By Faith: The Bread That Holds It Together First B Jackson 2019-12-01 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- Right? That's good. That's good. Yep Amen. Good morning, everybody. How are you? Good. Is everybody alright? Let's sing a man from the vestibule out there. Would you stand up and we will sing, go tell it on the mountain and this is quite literal around here. Go tell it on the mount. Tell it in the valley. Tell it all over the place but tell it on the mountains what we're going to sing. Hymn number two fifty eight if you want to part. Go tell it on the mountain Amen. Here we are. It's December 1. Whoo. Red sweater. It's Christmas. It's coming. It's barreling down the tracks. It's on top of us already. How about joy to the world? Hymn number two seventy. Okay, I thought another verse was coming up there. Y'all can have a seat. I've got a few announcements this morning. We'll see what comes up. We are having Awana tomorrow night and we are having Monday nights at First B tomorrow night. Monday nights at first B. Potatoes in a pot. There there it is. We're having something tomorrow night. Meal music and a message every Monday night starting at about six. Soft start. Jackson Hole Men's Alliance is gathering here. I think they're going to meet in the fellowship hall Wednesday mornings at 6AM studying Ephesians together which is good. I've got a time coming up where I'm supposed to talk about Ephesians five for that group coming up soon. Habitat for Humanities build day. First bees build day for Habitat for Humanities coming up next Saturday. So before we meet again next Sunday, there will be a build day from 08:45 to 04:30 at The Grove. Y'all know where that is? On Snow King Avenue between here and Budge is The Grove. Last thing you can to on the right there, and we will be gathering first B bill day is December 7 next Saturday, 08:45 to 04:30. They have told me that there will be inside work, inside work. It's not all outside work. So, come on and join and you can sign up through our website so they just know how many people to anticipate coming. That's always helpful. There is a big tree out in the foyer and it has little tags hanging on it. Our angel tree has started up this Sunday. It's the first Sunday you can grab those and I see a few tags hanging out there and as you if you know of families that are in need, would you have talked to my wife, Tanya, about it? She's the one, she and Pascal usually are the ones who handle writing up the tags and helping to figure out how to make that happen. So, if you know of a needy family that you want to get on the list, let us know. We'll we'll get them on the list but also if you want to grab a tag on your way out today and pick up a gift for a needy family, that's the whole idea. Welcoming announcements. Oh, okay. That was something else. We are welcoming right now. I'm glad that you're here. I forget that. Sometimes, I am always glad that you're here but if there's anything else that should be in the bulletin, is there something I've forgotten, Blake? Think of anything? Nope? Alright. So, would y'all stand up and greet one another and we'll bring you back together with a song. God with us, Emmanuel. Emmanuel means God with us but I I love this. God with us revealed in us. That's a that's an amazing thing to participate in the divine nature. Wow. Revealed in us. These songs will get you if you pay attention to em. Really? Alright, here we go. What's next? We're worthy. You are worthy. This is it. Oh, we're going to do advent. I knew there was something else during the announcements. So, y'all can have a seat and I'm going to invite Anne Haydock and Kippur forward. You have your Today is the first Sunday in Advent. We light the first candle, the candle of hope. We have hope because of the faithful promises of God. He sent his son, and we received our savior, a savior born to redeem the world from sin and death. Romans fifteen thirteen says, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you. Thank you, Jane. Amen. First Sunday in Advent. It's pretty awesome. Now, would you stand again and we're going to sing worthy, you are worthy. This is a Christmas version of this. King of kings and lord of lords, we worship you. Wait a second. We just practiced it. I had a I used to have a boss that said, practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. He said, if you practice it, you're to do it just like you practice it, alright? King of kings lord of lords I worship you holy you are holy lords I worship you Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I'll invite the frontline team to come forward and would y'all pray with me? God, we thank you for the opportunity to gather in your name this morning, lord. We're thankful for the the beautiful example that we've had all week. This week of Thanksgiving that we've been really paying attention to that which we're thankful for lord and then, waking up in the mornings and seeing that freshly fallen coat of white snow. I think of the though your sins be scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Thank you for the opportunity to trust and believe, to place our faith. I know God that faith is a gift that comes from you and only you can increase it but we pray that you would increase our faith that that's what you do, that we would have more faith to place in you, that we would have more faith to act out of. Lord, would you accept these gifts given this morning, lord, that are put in these plates by faith. Would you accept from your obedient servants the glory that you deserve, the work, you are worthy. Lord, we just sang about it. You are worthy. Lord, we want for those who do not know who you are right now to come to see your goodness, your greatness, your glory, your worthiness, and to along with us sing. We pray that what we do out of faith, lord, would be for their good in the future. Would you do your will and your way amongst us in such a way that others come to know you. We want for you to receive the glory that you deserve. It's for our good and your glory. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. So during the first service, Steve Landis got up and did an announcement, in between, and he called it the State of the Union. He's moderator of the church right now, and I had called attention because I looked through the looked through this and he called attention to the booklet and he said my four pages of scripture I'm going to cover today but there's also on the backside of that is a letter from the elders and from moderator particularly that he asked me to mention. I didn't write the letter. Didn't know about the letter but he wanted to get that in your hand. So, if you didn't get a bulletin this morning, you can grab one on your way out or let us know and we'll get you one but there's a letter at the end. Florian. You wanna say something. You know my accent. Sometimes it's I can sing, but it's hard to stay here and speak in English. Mister Landis was here for service, and he said something beautiful that it's a privilege for me to say a few words. During this time of the the year, we'd love to, give a love offering to our pastors. So if you have that in your heart, in your mind, please do that. I get the privilege to to be close to them, and I think we have the most awesome pastors in this local church right here. Yes. Thank you. Very sweet. We love you. This is outside the the announcements. We love you and we are privileged to have you and pastor Carl Right. In this church. Amen. Praise God. Thank you, Florine. I appreciate it. And Florine is one of our elders too. If y'all didn't know that, he is one of the he's on the elder board and we love having a little international flare in there. Last week, if you're here last week, we had a very very full meal and I'm not talking about Thanksgiving. I I I had a very very full meal Thursday and but last Sunday, we had a very full meal. I attempted to cover all of the book of Hebrews so far, so 10 full chapters of Hebrews in one sermon, and I gave it out that way. 10 chapters of Hebrews in one setting is a is a lot to take in, but it was just a review, a refresher. It's pretty fast to get through it. This week, well, last week, we ended with this. These are the last few verses. So, 36 through 39 say this, for you have need of endurance and the sermon proved that last week. So, you have need of endurance. That's the point of Hebrews in a lot of ways is it's not easy. Life is not easy and you have need of endurance. So, that when you've done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. So, the promise of God is out there. Jesus is better than those old testament promises. Jesus is better than angels and Torah. Jesus is better than the old covenant sacrifices. Jesus is better than Moses and the promised land, all of that. The promised land was land. There is a rest beyond this and we're looking forward to that rest. You have need of endurance so that when you've done the will of God here on earth, you may receive what was promised for yet in a little while, you can see the change in font signifies that there's an Old Testament quotation right here. It says common for the author of Hebrews. For yet in a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay but my righteous one shall live by faith. That's a quote from Habakkuk. We see it two other times in the New Testament and it's an underlying theme of the whole New Testament. The righteous shall live by faith. Writer goes on and says, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him and then the closing birth of the tenth chapter Hebrews is this, but we, folks, this is a letter written to Christian. Believers who had come out of first century Judaism and found Christ to be the way and had committed their way to him but because of persecution, they were being drawn back into or tempted to go back into that which they knew in the old covenant system. We might be tempted to go back into whatever ditch we were in. A legalistic pride or a licentious chasing after the things of the world. Writer of Hebrews says this, we though, fellow believers, we are not of those who shrink back to destruction but we are of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul and the word faith right there is the jumping off point for the whole of chapter 11. Chapter 11 is all going to be about faith. When I was a little kid, I remember my second or third grade Sunday school teacher. Her name was Zany Bennett. Zany Bennett and Zany Bennett said, what's your favorite Bible verse? Write it down and I thought, are some of them better than other ones? I remember thinking that and she said, well, some people it's John three sixteen, you know? Oh, that's a good one. Yeah, I remember that one. I could write that down. She