the Holy of Holies.

Okay. The holiest place. So he says, we now have the ability to enter into the presence of God because of the sacrifice of Christ. And we can do that. Not as the high priest entered the Holy place under the old law, the high priest actually add a garment that he wore on the day of atonement. And that garment had bells on the bottom of it.

Part of the reason for the bells was it’s described there. The idea you didn’t enter in to the holiest of Holies without being announced. Think about it. This, from this perspective, you have a King King sits on a throne. He’s sitting in his throne room and someone wants to come in to see the King. What do you generally have? Who waits at the door of the throne room?

You have the person who not only says whether or not you’re allowed to go in, but he also announces you first. You don’t enter into the presence of a King unless you’re announced first and yet. Now the Hebrew writer says we don’t only have the ability to enter the presence of God as those Israelites did through a high priest. Once per year, he says,

we now have boldness as Ziv, we’re a family member of the King to walk into his presence at any time, not once a year at any time to come into his presence as if we were his son, you see the laws and the rules for being announced were Pete, for people who weren’t part of the King’s family, it was often a, a different set of rules for a King’s children for a King’s family member for a King’s son.

And so here we have a different arrangement. We’ve got a different relationship that exists because of the blood of Christ, but he says this boldness, this access comes by a new and living way, which he consecrated, which he set apart, which he made Holy for us through the veil. That is his flesh. Under the old Testament, there was a veil in between the holiest of Holies in the tabernacle and the Holy place.

They could go in and out of the Holy place all throughout the year, but that veil separated them. And now the Hebrew writer says that veil was a type. It was a looking forward to the flesh of Christ. Interestingly, you remember when Christ died, when Christ said it is finished, gave up the ghost, a number of things occurred. The sun was darkened.

The earth shook graves were opened, but what else happened? The veil in the temple was rent. It was torn into from the bottom of the top or from the top to the bottom top to bottom. There’s a type apology here. And there’s a picture that God brought into physical form saying separation of me from my people is gone. They now have access because he died.

They now have boldness because he died and we have access to the throne of God continually. This goes back to chapter four. This isn’t the first time he said this. He’s just drawing in more of these types of Anna types. More of the picture. He says, verse 14, seeing then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus,

the son of God, let us hold fast. Our confession for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points, tempted like as we are yet without sin, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. So he said this before this isn’t new,

he’s not just introducing the idea. He’s giving you a more clear picture of the atonement that is found in Christ. Okay? So then he says, verse 21 and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

He, again, he’s pulling together these pictures from the old Testament when Moses and Aaron sanctified the people of God, when they instituted the first tabernacle, when they offered the first sacrifices on that first day of consecration, they took the blood of a sacrifice and sprinkled it on the altar and on the sacrifices and on the people, they consecrated them ceremonially with this sprinkling of blood.

Now he’s using the figure and saying your heart, your conscience, your inward person, where the blood of the old Testament could come, could cleanse and consecrate the outward person. This sacrifice the blood of Christ cleanses the inward person. He said, your hearts have been sprinkled from an evil conscience and your bodies washed with pure water. Again, going back to the old Testament picture of the tabernacle worship.

When those high priests were to offer those sacrifices, when they were to enter into the Holy place, they first had to wash in that brazen Laver, okay. Before they could enter into the Holy place they had to wash you couldn’t go into the Holy place unless you washed. Well, now he says we have been given a washing and yet isn’t it interesting.

He describes the washing to be physical and the cleansing to be spiritual turn over to first Peter chapter three<inaudible> First Peter chapter three, verse 21. There is also an anti-tech, which now saves us baptism, not the removal of the field of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The same idea is carried forward.

In first, Peter chapter three, that baptism is the washing in which our inward person is washed. Even though the act is an outward act. In other words, it’s something our physical bodies do, but it is not as Peter’s describing, it’s not about washing off dirt. It’s not about washing away, filth on your body. It is about your heart.

And so here you have one of those passages where baptism in its anti type form is described as being directly connected to the blood of Christ. Verse 23, let us hold fast. The confession, that is the proclamation of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

not getting the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much. The more as you see the day approaching as the Hebrew writer reminds them of these things. He’s not telling them for the very first time that they’re supposed to assemble together. And he’s not telling them for the very first time that they’re supposed to be immersed in water for the remission of sins.

They’ve already done that. He’s reminding them of what it was they did. And he’s reminding them of what is so important about their association and fellowship with one another. He says, as you go through these struggles, as you go through these difficulties, the one thing that you don’t stop doing is assembling with one another because it is there that you provoke one another to love and good works.

Now it’s important to note that the first staking here is not the absence of a single time. It is the turning away from it. This is not a passage that describes, you know what, someone’s sick and they didn’t show up at church today. They’re forsaking the assembling. No, that’s not it. This is the turning no way from in turning away from Christ.

He says, when you are struggling, that is not the time to turn away from the assembly. That is not the time to turn your back on the, the assembly. That is the time to turn to the assembly and be there so many times when times are hard. When difficulties come, when hardships come into our lives, we go, you know what?

I just don’t have. I just don’t have the energy, the stamina that to get up, get dressed and get to worship. That is exactly the time where you need to get up, get dressed and go, go to worship because that’s when you need it. The most that’s when God says, listen, this time is especially for you right at that moment where you can be assembling with one another where you can be provoked to love and good works,

where you can have others. Look, look at you and care for you. It’s the moment when you say All right, I need this. And I know that when I come home, I’m going to be better than when I left, but it also Involves this other aspect. And that is us looking past ourselves. The one who comes to the assembly,

looking to better themselves, looking to be looked upon by others, looking to be encouraged by others, looking to be exhorted by others and never gives any Lot to anyone else is failing in their duties. In the assembly. Part of the, The Frank reality is it is by us assembling together and losing our focus on ourselves and putting our focus on someone else that we,

We find we get helped by helping others. So we need to be thoughtful in our approach Assemblies, not only to look for those who are struggling and encourage those who are struggling, but also to set aside our worries, our struggles, our difficulties Look to help others. Okay? Now in Verse 26, he’s not changing Topics. Here He is. He has gone through a discussion of the sacrifice.

He has gone through the discussion of the priesthood. He has gone through the discussion of the law. He has gone through the discussion of the T of the covenant. He has gone through all of these things. And now he’s about to give them a very Stark warning. All the passages in the book of Hebrews that are the most direct in warning these people about what they’re about to do verse 13 or verse 26 of chapter 10,

Is that passage He says for, if we sin Willfully, now this is not Connect Textually. This is not talking about, I know it’s wrong to lie. And I just told a lie That’s that is not the context here. Okay? The context is, I know I should not foresee Christ and his assembly, but I am going to choose to turn my back on him.

I am going to Context is I am going to return to the law of Moses and to Moses and to Judaism and for say Christ. That is the context, the departure from Christianity and obedience To Christ. That’s the willful sin being described here for if we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth. So notice it’s a departure from the truth.

There no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. This is you walk away from Christ and what are you walking to? You’re not going to walk back to the blood of bulls and goats. They’re no longer a sacrifice for sins. You can’t go back to that. We’ve shown you. He took it away. So you walk away from the only sacrifice and you walk to no sacrifice for sins,

but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation, which will devour the adversaries notice. He just said, you walk away from Christ. You become an adversary of God because that’s, that’s who that judgements for. He said, you just walked into a judgment meant for adversaries, which meant you just became an adversary. Remember back in revelation, as we were going through those chapters,

two and three, where he writes to the church and one of the churches, he says, you repent or I’ll make war with you. God considers those who forsake him, who turned their back on him, who go back to the world. After they know the truth, to be his enemies. Notice he says anyone who has rejected Moses’s law does or dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

By the way, he’s pointing out this isn’t unusual. We shouldn’t think this is strange. If you violate the law under the law of Moses and two people testify against you in a court of law, you’re going to be put to death. But then he says of how much worse punishment do you suppose, will he be thought worthy? Who has trampled?

The son of God under foot counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing and insulted the spirit of grace. So you need to get right in your mind about what it is to me, what it means to depart from Christianity. Once you’ve become a Christian, he said, you have trodden under foot. The son of God,

you have said that sacrifice on that cross is completely value lists to me. What did Jesus describes? Salt? W w what did he say would happen to salt that had lost its value, lost its flavor. It was good for nothing good to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. He says the Christian who departs from Christianity. That’s what they’ve done to the son of God.

That’s how they view the son of God, or at least that’s how God views it. But he also says you’ve counted the blood of the covenant as on Holy use it that now that wasn’t any, anything special, this idea is profane or common. The various two, two of the very first priests, two of the sons of Aaron, when they were brought,

bringing the fire to the, to the altar were struck down by God. And the accusation God made is they didn’t put a difference between was common and what was Holy. And so here, he says, you’ve taken the blood of Christ, which is Holy. And you’ve treated it as if it’s common, just like anybody else’s blood, but also says,

and you have despised the spirit or insulted the spirit of grace for we know him who said, vengeance is mine. I will repay says the Lord. And again, the Lord will judge his people. He says, we were told this in the old Testament, God said, he’s going to judge. And God said, he judged under that law. And he’s certainly going to judge her under this law verse 31.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living. God. Then he says, verse 32. We’ll read down through verse 39, but recall, okay. Okay. Said this, he’s put forth the warning. He said, listen, you don’t want to fall into the hands of your God. And then he immediately reverses not goes back on what he says,

but reverses his tone and say, says, but remember, we’ve been through this before. He says, remember, recall the former days in which after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings. She’s remember when you were first converted, when you first became a Christian, when you first saw the light, there’s the illuminated idea. He said,

how you suffered and you did so willingly. You went through a great fight flight of afflictions. These is partly whilst you were made a spectacle, both by reproaches and tribulations. And partly while you became companions of those who were so treated for you had compassion on me and my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven,

he says, do you remember back when you were first converted and you did all of these things you’re being asked to do now, now, and you did enjoy fully, you did it willingly. You did it without a second thought because of the salvation. When you had available and heaven, he says, therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward,

or you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. Now he goes back to the old Testament. He says for yet a little while, and he who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith. But if anyone draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

He goes back to Habakkuk where Habakkuk is questioning how God’s going to use the Babylonian armies to defeat Israel, to defeat Judah and punish this people who are better than the Babylonians were. And God said the just will live by faith. The just will endure. I will protect the, just, but the wicked I’m going to punish. He says, verse 39.

As he closes this, what we have is this chapter. He says, but we are not notice again, as he’s done before with the led us. And he includes himself, he says, but we, you and me, all Christians, he says, but we are not of those who draw back to perdition. But of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

Now he’s going to make this statement about belief, about faith, to lead them into a whole long discussion of faith. So he said this, and we’ll leave it here. We’re going to kind of summarize chapter 11 as we start class on Wednesday, which will be done virtually, but he says, we do not draw back. We don’t go backwards.

We don’t go back to the old law. We keep our faith and obey God. And that is all of chapter 11, looking forward to chapter 12. Okay, let’s go over these questions for chapters nine and 10. What kind of sacrifices were offered under the law? Moses, lot of bulls and goats, gifts and sacrifices. Either one of those would be fine.

How often was it necessary to offer sacrifices continually year by year? Why was it necessary to offer sacrifices often? All right. Because they could never make one. Perfect. Is, is there is the, the text answer can never make one. Perfect. What kind of sacrifice was offered under Jesus’ law? His own blood. How often is it necessary to offer sacrifices?

Once, when does a covenant come into force? Yep. We went when the person whose covenant is dies, how was the first covenant put into force?<inaudible> Yeah. Sprinkling of blood or the blood of bulls and goats. What about the second? Okay. Blood of blood of Jesus. The law of Moses is spoken of as a blank of the good things to come Shadow.

Jesus’ flesh is the blank. The veil. Does God remember forgiven sins? No. That’s a discussion. We’ll have to get into some time. Yes or no. Does God require Christ followers to assemble? Yes. What is God’s punishment for those who neglect Christ and his blood Say what Fearful judgment fire, vengeance, all, all of those are, are applicable in good answers.

So, all right. We will have, I think I am correct in announcing this. Okay. I’m correct. In announcing this because I will be gone. A number of actually a number of people will be out. What we will be doing is we will have our services on our Bible study on Wednesday online, the zoom will be available. The live stream will be available,

but there won’t be anybody here. Okay. So make note of that for Wednesday, we’ll make sure everybody has what they need to get connected to that, but we’ll go over the end of Hebrews then. And then Sunday, since I will be out of town, Michael will be filling in and we’ll start a review of Jesus going into lessons on the second year of Jesus’ ministry,

starting the next Wednesday. So thank you for your attention. And you are dismissed<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> Her. Name’s good to see everyone here today where happy to see you. And I know the re those that are watching online. I think we’ve got a lot of folks out today for the holidays. So it’s kinda unusual to see as few as we have here today,

but we’re glad that we’re able to come and be together and worship God together today and have Bible study. Aaron did a wonderful job this morning, and we miss all of you that are, haven’t been able to be with us for a while. And some others aren’t feeling well. So we want to continue to pray for these. We have a few announcements we want to make,

hopefully everyone remembered to get the Lord’s supper at the back. We just wanted to remind you of that or continue to pray for Joan Springer. Maria said she’s doing some better has good days and bad days though. And still not able to gain much weight at all, if any, and sometimes loses a few pounds. So keep, keep her in your prayers.

I also, Robin woods, we want to continue to pray for Robin and Jessica. Dale is still having problems. It’s talking to Michael and we want to continue to pray for Jessica, that they can determine what’s actually taking place with her and hopefully find out what it is and relieve her of all of that discomfort she’s experiencing Janie Marlin is, is doing well with her surgery on her knee.

She’s still having some nausea from some of the medications that she’s having to take. So keep her in your prayers. Also remember Dorothy Wilson still waiting at home, her stress test results. And I’m not sure why it’s taken them so long to find that out, but we want to keep her in your prayers. Also Rodale, they’ve been experiencing a lot of sorrow in their family and the loss of Rodale’s brother and his wife,

Leah van Cleve that’s and also Jessica hobby, hob D both of these are nieces of Becky Posner. Both of them have COVID and we certainly want to remember them and hope that they will be able to be treated for that. And everything will go alright with them. Jan, his dad is back at home and under hospice care. So they are back,

but they’re staying at home just in case they were around anyone that might’ve been affected with the virus. So keep them in your prayers. And then Cheryl’s dad who, who fell and has a fracture in his spine. He, he had his having to wear a back brace, but he is at home. And still, I know that he has good days and bad days.

So keep, keep him in your prayers. And also Aaron’s dad, Keith Cozort had surgery Friday for heart blockage. He had two stents put in and he is at home now. So we want to continue to pray for him that everything will be go hard with him. Elaina sharp, that Shelly Stax mother has double pneumonia, and she has a real bad infection on the,

on the back of her head. And we certainly were want to remember her and our prayers, that they were able to be able to help get her over that pneumonia and get that healed up. So probably in real serious condition though, and she’s in a Methodist hospital, our sympathy to the Wilson family and the loss of Rodale’s well already announced that his brother and his wife Demple.

So we weren’t at one other announcement. We will not meet at the building for service Wednesday for class, but it will be virtual. So don’t forget to tune in and be studying Hebrews chapter 11. So keep that in, in your Mark that down on your calendar, be sure and tune in for that. I believe that saw the announcements I had,

hopefully I didn’t overlook any. I do have one other thing I want to mention to you, Aaron and Eddie and the boys will be leaving tomorrow to go to Missouri and they’ll be gone for about a week. And so we want to remember them in our prayers that everything would go well for them. And we don’t want to, we do want to wish everyone,

a Merry Christmas and hope we will all have a safe holiday since we probably won’t see each other personally clean now. And next Lord’s day, this morning, Michael Dale will be leading our song service. Eric Halverson we’ll have our opening prayer. Mari Phillips will be taking care of the Lord’s table. Aaron Cozort would be bringing us the lesson. And then Jay Shafir we’ll have our closing prayer First song.

This morning will be number 31 and be still and know be still and know<inaudible> That. Ah,<inaudible><inaudible> the<inaudible> that, ah,<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> the<inaudible><inaudible> As long before our opening prayer, excuse me, will be number 797. Lord we come before the now<inaudible><inaudible> Oh,<inaudible><inaudible> we see the Lord<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> to see<inaudible> to<inaudible> and I know<inaudible> no,

we see<inaudible> we<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> the<inaudible> GRA. Oh man,<inaudible> fun. The God<inaudible><inaudible> free.<inaudible> the<inaudible> Please bow with me. God, our father in heaven, we come to you this morning, thanking you for another day here on earth and thanking you for the opportunity to be able to assemble here together, to fellowship with one another sing songs of praise to your name and study a portion of your word Lord.

There were numerous individuals listed on our sick list this morning. And we ask if it’d be your, will you wrap your loving arms around each and every one of them and provide them with the comfort that they need while they battle the individual needs to retain regain their health. And if it be your will provide them the means and the opportunity to regain their health so that they may come again to worship you.

But most importantly, to serve you, God, we also know that there are many amongst our number that are suffering from various ailments and illnesses that have not been mentioned. And we asked the same for them that you wrap your loving arms around them and around the caretakers and the providers, caregivers, and providers for these individuals that they may seek your knowledge and your wisdom and your patients and their times as they struggled to deal with providing help to them.

God, we also know that because of the holiday season, there are many amongst us. That’d be traveling. We asked that you provide safe journey for those that will travel to their destinations and return to their homes. And God, we also want to thank you for having sent your son Jesus here on earth years ago to teach us, but most importantly,

to die for our sins and to save us, give us that opportunity to one day, live with you forever in heaven in eternity, Lord, we also know that each and every one of us have our faults and have our shortcomings. And when we bring those shortcomings to you, we ask that you help us to deal with these shortcomings and prevent from doing them again.

But most importantly, forgive us, although shortcomings that we may serve you better as we live here on earth and wait for that day that we join you eternally in heaven. And now as brother Aaron prepares to bring us another portion of your word, we ask that you help each and every one of us listen intently and analyze it and see how we can use the word that he’s going to bring us your word to enlighten our lives,

to serve you better. But most importantly, to reach out to those that have either fallen away from your love, or have not had the opportunity to hear your word and understand your love so that they may one day have the same opportunity we do. And that is to live with you forever. In eternity. We pray all these things through your son,

Jesus name, amen. Long to prepare our minds for the Lord’s supper will be number 366 by Christ redeemed by Christ three<inaudible>. We keep the us<inaudible> and show the<inaudible> and to he<inaudible> his body given<inaudible><inaudible>. And as we drink, we see blah, and<inaudible> he? Oh, and that me Trey<inaudible> ah, with advent, we NA my wan bride chain me it,

and he<inaudible> At this time, we need to focus on the cross and the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins. Let’s pray. Heavenly father, we’re thankful for this bread represent Jesus’ body was nailed to the cross for the sins of mankind. Pray heavenly father, you please forgive us of our sins. Amen. Like manner, heavenly father. We’re thankful for this fruit of the vine.

It represents Jesus blood that was shed on this cross for our sins. Let’s pray. Heavenly father that you please forgive us of our sins. Also, this we ask in Jesus name, amen. Separate from the Lord’s table. We’d have an opportunity to give his we as prosper. Let’s pray. Heavenly father. We’re thankful for the financial gains we have received from you through the years,

and we pray heavenly father you’ll accept proportion back to you in order to keep the church you’re at Collierville and doing the job that we’re doing here and help us having father be prosperous. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen. As long before the lesson this morning will be number 555. Siki first. If you’re able to stand for this song, Please,

number 555, okay. Siki first, the kingdom of God and<inaudible> and all these things shall be added unto you seeing, ah,<inaudible> scanned. It shall be given unto you C and G shall ah, knock, and the door be opened unto you singing. Ah,<inaudible> man shall not live by bread alone, but<inaudible> pro seeds from God seeing,

ah,<inaudible> you may be seated. Good morning. Sometimes I’m asked a question. I imagine you are too. When it comes around the time of the holidays or birthdays, someone will come up to you and ask, what do you want? Can you make a list? What do you want for Christmas? What do you want for your birthday? What sweetheart?

What do you want for your anniversary? That one probably shouldn’t be asked, but the others, what do you want? There’s nothing wrong with that question. It’s simply an expression of one person trying to do for another person and give to another person what it is that they actually want. But as we examine our lesson this morning, I want to notice what we should want and how to get it.

Not in view of Christmas or birthdays or any other holiday or gift exchanging time of the year. But in view of our lives, collagen’s chapter three, Paul writes to the church at Colossi, as he writes to these brethren in Colossians chapter three and verse one, we read if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things, which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God,

set your mind On things above, not on things, Things on the earth. Sometimes it’s In view of the previous discussion in the previous question of what do you want the answer is, I don’t know. And usually that’s because we haven’t been thinking about it. If we stopped for a while and thought about it, we could come up with one or two things that we want,

whether we could afford them or not, that would be a completely different discussion, but some things that we Want, sometimes It may be basic. Sometimes it may be symbol. Sometimes it may just be, you know what? I want that meal. I just really enjoy that meal, whatever that is. But notice that when the Paul writes to the church at glossies is first of all,

seek those things that are above. But then he also says set your mind on the things above, be thinking about it. When we consider what it is as Christians that we really want, are we giving in our lives? Any thoughts To eternity As we go through our daily lives, as we examine what it is that we do on a daily basis,

what part of our day, what part of our life, what part of our decision making process depends entirely upon the time we spend Thinking about eternity, okay. Thinking about spiritual things. So he says, first of all, seek those things, which are above. Second of all, he says, set your mind on things that are above. But thirdly,

he says for you died. I don’t know if you know that if you’re a Christian, you do know that, but Paul just comes right out and says for you died And your life is hidden with Christ in God. The moment a person comes forward In their heart and in their mind and makes the decision I’m going to change. They’ve heard the word of God.

They’ve heard the gospel and they know it’s true. They know that Jesus Christ came to this earth. They know that he bled. They know that he died. They know that he went to that cross and they know why they know he died for their iniquity, for their sin, for their unrighteousness. And they know That he didn’t stay dead. Instead on third day,

he arose from that grave. He walked out of that tomb and ultimately he ascended back into the back to the father and that he is there right now. Now, as this passage describes sitting at the right hand of God and they know those things, They have heard and believe those things. And as a result of that, they have looked at what he told them to do.

They have Looked at their lives and they have looked at the word of God and they have looked at scripture and they’ve examined their lives against the mirror We’re of the soul. And they have found they don’t match. And so they have looked at those things and said, I have to change that. They know what he said, they’ve heard it. They believe it.

They know they have to change. And they Also know that above everything else. They want to serve him, go to Matthew chapter six, Matthew chapter six, as Jesus is giving the sermon on the Mount. He references possessions. And he says, beginning in verse 19, do not lay up for yourselves, treasures on earth, where Moth and rust destroy,

where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves, treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there. Your heart will be also notice Jesus begins first with possessions. He begins first with what it is that you find Valuable. It really comes back to this question of what do you want?

And if when asked that question, the only thing you can find as an answer is this possession, that possession, this thing, that thing, this goal, that goal, this attainment, that attainment this job, that job, that If that’s all you want, Jesus said, you’ve set your treasure on things that are below you Set your treasure on things that are part of this earth.

You’ve set your treasure on things which will not last. And ultimately some ELLs we’ll take from you. You say, well, I’m going to, I’m going to protect what I have and I’m going to own a lot of firearms and I’m going to make sure and ensure everything. And I’m going to make sure to take precautions. I’m going to make sure no one gets my Stuff except solid And pointed out in Ecclesiastes.

These that one of these days you’re going to Die and Everything you’ve accumulated. I had accumulated a lot was going to be left to somebody else. All ultimately, no matter how much stuff it is, you’re leaving this life without it. They are now trying and have been For a number of years to figure out how to migrate someone’s consciousness from their body into a computer system.

So that that person can continue to live. Why? Because people are dead set on never leaving this temporary, The place. But Jesus said Where your treasure is there. Your heart will be also, but he doesn’t end there. He says, the lamp of the body is the Eye. If Therefore your eye is good, your whole body Will be full of light.

There, there are times where The way this is described and the way this is stated, it doesn’t really translate. But all the light, you experience All The light that you see, You don’t see, See it through your hand. You don’t see it through your foot. You see it through one little Part of your body and that’s your eye. And anyone who has ever had eye trouble can tell you That when your eyes start giving you problems,

it affects you In significant ways. When your eye stops sensing light, properly or stops, communicating that light properly to, to your, the rest of your body. You have difficulties in your entire body. Jesus said The light of the body, the Eye, If then your eye is good. Your whole body is full of light. But, But if your eye is bad,

your whole body will be full, Full of darkness. If your eyes stop seeing light, Not another appendage, you can rely on to solve the problem. There’s not another part of the body you can go to and say, can you just take over the duty of the eyes? They’re not working anymore? And while it is certainly true for those who,

who experienced blindness that over time, their other senses enhance themselves to make up for it. The reality is they don’t replace the eyes. He says, If your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness. How great is That darkness? Now imagine your eyes work Just fine. And hopefully they do.

But imagine the only thing day in and day out that you put your eyes to doing that you set before them are things you want. Possessions. Yeah. You want stated that during this time of year, beginning about three weeks ago, Jordy have employees at their jobs get very little accomplished As it Were. They checkout for about six weeks, starting in the beginning of December and going all the way till about the beginning of the first of the year.

Maybe a few weeks after they just don’t really get anything done for some employees. It’s because they’re spending more time shopping on their computer than working on their computer. Okay? But imagine if that’s your whole year, imagine if that’s your whole life, everything every day is about the next thing Want Jesus said your eye has turned to only allowing in darkness because all you’re focused on are possessions.

He says, you cannot verse 24, serve two masters for either. He will hate the one and love the other, Or LT will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God, God, and mammon or possessions money. Therefore I say to you do not worry about your life. What you do, You will eat or what you will drink nor about your body.

What you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing. Look at the birds of the air for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they, Jesus focuses on this problem. He focuses on the problem where is looking at what it is they want and failing to trust God to provide They’re looking at what it is they need.

They’re looking at what it is to go on through this life day in and day out. And instead of looking to God to give what, give them what they want. They’re looking to themselves To provide it. Someone has suggested that if you’re going to ask God for a garden, you should do it with a hole in your hand. And that’s true.

You should not expect God to miraculously appear before you everything you need, nor is that what Jesus is Teaching here. But Instead his discussion is about where your heart is. Is your heart set every day on the next days, possessions, the next days things, the next day is food. The next day is Raymond. And the things you need to subsist in this life,

or is your heart set Bet on God. But notice his addressing of this is not, God has the ability to do this. He does not say God is able. He says, God cares more for you than for the birds of the air that he already does it for. He doesn’t go to a discussion of God’s abilities as a pure abstract. He goes to God’s relationship To his children.

He goes on to say, which of you By worrying can add one cubit to his stature? How many times? Times I can’t, I can’t count them. How many times that I, As, as any pretty much that I know of any male growing up that is shorter than most of the other people. They know. How many times do they go to the,

the, the tape measure? Alright, am I taller? Am I taller? They scooch up on Their toes just a little bit. Especially if you had brothers That were all taller than you and they, And you’re like, you know, I, one of these days, I am going to be six feet tall. One of these days, I just know it.

I’ve got an uncle who’s over six feet tall. My dad’s six feet tall. I’m going to be six. I am not Six feet tall. And Do you know how much I can change that? Not at all. I mean, I wear cowboy boots all day long and I measure up to six feet doll, but I can not chain My stature.

Jesus said, How many of you by worrying, By Giving thought care, concern and focus of mind can change your stature, Not one inch. But then he goes on to say, so why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed.

One of these. Now, If God, so clothes, the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven. Will he not much more clothe you? Oh, ye of little faith. Jesus says, as we look at our lives and yeah, If we turn our hearts, minds, focus and Tension to possessions and naughty eternity,

too Worrying and having anxiety About possessions and not eternity, he said, we have lost our grip on reality. We have lost Our grip on what truly matters. We have lost our faith in God, therefore verse 31, do not worry saying, what shall we eat Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear now? Did he say, do not Work?

No Jesus in, in no way, shape or form in this passage is accusing these Jews or his disciples of being those who should stop working. He said, they should stop worrying. They should stop their anxiety. They should stop their care and concern and focus as this being the highest priority For after all these things, the Gentiles seek for your Heavenly father knows that you Need these things.

As he did Dresses their care and concerns as he addresses their heart, as he addresses their eyes, as he addresses their minds and their focus, he reminds That they belong to a father who knew What they needed before They ever stepped foot on his earth. And he knows how to provide, but seek first, but seek First, the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.

Therefore he says, do not worry About tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things sufficient for the day is its own trouble. So what do you want and how do you get it? First of all, we need to be certain about The things that should not be on the List. Rich Should not be on the list. You can go read in first Timothy chapter six,

beginning in verse five, going down through verse nine about all the things that come with riches is that to say that a person who’s rich has somehow done wrong is living in a state of sin. No, that’s not it to say. That would be to accuse those like Abraham and David and many others in the old Testament who were rich, but whose focus was never on rich Is the Hebrew writer and Hebrews chapter 13,

as he writes to these, Christians says, Let your conduct be without Covetousness, be, Be content with such things as you have For he Himself has said, I will never leave you Nor forsake you. The person whose focus and dependency and heart and mind is set on riches. Is there because of insecurity, do we realize that the person, Person who’s striving every day,

day in and day out for more Stuff only does. So because of in security, Because they do not value What they already have. They only value what They do not yet have. And yet when they get it, it is of no value. And yet they will not stop and realize what they’re doing to themselves. So the Hebrew writer says, be content with what you have and why,

how can we Do it? How can we have that mindset? He says, because your father said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. There’s times that I don’t feel as though that’s true. There’s times even this almost writer express there’s times where it seems as though you’re far from me. It seems as though you will, you will not do what I asked you.

It seems as though you’re not dealing with the situation and yet TRIBErs writer continues. And he says, so we may boldly say, Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me, remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.

He says, pay attention to those who taught you, pay attention to those who you’ve learned from pay attention to their actions when they endure difficulty and follow them. And here’s why you can verse eight. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. When Jesus is a Rose from the dead and came back into the presence of the apostles, they were locked in a room assembling by themselves.

They were afraid of the government. They were afraid of the people. They were afraid of them. Those who not too long ago had, had laid Palm leaves down on the road and cried out Hosanna Hosanna. And yet short time later had cried, crucify him, crucify him And Jesus came into their midst and said, Oh, ye of little faith.

They had been told what he was going to do. They had been told what was going to happen, but in the midst of their Care and concern for The things of this life, they had missed the importance of the things pertaining to that life. We need to be those who, first of all, do not set our hearts and minds on riches,

but certainly do not set our hearts and on Sinful pleasures. But instead on eternity, we need to understand that there are things have more value than riches. Proverbs chapter eight, verse 11 describes wisdom to be of more value than rubies. We are to be those who understand that knowledge and understanding are things that we are to want things we are to strive for things we are to study,

to attain and give diligence to attain because knowledge and understanding are those things that can correct our lives. Turn to second Peter chapter one, as we examine and answer what it is that we want and how to get it. Peter writes to these Christians and he says beginning in verse one, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us, by the righteousness of our God and savior Jesus Christ,

grace, and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord, he said, first and foremost, may you have grace and peace. You need those. And they’re found in one place, the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, but he then goes on and says, as his divine power has given to us, all things that pertain to life and godliness,

he said, in the knowledge of him, he has given you everything you need that pertains to life right now. And obedience to him through the knowledge of him who called you to glory and or by glory and virtue by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises. Not only has gone told you what he’s done for you. Not only has God told you what you need to do.

Not only has God given you everything you need to do what he said do, he’s also promised you what will happen when you do it, that through these, you may be partakers of the divine nature. Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. So what do you want? And does it originate with your knowledge of God and your Lord,

Jesus Christ, but how do you get it? Peter goes on to say for this reason, give all diligence to add to your faith virtue and to your virtue knowledge and to knowledge, self control, and to sell control Perseverance and to perseverance godliness and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly, kindness, love for if these things are yours, if those are the things you want,

and those are the things you work for, and those are the things you attain. He said for, if these things are yours and a bound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ for he who lacks these things is short-sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore,

brethren be even more diligent to make your call and election. Sure. For if you do these things you will never stumble for. So an entrance will be supplying to you, abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. What do you want? If what you want is entrance into the kingdom of God and an internal abode with him.

Then Peter has just told you how to get it, have your sins washed away through the gospel and obedience to it, and then add to your faith. Virtue, knowledge, perseverance, godliness, brotherly, kindness, and love, and rinse and repeat. And when you do, you will have everything you’ve ever wanted, not a pie in the sky.

Promise if what you want is what Jesus said. And that is to seek first, the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness. If you have need of the invitation, the invitation is open for you now together as we stand and as we sing, Geez, what can make me whole again? Nothing but the bla jeez, us. Oh,<inaudible> that makes<inaudible> no,<inaudible> no nothing but blah,

jeez, for my iPod on their side, I see nothing but a bla jeez, for my cleansing, this my plea, nothing but<inaudible> Oh,<inaudible> nah, man makes me<inaudible>. No, the found time. No, nothing but blah. Jeez, us nothing can.<inaudible> nothing but blah. Jeez, not good that I have done nothing but blah G she sees us.

Oh, precious is fuck. Nah, it makes me<inaudible>. No, the fam time. No, nothing but blah G sees us the song before the closing prayer will be number 626 Christ for the world. We seen Christ for the wo. We see the world to CRA nice. We Bree<inaudible><inaudible> that boy, the thing<inaudible> Christ<inaudible> Christ<inaudible> we see the woe to CRA nice.

We Bri. Oh man. No way.<inaudible> a loss by<inaudible> passions, task three genes.<inaudible> formed.<inaudible><inaudible> we see the woe to CRA nice. We Bree with one<inaudible> to share with us three pro Scouts to jam with us.<inaudible> for Christ Heavenly father. We’re indeed grateful for the privilege we’ve had to assemble and worship this hour.

We pray that our worship to you has been in spirit and truth and a sweet saver. As we prepare to depart, we’re mindful of those that are unable to be with us today. We pray your healing hands be placed upon them. And that they, once again, may return to their much wanted place. Be with those that are in harm’s way,

serving our country, grant them peace and reassurance at this special time of year, when families tend to get together, let them know that there are cared for, and that they have that hope of coming home. Soon as we go to prepare them for this special season, grant us an idea of oneness of helping one another, see the light and to be comforted by the fact that we’re just pilgrims here,

that our true homes need to be pointed toward heaven. Also, father, we fall short of our goals. Many times as we sin, we pray, you will forgive those sins, a repent and turn from them. Go with us. Now, as we depart, bless each of us with The blessings of knowing that we’re held in the hollow of your hand,

it’s in Jesus name, we pray.

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12-16-2020 – Hebrews 9-10 (Class)

In Bible Classes Videos, Live Streams, The Book of Hebrews by Aaron Cozort

Automated Transcript:

<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> It’s about time for us to get started. Anybody thinks that based upon Sunday morning, how I made it to the end of chapter eight, that means that I’m going to make it to the end of chapter 10. Tonight you are sorely mistaken. It is not going to happen. All right, Let’s begin with, with a word of prayer.

So we get started our gracious father in heaven. We come before you so incredibly grateful for all of our many blessings, the blessings that we have had within this congregation, within our families and our homes within this city that we live in and this community that we’re a part of, we pray that you will be with those who have struggles, adversities, difficulties,

pray, especially for those who struggle at times with sin and all of us do in our own times in our own places, we pray that we might have willingness to open your word, to find the strength and the direction, the guidance that we need to correct our lives to live in accordance with your will. We pray that you will be with us as we go throughout this period of study,

may this time we spend be spent in a beneficial way and in accordance with your will and may all that we do and say, bring us closer to you. We ask that you forgive us when we sin and fall short of your glory and all this, we pray in Jesus name. Amen. We’ll go over the questions from Hebrews seven and eight. Yeah.

As we get started by way of review question number one, how much, and if anybody’s missing this, these set of questions, they’re over on the, on the side here. How much did Abraham give Mel kids a deck, a 10th or a tie? How much were the people to give the priests a 10th aura time, by the way, any commandment in the new Testament to Thai?

Nope. Number two. Yes or no. Was it necessary to change the law of Moses when the priesthood was changed?<inaudible> Yes, you could. We talked about that on Sunday. You could not separate the priesthood and the law. If you changed the priesthood, you had to change the law. If you change the law, you had to change the priesthood name,

the TRIBE from which Jesus descended Judah. Yes or no. Under the law of Moses. Were there priests among the tribe of Judah? No, there weren’t. By what power then did Jesus become a priest by the, the, Okay. Yeah. The, the, an interesting point in that, the text specifically in verse 16, he was, he was made a priest after the order of milk is that,

but by the power of an endless life, is there at the end of verse 16, which is part of the argumentation about, you know, with, with the priesthood of the Levi’s it’s every time you turned around, every generation one died. Okay. Versus Christ who was alive forever. What things did the law of Moses make? Perfect.<inaudible> Nothing.

That’s correct. Nothing. I’m just rereading it. Make sure I didn’t goober that one up. Number five. Why were there great numbers of priests under the law? Moses? Because they died. Why? Under the new covenant? Is there only one priest, one high priest? Sorry. All right. Because he continues forever. How often did the high priest under the law of Moses offer up sacrifices for sins There in verse 23,

24 and 27. All right. Daily is the reference here. And then also once for all, when, when he would go in on the day of atonement. All right. How often did Jesus offer sacrifice for sins? One time For all. Okay. So all of these, just laying forth, the contrast between the priesthood of Aaron and the priesthood of Christ who pitched the earthly tabernacle<inaudible> Okay.

Where is the true tabernacle heaven? The law of Moses was a blank and a blank of the heavenly things. All right. An example, and a shadow. And then Jesus is the blank of the new covenant<inaudible> Mediator and discuss the first covenant and the need for a second. What did the first one have that caused the need for the second?<inaudible> All right.

It had imperfections. Okay. Number one. It didn’t have a perfect sacrifice. Okay. Not to say that God somehow messed up. That’s not what we mean by imperfections. The Hebrew writer is saying it had deficiencies by the nature of its existence, without Christ, without Christ. It couldn’t do everything that it needed to do. Okay. So it could not be considered perfect because it wasn’t the end.

It was the picture of what was coming. Okay. So it did exactly what it was intended to do. The problem is they’re trying to use it for a use. It was never intended for, have you ever seen a novice in a trade pick up a tool and try to use it to do a job? It was never intended to do when you take a child and you hand them a screwdriver and they use it to pry up nails,

it might accomplish the goal, but it is not the right tool for the job. Okay. These Jewish Christians are in essence, as children doing that with the law, they are trying to make the law, the eternal covenant and full, full force and power of God to save mankind. And it never was. That was not the function of the law of Moses.

So We’re going to get begin To get some context here. We’re going to begin reading in chapter eight, verse seven for if the first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second because finding fault with them. Now notice one of the attributes he lays forward of the fault of the first covenant Was the people in the first covenant.

Okay? The Israelites became part of the covenant By what, by birth. But what if you gave birth to a child to it, Israel, like they were part of the covenant and they never ever, ever in any way, shape or form attempted to obey God, God, you have a problem with the covenant, don’t you? Because they’re in violation of it.

Under the new covenant, you have a completely different arrangement. Don’t you? Is there anyone who is part of the new covenant who receives the promises of the covenant without being obedient To the covenant? Not, not a one. Nobody Going to go to heaven, having ignored, refused, and rebelled against the covenant of Christ and suddenly end up in heaven and go,

I made it. No, you didn’t. Okay. It’s not going to happen. So one of the attributes of the imperfection of the first covenant is those who were part of it. He says behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the days,

I took them out by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not notice, continue in my covenant. And I disregarded them, says the Lord for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days says the Lord, I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts.

I will be their God. And they shall be my people. None of them shall teach his neighbor. And none his brother saying know the Lord with now does, does Jeremiah. And the Hebrew writer mean by this, that under the new covenant, we have no obligation to go out and teach people, Pull the gospel of Christ, Exact opposite. Okay.

He’s saying, in order for someone to enter the covenant, they have to already know the Lord. So under the law of One of the things that they had to do on a regular basis is take Israelite who are part of the covenant and say, let me teach you who God is. But That happens before someone enters the covenant with the new covenant,

because God says, I’m going to write my laws, not on a table of stone, put away in some Ark of the covenant, not on some height or some skin that’s passed along from generation and copied and copied and copied. But most people never see no I’m going to write my laws on their hearts and in their minds, they’re going to know me.

And that Is what is going to make them a part of the covenant. Then he says, they, I shall be their God. And they shall be my people. None of them shall teach his neighbor. And none his brother saying know the Lord for all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and lawless deeds.

I will remember no more in that. He says a new covenant. All right. So now the Hebrew writers drawing the argument he wants to make about this in that he says a new covenant. He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. He’s looking at the Israelite nation. He’s looking at the law.

He’s looking at the priesthood. The likelihood is the book of Hebrews is written around 60, 61, 62, 80 And 87. These right on the right on the horizon, the things that Jesus prophesied in Matthew chapter 24 and in the book of Luke, they’re about to come to pass. He says, this nation is about to be finished as a nation.

This law, this priesthood, everything about this covenant and this worship is about to be gone. Okay. Their doom is on the horizon is the point here. So then indeed chapter nine, verse one, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. He is about to go into a discussion of the tabernacle. Now we’re going to put some slides up in a few minutes that show some of the attributes of the Tabernacles so that we can just kind of think of them.

And visually see them here in a minute for a tabernacle was prepared. Verse two, the first part in which was the lampstand, the table and the show bread, which is called the sanctuary. Okay. So with me go to the, this slide and this kind of shows it okay. Enough, maybe. So with the tabernacle, you see that the veil kind of the red thing,

number three, that’s separating the back part as we would call it from the front part. Well, this is the back part is what he’s calling the first part. Okay. It’s first because Of prominence, it held the, the lamp stand the table. I’m sorry. I’m reversing it. The lampstand, the table and the showbread are in the front part.

My brain had it backwards Of the sanctuary. So park Five, so four or five, six, seven. That’s where the lamp stand the table and the showbread work. W every priest, every priest could go into that portion of the tabernacle and conserve notice what he says and behind the second veil. So there was the veil that you entered into the tabernacle,

and then the veil that you went through into the most Holy place behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle was called the holiest of all, which had the golden censor, the Ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold in which were the golden pot that had the manna Aaron’s rod, that budded and the tablets of the tabernacle and above all or above it were the cherubim of glory,

overshadowing, the mercy seat of these things. We cannot now speak in detail. He’s describing The things that were in the tabernacle. Originally. I believe the reason why he says we can’t speak about these things, Detail, those things weren’t around anymore. As of the Babylonian captivity Before the Babylonian captivity is the last time we ever read about the articles that were inside the holiest of Holies,

where did they go? What happened to them? There’s lots of people who would love to speculate. Supposedly they’ve been found in a cave somewhere. Doesn’t matter. What matters is this either Then in the days of the Hebrew writer, those things weren’t in the tabernacle anymore. So he couldn’t speak about them in detail. He had as much detailed available to him as we do what was written In the law.

Okay? But he says, when These things verse six had thus prepared, the priest always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services right day in and day out. They would come into that front part of the tabernacle. They’d be there to prepare the showbread, to partake of the showbread, to offer sacrifices, to do other things,

to trim lamps, all of these things they would do on a daily basis. But into the second part, the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance. The Holy spirit indicating this, that the way of the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.

Interesting question. Why do you think he says that the sins committed Ignorance all throughout the year? What did they, I have a responsibility to do when they knew they had committed All for sacrifices, Then say, well, well, I guess there’s another one I got to wait for the day of atonement for hope. I don’t die for David Toman gets here.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. But what about the sin? They didn’t realize they committed. Well, that was part of what was rolled into, as it were the offering on the day of atonement. This was for the sins that the people made, not knowing they had committed sin. For instance, all of those years where they didn’t know they were supposed to be keeping the Passover because no one had the book of the law.