goes, for some people, it's all of Hebrews 11 and I thought, boy, I have to look that up. I don't remember that one right now but Hebrews 11 is the heroes of the faith or the hall of faith. Actually, I'd say heroes and heroines of the faith. There are several ladies in the list. So, but when it hits faith in the tenth chapter, this is the jumping off point, the break in between chapters, Hebrews 11 is going to be about faith. The Habakkuk quote is important. Habakkuk was prophesying and says, for the vision is yet for the appointed time. It hasn't changed. What's coming is gonna come. The vision is yet for the appointed time. It hastens toward the goal. We're closer today than we were yesterday. It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail though it tarries, wait for it. For it will certainly come and it will not delay. When Jesus gets here, he'll be right on time. Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him but the righteous will live by his faith. That's the quote from Habakkuk. Picked up in Hebrews ten thirty six through 38 Hebrews 11 again is a very full meal. It's 40 straight verses. I'd love to preach it all at once but y'all don't want to be here till 02:00 this afternoon and neither do I. So let's approach it like a sandwich today, okay? You start a sandwich with what? Two pieces of bread. We're gonna just look at the bread today. Okay, this is on the front side and the back side of this passage. This is what holds it all together and both of these are by faith. One and two, thirty nine and forty are the first two and the last two verses of this and what holds us together, it is by faith that we are unified and I can say whenever we come to a time of communion, I always say what unifies us is the blood of Christ. That you it has to be taken with absolute humility because we do not deserve a part in God's kingdom but he has made a gracious provision and if we accept that, I don't care what your denominational flavor is. You have to come to Jesus on your own on your hill humility. You can't do it on your own. You have to come in humility and accept a free gift that's being offered. It's by faith that we're united across denominations but also across time and that's what the focus is today. We are united by faith with all believers of all times. So Hebrews eleven one starts off this way. Now faith and then it gives a definite definition. Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen and last week, I said, not yet seen because in the Bible, hope is always an absolute certainty that has not yet come to pass. So, faith is the assurance or evidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. I'm going to go into this further next week. There are about four different ways you can understand faith as the assurance or evidence or the guarantee, warranty of what is going to come but it's not yet here. The conviction of things not seen for by it, by what? By faith, the men of old gained approval and men of old right there, the word is presbuteroi. Presbuteroi means the ancients or the elders, the older ones. It's masculine in this case but that can stand for both masculine and feminine. So, for by faith, the people of old gained approval. I'm going to hit all these. They're they're in yellow because we haven't covered them yet. I'm going to hit all of these but I want you to I'm highlighted them myself and I want you to look at how often this chapter that's the heroes in the hall of faith says faith by faith, by faith, by faith, through faith, without faith. Just listen to this. Imma read it and try not to preach it, okay? I'm preaching one and two and thirty nine and forty. I'm just stating this. So, by faith, we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God. Amen. John one one. The word was with God. The word was God. There was not. Anything that was made that was not made through him. By faith, we understand that the world were prepared by the word of God so that what is seen right now was not made out of things which are visible. God is the only one who creates ex Nihelo out of nothing. We take things and put em together and build stuff but he just made it outright. By faith, we understand that the world's prepared by the word of God so that what is seen is not made out of things which are visible by faith, able. That's going way back, right? That's the second generation of people. This is a long ways back. By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain. Through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous. God testifying about his gifts and through faith, though he's dead, he still speaks. So, it's by faith, by faith, through faith, by faith, Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death and he was not found because God took him up for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up, he was pleasing to God. Oh, wouldn't that be great to be pleasing to God? And that was Enoch's testimony by faith, by faith, through faith, by faith, and without faith, it's impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that he is. Belief and faith are closely linked. They're not the same thing. I'll hit it next week. They're close, real close. Believe. The for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek after him. By faith, no being warned by God about things not yet seen in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household