And then Josiah finds the book of the law and reads it and goes, We’ve been, we haven’t been doing this for generations. Okay. Those sins of ignorance were part of what was dealt with in the day. Great job job. So It’s just an interesting point that the Hebrew writer brings out here about one aspect, not saying that’s all of the David homos war,

but one aspect of the day of atonement was this recognition. They knew that he had done things wrong, that they didn’t even know they had done wrong. And So this sacrifice, but this aggravates happened once per year, the Holy spirit, verse eight, indicating this, that the way into the holiest of walls was not yet made manifest. While the first half vernacular was still staying.

He said, You need to understand what the Holy spirit is telling you here in the old Testament law, as he gives you as he gave Moses. And as he gave the Israelites, the pattern for the tabernacle, he’s telling you this, Ain’t the final thing. This is not the end all to be all. This is a picture of Something else.

And They were to understand that because all they were walking into, Was it 10? Okay. Now Notice what he says. It was symbolic verse nine for the present time, in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make him who performed the service. Perfect. In regard to the conscience, the priest could offer the sacrifice. He could offer a sacrifice for himself,

and then he could offer a sacrifice for the people, but the sacrifice was insufficient to make him or the people perfect. Concerning only are concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Christ here’s the contrast. The Holy spirit is indicating this was for a pattern of what was to come. Now, he’s going to talk about the thing that was to come,

but Christ came as high priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands that is not of this creation. Jesus Christ entered tabernacle. That That wasn’t part of this earth. It wasn’t built On this earth. It’s not hewn out with, with stone. It’s not built with, with cloth. It’s not even built with wood.

It’s not overlaid with gold. It’s something else he says, but then not with the blood of goats And of calves With his own blood notice here that he’s entering this perfect tabernacle. And what he’s entering with or through is his own blood. But with his own blood, he entered the most Holy place once for all having obtained eternal redemption for if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,

how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living. God, he’s not saying that what was in the old Testament didn’t accomplish anything. Didn’t do what it was supposed to. He’s saying, if it did what it did, how much more does the blood of Christ accomplished?

Because it is so much greater than the blood of bulls and goats, then the ashes of a heifer, and that spoke concerning the Syria ceremonial cleansing. The Israelites had to go through if they touched a dead body. Okay. So there were cleansing, there were rituals things they had to do. And the ashes of a heifer were involved in that he says,

and for this reason, yeah. What reason? All right. So hold on to this. The priesthood of Aaron entered A tabernacle that wasn’t the real tabernacle. It was a picture of the real thing and their priesthood of priests. So that couldn’t be made perfect by the sacrifices that they offered still served God and did so faithfully. But Jesus Christ, a sinless high priest who didn’t first have to make sacrifices for himself.

A sinless high priest enters into not the imperfect tabernacle, not the physical tabernacle, but the eternal tabernacle with a sacrifice that’s actually perfect with blood that can actually forgive sins. And then he says, and for this reason, he Is the mediator of a New covenant by means of death Or the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Okay. This is by the way, one of those passages that informs us That without The death of Christ, the people in the old Testament wouldn’t have been saved. Either notice what it said for this reason. He is the mediator of a new covenant by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions. The transgressions were Under the first covenant, The first covenant,

isn’t the new covenant. It’s the covenant that was replaced by the new covenant Jesus Christ, D blood. And this is, this is a non biblical text way of describing what this is saying. The blood of Christ flowed forward when he died. In other words, into the future, you and I, when we sin, we can have salvation by the blood of Christ.

It flowed forward, and it also flowed backwards. It also Went and covered the sins that were under the first covenant. So Aaron, are you saying that the Israelite who live, I lived under the first covenant and never had forgiveness under the first couple. And I know somebody, some people who teach that, I know people who well-intentioned say those people live their lives and they never had forgiveness until Christ came.

And that is not what the old Testament teaches. And it’s not what the new Testament. Okay. They had forgiveness. How long Can you explain Psalm 51 turn to Psalm 51, David, right. Have mercy upon me. Oh God. According to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies and watch this phrase, this is an interesting one.

If they didn’t have forgiveness under the old law, blot out, my transgressions wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Now, either they could, or they couldn’t Be cleansed from their sin under the old law. But if they couldn’t the prophet, David didn’t know it Well then, because somebody’s going gonna say, well, wait a minute,

Aaron, just read a few more verses in Hebrews. And you’re going to get the answer to that. All right. We’re going to, but just, I’m just saying you cannot read Hebrews and make it contradict 1500 years of old Testament text. Add on top of it. This Were there sacrifices for sin before There was a law of Moses. Yes.

We’ve just re we just referenced job, Joe, Who offered sacrifices for the sins Of his children. Well, What about going all the way back to the days of Cain and Abel, were there sacrifices for sin? Yes. Did they take away sin? Yes. All right. So stay with me here. The Hebrew writer has just said that the blood of Christ Went forward and backward to make Atonement for transgressions.

Okay. For Verse 16, where there is a Testament, there is also of necessity. The death of a test dater for a Testament is enforced after men are dead, since it has no power at all. While the test dater lives there for not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood for when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people, according to the law,

he took the blood of the calves and goats with water sprinkle or Scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people. And he’s talking about the, the institution and the consecration of the tabernacle and people and the covenant after the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, all right, went through this ceremony and involved blood. Something had to die to Institute the covenant.

Okay. That’s his point in this sprinkling of blood, something had to die. Jesus Christ and his covenant became into effect when he died, Not before he died. Okay. One preacher illustrated this way. He said it was called on the phone. One day. One of the members of the congregation said, brother, could you come down here? We’re down headed to,

to the lawyer’s office. And, and w we, we’re redoing our will. Could you come down and witness for us? And is there somebody else at the church that could come down to, and we, we just, we just need to get that. Sure. So they went down, they went Witnessed, and they signed their names and the people signed their names.

And Great little time later, another phone call the church building. Rather, we hate to ask this, but we’ve made a change to our will Come down again. And is there anybody there who could go with you to witness our will? So they went down again and they witnessed the will, and they sign their names. Now, which one, the first or the second was in force after they sign their names.

No, neither of them were in forest. People weren’t dead yet Until the person’s dead. The will has no power Or, or force. That was a trick question. That’s why I liked It. When he told it, I thought I got to hang on to that One. Jesus will, his Testament Did not come into force until he died. There’s a great,

big, long discussion about the Thief on the cross that needs To be had, and should be had at some point. And we don’t have time for it tonight because of this very statement right here, the thief lived and died before the new Testament, the new covenant was ever in place, Which Means he lived and died under a different covenant than you and I live and die under,

which means everyone who wants to be saved like the thief on the cross. Can’t be, unless they live 2000 Years ago, if you live 2000 Years ago, you go right ahead and be saved like the thief on the cross. But you can’t do that. Now. You don’t live under the same covenant. He did. You’re under a covenant that has a different law.

Okay. All we can say about that. All right. So No Power at all. While the test dater lives, therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood for when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people. According to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water, Scarlet wool, and his up and sprinkled both the book in itself.

And all the people saying this is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you. Then likewise, he sprinkled the blood, both with blood, both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to law, almost all things are purified with blood. And without the shedding of blood, there is no The remission. Therefore it was necessary that the Copies of the things in the heavens,

all right, What are the copies? So we’re clear that those are the copies. The tabernacle of old, the covenant of old are the copies of the things in heaven, in the heavens. Okay. He says, therefore, it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, the blood of bulls and goats,

but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these, why they’re better things they’re of greater significance. So they need a more significant sack. Okay. For Christ does not enter the Holy places Made with hands, which are the copies of the true, but into the heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God, for us, when Jesus Christ died and he made a Toman for all mankind,

did he enter into the temple in Jerusalem, All for that sacrifice? Did he go back into the days of Moses and offer it on in the tabernacle? And the, Now he took it to heaven. That’s where our atonement was made. Okay. For Christ is not entered. The Holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God,

for us, not that he should offer himself often as the high priest enters the most Holy place every year with blood of another, that is the high priest goes in year after year after year, taking the blood that belongs to something else, a blood of bulls and goats and offers it. He would then have to suffer often since the foundation of the world.

But now once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin By the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time apart from sin,

for salvation, for the law, having a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect for them. They would not have ceased to be, or would they for then would they not have ceased to be offered for the worshipers?

Once purified would have had no more consciousness of sins, but in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. All right. So is it a paradox or a contradiction? The old Testament, Psalm 51, David says, God, you can take away my sins.

You can wash me and make me clean here. Writer says it is impossible. It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. So how can both things be true? And it all comes back to context. Okay, don’t forget the context. Okay. The context of the discussion in the book of Hebrews is The Old Testament system was never intended to be the ultimate solution.

It was never intended to be God’s final answer. It’s sacrifice was imperfect. It’s priesthood was imperfect. Its place was imperfect. Its revelation was imperfect. Its leadership was imperfect. It’s covenant. People were imperfect. All of these things were imperfect. They were pointing to some things Greater. So what happens if the person who’s living, Living under the greater covenant,

greater priesthood, greater law, greater salvation Turns back to the old covenant, Those sacrifices by themselves, separate and apart from the blood of Christ. That’s your key here. He’s already told you before we ever got here, the blood of Christ flowed backwards and forwards Could The blood of bulls and goats separate, independent, and on their own. Totally separated from the blood of Christ.

Could the blood of bulls and goats take away sin. And the answer is not a single time. So then In the East Terminal plan of God, when the blood of bulls and goats, by their very nature, imperfect looked forward to a sacrifice That the book of revelation describes as being offered from the foundation of the world. Revelation chapter 13, verse eight,

the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now, when was he actually slain 2000 years ago, but when was he as good as slain and the mind of God, the moment the world was created, because God didn’t create the world and then go, oops, it didn’t plan on sin. He created the world and knew What would be needed.

Okay? So in the eternal mind of God, every time there was a sin at every time, beginning, all the way back there at the beginning that there was a sacrifice Sacrifice. And that sin was dealt with In the blood of Christ. And because in India, God’s eternal plan. Those sacrifices were never separated from the blood of Christ. They had the power to take away sin,

but that’s not the argument here. The argument Is not could the blood of bulls and goats in view of the eternal sacrifice of Christ. The sacrifice that’s talked about in Isaiah chapter 53, still under the old law in which God says I will have my servant carry the iniquity of us all. Could those Sacrifices by themselves, standing alone, totally separated from the blood of Christ.

Could they help you? Not at all. And if you walk away from Christ, You have nothing left, but the blood of bulls and goats and they can’t save. Yeah, that’s right. The argument from Hebrews chapters nine and 10. So when you read four, it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. You must Read it in its context.

The argument is separate. And apart from the blood of Christ, therefore, when he came into the world, he said, sacrifice an offering. You did not desire. By the way, this old Testament passage is a prophetic quotation of Jesus Christ. The God speaking to God, the father, the God saying sacrifices and offerings. You God, the father did not desire,

but a body, you, God, the father have prepared for me. Jesus Christ in burn offerings and sacrifices for sin. You had no pleasure. Then I said, Jesus Christ, behold, I, Jesus Christ have come in the volume of the book. It is written of me. Jesus Christ, to do your God. The father’s will, Oh God,

what will did he come to do The father’s will to do what? Offer him self? The whole point of the passage is you gave me a body to do one thing die. Could Jesus Christ before he took on flesh have ever died. Can you, can you kill God? No. Previously saying sacrifice and offering burnt offerings and offering for sin. You did not desire nor had pleasure in them,

which are offered according to the law. Then he said, behold, I have come to do your Willow God. He takes away the first that he may establish the second. Okay. All of this discussion has been to say the first covenant was not perfect. That’s all the way back in chapter eight, verse seven. If the first covenant had been faultless,

then no place would have been sought for the second. He, his whole point has been, you make the first covenant stand by itself and be the solution for all eternity and it can’t do it. So then Jesus Christ came to establish the second. Alright. That is all the time we have. And, and the good, good spot to stop.

So we’re going to pick up in verse 10 on Sunday and go. We will spend the majority of our time in chapter, chapter 10. I’ll just tell you that we will summarize chapter 11 on Sunday and then Wednesday night I will be gone, but I will be leaving a video to cover the review of Jesus, because we’re about to switch back into a study of Jesus.

And then the next Sunday, Michael will be teaching while I’m out of town and beginning with the sermon on the Mount. All right. Thank you for your attention.<inaudible><inaudible>, It’s good to see everyone the same evening. We do have some visitors with us. Some of the young man from the school to preaching are with us, and we’re glad to have you out tonight.

Good to see, have a few announcements. And then, then we’ll have our devotional continue to remember Rodale and Dorothy, Dorothy is waiting her test results on her stress test. So I don’t think she’s gotten those back yet along that same line, Ru Dell’s sister-in-law Demple. That was O’Dell’s his brother’s wife. She passed away today from the COVID virus. So remember Rudy,

I meant, Oh, Dale had passed away last week. I believe it was. We announced. And then she fi she died herself. So remember them in your prayers also remember Jones Springer. My guess is she might not be feeling well tonight. Cause murder did not make it to scene. And so I haven’t talked to them. So I can’t really tell you for sure what’s going on there,

but possibly she didn’t have a good day today. Remember Jessica still having issues with her? I guess it’s stomach problems or seems like that’s what is generally the problem. They’re not with us this evening. So we’re missing them. Robin woods. Remember Robin, and then also Tory Heinz Lee and Leah bank leave has COVID not all of these others have COVID but Leah van Cleve has COVID Janie.

Marlon is doing well after her knee surgery. So we want to continue to remember Janie check on her and also remember Gladys Lau. She’s been having some trouble with the back, I believe. So might want to call her and see how she’s doing Jenny Sanderson’s dad. Vincent. I don’t know how to pronounce his last name. Anyway, let me just say Jenny’s dad is back at home now under hospice care.

So remember him, he just had a stroke and they released him from the hospital and he’s back at home. I’m not sure when they will be returning. I talked, we talked to Terry, I guess it was Monday night and they were down there then. So keep them in your prayers and then had Richardson that Sherry’s dad is in the hospital after falling and fracturing his,

his spine. Got Sherry’s Cheryl’s no one. I said, who is that? That Cheryl’s dead. So I, I just misread that apologize for that. So he did fall and fractured his spine then. Okay. But we, sorry to hear about that. And then Tammy Knox, that’s Becky Posner’s niece has the shingles. And we want to remember that.

That can be a very painful thing to go through. Is that then I think that’s all the announcements I have right now for that I had on this. I do have one, you know, people are getting older these days and I understand that Aaron is getting that way now today’s his birthday. So wish him a happy birthday. And he can be thankful that it’s not as old as some of us.

Some of us are twice as old as he is, are older. So yeah. Anyway, you can be thankful. You’re not that old. Well, we just, we just keep going ahead of you though. Anyway, Aaron’s going to be leading our song service tonight. Noah Olson is going to offer the invitation and then Terry Whitley is going to lead us in a closing prayer number 71,

Number 71 as the deer, As the deer pants for water. So my soul longs after you, you alone know my heart’s desire and I long to ship you.<inaudible> she<inaudible>, you<inaudible>. And I long to ship you. I won you more than gold or silver only you can. That is fuck you alone are the real joy giver. And the,

my<inaudible> my she<inaudible> you alone. I Steans I and I long to ship you. Song of invitation will be number 922 Nine two two. Good evening. I want to share with you something that I heard at a lectureship in Missouri, an illustration I’ve come to love and it’s going to illustrate our points for this evening. It happened at a college supposedly,

supposedly affiliated with the church. And there were two boys throwing Coke bottles down the hallway. They were throwing them down the hallway just to see how far they could get, throw them just to competition. And these were the Coke bottles that are really thick. You throw them on the ground. They’re not going to break. And they kept going back and forth and it was a competition.

And as one of the kids lined up to throw his Coke bottle, another student came out of the dorms, not knowing that this missile would hit him straight in the head. It did. He fell immediately to the floor and they took him to the emergency room. They actually sent him home that night and that night he started hammering and he died. Well,

I didn’t mean to kill anyone. The student said, I didn’t mean to do that. Well, you can see he’s devastated. And of course the school doesn’t know what to do. So they put them aside. And the parents, the student finds out that this was there only child, their only child. And so the parents meet with the child or the student and the father is,

starts talking. He says, son, we, we know you didn’t mean to kill our son. We know it was an accident. The father continues talking. He says, the son, since you’ve came to this school, we we’ve learned that you voted the gospel. You’re a Christian now. And since, because of your decision, your family has disowned.

You. They say you don’t have a home here, father then says this statement, son, can we adopt you? Would you like to be called our son? I want to ask you tonight who has done that for us in Romans chapter five. I want you to notice verse number eight, but God commendeth his love toward us. And that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

The love of the father is something that is amazing to understand. I love the song, how deep the father’s love for us. How vast beyond all measure that he would give his only son to make us so we could have a home and an eternity with him. You know, we can’t, it’d be called the sons of God. We can have the most powerful beam in the universe is our father.

We get to call him father that’s, that’s a blessing. We should be thankful for that. And we get to talk to him. He’s given us so many blessings that we should enjoy. Physical. Cool. More importantly, spiritual. I want you to notice also first John chapter three and verse number one, the whole or of love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God.

Therefore, the world know what this not because it knew him not. We are the children of God. We get to be called the sons of the father because of the father’s love. And also Christ’s love for us, John 15, verse 13, greater love hath. No man than this, the man would lay down his life for his friends. That’s a blessing for us to understand that we can be called the children of God because of our obedience,

but we must obey. We have to obey his word or else we will be lost. Yes. God loves us. He gave his son for the whole world. John three years. We’re 16, but we have to do our part number. There’s one here tonight who has never obeyed the gospel. Perhaps you hearing the word now, are you willing to believe that Jesus is right?

God, are you willing to repent of your sins? Confess Christ before man be baptized for the remission of sin. So you can be called a child of God, but perhaps you’ve already done. You’ve already done. So you are a child of God that you’ve strayed away from the faith you have not done as God would want you to do. I love second Peter,

three universe. Number nine. The Lord is not Slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness, but as long suffering to us, we’re not willing to notice this any should perish, but that all should come back to repentance. He loves you and he wants you to come back. He’s ready with open arms, but you have to make that decision.

And if anyone is subject, why don’t you come as we stand? And as we say,<inaudible>, it is small child.<inaudible> find in me all in all Jesus paid it all to him. I owe<inaudible>. He was eh, wide as no<inaudible><inaudible> I know long<inaudible> heart of stone. So Jesus paid it all to him. I owe<inaudible> had left.

Crimson’s dang.<inaudible> no,<inaudible> him complete. Hey, my trophies. Oh,<inaudible> jeez paid<inaudible> to him. I owe<inaudible>. He wash, eh, wide as no Before we pray, I would like to thank everybody for the calls and cards and even flowers. You it’s. I appreciate it. And I want the church to know that I just wanna let y’all know that this COVID is,

is pretty serious stuff. I mean, it’s, it hit me pretty hard and I appreciate your prayers. Most, especially now let’s be dismissed our heavenly father. We thank you Lord, for the privilege to be in your house tonight. We thank you for Noah Lord that brought the devotional tonight and it was a so touching Lord. It was your true word.

Lord, we ask that you bring the sick back to us Lord and bring them back into the worship and be with ones that have lost loved ones, Lord, and just comfort them as only you can Lord be with the ones that are going to be traveling, just keep them safe and bring them back safely. For these things we ask in your precious and Holy name.

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12-13-2020 – Live Stream Sermon: In Case of Adversity: DO THIS

In Live Streams, Sermons by Aaron Cozort

Automated Transcript:

<inaudible> good morning. We are in the book of Hebrews<inaudible>. We will go over the questions for chapters five and six, but we’re going to wait and do it after we finished chapter six, since we didn’t get there on, on Wednesday. So we’re gonna kinda move through the end of chapter six, then we’ll go look at the questions and then we’ll enter into seven and eight and we’ll see.

We’ll see. All right, let’s begin with a word of prayer. Our gracious, mindful father in heaven. We are so grateful for all of your many blessings for all of the things that we have in this life that we do not even fully understand and appreciate that you do for us on a daily basis. We’re mindful of this time of those who are dealing with illnesses,

those families that are dealing with the loss of loved ones or loved ones in critical condition, we pray that you will be with them in this difficult time. We pray that you be with those who at this time of the year have struggles and, and cares and concerns because of lost loved ones that come to mind. And we pray that you will give them comfort and strength as well.

We pray that you watch over us as we go through this period of study, may the things that we say and the things that we learn, be those things that you would have us to learn and be those things which are in accordance with your will. And may we always strive to live in a way that is in accordance with the scriptures that you have given to us all this,

we pray in Jesus name, amen.<inaudible> Chapter six. We made it really just down to verse six, where the Hebrew writer says, if we, if they fall away to renew them again to repentance, actually, let’s go back to verse four, just to make a full, full sentence for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy spirit and have tasted of the good word of God and of the powers of the age to come.

And if taste, if they fall away to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves, the son of God, and put him to an open shame for the earth, with drink, which drinks in the rain. I’m having a hard time reading this morning for the earth, which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated receives blessings from God.

But if it bears thorns and briers is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burdened. The analogy here at the end of this section is valuable to us to get the point, okay? Because the Hebrew writer is he is describing these people who he says it is impossible to renew to repentance. We’ll give you a clear picture in the analogy,

because what is it he describes. He describes either the plants that come forth, taking the soil, taking the blessings of God and out of that, they bring forth good fruit or the plans that come forth, taking the blessings from God and the blessings from the soil and bear for earth. What thorns and briers and this hearkens back to an analogy that Jesus made.

Jesus said, if you, as a, as a vine grow up and you bear forth, no fruit or evil fruit, what does he say is going to happen to you? You’re going to be burned up. You’re going to be uprooted and cast into the fire. Now this declaration of impossibility, as we talked about on Wednesday, goes back to the,

the, the commandment or the declaration from God. Then none of these Israelites that came out of Egypt that came to the edge of the promised land. He said, none of them are going to go into my promised land. And he said, it’s going to happen bringing together what the Hebrew writer says because of their rebellion and unbelief. It didn’t matter if they repented.

It didn’t matter if they turned back. It didn’t matter if they said, I’m sorry. God said, you’re not entering my rest. It was impossible. They were not getting another opportunity. But the discussion of would they repent, did they repent really hinges on the fact of what happened to that generation? Because though they would get in a fix, they would repent.

They would turn around. They would say, I’m sorry, but then what will they do? They turn right back to rebelling again. And the Hebrew writer declares them to have an evil heart of on belief. He said, the problem was not their unwillingness to change. It was that ultimately their heart was unwilling to submit to God. And so here,

that analogy really gives us a clear picture of what he’s saying. He said, if your heart is the problem, if you take the blessings of God and produce evil fruit, the problem is not the fruit. The problem is what’s inside you. Okay? So the same analogy that Jesus makes that the one who bears evil fruit, though, he’s given all the blessings of God though.

He’s tended by the vineyard keeper though. He’s the one that you know, is inside the vineyard of, of, of God. He said, if he bears evil fruit, he’s going to be ripped up, pulled out. And because his heart is the problem. So the Hebrew writer is telling us, as long as you have a heart that will not obey God.

It doesn’t matter what you change by way of your actions. You cannot be renewed to repentance because the renewal begins in the heart. You can change the outward person. You can change the activities. You can change the actions, but heart is still the problem until the heart changes. That person can’t be renewed to repentance. That person cannot be restored Lord,

because their heart is the problem. Okay? So ultimately in, in all of this discussion, the disc discussion revolves around someone who has is so as the, as the scripture uses the term hard hearted, that God’s actions will not penetrate there. Hardheartedness as the example would be, they see the sea parted before they see the plagues in Egypt, they see all the things,

God, it does. And yet they still won’t believe him. Okay? Now verse nine. But beloved having said all of this, having said, you’re too dull of hearing. Having said that you may be so hard-hearted that you’ll be like those in Israel, who are those Israelites who couldn’t enter God’s rest. Having said all of those things he says,

but beloved, we are confident a better things concerning you. Yes. Things that accompany salvation, though, we speak in this manner, having chastised them, having rebuked them for their inability to hold on, to and, and obtain the meat of the word. Having rebuke them for constantly, always having to be taught. Instead of being teachers, he then brings them back to this and says,

but I know you can do better. I know you will do better. I know you’re not like those people in the old Testament for God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown toward his name in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. And we believe that each of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope under the end that you do not become sluggish,

but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. So he says, you’ve got examples in front of you. You’ve got, yeah, those who are leading you down the road path now followed them, do what they do. And he said, you’ve ministered. You’ve served in the past. And I know you’ll serve. Now. I know you have a heart willing to do for others.

One of the things that is an attribute of the Israelites in the rebellion and in that first-generation was, it was always about themselves. One of the things that they failed in was a willingness to do to suffer for others, benefit everyone, every single complaint, every single murmuring, every single grumbling, every single uproar against Moses always was rooted in selfishness. And so the Hebrew runner identifies in these Christians,

the exact opposite attribute. He said, you may not be everything you need to be in your knowledge. You may not be everything you need to be in your understanding and in your learning, your service indicates something about your heart. And so that, that is where he tacks on his, his confidence in them that if they will continue to serve, if they will continue to act in the way they have acted in the past,

they have still a hope and assurance of the promises of God. So then he says, verse 13, when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater. He swore by himself saying, surely blessing. I will bless you. And multiplying, I will multiply you as he’s just described the impossibility of God, declaring a person who will not enter his rest to ever be restored to that.

Rest. God said there is no way you, as an Israelite in that first-generation are going to enter the promised land. And there was no, there was nothing they could do that would overact or countermand God’s decision to the same extent that they had assurance that they would never enter. God’s rest in that. First-generation now he turns around to say, but just as great,

the assurance is that God says you’re judged that first-generation his judgment would be so the same greatness of God’s assurance. He is in his promise of a reward. If you could look at that first-generation and there was no chance, there was nothing they were going to do to counteract what God said. You can look at the promises of God and know there’s just as much as surety to the one who’s found faithful that they will enter God’s rest.

So, you know, example could be, if we kind of pulled this forward back to the, to the first generation that left Egypt, Joshua and Caleb, their faithfulness. So mandated that just as much as the, the rest of the population would not enter God’s rest, they would because of their faithfulness, they had as much as surety as the other people did just for the opposite,

the opposite result. Okay? So he describes here Abraham. He says for when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater. He swore by himself saying, surely blessing. I will bless you. And multiplying, I will. This comes from Genesis 22. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise for men indeed swear by the greater and an oath for confirmation is for them.

And end of all, dispute thus God determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise. The immutability of his counsel can by an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay, hold on the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,

both sure. And steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil, where the 4runner has entered for us. Even Jesus, having become high priest forever, according to the order of milk. So first of all, what is the word immutability mean? Common, everyday word for all of us, right? Changeable. He says by these two unchangeable things,

God’s word and God’s oath by these two unchangeable things. God swore that his rest, his promise would be available, but it uses Abraham. As the example, he says, surely blessing. I will bless you and multiplying. I will multiply you skills back to the promise of God, to Abraham, to give him a son. Now, what age was Abraham?

When God made them Promise initially 75, 75, What age was he? When he fulfilled the promise? 125 years later, as one, one, preacher put it. He said, if you make a promise to a 75 year old, most of us would say, you better hurry up and actually fulfill that promise. There is going to be too late,

but with God, he didn’t, he didn’t hurry up, let alone, he waited another 25 years. The point being the assurance was because God said it, it was going to happen. And here we have the Hebrew writer saying just as much as Abraham could be assured that God was going to give him a son. So also we have an assurance and our assurance is tied to what<inaudible> All right.

But the assurance is tied to the anchor of the soul. Jesus having entered in ahead of us. Okay. Notice what he says here in verse 16 there, sorry. Verse, verse 19. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure. Instead fast. And which enters the presence beyond behind the veil where the 4runner has entered for us.

Even Jesus, remember back over in<inaudible> I’m going to forget where this was.<inaudible> Yes. Chapter four, chapter four, verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast. Our confession for we do not have a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses,

but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin, let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace that we may find mercy or may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He said, here’s why we can have boldness to enter the throne of God. Here’s why we can have boldness to seek God’s help because we have a high priest,

Jesus Christ. Who’s passed through the heavens. He’s gone ahead of us. So also we have an anchor over in eternity for our hope. Our assurance is because Christ went ahead of us. We can go where he is. You remember what Jesus told the apostles in John chapter 14. He said, where I go? You can’t go yet. But if I go,

I’m going to prepare a place for you. And when I come back, I’m going to receive you to myself. His going was our confidence, our hope, our anchor, as it were we using the analogy of the ship. If you want to ship, to stay where it needs to be. If you want a ship to stay in one place,

the only way to do it is to drop an anchor. Well, once that anchor’s dropped, as long as that ship stays attached to that anchor, that ship is staying in that place. It’s a sherd. It steadfast. It won’t move well. If our anchor was, as it were carried into eternity by Christ, then what do we have to worry about?

When the storms of life, the difficulties of life, the treachery of life comes and beats on our whole. We don’t have anything to worry about why our anchor is already in heaven. Okay? So our hope, our assurance is steadfast to the end. All right, there is much, much, much more that we can say about that, but we’re going to go through the questions and move on to chapter seven.

What was the job of the human high priest?<inaudible> All right. Offer gifts and sacrifices for sin for whom did he offer sacrifices Himself and all the people who is the high priest forever. All right. Jesus Christ. According to what order is Christ a high priest? No kids. A deck. Yes or no. Did Jesus obey the father? Yes.

Whom should persons obey now?<inaudible> Yeah. Christ or the father either, either one of those, just depending on how you’re reading the, the, the, him there. Immature Christians are said to need blank for food milk, mature. Christians are said to need blank for food, strong meat, those persons to whom the writer of Hebrews addressed a had ministered in the past be were ministering at the present time.

Or C had never ministered. Say that again. A and B, why did the Hebrew writer encourage the hearers to exert faith and patience?<inaudible> To inherit the problem promises and what is the anchor of the soul? All right. Jesus having entered heaven. So the Hebrew writers told them, I can’t tell you about middle kids, a deck yet, because you’re too dull of hearing.

Then he puts before them, the ultimate outcome of if they have a heart of rebellion, then he says, but we have confidence in you that you won’t be that way. Then he says, Abraham was assured of his promises and God fulfilled them. Then he says, Jesus Christ has entered into heaven. And he’s our anchor of the soul. He’s our hope.

Our assurance from God. Now he’s going to return back to McGee is the deck again, okay? Because he’s not going to give up on this. He wants them to change their heart. So they’re able to hear what he has to say about Christ. He stood for this milk is a deck King know Salem priest of the most high who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him to whom also Abraham gave a 10th part of all first being translated,

King of righteousness, and then also King of Salem, meaning King of priest without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but may length. The son of God remains a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a 10th of the spoils. This is going to be one of those where we can go much deeper if we had time,

but we don’t. So we’re going to kind of summarize what’s here. Milk is a deck enters in to the biblical record with no parentage, no description of where he came from. No description of who his father was. No description of who is his children were no description of his lineage. He shows up in the life of Abraham, and then we never read about him again,

other than in the Psalms, looking forward to the Messiah. And so the Hebrew writer says here, we have this man who have no, no parents, no descendants by way of the record. He’s he’s not like Abraham who you, you begin with Abraham and you can work your way backwards to Adam. You can begin with Abraham and work your way forward,

all the way to Christ. You have a lineage with Aaron. You could go back to Levi and then go all the way back to Abraham. Then go all the way back to Adam with Levi and Erin, you could go with the high priesthood all the way forward to that present day, you have this lineage, but not with milk is a deck with no kids.

Yeah. That you have one who stands alone as a priest of the most high God. And his point is who made him a priest? It wasn’t who his father was. It wasn’t who his grandfather was. It wasn’t who his ancestor was or who his descendants would be. Who made him a high priest. God did. Okay. The Hebrew writer is struggling with these people,

these readers to make sure they understand that they don’t need to go back to the law of Moses. So they can have a high priest who stands physically in front of them. They need a high priest. Who’s appointed by God. And so he goes to milk his deck and he says, here’s your example. And it’s not just the Hebrew writer going.

Ah, I think this will be a good example. He’s going to use Psalm. I think it’s one Oh four as the, the connection, the prophecy Connect smoke is a deck to Christ. Okay. So he’s going to write to these people and he’s going to tell them about this King, because the reality is, as he draws forward here in chapter seven Moses’s law would never allow a priest to be a King and a Moses’s law would never allow it King to be a priest.

And yet they have a King and priest reigning right now. So if they go back to the law, they have to give up their King and their priests. If they stay with their King and their priest, they have to give up the law. He’s putting them in a, in a choice where they have to give up one or the other, if they can’t have both and they need to see that.

Okay. So he talks about who’s greater for the Hebrew mindset. Moses was great, but Abraham was greater because without Abraham, you have no Moses. Moses was not the one that God said, I will make you a blessing to all nations that wasn’t said to Moses that was said to Abraham. Moses was not the one who was told in your seed nations of the earth will be blessed.

Abraham was so for the Jew. Moses is great, but Abraham is greater. Yeah. The argument is you see Moses, and then you see Abraham is greater. And yet Abraham had someone who was greater than him, even in his this day. And it was bell Kizza deck. Okay? So this path of greatness in the Jewish mindset is what the Hebrew writer’s going to tie onto to say,

Mel Kislyak deck was greater than Abraham and Jesus is after the order of no kids, a deck and not Abraham. Okay. So watch what he says. First of all, he describes my kid’s dead. Cause we just read then verse five, actually, let’s go with verse four. Now, consider how great. Now notice here, we’re in a discussion of greatness,

how great this man was.<inaudible> deck to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a 10th of spoils. You do not take of your possessions and give TRIBE the mute to someone who’s lesser than you. You don’t do that. You don’t say I see this. We ban over here. He has no power. He has no authority. He has no substance.

And yet I’m going to give a 10th of all that I have to him in honor of him. No, no, no. That’s not what you do. Instead, you see someone who as Abraham did, who’s a priest of the most high God. Who’s a King. And you say, because of your greatness, I will give you this tribute.

Okay? So notice Abraham is recognizing no kids at X greatness by his actions. And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi who received the priesthood, have a commandment to receive ties from the people. According to the law. That is from their brethren though, they have, from the loins of Abraham, he says, you look at the rust of the gifts and the blessings that the Levi’s receive.

They receive a 10th of everything. They received the time from all the people, but their brethren. They’re not really receiving that because they’re greater. They’re all descendants of Abraham. And yet here, Abraham gives it to my kids, a deck as one who is greater. Okay. Now notice what he says, but he, whose genealogy is not derived from them.

Received ties from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better here mortal men receive ties, but there he receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives even Levi who receives ties, paid times through Abraham. So to speak for. He was still in the loins of his father when my kids met him.

All right. So the point of the analogy, art, Mel kids deck is greater than Abraham because Abraham paid ties to Mel kids. A deck and point, Mel Kizza deck is greater than Abraham because Mel Kizza deck blessed Abraham, and you don’t have the one who’s lesser blessing. The one who’s greater, you don’t have the peasant comes to the King and says,

let me give you a blessing. You have the peasant who comes to the King and says, give me a blessing because the King is greater than the peasant. Okay? Here’s the analogy. You have Abraham receiving a blessing from his neck. That means mocha has X greater than Abraham. You have Abraham giving a time to<inaudible>. That means my kids deck is greater than Abraham.

You have a Levi. Who’s a descendant of Abraham who hasn’t even been born yet. And the third analogy is you. The, the Hebrew writer says in essence, because Levi descends from Abraham, you have Levi giving a time to Mel kids, a deck because he’s not even born yet, yet. The one who’s greater than him, his ancestor Abraham gives a time to make his day.

So the three points are those three ideas. The time, the blessing and the imposter clarity. Since the time of Levi all given the milk kids, a deck indicating kids, a deck was greater than Abraham. And the analogy drawing forward then is Jesus Christ is a high priest, not after the low, the line of Levi, but of the great line of milk is a deck.

Okay? So that’s about as quick as I can summarize that. Therefore he says verse 11, if perfection we’re through the Levitical priesthood for under it, the people receive the law. What further need was there for another than another priest should arise? According to the order of<inaudible>. Now this Hawk hearkens back to Psalms. Psalms says, there’s going to be another priest he’s coming.

He’s coming after the order of<inaudible>. Now wait a minute. If the live local political priesthood descendants true, Aaron is perfect. Is all that we need then why is it there is here in the Psalms, a prophecy of a greater priesthood. There, there has to be a greater priesthood or there wouldn’t be a replacement of the current priesthood. You don’t replace something that’s greater with something that’s inferior.

Nobody takes their bright, shiny, new, very expensive car and says, you know what? I’m ready to trade it in for a dump that doesn’t work. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don’t do that. You don’t trade in the perfect for the worse. But if you’ve traded in one for something that you see as better,

it indicates there was something wrong with the first one, the Levitical priesthood. So then notice, he says for the priesthood being changed of necessity, there is also a change of the law for he, of whom these things are spoken, belongs to another tribe from which no man has officiated at altar for. It is evident that our Lord arose from Judah of which TRIBE Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

And it is yet far more evident. If in the likeliness of many kids, a deck there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life for he testifies, you are a priest forever. According to the order of Melchizedek for on the one hand, there is a knowing of the former commandment because of its weakness and it’s unprofitable illness for the law made nothing perfect.

On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God, okay? Again, one of these passages where we could spend an entire class period, but let’s summarize it to point these things out. First of all, he says, if you change the priesthood of Aaron, you must change the law. You must must remove the law with the priesthood goes,

the law with the law goes to the priesthood. You cannot separate them. You cannot. If we were going to bring it forward to a current analogy and court case in our day in time before the Supreme court, they had the court case to see whether or not they could cut out the mandate from the affordable care act. Okay? The whole discussion is can this be removed and leave the rest intact?

Can we remove that piece and keep the rest of the law? Well, under the law, Moses, you couldn’t, you couldn’t cut out the priesthood and keep the law. You couldn’t do it because there’s no other substitute. The law made no opportunity for a different priest from a different tribe. And so he says, evident, it’s clear. We,

we can see that Jesus Christ came from Judah and the law made no provision for a priest out of Judah. So we can’t get rid of the Levitical priesthood and keep the law. Can’t have Jesus Christ as priest under the law. Therefore for him to be priest, we have to remove the law. We have to take all of it and put it aside.

And yet he says, don’t, don’t look at this as though this is a bad thing because in taking away the law in its deficiencies, in its failures, he’s in some thing. And there’s our word better. Okay. All the way through here. The whole point is Jesus Christ. His law, his priesthood, his salvation is better than what came Moses.

Okay. So he says For on the one hand verse 18, there isn’t a knowing of the former commandment because of its weaknesses and unprofitable illness. So there’s the inferiority of the law for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. And in as much as he was not made priest without an oath for,

they have become priests without an oath. Excuse me, let me read that again. And in as much as he was not made a priest without an oath for, they have become priest without an oath, but he, with an oath by him who said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever. According to the order of Melchizedek,

by so much more, Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. Okay? So he’s hearkening back to this reality that he’s described of Aaron’s priesthood. They became a priest by being born by being born. A descendant of Aaron, Jesus became a priest by an oath from God. God’s oath is what’s being described here. And so, because he’s become a priest by an oath of God,

he has a greater covenant than Aaron does. So the Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are priest forever. According to the order of Melchizedek, verse 23. Also, there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing as he talks about the priesthood. One of the deficiencies that it says you had to keep replacing Them. You,

you you’d Have one priest and then he died and you needed another priest and he died and you needed another priest. Not Jesus. He’s a priest For forever On ending without death. But he verse 24 because he continues forever has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost, those who come to God, through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Imagine you were the person who was reliant on a priest to go before God reliant on the high priest for the forgiveness of your sins, for the, for the intercessory act that he makes on behalf of you for the offering of sacrifice. And just as you’re preparing to enter into eternity to stand before God, your high priest, No. What are you going to do?

Your intercessors gone. He’s dead. But the Hebrew writer says not with Christ. He’s always there to make intercession for you. Surely we’re going to get that with chapter eight, right? All right. Therefore, he is also able to save to the uttermost. Those who come to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them, for such a high priest was fitting for us,

who is Holy harmless, undefiled separate from sinners and has become higher than the heavens who does not need daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins. And then for the peoples, for this, he did once for all, when he offered up himself for the law appoints as high priest, men who have weaknesses, but the word of the oath,

which came after the law, appoints the son who has been perfected for forever. So again, he goes back to the Psalms and he says, here’s, here’s the law of Moses in time. Here’s the law of Moses. Here’s the priesthood. All of these things are in existence, but then sometime later here, God makes this oath and the oath identifies the problems,

but it also sets forth a better solution. Now this is the main point of the things we are saying. We have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. If he’s a high priest and yet he seated at the right hand of the throne, He’s a priest and King, Okay. That’s the identification here,

a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord erected and not man for every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this one also have something to offer. This is the priest. Wasn’t just an honorary position. He had a service, he had a ministering or a ministry to fulfill for.

If he verse four we’re on earth, he would not be a hype or would not be a priest. Since there are priests who offer the gifts, according to the law who serve the copy and the shadow of the heavenly things as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle for, he said, see that you make all things, according to the pattern shown you on the mountain,

but now he has obtained a more excellent ministry in as much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which is established on better promises. So he said, if Jesus was alive on this earth, he couldn’t be a priest. He’s up the wrong TRIBE. And there’s already a priesthood during the time of the writing, the Hebrew or the Jewish priesthood still existed.

The temple was still there. They could have walked in and Jesus could have walked in as it were and said, all right, I’m here to serve as a priest. And they would’ve said, no, you’re not you’re of the wrong lineage. You have no in this. And yet they’re in the lesser tabernacle. They’re in the earthly one that just has a representation of the heavenly one.

There they’re serving in the, the picture of the real thing. He’s in heaven, serving in the real tabernacle. He’s in heaven, serving in the very throne of God. So he has obtained a better covenant because he’s a better mediator, which is established on better promises for if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

Again, going back to the analogy, you don’t take the perfect car or that you already own, that has no flaws has no issues. Absolutely perfect. And trade it in for a lesser model. You don’t do that here. He said, you already have a priesthood. If you replace it with a new one, it’s not because the first one was perfect.

It’s because it wasn’t verse eight because finding fault with them, he says, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I, when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,

because they did not continue in my covenant. And I disregarded them, says the Lord for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days says the Lord, I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. And I will be their God. And they shall be my people. None of them teach his neighbor.

And none his brother saying know the Lord for all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds. I will remember no more. This is quoted from Jeremiah in that he says, all right, so he’s quoted Jeremiah to draw this point out in that he says a new covenant.

He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Okay. So again, more could be said about everything here in Jeremiah. And there’s, there’s a wealth between Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews eight. But his point is, Jeremiah said in his day, I’m going to make a new covenant with my people.

Not like the one that I made with them when they came out of Egypt. And here’s the defining attribute. Here’s, what’s different. The one that I made with them when they came out of Egypt, they received part in the covenant because they were born into it. They by birth have no Decision-making of their own became part of the covenant, but not the new covenant.

The new covenant begins with their decision. It begins with their heart. It begins with them choosing to be part of the new covenant, which covenant, the Hebrew writer says to the Christians and to you and I today, we are part of a better covenant than the one in the past. Okay. That’s chapter eight. I knew I could do it.

And yet there’s a little part of me dying inside because there’s so much in chapter<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible>, But it’s about time to begin our worship service this morning. We do want to welcome all of you here today. And I’m just looking over the audience. And I don’t believe we have any visitors today, which is kind of unusual, but I know with the COVID increasing in its strength,

seems like over the country, that’s causing people a little bit more concerns and perhaps some are, might not be feeling well and, and decided not to try to make it today. So this remember all of these. We do want to remind you, if you did not pick up your communion to do that, if you haven’t already, we want to remember those that are ill,

continue to pray for Joan Springer. She has her good days and bad days. And I think I didn’t get a chance to talk to Marie about her when he came in, but she has been having, I think, more, better day or better days than she has had bad days, unless that’s changed. And I I’ve checked with him. I have to services on that.

Remember Robin woods and Jessica Dale and Tori Heisley, all of these continue to pray for them that they might improve their health. Janie Marlin is recovering from her knee replacement surgery. Now she’s going to therapy three times a week, and we want to continue to pray that everything will go well with that. And she’ll be able to have full use of her knee.

Again, Dortha Wilson is waiting Results on her stress test. So we want to continue to pray for her. And then dental Wilson that’s Rue, Dale Wilson, sister in law is in ICU with COVID and don’t forget that he lost his brother ODALE Eve to that. And they’re, they’re hoping that dimple will survive, but they’re not sure is it last word?

We got it. Wasn’t looking very good. It was good to see Pam with us today. She’s back, but she’s still not quite up to par. She said, and we want to continue to pray for her. That things will continue to make some improvement for, I know she’s been dealing with this for quite some time. So encourage her and keep her in your prayers.

Gladys Lyles is having some back problems and that is hurt. You’re supposed to go to see a doctor tomorrow and along that same line. I want to mention that Janney Sanderson’s dad had another stroke. He’s in the, what the doctors are doing. They’re just, they’re trying to get him strong enough so that he can go back home and then he will be under hospice care.

So I know that Terry and Jenny left yesterday to go down there to be with her dad. So, so they’re not with us today and we won’t, we won’t remember them. So I’m not sure if Gladys has a way down there. I don’t know if she’s set up anybody else. I probably check with her after services and, and see if she needs a ride to the hospital or to the doctor’s office.

Cause I don’t know if they had time to make those arrangements. Leah van clave that’s Becky’s niece, Becky Posner’s niece has COVID and we want to remember her. And also her sister Vicki Wadsworth is, seems to have a persistent cough and is not able to get over that. So keep her in your prayers. I guess when people get sick, they’re always more susceptible to the virus and we hope and pray.

None of these that are in that condition, that, that, that happens to them. Man’s business meeting will be tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM here at the church building. So we want to remind you of that. And we want to thank Sandy McCall for the decorations that she puts in the four year and out in front of the building. She always makes it look so nice.

And we appreciate her doing that. She does such a great job of that. And I, I just happened to be up here that this last time she went through that and I saw all the work. She went through getting that arranged and it takes her quite some time to do that. So she works real hard at it, but she just really makes the building and everything we’re inviting.

And we appreciate it so much. I have a note here from the Richardson. Family says, greetings. We want to take a moment to wish you all a happy holiday season. We miss you out. We miss you all and pray that you’re all. Well, we wanted to say thank you again for all the support, love, and care for us while we were in school.

We love you all. And think of you often, please keep us and the work at Eagleville and your prayers as we continue our labors here in Christ, the Richardson’s on that same note. We want to make the congregation aware that we are supporting of the Richardsons. The diplomas actually have are retiring at the end of this year and will no longer need our support.

So we’re going to start supporting Eric and his family in that work up there. So keep that in mind, keep praying for them that everything will continue to go well for that, that word this morning, Noah Olsen will be directing our song service. Jay Shafir has our opening prayer. Tommy O’Neil has the communion and Aaron Wood air, and we’ll be bringing the sermon.

And then Eric Richardson there, Eric, Eric, Eric Halvorson, w we have a joke about that. Cause I do this so often. Eric Halverson will have our closing prayer. Noah, good morning, number 716, 700 1616 seven one six. We will sing the all three versus seven one six. Sing to me. The then singing that song up.

He sprung the tiles behind me. It will bring green. The burdens well being lifted that are pressing. So showers, green blasting or my heart. Well flown sing to me, man. I’m only dream of it’s go then Laurie, this really glean saying to me, when shadows of the evening, seeing turn me and saying no sweetness song of all saying to me have,

and as I walk up dreaming of the comrades that so long have gone and a fairer region, Mong the angels wrong. They are happy as they sing that all sweet song sing to me. Then let me find the dream of its golden glory of its burly. Gleam. Sing to me when shadows of the name fall, sing to me, heaven, seeing the sweet song of all I’m saying to me,

a haven’t tender the<inaudible> till the shadows army rise and swiftly. When my heart is wary, when the day is long, sing to me, heaven sing that old sweet song. Sing to me. Oven led me fun. The dream of its golden glory of its Burnie. The same saying to me, when shadows of the evening fall seeing to me heaven,

seeing this weed is song of all Next song will be number 537 five three seven. Here we are bit string Toblerones five, three, seven. We’ll sing all three verses. Hmm, Here we are. But strain pilgrims. You a path is often them, but to cheer a song, our journey still, we sing this way, side him yonder over the rolling river where the shining mansions rise soon and will be our home for ever,

and the smile of the blessing and gave her. And gladdens all our longing a rise here. Our feet are often very the Hills that throng our way here, the 10th star clean gathers, but our hearts within us say,<inaudible> the rolling river where the shining mansions rise soon and will be our home for ever. And the smile of the blessing gave her gladdens all our longing a rise here.

Our souls are often fearful of the pilgrims lurking full, but the Lord is RD fender and he tells us may know Yon neral over the rolling river where the shining mansions rise soon on be our home far as ever. And the smile of the blessing given gladdens all our longing Song to help us prepare our minds for Lord’s supper. Or we actually do have a career,

sorry, Almighty God, our father, Holy and revered is your name and father. As we approach your throne this hour, we acknowledge you as a creator of this universe, our creator, we are so very grateful that you saw fit to create us in your image with a soul. And we’re also so very grateful that you gave us your word through your son,

that we may have a pathway for our lives and a route to heaven. We give you all our honor and praise father. We’re mindful of the church that meets here. Many of our number are unable to be with us due to fear or the COVID. And also there are many of them, many of us that are suffering from illnesses. We pray your healing hands will be upon all those that were mentioned today that they may be once again,

returned to their rightful place with us. We’re also mindful father of the turmoil that’s going on in this country. We pray for unity that we know that you are in control and whatever is best for us. You will see to it that it happens as we go through the further exercise. So this worship service, we are mindful that we often fail the,

and we do pray for forgiveness of our sins. As we repent and turn from them that we may stand whole and pure in your sight. And that our worship to you this hour will be a sweet savor senior Jesus in Jesus name that we pray amen. Now to prepare our minds for Lord’s supper, we’re going to sing to set the feast. Divine.

It is not in the book, but it will be on the slide to set the face. Divine we’ll sing the first and last verse.<inaudible> the bread and fresh food.<inaudible><inaudible> B<inaudible> the shrine. And<inaudible> the<inaudible> may we<inaudible> his dad are Holy<inaudible>. We see Stan Fe<inaudible> meaning your turn. And<inaudible> the<inaudible> H first day of the week,

as we gather to worship our God, our father we’re commanded to eat this bread, drink of this cup, to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of our savior. As we partake of this bread and this fruit of the vine with pride, that we would all reflect upon the death of Christ and that through his death, we have the hope of eternal life with our God.

Would you bow with me, our heavenly father. We truly thank you for Christ our savior. We thank you for this bread, which does your children represents the body of our savior. That was crucified Parsons. As we protect this bread, help each one of us to do it with a truth, truly thankful heart. For this sacrifice, these things we ask in Christ’s name,

amen. Would you bow with me again? Our heavenly, we continue our thanks for this fruit of the fine, which to us represents the blood of our savior. As we partake of it, help each one of us to do so in a manner that is pleasing and acceptable in these things we ask in Christ’s name, amen. It’s a separate part of our worship.

We have this opportunity to return onto her, our God, a part of that, that he blesses us with. And we know that every blessing we enjoy in this life comes from our God. Would you bow with me, our heavenly father. We thank you for every blessing that we have in this life. And we do know that each one of these come from the,

we know as a country, how we’re blessed. We pray us raver. We return under the, a part of that, that we have been blessed with, that we would do. So with a willing and cheerful heart, we pray that these fonts might be used to further the kingdom of your, these things we ask in Christ’s name. Amen. All right.

As long before, the last one will be number 470 417. And if you want to go ahead and Mark number 904, that will be the song of invitation, but we will sing number 470 before the lesson victory and Jesus will sing the first and last versus a 470. All right, let us sing. I heard an old, old story. How his savior came from glory,

how he gave his life on Calvary to save a wretch like me. I heard about his groaning of his precious blood toning, then Irie and my sins on one a Victori Oh, victory. Angie’s my se for Avar. He saw me and bought me with his reading blog. He loved me. I knew him and my love is due and he plunged me to victory beneath a cleansing.

FLA. I heard about a man Shan. He is built for me in glory. And I heard about the street of go beyond the crystal sea about the Joe’s saying Pam, the old redone John’s story and some sweet day. I’ll sing up there. The song, Victor green. Oh, victory. Jeez, my save your for Avar. He saw me and bought me with his reading blog.

He learned me air. I knew him and my love is do him. He plunged me to victory being Neetha cleansing flaw. Good morning. Imagine most of us, some point in our lives have walked through a building and have seen on the wall. Something that says in case of emergency break glass, the reality is that the point behind the sign, is there something behind the glass?

There’s something behind object That needs to be broken. That might Wait, save your life. And yet, in all of our lives, as Christians, we face adversity At times and whether constantly, or, or sporadically, we will find ourselves in the situation of being in adversity. And that situation is one that can be hard to deal with. It can be a struggle.

And a matter of fact, it is often a struggle because it is not a comfortable place. It is not a place where we find safety. It is a place where we Find struggle and yeah, Yet the scriptures speak of adversity and they speak of what we should do when we encounter it. So this morning, I want to look at adversity. Now,

before I get into what it is that we should do in times of adversity, I want to qualify a few things and I want to qualify what it is that I’m talking about. I’m not talking about adversity that comes when we bring adversity upon ourselves in the sense of when we sin and when God, because of our sin brings about judgment and adversity in our lives.

That’s not the kind of adversity we’re talking about this morning. The Israelites were told when they were there before the Mount, when they were being given the law, when Moses declared to them, if you will do these things, Leviticus, chapter 26, then God will bless you. And God will look favorably upon you and God will do all these things for you.

You will have blessings and not adversity. And yet, if you turn away from God, if you turn away from his covenant, then you will have all of these curses. And he describes to them in clear pictures, the adversity they will go through. If they would not obey There, God, that is not the adversity under discussion this morning. We’re also not specifically looking at adversity in the situation where someone comes against us because of something we’ve done to them.

If we have a situation, as Jesus describes where someone says, I have ought against you, you have done something wrong to me. And as a result of that, we’re now in a situation of adversity. We’re now in a situation where someone can drag us as Jesus illustrates it before the judge, But it’s our fault. He, you settle with The person right there.

You make it right right now because you are At fault. And if you don’t do it before you reach the judge, you’re going to find yourself in a worse situation. So solve the problem Between you and your brother immediately. That’s also not the adversity we’re speaking of this morning. Instead, we’re speaking of the adversity that we read about in James chapter one in James chapter one,

we read James of bond, servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ and To the 12 tribes, which are scattered abroad. My brethren count it all. Joy. When you fall into various trials, the adversity we are speaking of is the adversity that comes as a result, a natural result of being Obedient to God, Being obedient as a Christian and living the Christian life.

The writer James writes to these Christians and he says, first and foremost, when you encounter adversity, Count it a joy. Now this is something In opposition to our normal disposition, to our normal nature. Our natural response to adversity is to think, why am I going through this? Why am I going through this difficulty? Why are these people confronting me?

Why is this such a struggle? Why am I facing this TRIBE? And while adverse, He is a time of reflection. Ecclesiastes. Chapter seven speaks concerning that. The idea as when times are good, being able to be joyful, but when times are difficult, when adversity comes being able to reflect upon ourselves and see why it is that we’re going through it.

But if we examine ourselves as Joe did, when he looked at his own life and he looked at everything that he had done, and he saw the adversity he was going through, and he couldn’t find a reason in him, His life for his adversity, He couldn’t find a sin in his life. That was the cause. He couldn’t find the thing that he had done in opposition to God.

That would cause God to do this to him. When we find ourselves in that situation that he or sorry, James writes to these brethren and he says It all joy As we go through each step of these instructions that James provides us. One of the things I want to do is I want to look at An example In this case, turn just back a few pages in your Bibles to Jay,

to Hebrews chapter 12. And you’ll Find there an example in all the way through our lesson, we’re going to Use Christ as the, of Dealing with adversity. But in Hebrews chapter 12, Verse two, We find the Hebrew writer describing to these Christians, why they ought to be faithful, why they ought to do what’s right, why they ought to lay aside sin and get busy looking at the goal of eternity.

And he says in verse two, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the Now watch this phrase, the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The Hebrew writer declares to us that Jesus Christ looked at the adversity of the cross. He looked at everything that he was going to have to go through.

And in looking at it, he determined to do it Because of the joy set before him. He looked at it adversity. He looked at a struggle. He looked at a difficult situation and in it he Found joy. One 19 speaks concerning This idea as the Psalmus writer Here in somewhat a different vein. But looking at This from the perspective of the word of God says this Psalm one 19 beginning in verse 66,

he says, teach me Good judgment and knowledge for, I believe your commandments. Before I was afflicted, I went astray, Right? Notice here, the, the, the Psalmist as he is pending this, he says I had a problem and I was ignoring it until you afflicted me until this affliction came, I was going astray. But now I’m aware of what I was doing wrong.

He says, before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now I Keep your word. You are good and do good. Teach me your statutes. The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep your precepts with all my whole heart. Their heart is as fat, as fat as grease, But I delight in your law. It is good for me.

Notice this. It is good for Me that I have been afflicted that I may learn your statutes. The Psalmus writer looks at the trials, the afflictions that he’s going through. And he says, I became aware of what I needed. I became aware of what I was missing. I became aware of what I was still lacking in my knowledge of you.

When affliction was brought on me, when I had to deal with this situation, when I was struggling in the midst of this affliction, I went to your word. I went to your word and I found What was missing in my Life. Turned to Hebrews chapter 13, the Hebrew writer again makes this declaration and Hebrews chapter 13, beginning in verse 13,

He says, let us go forth to him outside the camp, Bearing his reproach for here. We have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. Therefore by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. When James says you encounter trials, Count it all joy.

The Hebrew writer says, as we examine our situation, let us proceed outside the Gates to Christ. Let us go out to the place of reproach, where he was reproached and in his reproach, The cross, let us give thanks. So notice this path, Jesus went to the cross because he counted it joy to do that yet. Despite The shame we approach the cross and see what he did and we give praise to God.

And so we look at our adversity, we look at our trials and James says, You count it all joy, but then Consider the second thing that James identifies. And that is that when we come to adversity, in the case of adversity, we need to Let it work. As the Salmas writer was pointing out his adversity, his affliction brought to his realization,

What was still lacking, What it was in his life that he still needed to work on. And James writes in James chapter one beginning of verse three, knowing that the testing of your faith produces Patience. He says, as You examine this trial that you’re going in to, as you’re going through and enduring this, let it work because it’s going to produce something.

God is presenting this trial to you. He is presenting this affliction before you, he is presenting this obstacle so you can learn how To overcome it so That you can learn how to have patience. In hard times, Jesus would identify the need for those who were his disciples to be faithful in little things So that they might be faithful in great things. We need to learn in the difficulties and in the trials to allow those adversities,

those trials to work. But then he says, verse four, but let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete Lacking nothing. James identifies that the working the production of adversity is to produce perfection. It is to identify within our lives. The things that still need to be worked on God allows us to go through this adversity, this affliction,

this difficulty and endure those situations so that we might find the things where we are still lacking in turn over to Hebrews chapter five. Now, one thing I want to point out is this does not mean that God is afflicting us because of sin. You know, we pointed out the kind of affliction we’re not talking about. This is not an affliction that comes to cause us to repent.

It’s an affliction that comes to cause us to, To grow. I can’t express to you that there is pain in growth. Arm has been doing a process of growth as my bones knit themselves back together. And there is a painful process involved in growth. And yet the Hebrew writer Points out and Hebrews chapter five verses eight through nine, that this isn’t unique to us because again,

in the life of Christ, we see this very idea though. He was a son verse eight, yet he learned obedience by the things Which he suffered and having been perfected Hebrew. It came the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him. James says, when we fall into trials, when we fall into adversity, we need to allow it to work in us,

to produce perfection, to cause us, to see the areas where we must grow to become like Christ. And that Is one of the things that we should do in the midst of adversity. But Romans chapter 12, Romans chapter 12 identifies this singular idea that though James has referenced it, we’ll bring it forward Here as well. Romans chapter 12. And in verse 12,

he says, rejoicing in hope. As he writes to these Christians, he’s giving them a list of things they need to be fervent in and they need to be doing, they need to be focusing on. He says, be re those who are rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. He identifies their patients. This idea here in the original language is one who stands up under a burden as God,

places before you a trial, he will not place before you one, you cannot endure and he expects you to stand up under it. He expects you to grow from it to become stronger by the trial that he places before you. So when adversity comes, we need to first count it a joy Second need to let it work. But we thirdly need to get understanding.

This is an integral ingredient to everything else that we’re discussing here until our perspective is right until we understand the situation, we will not handle it properly. James chapter one verse five says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him, Oh God for hoops. Let me, let me reread that. Let me look at the right part of the page.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God Who gives to all liberally and without reproach. And it will Be given to him In the midst of this trial. As James presents, the difficulty that they may be enduring, that they may go through. He says, first of all, Canada joy. Secondly, realize that it’s working in you to produce perfection.

Thirdly, get wisdom, seek for wisdom. He says, if you’re lacking it, this should be apparent by how you’re dealing with the adversity. This should be identified by your adversity in your trial. He said, if you lack wisdom, ask God, Proverbs chapter four, Proverbs chapter four, the Proverbs writer says this verse seven. He says, wisdom is the principal thing.

Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting Get understanding Sets before his son, the one who’s the recipient of his Wisdom here in the book of Proverbs, The need to obtain wisdom, but not just wisdom for wisdom sake, not just wisdom to say I’m a wise man, but wisdom to obtain Understanding. And so as James points out these trials, as he points out these adversities,

this difficulty, he identifies the need For the product of wisdom, the need for understanding in Luke chapter 24, Jesus Is he is looking backward and explaining to his apostles why these things have occurred. We’ll identify this idea, Luke chapter 24, beginning in verse 44. Then he said to them, these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you.

That all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and of the prophets and of the Psalms concerning me. So here he is, he’s gone through this crucifixion. He’s gone through a burial. He’s resurrected again. He’s now together with the apostles and he’s explaining to them, reminding them of the things he’s already taught them before he went through all of it,

but they didn’t get the point. They didn’t understand these things. And so he brings them to mind to tell them everything that Moses and the prophets and the Psalms spoke concerning me had to be fulfilled in those what he said. And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. Then he said to them, thus, it is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. He identifies the goal and connects it to the adversity. So they might understand They end the necessity. So many times we look at adversity and struggle and difficulty in our life and we can’t figure out why we would ever need to go through this. Why we would ever need to endure such a difficult thing.

It is In that moment that we are to realize Our lack of understanding our lack of wisdom, right? And is that moment where we are to become like the Psalmus described himself in Psalm one 19 and go to the word of God, to seek out the answer, to find out what we’re missing. Because our lack of understanding brings forward. Our need for growth.

James says, when you endure these trials, you need to understand their value. You need to understand what they can do for you. But the only way you can gain that understanding Is to get wisdom from God turned to Jay. Second, Timothy, sorry. Second Timothy chapter three, verse 12. As Paul writes to this young preacher instead, Megan,

Timothy chapter three. And in verse 12, he writes to him and encourages him by saying this. He says, yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ. Jesus will suffer persecution. If you skip back to verse 10, he says, but you have carefully followed my Doctrine. Manner of life, Purpose, faith, long suffering, love perseverance,

persecutions afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch at<inaudible> what persecutions I endured and out of them, all The Lord delivered me. He said, Timothy, you’ve been with me. You’ve watched me. You Ben, a careful observer of everything I’ve gone through. And now you need to know to expect it in your life. Yes, You need to know that all who desire to live godly in Christ,

Jesus will in Dewar persecution. He says, buddy evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of knowing from whom you have learned them as he presents Timothy, with this reality of persecution, this reality of adversity, this reality of struggle. He presents to him the reminder of the source of College.

He says, you go back to the things you’ve learned. You go Back to the things you’ve been taught. You go back to what you have been told because in it, you will find the underst Meaning you need to endure. But then James also identifies a fourth thing. As he says that we are to count it all joy. He also says that we are to let it work.

He also shows that we are to get understanding. He fourthly shows that we To pray in faith. Now, in this context, he specifically stating this in view of the wisdom he says we were to ask for from God. So let’s go back to verse five. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach.

And it will be given to him, but let him ask in faith with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed By the wind for let, Not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man unstable in all his, His ways. James identifies the necessity of prayer in faith.

As this individual, as he describes, it goes through adversity. As he seeks for understanding, as he seeks for wisdom to endure that adversity, he needs to ask from the Lord, but in everything that he asks for from the Lord, he needs to pray. He needs to Ask in confidence in faith, In assurance that God is able to do the thing that he asked and Hebrews chapter five,

we see Christ again, as an example of this, as we returned back to Hebrews chapter five, we read verses eight and nine previously, but I want to go back to verse seven. In verse seven, we read who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with the HemOnc cries and tears to him, God,

the father who was able to save him from death And Was heard because of his godly fear. No, this is what we read concerning Christ. In this passage, we read that in the midst of this adversity that he was facing in the midst of the necessity of going to the cross in the midst of knowing that this was necessary to fulfill all righteousness,

to fulfill what Moses had written and what the prophets had written and what the Psalm was had written to bring forth salvation. Yet he still desired to have that cup pass from him. And so he prayed and asked that God do that very thing. But notice this statement about God who was a bull, you might say, well, wait, No, no,

that’s not that can’t possibly be true. God could not have chosen To not have Jesus die. Oh yes. He could have, If Jesus Christ prayed three times for an hour, each time let this cup pass from me. He prayed it because it was possible, But the possibility required something else you see, because if it was possible that it happened,

the result would have been that we would not be saved. Oh, what was possible? And God could have done it. And Jesus knew he could have. But the difference is Jesus prayed in faith knowing God was able, but also knowing God and his will, would ultimately be what would happen. And so he prayed not my will, but yours be done in Daniel chapter three,

Hannah and I as Ryan, Michelle stand before Nebuchadnezzar and they are confronted with a choice either you will down when the music plays and you will worship this image that I have created, or you will be Passed into this fiery furnace that I have set up And Daniel or sorry, Hannah and I, as Ryan Michelle in the book of Daniel will reply to Navigant answer that their God was able to save Them.

But they point out, even if he doesn’t, you see, they have this assurance of their God, that their God is more than capable. They’re God good deliver them from this fiery furnace. And he would, but they had no guarantee that he would, they knew he was capable of doing it. They had hopes and plans that he would certainly do it,

But they knew all of them, Ultimately that no matter what, whether God did it or not, they would not bow down to Napa cancer’s image. You see, they had confidence. They had confidence that God was able and that God’s will, would be done the same way. Jesus did turn over to Hebrews chapter four in Hebrews chapter four, after speaking concerning Christ,

as our high priest, the Hebrew writer says, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of, I need in the midst of adversity, we are told to pray. And we are told to pray, not with doubting, not with a lack of faith, but with confidence that God can do what we ask turn over to Hebrews chapter 10,

Hebrews chapter 10 beginning in verse 21. We read this and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near draw near to what near to God, Let us draw near to God with a true heart in full Assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. The Hebrew writer says Your salvation in this new and living leg created by God in this salvation that he offers you through Christ.

You have confidence to come near to him and You can hold fast without wavering to that hope and that salvation until the end, but then consider number five. He says, remember your reward. Now we need to skip to the end of the book of James to get this over in James chapter five beginning in verse nine, we read do not grumble again,

or sorry against one another brethren lest you Be condemned. Behold, judge is standing at the door. My brethren take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example, and notice and example of suffering and patience. Well, what’s he talking about in James chapter one, suffering and patience, adversity trials, and enduring them. He says,

take the profits. As an example, who spoke in the name of the Lord and suffered as an example for you in what they did. He said, indeed, we count them. Blessed who endure? You have heard of the perseverance of job and have seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. As James writes to these brethren and he presents to them having gone through all of the practical things that he’s instructed them about concerning in this book,

he points them back to the prophets and says, now you look, you look at those profits and you look at how we view them and those who in Those hard times, and what did they do? They looked for the reward. They looked for what came After the adversity and after Their endurance turned back to Hebrews chapter 12. And again, we see Christ.

And yet We see the example of Christ as exemplified for us in our instruction. Go back to verse one. He says, therefore, we also see he’s writing to these Christians. He says, here’s your, here’s what you are to do. Here’s what you’re to learn from these people in Hebrews 11. This is what you’re to do. Hebrews chapter 12,

verse one. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great, a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin, which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance. The race that is set before us. How, how do we lay aside the things that are wrong? How do we set aside the things that are slowing us down?

How do we do this? Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. He says, you run the race. You lay aside the way you set aside the sin, because you’re looking To the roll ward.

Remember in the midst of adversity, the reward set before you, but then six Lee. And finally, we need to remember others in their adversity. See, because as we go through life, as we grow, as we allow adversity to produce perfection in us, we need to remember that we are not the only ones who ever go through adversity. So often we will be so focused on enduring adversity,

our struggles, all our, our difficulties that we’ll miss someone else who’s going through there Own adversity. And So James tells these brethren beginning in James chapter five, and in verse 13, to remember The others who Are going through adversity, he says, verse 13 is any among you suffering. Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing. Psalms is anyone among you?

Sick. Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him. Anointing him with oil in the S in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another. Pray for one another,

that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three and a half or three years in six months. And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth produced its fruit brethren.

If any, among you wanders from the truth. And someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins all throughout this passage. As he encourages those who are sick, those who are struggling, those who are sending those who are in the midst of difficulty,

the encourages them to do these things. There’s a focus on what Christians can Do for Christians. Peter Brings forward to this idea as well. In second, Peter chapter three, I’m sorry. First Peter chapter four, first Peter chapter four, Peter, Or as he is writing to these Christians says beginning in verse 12, beloved, do not think it’s strange concerning the fiery trial,

which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice, to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad With exceeding joy. He says, as you look at what’s happening, as you look at what you’re going to go through, you don’t seem no don’t allow it to make you think this is strange that this is an anomaly,

that this is only happening to you. But instead understand that Christ went through this before you, and that you can endure it with Joy. We need to remember those Who are going through adversity, Hebrews chapter 13, Hebrews Chapter 13, once again, this time. And in verse three, He says, remember, remember the prisoners as if change With what’s he talking about,

He’s talking about Christians, who for the cause of Christ have been faithful to God. And as a result have been imprisoned. Those who are suffering in a real way. And he tells these brethren who were free, who were walking around, who were struggling with their own little struggles, but who had not suffered until the point of blood. He says,

you remember Those who Are in chains and you don’t remember them as if they’re some strange thing of far off. You remember them as if you were chained right next to them in saying this, he exemplifies for us that in the midst of someone else’s adversity, we are to put ourself in their position and say, if it was Me, what would I want them to do for me?

He says, Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, those who are mistreated since you yourselves are in the body. Also, why are we to do this? Because we are Brethren and Hebrews Chapter 10 beginning in verse 24. Again, the Hebrew writer reminds us of how we are to act towards our brother. And he says, let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

not forsaking. The assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of somebody exhorting one another and so much. The more as you see the day approaching, he says, you look at one another, you consider one another. You pay attention To the needs of the Each other. But then one more time over in Romans chapter 12, Romans chapter 12, as Paul writes to the church at Rome,

he says this in verse 15, he says rejoice With those who do rejoice and weep with those who weep in the midst of adversity, we need to remember others who are going through their own adversity as you and I look at our lives. As we live our lives as Christians, we can be assured of one thing. Paul identifies it, that as Those who live godly in Christ Jesus,

we will Have adversity. And yet it’s how we go through it. That is important. And It’s what we allow it to do to Us. That helps us to become what God would have us to be. If you’re outside the body of Christ this morning, you’re outside of the place of redemption and hope. You’re outside of the church that Christ died for.

He died for the church that you might have salvation in his body. You enter into his body by hearing the word of God and believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God. By repenting of your sins, confessing the name of Christ and being immersed in water for the remission of your sins. But if you’re a Christian and you’re going through adversity, here’s one thing you need to know.

You don’t have to go through it alone. The church is here for you in your difficulties, in your trials and in your adversities. And one of the things I love about this congregation is no one goes through difficult times by themselves. If anyone else knows they’re going through it, if you have need of help of prayers for the same, or from the SANEs or of repentance,

why not come now as we stand and as we sing, Are you fully trusting in his grace this hour? Are you a wash? And the blood of the lamb? Are you in, in the so cleansing, but<inaudible> are your garments bond lists? Are they ass? No. Are you all washed and blah, blah. Lay a side. The garments that are stained with sand<inaudible> are you fountain flowing for the us clean?

Oh, be washed in the blood of the lamb.<inaudible> and so<inaudible> are your garments spotless? Are they wide ass? No. Are you a washed and blah, thank you, Aaron. For that great lesson closing song this morning is going to be number 711. We’ll sing the first verse only number 711, and then we’ll have our closing. Prayer will speak the Tyler that binds.

Let us bless be<inaudible> John, the family. Hello shit.<inaudible> that? God, our father in heaven, we come to you at this time, thanking you for the opportunity to this morning, to assemble here in this house of worship and sing songs, appraised your great name and study a portion of your word. God, we know there are many amongst us that are struggling with various things,

health reasons, especially. And we ask if it’d be your will, that you help them recover to a measure health that they so desire. And we ask also that you wrap your loving arms around them. And those that have lost loved ones in the recent past, you wrap your comforting, loving arms around them and provide comfort to them that only you can.

And God we know that each and every one of us as we go about our daily lives come across struggles and turmoil and various events that we occasionally don’t know how to deal with. And we ask that you help us to remember this lesson, that brother Aaron brought us this morning, and that is to come to you and seek you, seek your wisdom,

your guidance, and pray to you. Faithfully that you, as we do know, will help us to resolve our conflicts with those that we encounter out there in the world. And with our struggles asked that we take the wisdom that you provide to us and figure out what it is that you want us to do and go on with our lives, serving you here on earth.

We know that there are times that we fall short of your glory. And when we come to you asking for forgiveness of sins, we ask that you please forgive us to them. And as we prepare to depart here this morning, we ask that you guys garden direct each and every one of us and safeguard us until we return at the next appointed time.

We pray this through your son, Jesus name. Amen.

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12-13-2020 – Live Stream – Hebrews 7-8 (Class) & In Case of Adversity: DO THIS (Sermon)

In Bible Classes Videos, Live Streams, Sermons, The Book of Hebrews by Aaron Cozort

HEBREWS – Hebrews 5-6
Encouragement

  1. What was the job of the human high priest? For whom did he offer sacrifices? Hebrews 5:1-3 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  2. Who is the high priest forever? According to what order is Christ a high priest?
    Hebrews 5:6, 10; 6:20 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  3. (yes or no) Did Jesus obey the Father?
    Whom should persons obey now? Hebrews 5:8-9 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  4. Immature Christians are said to need _____________ for food.
    Mature Christians are said to need _____________ for food. Hebrews 5:12-14
    ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  5. Those persons to whom the writer of Hebrews addressed (a) had ministered in the past, (b) were ministering at the present time, or (c) had never ministered. Hebrews 6:10 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  6. Why did the Hebrew writer encourage the hearers to exert faith and patience? Hebrews 6:11-12 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  7. What is the “anchor of the soul”? Hebrews 6:19 ________________________________________________________________

HEBREWS – Hebrews 7-8
Jesus Is a Better High Priest; Jesus Is a Better Covenant

  1. How much did Abraham give Melchizedek? How much were the people to give the priests? Hebrews 7:1-5 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  2. (yes or no) Was it necessary to change the Law of Moses when the priesthood was changed? Hebrews 7:12 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  4. What things did the Law of Moses make perfect? Hebrews 7:19
    ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  5. Why were there great numbers of priests under the Law of Moses?
    Why, under the new covenant, is there only one high priest?
    How often did the high priest, under the Law of Moses, offer up sacrifices for sins?
    How often did Jesus offer sacrifice for sins? Hebrews 7:23-24, 27 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  6. Who pitched the earthly tabernacle? Where is the “true tabernacle”?
    The Law of Moses was a _________ and ______ of the heavenly things.
    Hebrews 8:2, 5 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  7. Jesus is the ______________ of the new covenant.
    Discuss the first covenant and the need for a second. Hebrews 8:6-7 ________________________________________________________________

Automated Transcript:

<inaudible> good morning. We are in the book of Hebrews<inaudible>. We will go over the questions for chapters five and six, but we’re going to wait and do it after we finished chapter six, since we didn’t get there on, on Wednesday. So we’re gonna kinda move through the end of chapter six, then we’ll go look at the questions and then we’ll enter into seven and eight and we’ll see.

We’ll see. All right, let’s begin with a word of prayer. Our gracious, mindful father in heaven. We are so grateful for all of your many blessings for all of the things that we have in this life that we do not even fully understand and appreciate that you do for us on a daily basis. We’re mindful of this time of those who are dealing with illnesses,

those families that are dealing with the loss of loved ones or loved ones in critical condition, we pray that you will be with them in this difficult time. We pray that you be with those who at this time of the year have struggles and, and cares and concerns because of lost loved ones that come to mind. And we pray that you will give them comfort and strength as well.

We pray that you watch over us as we go through this period of study, may the things that we say and the things that we learn, be those things that you would have us to learn and be those things which are in accordance with your will. And may we always strive to live in a way that is in accordance with the scriptures that you have given to us all this,

we pray in Jesus name, amen.<inaudible> Chapter six. We made it really just down to verse six, where the Hebrew writer says, if we, if they fall away to renew them again to repentance, actually, let’s go back to verse four, just to make a full, full sentence for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy spirit and have tasted of the good word of God and of the powers of the age to come.

And if taste, if they fall away to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves, the son of God, and put him to an open shame for the earth, with drink, which drinks in the rain. I’m having a hard time reading this morning for the earth, which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated receives blessings from God.

But if it bears thorns and briers is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burdened. The analogy here at the end of this section is valuable to us to get the point, okay? Because the Hebrew writer is he is describing these people who he says it is impossible to renew to repentance. We’ll give you a clear picture in the analogy,

because what is it he describes. He describes either the plants that come forth, taking the soil, taking the blessings of God and out of that, they bring forth good fruit or the plans that come forth, taking the blessings from God and the blessings from the soil and bear for earth. What thorns and briers and this hearkens back to an analogy that Jesus made.

Jesus said, if you, as a, as a vine grow up and you bear forth, no fruit or evil fruit, what does he say is going to happen to you? You’re going to be burned up. You’re going to be uprooted and cast into the fire. Now this declaration of impossibility, as we talked about on Wednesday, goes back to the,

the, the commandment or the declaration from God. Then none of these Israelites that came out of Egypt that came to the edge of the promised land. He said, none of them are going to go into my promised land. And he said, it’s going to happen bringing together what the Hebrew writer says because of their rebellion and unbelief. It didn’t matter if they repented.

It didn’t matter if they turned back. It didn’t matter if they said, I’m sorry. God said, you’re not entering my rest. It was impossible. They were not getting another opportunity. But the discussion of would they repent, did they repent really hinges on the fact of what happened to that generation? Because though they would get in a fix, they would repent.

They would turn around. They would say, I’m sorry, but then what will they do? They turn right back to rebelling again. And the Hebrew writer declares them to have an evil heart of on belief. He said, the problem was not their unwillingness to change. It was that ultimately their heart was unwilling to submit to God. And so here,

that analogy really gives us a clear picture of what he’s saying. He said, if your heart is the problem, if you take the blessings of God and produce evil fruit, the problem is not the fruit. The problem is what’s inside you. Okay? So the same analogy that Jesus makes that the one who bears evil fruit, though, he’s given all the blessings of God though.

He’s tended by the vineyard keeper though. He’s the one that you know, is inside the vineyard of, of, of God. He said, if he bears evil fruit, he’s going to be ripped up, pulled out. And because his heart is the problem. So the Hebrew writer is telling us, as long as you have a heart that will not obey God.

It doesn’t matter what you change by way of your actions. You cannot be renewed to repentance because the renewal begins in the heart. You can change the outward person. You can change the activities. You can change the actions, but heart is still the problem until the heart changes. That person can’t be renewed to repentance. That person cannot be restored Lord,

because their heart is the problem. Okay? So ultimately in, in all of this discussion, the disc discussion revolves around someone who has is so as the, as the scripture uses the term hard hearted, that God’s actions will not penetrate there. Hardheartedness as the example would be, they see the sea parted before they see the plagues in Egypt, they see all the things,

God, it does. And yet they still won’t believe him. Okay? Now verse nine. But beloved having said all of this, having said, you’re too dull of hearing. Having said that you may be so hard-hearted that you’ll be like those in Israel, who are those Israelites who couldn’t enter God’s rest. Having said all of those things he says,

but beloved, we are confident a better things concerning you. Yes. Things that accompany salvation, though, we speak in this manner, having chastised them, having rebuked them for their inability to hold on, to and, and obtain the meat of the word. Having rebuke them for constantly, always having to be taught. Instead of being teachers, he then brings them back to this and says,

but I know you can do better. I know you will do better. I know you’re not like those people in the old Testament for God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown toward his name in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. And we believe that each of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope under the end that you do not become sluggish,

but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. So he says, you’ve got examples in front of you. You’ve got, yeah, those who are leading you down the road path now followed them, do what they do. And he said, you’ve ministered. You’ve served in the past. And I know you’ll serve. Now. I know you have a heart willing to do for others.

One of the things that is an attribute of the Israelites in the rebellion and in that first-generation was, it was always about themselves. One of the things that they failed in was a willingness to do to suffer for others, benefit everyone, every single complaint, every single murmuring, every single grumbling, every single uproar against Moses always was rooted in selfishness. And so the Hebrew runner identifies in these Christians,

the exact opposite attribute. He said, you may not be everything you need to be in your knowledge. You may not be everything you need to be in your understanding and in your learning, your service indicates something about your heart. And so that, that is where he tacks on his, his confidence in them that if they will continue to serve, if they will continue to act in the way they have acted in the past,

they have still a hope and assurance of the promises of God. So then he says, verse 13, when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater. He swore by himself saying, surely blessing. I will bless you. And multiplying, I will multiply you as he’s just described the impossibility of God, declaring a person who will not enter his rest to ever be restored to that.

Rest. God said there is no way you, as an Israelite in that first-generation are going to enter the promised land. And there was no, there was nothing they could do that would overact or countermand God’s decision to the same extent that they had assurance that they would never enter. God’s rest in that. First-generation now he turns around to say, but just as great,

the assurance is that God says you’re judged that first-generation his judgment would be so the same greatness of God’s assurance. He is in his promise of a reward. If you could look at that first-generation and there was no chance, there was nothing they were going to do to counteract what God said. You can look at the promises of God and know there’s just as much as surety to the one who’s found faithful that they will enter God’s rest.

So, you know, example could be, if we kind of pulled this forward back to the, to the first generation that left Egypt, Joshua and Caleb, their faithfulness. So mandated that just as much as the, the rest of the population would not enter God’s rest, they would because of their faithfulness, they had as much as surety as the other people did just for the opposite,

the opposite result. Okay? So he describes here Abraham. He says for when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater. He swore by himself saying, surely blessing. I will bless you. And multiplying, I will. This comes from Genesis 22. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise for men indeed swear by the greater and an oath for confirmation is for them.

And end of all, dispute thus God determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise. The immutability of his counsel can by an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay, hold on the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,

both sure. And steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil, where the 4runner has entered for us. Even Jesus, having become high priest forever, according to the order of milk. So first of all, what is the word immutability mean? Common, everyday word for all of us, right? Changeable. He says by these two unchangeable things,

God’s word and God’s oath by these two unchangeable things. God swore that his rest, his promise would be available, but it uses Abraham. As the example, he says, surely blessing. I will bless you and multiplying. I will multiply you skills back to the promise of God, to Abraham, to give him a son. Now, what age was Abraham?

When God made them Promise initially 75, 75, What age was he? When he fulfilled the promise? 125 years later, as one, one, preacher put it. He said, if you make a promise to a 75 year old, most of us would say, you better hurry up and actually fulfill that promise. There is going to be too late,

but with God, he didn’t, he didn’t hurry up, let alone, he waited another 25 years. The point being the assurance was because God said it, it was going to happen. And here we have the Hebrew writer saying just as much as Abraham could be assured that God was going to give him a son. So also we have an assurance and our assurance is tied to what<inaudible> All right.

But the assurance is tied to the anchor of the soul. Jesus having entered in ahead of us. Okay. Notice what he says here in verse 16 there, sorry. Verse, verse 19. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure. Instead fast. And which enters the presence beyond behind the veil where the 4runner has entered for us.

Even Jesus, remember back over in<inaudible> I’m going to forget where this was.<inaudible> Yes. Chapter four, chapter four, verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast. Our confession for we do not have a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses,

but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin, let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace that we may find mercy or may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He said, here’s why we can have boldness to enter the throne of God. Here’s why we can have boldness to seek God’s help because we have a high priest,

Jesus Christ. Who’s passed through the heavens. He’s gone ahead of us. So also we have an anchor over in eternity for our hope. Our assurance is because Christ went ahead of us. We can go where he is. You remember what Jesus told the apostles in John chapter 14. He said, where I go? You can’t go yet. But if I go,

I’m going to prepare a place for you. And when I come back, I’m going to receive you to myself. His going was our confidence, our hope, our anchor, as it were we using the analogy of the ship. If you want to ship, to stay where it needs to be. If you want a ship to stay in one place,

the only way to do it is to drop an anchor. Well, once that anchor’s dropped, as long as that ship stays attached to that anchor, that ship is staying in that place. It’s a sherd. It steadfast. It won’t move well. If our anchor was, as it were carried into eternity by Christ, then what do we have to worry about?

When the storms of life, the difficulties of life, the treachery of life comes and beats on our whole. We don’t have anything to worry about why our anchor is already in heaven. Okay? So our hope, our assurance is steadfast to the end. All right, there is much, much, much more that we can say about that, but we’re going to go through the questions and move on to chapter seven.

What was the job of the human high priest?<inaudible> All right. Offer gifts and sacrifices for sin for whom did he offer sacrifices Himself and all the people who is the high priest forever. All right. Jesus Christ. According to what order is Christ a high priest? No kids. A deck. Yes or no. Did Jesus obey the father? Yes.

Whom should persons obey now?<inaudible> Yeah. Christ or the father either, either one of those, just depending on how you’re reading the, the, the, him there. Immature Christians are said to need blank for food milk, mature. Christians are said to need blank for food, strong meat, those persons to whom the writer of Hebrews addressed a had ministered in the past be were ministering at the present time.

Or C had never ministered. Say that again. A and B, why did the Hebrew writer encourage the hearers to exert faith and patience?<inaudible> To inherit the problem promises and what is the anchor of the soul? All right. Jesus having entered heaven. So the Hebrew writers told them, I can’t tell you about middle kids, a deck yet, because you’re too dull of hearing.

Then he puts before them, the ultimate outcome of if they have a heart of rebellion, then he says, but we have confidence in you that you won’t be that way. Then he says, Abraham was assured of his promises and God fulfilled them. Then he says, Jesus Christ has entered into heaven. And he’s our anchor of the soul. He’s our hope.

Our assurance from God. Now he’s going to return back to McGee is the deck again, okay? Because he’s not going to give up on this. He wants them to change their heart. So they’re able to hear what he has to say about Christ. He stood for this milk is a deck King know Salem priest of the most high who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him to whom also Abraham gave a 10th part of all first being translated,

King of righteousness, and then also King of Salem, meaning King of priest without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but may length. The son of God remains a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a 10th of the spoils. This is going to be one of those where we can go much deeper if we had time,

but we don’t. So we’re going to kind of summarize what’s here. Milk is a deck enters in to the biblical record with no parentage, no description of where he came from. No description of who his father was. No description of who is his children were no description of his lineage. He shows up in the life of Abraham, and then we never read about him again,

other than in the Psalms, looking forward to the Messiah. And so the Hebrew writer says here, we have this man who have no, no parents, no descendants by way of the record. He’s he’s not like Abraham who you, you begin with Abraham and you can work your way backwards to Adam. You can begin with Abraham and work your way forward,

all the way to Christ. You have a lineage with Aaron. You could go back to Levi and then go all the way back to Abraham. Then go all the way back to Adam with Levi and Erin, you could go with the high priesthood all the way forward to that present day, you have this lineage, but not with milk is a deck with no kids.

Yeah. That you have one who stands alone as a priest of the most high God. And his point is who made him a priest? It wasn’t who his father was. It wasn’t who his grandfather was. It wasn’t who his ancestor was or who his descendants would be. Who made him a high priest. God did. Okay. The Hebrew writer is struggling with these people,

these readers to make sure they understand that they don’t need to go back to the law of Moses. So they can have a high priest who stands physically in front of them. They need a high priest. Who’s appointed by God. And so he goes to milk his deck and he says, here’s your example. And it’s not just the Hebrew writer going.

Ah, I think this will be a good example. He’s going to use Psalm. I think it’s one Oh four as the, the connection, the prophecy Connect smoke is a deck to Christ. Okay. So he’s going to write to these people and he’s going to tell them about this King, because the reality is, as he draws forward here in chapter seven Moses’s law would never allow a priest to be a King and a Moses’s law would never allow it King to be a priest.

And yet they have a King and priest reigning right now. So if they go back to the law, they have to give up their King and their priests. If they stay with their King and their priest, they have to give up the law. He’s putting them in a, in a choice where they have to give up one or the other, if they can’t have both and they need to see that.

Okay. So he talks about who’s greater for the Hebrew mindset. Moses was great, but Abraham was greater because without Abraham, you have no Moses. Moses was not the one that God said, I will make you a blessing to all nations that wasn’t said to Moses that was said to Abraham. Moses was not the one who was told in your seed nations of the earth will be blessed.

Abraham was so for the Jew. Moses is great, but Abraham is greater. Yeah. The argument is you see Moses, and then you see Abraham is greater. And yet Abraham had someone who was greater than him, even in his this day. And it was bell Kizza deck. Okay? So this path of greatness in the Jewish mindset is what the Hebrew writer’s going to tie onto to say,

Mel Kislyak deck was greater than Abraham and Jesus is after the order of no kids, a deck and not Abraham. Okay. So watch what he says. First of all, he describes my kid’s dead. Cause we just read then verse five, actually, let’s go with verse four. Now, consider how great. Now notice here, we’re in a discussion of greatness,

how great this man was.<inaudible> deck to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a 10th of spoils. You do not take of your possessions and give TRIBE the mute to someone who’s lesser than you. You don’t do that. You don’t say I see this. We ban over here. He has no power. He has no authority. He has no substance.

And yet I’m going to give a 10th of all that I have to him in honor of him. No, no, no. That’s not what you do. Instead, you see someone who as Abraham did, who’s a priest of the most high God. Who’s a King. And you say, because of your greatness, I will give you this tribute.

Okay? So notice Abraham is recognizing no kids at X greatness by his actions. And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi who received the priesthood, have a commandment to receive ties from the people. According to the law. That is from their brethren though, they have, from the loins of Abraham, he says, you look at the rust of the gifts and the blessings that the Levi’s receive.

They receive a 10th of everything. They received the time from all the people, but their brethren. They’re not really receiving that because they’re greater. They’re all descendants of Abraham. And yet here, Abraham gives it to my kids, a deck as one who is greater. Okay. Now notice what he says, but he, whose genealogy is not derived from them.

Received ties from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better here mortal men receive ties, but there he receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives even Levi who receives ties, paid times through Abraham. So to speak for. He was still in the loins of his father when my kids met him.

All right. So the point of the analogy, art, Mel kids deck is greater than Abraham because Abraham paid ties to Mel kids. A deck and point, Mel Kizza deck is greater than Abraham because Mel Kizza deck blessed Abraham, and you don’t have the one who’s lesser blessing. The one who’s greater, you don’t have the peasant comes to the King and says,

let me give you a blessing. You have the peasant who comes to the King and says, give me a blessing because the King is greater than the peasant. Okay? Here’s the analogy. You have Abraham receiving a blessing from his neck. That means mocha has X greater than Abraham. You have Abraham giving a time to<inaudible>. That means my kids deck is greater than Abraham.

You have a Levi. Who’s a descendant of Abraham who hasn’t even been born yet. And the third analogy is you. The, the Hebrew writer says in essence, because Levi descends from Abraham, you have Levi giving a time to Mel kids, a deck because he’s not even born yet, yet. The one who’s greater than him, his ancestor Abraham gives a time to make his day.

So the three points are those three ideas. The time, the blessing and the imposter clarity. Since the time of Levi all given the milk kids, a deck indicating kids, a deck was greater than Abraham. And the analogy drawing forward then is Jesus Christ is a high priest, not after the low, the line of Levi, but of the great line of milk is a deck.

Okay? So that’s about as quick as I can summarize that. Therefore he says verse 11, if perfection we’re through the Levitical priesthood for under it, the people receive the law. What further need was there for another than another priest should arise? According to the order of<inaudible>. Now this Hawk hearkens back to Psalms. Psalms says, there’s going to be another priest he’s coming.

He’s coming after the order of<inaudible>. Now wait a minute. If the live local political priesthood descendants true, Aaron is perfect. Is all that we need then why is it there is here in the Psalms, a prophecy of a greater priesthood. There, there has to be a greater priesthood or there wouldn’t be a replacement of the current priesthood. You don’t replace something that’s greater with something that’s inferior.

Nobody takes their bright, shiny, new, very expensive car and says, you know what? I’m ready to trade it in for a dump that doesn’t work. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don’t do that. You don’t trade in the perfect for the worse. But if you’ve traded in one for something that you see as better,

it indicates there was something wrong with the first one, the Levitical priesthood. So then notice, he says for the priesthood being changed of necessity, there is also a change of the law for he, of whom these things are spoken, belongs to another tribe from which no man has officiated at altar for. It is evident that our Lord arose from Judah of which TRIBE Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

And it is yet far more evident. If in the likeliness of many kids, a deck there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life for he testifies, you are a priest forever. According to the order of Melchizedek for on the one hand, there is a knowing of the former commandment because of its weakness and it’s unprofitable illness for the law made nothing perfect.

On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God, okay? Again, one of these passages where we could spend an entire class period, but let’s summarize it to point these things out. First of all, he says, if you change the priesthood of Aaron, you must change the law. You must must remove the law with the priesthood goes,

the law with the law goes to the priesthood. You cannot separate them. You cannot. If we were going to bring it forward to a current analogy and court case in our day in time before the Supreme court, they had the court case to see whether or not they could cut out the mandate from the affordable care act. Okay? The whole discussion is can this be removed and leave the rest intact?

Can we remove that piece and keep the rest of the law? Well, under the law, Moses, you couldn’t, you couldn’t cut out the priesthood and keep the law. You couldn’t do it because there’s no other substitute. The law made no opportunity for a different priest from a different tribe. And so he says, evident, it’s clear. We,

we can see that Jesus Christ came from Judah and the law made no provision for a priest out of Judah. So we can’t get rid of the Levitical priesthood and keep the law. Can’t have Jesus Christ as priest under the law. Therefore for him to be priest, we have to remove the law. We have to take all of it and put it aside.

And yet he says, don’t, don’t look at this as though this is a bad thing because in taking away the law in its deficiencies, in its failures, he’s in some thing. And there’s our word better. Okay. All the way through here. The whole point is Jesus Christ. His law, his priesthood, his salvation is better than what came Moses.

Okay. So he says For on the one hand verse 18, there isn’t a knowing of the former commandment because of its weaknesses and unprofitable illness. So there’s the inferiority of the law for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. And in as much as he was not made priest without an oath for,

they have become priests without an oath. Excuse me, let me read that again. And in as much as he was not made a priest without an oath for, they have become priest without an oath, but he, with an oath by him who said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever. According to the order of Melchizedek,

by so much more, Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. Okay? So he’s hearkening back to this reality that he’s described of Aaron’s priesthood. They became a priest by being born by being born. A descendant of Aaron, Jesus became a priest by an oath from God. God’s oath is what’s being described here. And so, because he’s become a priest by an oath of God,

he has a greater covenant than Aaron does. So the Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are priest forever. According to the order of Melchizedek, verse 23. Also, there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing as he talks about the priesthood. One of the deficiencies that it says you had to keep replacing Them. You,

you you’d Have one priest and then he died and you needed another priest and he died and you needed another priest. Not Jesus. He’s a priest For forever On ending without death. But he verse 24 because he continues forever has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost, those who come to God, through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Imagine you were the person who was reliant on a priest to go before God reliant on the high priest for the forgiveness of your sins, for the, for the intercessory act that he makes on behalf of you for the offering of sacrifice. And just as you’re preparing to enter into eternity to stand before God, your high priest, No. What are you going to do?

Your intercessors gone. He’s dead. But the Hebrew writer says not with Christ. He’s always there to make intercession for you. Surely we’re going to get that with chapter eight, right? All right. Therefore, he is also able to save to the uttermost. Those who come to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them, for such a high priest was fitting for us,

who is Holy harmless, undefiled separate from sinners and has become higher than the heavens who does not need daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins. And then for the peoples, for this, he did once for all, when he offered up himself for the law appoints as high priest, men who have weaknesses, but the word of the oath,

which came after the law, appoints the son who has been perfected for forever. So again, he goes back to the Psalms and he says, here’s, here’s the law of Moses in time. Here’s the law of Moses. Here’s the priesthood. All of these things are in existence, but then sometime later here, God makes this oath and the oath identifies the problems,

but it also sets forth a better solution. Now this is the main point of the things we are saying. We have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. If he’s a high priest and yet he seated at the right hand of the throne, He’s a priest and King, Okay. That’s the identification here,

a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord erected and not man for every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this one also have something to offer. This is the priest. Wasn’t just an honorary position. He had a service, he had a ministering or a ministry to fulfill for.

If he verse four we’re on earth, he would not be a hype or would not be a priest. Since there are priests who offer the gifts, according to the law who serve the copy and the shadow of the heavenly things as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle for, he said, see that you make all things, according to the pattern shown you on the mountain,

but now he has obtained a more excellent ministry in as much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which is established on better promises. So he said, if Jesus was alive on this earth, he couldn’t be a priest. He’s up the wrong TRIBE. And there’s already a priesthood during the time of the writing, the Hebrew or the Jewish priesthood still existed.

The temple was still there. They could have walked in and Jesus could have walked in as it were and said, all right, I’m here to serve as a priest. And they would’ve said, no, you’re not you’re of the wrong lineage. You have no in this. And yet they’re in the lesser tabernacle. They’re in the earthly one that just has a representation of the heavenly one.

There they’re serving in the, the picture of the real thing. He’s in heaven, serving in the real tabernacle. He’s in heaven, serving in the very throne of God. So he has obtained a better covenant because he’s a better mediator, which is established on better promises for if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

Again, going back to the analogy, you don’t take the perfect car or that you already own, that has no flaws has no issues. Absolutely perfect. And trade it in for a lesser model. You don’t do that here. He said, you already have a priesthood. If you replace it with a new one, it’s not because the first one was perfect.

It’s because it wasn’t verse eight because finding fault with them, he says, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I, when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,

because they did not continue in my covenant. And I disregarded them, says the Lord for this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days says the Lord, I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. And I will be their God. And they shall be my people. None of them teach his neighbor.

And none his brother saying know the Lord for all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds. I will remember no more. This is quoted from Jeremiah in that he says, all right, so he’s quoted Jeremiah to draw this point out in that he says a new covenant.

He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Okay. So again, more could be said about everything here in Jeremiah. And there’s, there’s a wealth between Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews eight. But his point is, Jeremiah said in his day, I’m going to make a new covenant with my people.

Not like the one that I made with them when they came out of Egypt. And here’s the defining attribute. Here’s, what’s different. The one that I made with them when they came out of Egypt, they received part in the covenant because they were born into it. They by birth have no Decision-making of their own became part of the covenant, but not the new covenant.

The new covenant begins with their decision. It begins with their heart. It begins with them choosing to be part of the new covenant, which covenant, the Hebrew writer says to the Christians and to you and I today, we are part of a better covenant than the one in the past. Okay. That’s chapter eight. I knew I could do it.

And yet there’s a little part of me dying inside because there’s so much in chapter<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible><inaudible>, But it’s about time to begin our worship service this morning. We do want to welcome all of you here today. And I’m just looking over the audience. And I don’t believe we have any visitors today, which is kind of unusual, but I know with the COVID increasing in its strength,

seems like over the country, that’s causing people a little bit more concerns and perhaps some are, might not be feeling well and, and decided not to try to make it today. So this remember all of these. We do want to remind you, if you did not pick up your communion to do that, if you haven’t already, we want to remember those that are ill,

continue to pray for Joan Springer. She has her good days and bad days. And I think I didn’t get a chance to talk to Marie about her when he came in, but she has been having, I think, more, better day or better days than she has had bad days, unless that’s changed. And I I’ve checked with him. I have to services on that.

Remember Robin woods and Jessica Dale and Tori Heisley, all of these continue to pray for them that they might improve their health. Janie Marlin is recovering from her knee replacement surgery. Now she’s going to therapy three times a week, and we want to continue to pray that everything will go well with that. And she’ll be able to have full use of her knee.

Again, Dortha Wilson is waiting Results on her stress test. So we want to continue to pray for her. And then dental Wilson that’s Rue, Dale Wilson, sister in law is in ICU with COVID and don’t forget that he lost his brother ODALE Eve to that. And they’re, they’re hoping that dimple will survive, but they’re not sure is it last word?

We got it. Wasn’t looking very good. It was good to see Pam with us today. She’s back, but she’s still not quite up to par. She said, and we want to continue to pray for her. That things will continue to make some improvement for, I know she’s been dealing with this for quite some time. So encourage her and keep her in your prayers.

Gladys Lyles is having some back problems and that is hurt. You’re supposed to go to see a doctor tomorrow and along that same line. I want to mention that Janney Sanderson’s dad had another stroke. He’s in the, what the doctors are doing. They’re just, they’re trying to get him strong enough so that he can go back home and then he will be under hospice care.

So I know that Terry and Jenny left yesterday to go down there to be with her dad. So, so they’re not with us today and we won’t, we won’t remember them. So I’m not sure if Gladys has a way down there. I don’t know if she’s set up anybody else. I probably check with her after services and, and see if she needs a ride to the hospital or to the doctor’s office.

Cause I don’t know if they had time to make those arrangements. Leah van clave that’s Becky’s niece, Becky Posner’s niece has COVID and we want to remember her. And also her sister Vicki Wadsworth is, seems to have a persistent cough and is not able to get over that. So keep her in your prayers. I guess when people get sick, they’re always more susceptible to the virus and we hope and pray.

None of these that are in that condition, that, that, that happens to them. Man’s business meeting will be tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM here at the church building. So we want to remind you of that. And we want to thank Sandy McCall for the decorations that she puts in the four year and out in front of the building. She always makes it look so nice.

And we appreciate her doing that. She does such a great job of that. And I, I just happened to be up here that this last time she went through that and I saw all the work. She went through getting that arranged and it takes her quite some time to do that. So she works real hard at it, but she just really makes the building and everything we’re inviting.

And we appreciate it so much. I have a note here from the Richardson. Family says, greetings. We want to take a moment to wish you all a happy holiday season. We miss you out. We miss you all and pray that you’re all. Well, we wanted to say thank you again for all the support, love, and care for us while we were in school.

We love you all. And think of you often, please keep us and the work at Eagleville and your prayers as we continue our labors here in Christ, the Richardson’s on that same note. We want to make the congregation aware that we are supporting of the Richardsons. The diplomas actually have are retiring at the end of this year and will no longer need our support.

So we’re going to start supporting Eric and his family in that work up there. So keep that in mind, keep praying for them that everything will continue to go well for that, that word this morning, Noah Olsen will be directing our song service. Jay Shafir has our opening prayer. Tommy O’Neil has the communion and Aaron Wood air, and we’ll be bringing the sermon.

And then Eric Richardson there, Eric, Eric, Eric Halvorson, w we have a joke about that. Cause I do this so often. Eric Halverson will have our closing prayer. Noah, good morning, number 716, 700 1616 seven one six. We will sing the all three versus seven one six. Sing to me. The then singing that song up.

He sprung the tiles behind me. It will bring green. The burdens well being lifted that are pressing. So showers, green blasting or my heart. Well flown sing to me, man. I’m only dream of it’s go then Laurie, this really glean saying to me, when shadows of the evening, seeing turn me and saying no sweetness song of all saying to me have,

and as I walk up dreaming of the comrades that so long have gone and a fairer region, Mong the angels wrong. They are happy as they sing that all sweet song sing to me. Then let me find the dream of its golden glory of its burly. Gleam. Sing to me when shadows of the name fall, sing to me, heaven, seeing the sweet song of all I’m saying to me,

a haven’t tender the<inaudible> till the shadows army rise and swiftly. When my heart is wary, when the day is long, sing to me, heaven sing that old sweet song. Sing to me. Oven led me fun. The dream of its golden glory of its Burnie. The same saying to me, when shadows of the evening fall seeing to me heaven,

seeing this weed is song of all Next song will be number 537 five three seven. Here we are bit string Toblerones five, three, seven. We’ll sing all three verses. Hmm, Here we are. But strain pilgrims. You a path is often them, but to cheer a song, our journey still, we sing this way, side him yonder over the rolling river where the shining mansions rise soon and will be our home for ever,

and the smile of the blessing and gave her. And gladdens all our longing a rise here. Our feet are often very the Hills that throng our way here, the 10th star clean gathers, but our hearts within us say,<inaudible> the rolling river where the shining mansions rise soon and will be our home for ever. And the smile of the blessing gave her gladdens all our longing a rise here.

Our souls are often fearful of the pilgrims lurking full, but the Lord is RD fender and he tells us may know Yon neral over the rolling river where the shining mansions rise soon on be our home far as ever. And the smile of the blessing given gladdens all our longing Song to help us prepare our minds for Lord’s supper. Or we actually do have a career,

sorry, Almighty God, our father, Holy and revered is your name and father. As we approach your throne this hour, we acknowledge you as a creator of this universe, our creator, we are so very grateful that you saw fit to create us in your image with a soul. And we’re also so very grateful that you gave us your word through your son,

that we may have a pathway for our lives and a route to heaven. We give you all our honor and praise father. We’re mindful of the church that meets here. Many of our number are unable to be with us due to fear or the COVID. And also there are many of them, many of us that are suffering from illnesses. We pray your healing hands will be upon all those that were mentioned today that they may be once again,

returned to their rightful place with us. We’re also mindful father of the turmoil that’s going on in this country. We pray for unity that we know that you are in control and whatever is best for us. You will see to it that it happens as we go through the further exercise. So this worship service, we are mindful that we often fail the,

and we do pray for forgiveness of our sins. As we repent and turn from them that we may stand whole and pure in your sight. And that our worship to you this hour will be a sweet savor senior Jesus in Jesus name that we pray amen. Now to prepare our minds for Lord’s supper, we’re going to sing to set the feast. Divine.

It is not in the book, but it will be on the slide to set the face. Divine we’ll sing the first and last verse.<inaudible> the bread and fresh food.<inaudible><inaudible> B<inaudible> the shrine. And<inaudible> the<inaudible> may we<inaudible> his dad are Holy<inaudible>. We see Stan Fe<inaudible> meaning your turn. And<inaudible> the<inaudible> H first day of the week,

as we gather to worship our God, our father we’re commanded to eat this bread, drink of this cup, to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of our savior. As we partake of this bread and this fruit of the vine with pride, that we would all reflect upon the death of Christ and that through his death, we have the hope of eternal life with our God.

Would you bow with me, our heavenly father. We truly thank you for Christ our savior. We thank you for this bread, which does your children represents the body of our savior. That was crucified Parsons. As we protect this bread, help each one of us to do it with a truth, truly thankful heart. For this sacrifice, these things we ask in Christ’s name,

amen. Would you bow with me again? Our heavenly, we continue our thanks for this fruit of the fine, which to us represents the blood of our savior. As we partake of it, help each one of us to do so in a manner that is pleasing and acceptable in these things we ask in Christ’s name, amen. It’s a separate part of our worship.

We have this opportunity to return onto her, our God, a part of that, that he blesses us with. And we know that every blessing we enjoy in this life comes from our God. Would you bow with me, our heavenly father. We thank you for every blessing that we have in this life. And we do know that each one of these come from the,

we know as a country, how we’re blessed. We pray us raver. We return under the, a part of that, that we have been blessed with, that we would do. So with a willing and cheerful heart, we pray that these fonts might be used to further the kingdom of your, these things we ask in Christ’s name. Amen. All right.

As long before, the last one will be number 470 417. And if you want to go ahead and Mark number 904, that will be the song of invitation, but we will sing number 470 before the lesson victory and Jesus will sing the first and last versus a 470. All right, let us sing. I heard an old, old story. How his savior came from glory,

how he gave his life on Calvary to save a wretch like me. I heard about his groaning of his precious blood toning, then Irie and my sins on one a Victori Oh, victory. Angie’s my se for Avar. He saw me and bought me with his reading blog. He loved me. I knew him and my love is due and he plunged me to victory beneath a cleansing.

FLA. I heard about a man Shan. He is built for me in glory. And I heard about the street of go beyond the crystal sea about the Joe’s saying Pam, the old redone John’s story and some sweet day. I’ll sing up there. The song, Victor green. Oh, victory. Jeez, my save your for Avar. He saw me and bought me with his reading blog.

He learned me air. I knew him and my love is do him. He plunged me to victory being Neetha cleansing flaw. Good morning. Imagine most of us, some point in our lives have walked through a building and have seen on the wall. Something that says in case of emergency break glass, the reality is that the point behind the sign, is there something behind the glass?

There’s something behind object That needs to be broken. That might Wait, save your life. And yet, in all of our lives, as Christians, we face adversity At times and whether constantly, or, or sporadically, we will find ourselves in the situation of being in adversity. And that situation is one that can be hard to deal with. It can be a struggle.

And a matter of fact, it is often a struggle because it is not a comfortable place. It is not a place where we find safety. It is a place where we Find struggle and yeah, Yet the scriptures speak of adversity and they speak of what we should do when we encounter it. So this morning, I want to look at adversity. Now,

before I get into what it is that we should do in times of adversity, I want to qualify a few things and I want to qualify what it is that I’m talking about. I’m not talking about adversity that comes when we bring adversity upon ourselves in the sense of when we sin and when God, because of our sin brings about judgment and adversity in our lives.

That’s not the kind of adversity we’re talking about this morning. The Israelites were told when they were there before the Mount, when they were being given the law, when Moses declared to them, if you will do these things, Leviticus, chapter 26, then God will bless you. And God will look favorably upon you and God will do all these things for you.

You will have blessings and not adversity. And yet, if you turn away from God, if you turn away from his covenant, then you will have all of these curses. And he describes to them in clear pictures, the adversity they will go through. If they would not obey There, God, that is not the adversity under discussion this morning. We’re also not specifically looking at adversity in the situation where someone comes against us because of something we’ve done to them.

If we have a situation, as Jesus describes where someone says, I have ought against you, you have done something wrong to me. And as a result of that, we’re now in a situation of adversity. We’re now in a situation where someone can drag us as Jesus illustrates it before the judge, But it’s our fault. He, you settle with The person right there.

You make it right right now because you are At fault. And if you don’t do it before you reach the judge, you’re going to find yourself in a worse situation. So solve the problem Between you and your brother immediately. That’s also not the adversity we’re speaking of this morning. Instead, we’re speaking of the adversity that we read about in James chapter one in James chapter one,

we read James of bond, servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ and To the 12 tribes, which are scattered abroad. My brethren count it all. Joy. When you fall into various trials, the adversity we are speaking of is the adversity that comes as a result, a natural result of being Obedient to God, Being obedient as a Christian and living the Christian life.

The writer James writes to these Christians and he says, first and foremost, when you encounter adversity, Count it a joy. Now this is something In opposition to our normal disposition, to our normal nature. Our natural response to adversity is to think, why am I going through this? Why am I going through this difficulty? Why are these people confronting me?

Why is this such a struggle? Why am I facing this TRIBE? And while adverse, He is a time of reflection. Ecclesiastes. Chapter seven speaks concerning that. The idea as when times are good, being able to be joyful, but when times are difficult, when adversity comes being able to reflect upon ourselves and see why it is that we’re going through it.

But if we examine ourselves as Joe did, when he looked at his own life and he looked at everything that he had done, and he saw the adversity he was going through, and he couldn’t find a reason in him, His life for his adversity, He couldn’t find a sin in his life. That was the cause. He couldn’t find the thing that he had done in opposition to God.

That would cause God to do this to him. When we find ourselves in that situation that he or sorry, James writes to these brethren and he says It all joy As we go through each step of these instructions that James provides us. One of the things I want to do is I want to look at An example In this case, turn just back a few pages in your Bibles to Jay,

to Hebrews chapter 12. And you’ll Find there an example in all the way through our lesson, we’re going to Use Christ as the, of Dealing with adversity. But in Hebrews chapter 12, Verse two, We find the Hebrew writer describing to these Christians, why they ought to be faithful, why they ought to do what’s right, why they ought to lay aside sin and get busy looking at the goal of eternity.

And he says in verse two, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the Now watch this phrase, the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The Hebrew writer declares to us that Jesus Christ looked at the adversity of the cross. He looked at everything that he was going to have to go through.

And in looking at it, he determined to do it Because of the joy set before him. He looked at it adversity. He looked at a struggle. He looked at a difficult situation and in it he Found joy. One 19 speaks concerning This idea as the Psalmus writer Here in somewhat a different vein. But looking at This from the perspective of the word of God says this Psalm one 19 beginning in verse 66,

he says, teach me Good judgment and knowledge for, I believe your commandments. Before I was afflicted, I went astray, Right? Notice here, the, the, the Psalmist as he is pending this, he says I had a problem and I was ignoring it until you afflicted me until this affliction came, I was going astray. But now I’m aware of what I was doing wrong.

He says, before I was afflicted, I went astray. But now I Keep your word. You are good and do good. Teach me your statutes. The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep your precepts with all my whole heart. Their heart is as fat, as fat as grease, But I delight in your law. It is good for me.

Notice this. It is good for Me that I have been afflicted that I may learn your statutes. The Psalmus writer looks at the trials, the afflictions that he’s going through. And he says, I became aware of what I needed. I became aware of what I was missing. I became aware of what I was still lacking in my knowledge of you.

When affliction was brought on me, when I had to deal with this situation, when I was struggling in the midst of this affliction, I went to your word. I went to your word and I found What was missing in my Life. Turned to Hebrews chapter 13, the Hebrew writer again makes this declaration and Hebrews chapter 13, beginning in verse 13,

He says, let us go forth to him outside the camp, Bearing his reproach for here. We have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. Therefore by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. When James says you encounter trials, Count it all joy.

The Hebrew writer says, as we examine our situation, let us proceed outside the Gates to Christ. Let us go out to the place of reproach, where he was reproached and in his reproach, The cross, let us give thanks. So notice this path, Jesus went to the cross because he counted it joy to do that yet. Despite The shame we approach the cross and see what he did and we give praise to God.

And so we look at our adversity, we look at our trials and James says, You count it all joy, but then Consider the second thing that James identifies. And that is that when we come to adversity, in the case of adversity, we need to Let it work. As the Salmas writer was pointing out his adversity, his affliction brought to his realization,

What was still lacking, What it was in his life that he still needed to work on. And James writes in James chapter one beginning of verse three, knowing that the testing of your faith produces Patience. He says, as You examine this trial that you’re going in to, as you’re going through and enduring this, let it work because it’s going to produce something.

God is presenting this trial to you. He is presenting this affliction before you, he is presenting this obstacle so you can learn how To overcome it so That you can learn how to have patience. In hard times, Jesus would identify the need for those who were his disciples to be faithful in little things So that they might be faithful in great things. We need to learn in the difficulties and in the trials to allow those adversities,

those trials to work. But then he says, verse four, but let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete Lacking nothing. James identifies that the working the production of adversity is to produce perfection. It is to identify within our lives. The things that still need to be worked on God allows us to go through this adversity, this affliction,

this difficulty and endure those situations so that we might find the things where we are still lacking in turn over to Hebrews chapter five. Now, one thing I want to point out is this does not mean that God is afflicting us because of sin. You know, we pointed out the kind of affliction we’re not talking about. This is not an affliction that comes to cause us to repent.

It’s an affliction that comes to cause us to, To grow. I can’t express to you that there is pain in growth. Arm has been doing a process of growth as my bones knit themselves back together. And there is a painful process involved in growth. And yet the Hebrew writer Points out and Hebrews chapter five verses eight through nine, that this isn’t unique to us because again,

in the life of Christ, we see this very idea though. He was a son verse eight, yet he learned obedience by the things Which he suffered and having been perfected Hebrew. It came the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him. James says, when we fall into trials, when we fall into adversity, we need to allow it to work in us,

to produce perfection, to cause us, to see the areas where we must grow to become like Christ. And that Is one of the things that we should do in the midst of adversity. But Romans chapter 12, Romans chapter 12 identifies this singular idea that though James has referenced it, we’ll bring it forward Here as well. Romans chapter 12. And in verse 12,

he says, rejoicing in hope. As he writes to these Christians, he’s giving them a list of things they need to be fervent in and they need to be doing, they need to be focusing on. He says, be re those who are rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. He identifies their patients. This idea here in the original language is one who stands up under a burden as God,

places before you a trial, he will not place before you one, you cannot endure and he expects you to stand up under it. He expects you to grow from it to become stronger by the trial that he places before you. So when adversity comes, we need to first count it a joy Second need to let it work. But we thirdly need to get understanding.

This is an integral ingredient to everything else that we’re discussing here until our perspective is right until we understand the situation, we will not handle it properly. James chapter one verse five says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him, Oh God for hoops. Let me, let me reread that. Let me look at the right part of the page.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God Who gives to all liberally and without reproach. And it will Be given to him In the midst of this trial. As James presents, the difficulty that they may be enduring, that they may go through. He says, first of all, Canada joy. Secondly, realize that it’s working in you to produce perfection.

Thirdly, get wisdom, seek for wisdom. He says, if you’re lacking it, this should be apparent by how you’re dealing with the adversity. This should be identified by your adversity in your trial. He said, if you lack wisdom, ask God, Proverbs chapter four, Proverbs chapter four, the Proverbs writer says this verse seven. He says, wisdom is the principal thing.

Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting Get understanding Sets before his son, the one who’s the recipient of his Wisdom here in the book of Proverbs, The need to obtain wisdom, but not just wisdom for wisdom sake, not just wisdom to say I’m a wise man, but wisdom to obtain Understanding. And so as James points out these trials, as he points out these adversities,

this difficulty, he identifies the need For the product of wisdom, the need for understanding in Luke chapter 24, Jesus Is he is looking backward and explaining to his apostles why these things have occurred. We’ll identify this idea, Luke chapter 24, beginning in verse 44. Then he said to them, these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you.

That all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses and of the prophets and of the Psalms concerning me. So here he is, he’s gone through this crucifixion. He’s gone through a burial. He’s resurrected again. He’s now together with the apostles and he’s explaining to them, reminding them of the things he’s already taught them before he went through all of it,

but they didn’t get the point. They didn’t understand these things. And so he brings them to mind to tell them everything that Moses and the prophets and the Psalms spoke concerning me had to be fulfilled in those what he said. And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. Then he said to them, thus, it is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. He identifies the goal and connects it to the adversity. So they might understand They end the necessity. So many times we look at adversity and struggle and difficulty in our life and we can’t figure out why we would ever need to go through this. Why we would ever need to endure such a difficult thing.

It is In that moment that we are to realize Our lack of understanding our lack of wisdom, right? And is that moment where we are to become like the Psalmus described himself in Psalm one 19 and go to the word of God, to seek out the answer, to find out what we’re missing. Because our lack of understanding brings forward. Our need for growth.

James says, when you endure these trials, you need to understand their value. You need to understand what they can do for you. But the only way you can gain that understanding Is to get wisdom from God turned to Jay. Second, Timothy, sorry. Second Timothy chapter three, verse 12. As Paul writes to this young preacher instead, Megan,

Timothy chapter three. And in verse 12, he writes to him and encourages him by saying this. He says, yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ. Jesus will suffer persecution. If you skip back to verse 10, he says, but you have carefully followed my Doctrine. Manner of life, Purpose, faith, long suffering, love perseverance,

persecutions afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch at<inaudible> what persecutions I endured and out of them, all The Lord delivered me. He said, Timothy, you’ve been with me. You’ve watched me. You Ben, a careful observer of everything I’ve gone through. And now you need to know to expect it in your life. Yes, You need to know that all who desire to live godly in Christ,

Jesus will in Dewar persecution. He says, buddy evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of knowing from whom you have learned them as he presents Timothy, with this reality of persecution, this reality of adversity, this reality of struggle. He presents to him the reminder of the source of College.

He says, you go back to the things you’ve learned. You go Back to the things you’ve been taught. You go back to what you have been told because in it, you will find the underst Meaning you need to endure. But then James also identifies a fourth thing. As he says that we are to count it all joy. He also says that we are to let it work.

He also shows that we are to get understanding. He fourthly shows that we To pray in faith. Now, in this context, he specifically stating this in view of the wisdom he says we were to ask for from God. So let’s go back to verse five. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach.

And it will be given to him, but let him ask in faith with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed By the wind for let, Not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man unstable in all his, His ways. James identifies the necessity of prayer in faith.

As this individual, as he describes, it goes through adversity. As he seeks for understanding, as he seeks for wisdom to endure that adversity, he needs to ask from the Lord, but in everything that he asks for from the Lord, he needs to pray. He needs to Ask in confidence in faith, In assurance that God is able to do the thing that he asked and Hebrews chapter five,

we see Christ again, as an example of this, as we returned back to Hebrews chapter five, we read verses eight and nine previously, but I want to go back to verse seven. In verse seven, we read who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with the HemOnc cries and tears to him, God,

the father who was able to save him from death And Was heard because of his godly fear. No, this is what we read concerning Christ. In this passage, we read that in the midst of this adversity that he was facing in the midst of the necessity of going to the cross in the midst of knowing that this was necessary to fulfill all righteousness,

to fulfill what Moses had written and what the prophets had written and what the Psalm was had written to bring forth salvation. Yet he still desired to have that cup pass from him. And so he prayed and asked that God do that very thing. But notice this statement about God who was a bull, you might say, well, wait, No, no,

that’s not that can’t possibly be true. God could not have chosen To not have Jesus die. Oh yes. He could have, If Jesus Christ prayed three times for an hour, each time let this cup pass from me. He prayed it because it was possible, But the possibility required something else you see, because if it was possible that it happened,

the result would have been that we would not be saved. Oh, what was possible? And God could have done it. And Jesus knew he could have. But the difference is Jesus prayed in faith knowing God was able, but also knowing God and his will, would ultimately be what would happen. And so he prayed not my will, but yours be done in Daniel chapter three,

Hannah and I as Ryan, Michelle stand before Nebuchadnezzar and they are confronted with a choice either you will down when the music plays and you will worship this image that I have created, or you will be Passed into this fiery furnace that I have set up And Daniel or sorry, Hannah and I, as Ryan Michelle in the book of Daniel will reply to Navigant answer that their God was able to save Them.

But they point out, even if he doesn’t, you see, they have this assurance of their God, that their God is more than capable. They’re God good deliver them from this fiery furnace. And he would, but they had no guarantee that he would, they knew he was capable of doing it. They had hopes and plans that he would certainly do it,

But they knew all of them, Ultimately that no matter what, whether God did it or not, they would not bow down to Napa cancer’s image. You see, they had confidence. They had confidence that God was able and that God’s will, would be done the same way. Jesus did turn over to Hebrews chapter four in Hebrews chapter four, after speaking concerning Christ,

as our high priest, the Hebrew writer says, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of, I need in the midst of adversity, we are told to pray. And we are told to pray, not with doubting, not with a lack of faith, but with confidence that God can do what we ask turn over to Hebrews chapter 10,

Hebrews chapter 10 beginning in verse 21. We read this and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near draw near to what near to God, Let us draw near to God with a true heart in full Assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. The Hebrew writer says Your salvation in this new and living leg created by God in this salvation that he offers you through Christ.

You have confidence to come near to him and You can hold fast without wavering to that hope and that salvation until the end, but then consider number five. He says, remember your reward. Now we need to skip to the end of the book of James to get this over in James chapter five beginning in verse nine, we read do not grumble again,

or sorry against one another brethren lest you Be condemned. Behold, judge is standing at the door. My brethren take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example, and notice and example of suffering and patience. Well, what’s he talking about in James chapter one, suffering and patience, adversity trials, and enduring them. He says,

take the profits. As an example, who spoke in the name of the Lord and suffered as an example for you in what they did. He said, indeed, we count them. Blessed who endure? You have heard of the perseverance of job and have seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. As James writes to these brethren and he presents to them having gone through all of the practical things that he’s instructed them about concerning in this book,

he points them back to the prophets and says, now you look, you look at those profits and you look at how we view them and those who in Those hard times, and what did they do? They looked for the reward. They looked for what came After the adversity and after Their endurance turned back to Hebrews chapter 12. And again, we see Christ.

And yet We see the example of Christ as exemplified for us in our instruction. Go back to verse one. He says, therefore, we also see he’s writing to these Christians. He says, here’s your, here’s what you are to do. Here’s what you’re to learn from these people in Hebrews 11. This is what you’re to do. Hebrews chapter 12,

verse one. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great, a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin, which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance. The race that is set before us. How, how do we lay aside the things that are wrong? How do we set aside the things that are slowing us down?

How do we do this? Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. He says, you run the race. You lay aside the way you set aside the sin, because you’re looking To the roll ward.

Remember in the midst of adversity, the reward set before you, but then six Lee. And finally, we need to remember others in their adversity. See, because as we go through life, as we grow, as we allow adversity to produce perfection in us, we need to remember that we are not the only ones who ever go through adversity. So often we will be so focused on enduring adversity,

our struggles, all our, our difficulties that we’ll miss someone else who’s going through there Own adversity. And So James tells these brethren beginning in James chapter five, and in verse 13, to remember The others who Are going through adversity, he says, verse 13 is any among you suffering. Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing. Psalms is anyone among you?

Sick. Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him. Anointing him with oil in the S in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another. Pray for one another,

that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three and a half or three years in six months. And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth produced its fruit brethren.

If any, among you wanders from the truth. And someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins all throughout this passage. As he encourages those who are sick, those who are struggling, those who are sending those who are in the midst of difficulty,

the encourages them to do these things. There’s a focus on what Christians can Do for Christians. Peter Brings forward to this idea as well. In second, Peter chapter three, I’m sorry. First Peter chapter four, first Peter chapter four, Peter, Or as he is writing to these Christians says beginning in verse 12, beloved, do not think it’s strange concerning the fiery trial,

which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice, to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad With exceeding joy. He says, as you look at what’s happening, as you look at what you’re going to go through, you don’t seem no don’t allow it to make you think this is strange that this is an anomaly,

that this is only happening to you. But instead understand that Christ went through this before you, and that you can endure it with Joy. We need to remember those Who are going through adversity, Hebrews chapter 13, Hebrews Chapter 13, once again, this time. And in verse three, He says, remember, remember the prisoners as if change With what’s he talking about,

He’s talking about Christians, who for the cause of Christ have been faithful to God. And as a result have been imprisoned. Those who are suffering in a real way. And he tells these brethren who were free, who were walking around, who were struggling with their own little struggles, but who had not suffered until the point of blood. He says,

you remember Those who Are in chains and you don’t remember them as if they’re some strange thing of far off. You remember them as if you were chained right next to them in saying this, he exemplifies for us that in the midst of someone else’s adversity, we are to put ourself in their position and say, if it was Me, what would I want them to do for me?

He says, Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, those who are mistreated since you yourselves are in the body. Also, why are we to do this? Because we are Brethren and Hebrews Chapter 10 beginning in verse 24. Again, the Hebrew writer reminds us of how we are to act towards our brother. And he says, let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

not forsaking. The assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of somebody exhorting one another and so much. The more as you see the day approaching, he says, you look at one another, you consider one another. You pay attention To the needs of the Each other. But then one more time over in Romans chapter 12, Romans chapter 12, as Paul writes to the church at Rome,

he says this in verse 15, he says rejoice With those who do rejoice and weep with those who weep in the midst of adversity, we need to remember others who are going through their own adversity as you and I look at our lives. As we live our lives as Christians, we can be assured of one thing. Paul identifies it, that as Those who live godly in Christ Jesus,

we will Have adversity. And yet it’s how we go through it. That is important. And It’s what we allow it to do to Us. That helps us to become what God would have us to be. If you’re outside the body of Christ this morning, you’re outside of the place of redemption and hope. You’re outside of the church that Christ died for.

He died for the church that you might have salvation in his body. You enter into his body by hearing the word of God and believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God. By repenting of your sins, confessing the name of Christ and being immersed in water for the remission of your sins. But if you’re a Christian and you’re going through adversity, here’s one thing you need to know.

You don’t have to go through it alone. The church is here for you in your difficulties, in your trials and in your adversities. And one of the things I love about this congregation is no one goes through difficult times by themselves. If anyone else knows they’re going through it, if you have need of help of prayers for the same, or from the SANEs or of repentance,

why not come now as we stand and as we sing, Are you fully trusting in his grace this hour? Are you a wash? And the blood of the lamb? Are you in, in the so cleansing, but<inaudible> are your garments bond lists? Are they ass? No. Are you all washed and blah, blah. Lay a side. The garments that are stained with sand<inaudible> are you fountain flowing for the us clean?

Oh, be washed in the blood of the lamb.<inaudible> and so<inaudible> are your garments spotless? Are they wide ass? No. Are you a washed and blah, thank you, Aaron. For that great lesson closing song this morning is going to be number 711. We’ll sing the first verse only number 711, and then we’ll have our closing. Prayer will speak the Tyler that binds.

Let us bless be<inaudible> John, the family. Hello shit.<inaudible> that? God, our father in heaven, we come to you at this time, thanking you for the opportunity to this morning, to assemble here in this house of worship and sing songs, appraised your great name and study a portion of your word. God, we know there are many amongst us that are struggling with various things,

health reasons, especially. And we ask if it’d be your will, that you help them recover to a measure health that they so desire. And we ask also that you wrap your loving arms around them. And those that have lost loved ones in the recent past, you wrap your comforting, loving arms around them and provide comfort to them that only you can.

And God we know that each and every one of us as we go about our daily lives come across struggles and turmoil and various events that we occasionally don’t know how to deal with. And we ask that you help us to remember this lesson, that brother Aaron brought us this morning, and that is to come to you and seek you, seek your wisdom,

your guidance, and pray to you. Faithfully that you, as we do know, will help us to resolve our conflicts with those that we encounter out there in the world. And with our struggles asked that we take the wisdom that you provide to us and figure out what it is that you want us to do and go on with our lives, serving you here on earth.

We know that there are times that we fall short of your glory. And when we come to you asking for forgiveness of sins, we ask that you please forgive us to them. And as we prepare to depart here this morning, we ask that you guys garden direct each and every one of us and safeguard us until we return at the next appointed time.

We pray this through your son, Jesus name. Amen.