by which he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith by faith by faith by faith. So, so far, the people who have done what they've done have done it how? By faith. It's going to be that way all throughout this whole list and it's a long list. By faith, Abraham, when he was called, we've talked a lot about Abraham in this book already. By faith, Abraham, when he was called, he obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance and he went out not knowing where he's going. As a matter of fact, when the word of the Lord came to Abraham, he said, leave the land that you know and go to a place that I will show you and it said that he did and he did so by faith. There was a deep conviction about what God had said and he trusted it and he acted on it. He went out not knowing where he was going. By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise. As in a foreign land dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, his son and grandson, fellow heirs of the same promise for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God by faith. Even Sarah, oh, this is the first lady we see in our list but she's in the list and if I ask you right now, what did Sarah do? What did Sarah do? If if it gave you one verb for what Sarah did, most people would say she laughed. That's in Genesis 18. Look back to Genesis 17 and see what Abraham did when God promised him. What did he do? He doubled over in laughter. We don't remember it about Abraham but we do remember it about Sarah. She's in the list, okay? She's righteous. It'll come up again next week. By faith, even Sarah herself received ability to conceive even beyond the proper time of life since she considered him faithful who had promised. That's the testimony of Sarah right there. She considered him who is faithful, who had promised. She considered God as faithful and I want to mention this too. Faith subjectively is our faith that we place in whatever. But the word for faith, pistas, is subjectively faith that can be placed in something but it's also objectively the faithfulness of God. God is absolutely faithful. Same yesterday, today, and forever. He will be and if we place the faith that we have in his faithfulness, then we have landed on the right thing. Now, it's unusual to us. This is a New Testament chapter and it keeps saying by faith, by faith, by faith, by faith but it does not say Messiah and it does not say Christ but one time in this whole chapter. That seems sort of unusual but if we look back on the death of Christ as what makes salvation possible for us, they had to look forward to the provision that God would make. They had to. So, they were doing that with less of a picture than we now have. They had the old the word of the Lord but they didn't have the new testimony, the New Testament. By faith, even Sarah herself received ability to conceive even beyond the proper time of life since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore, there was born even of one man and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore and if indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. Okay, consider this for a moment. It'll come up again next week too. When Abraham was told, leave the land you know and go to a place that I'll show you and things get difficult along the way. Could he have turned around and gone back? He could have. It says that he could. Indeed, if they have been thinking about that country from which they went out, well, my dad lived here and my uncle lived there, and I could go back to that place. There was opportunity to do that, but he didn't. He persevered and he endured, but as it is, they desired a better country. It was that which was promised of God. That is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared a city for them by faith, Abraham again. When he was tested, offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son. It was he to whom it was said and Isaac, your descendant shall be called. He knew the promise of God. Leave the land that you know and go to a place I'll show you and I will make of you many nations. It's Isaac is going to be it. The child of promise, right? In Isaac, your descendant shall be but now he's being asked to sacrifice him and it says in verse 19, he considered that God's able to raise people up even from the dead from which he also received him back as a type. He was ready to sacrifice him and then was stopped and received him back as a type. It points toward Christ, the ultimate only begotten son that would be sacrificed. Actually, on that same mountain. I did not know that till we went to Israel. That was the place, Mount Moriah. It's right there, Jerusalem. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau. Even regarding things to come and by faith, Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff, and by faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the Exodus of the sons of Israel. Remember, this is, they were in captivity in Egypt, right? By faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus, the sons of Israel and gave orders concerning his bones and by faith, Moses, when he was born, he was hidden for three months by his parents. Because they saw he was a beautiful child and they were not afraid of the king's edict. They acted out of faith and went against what the law said. By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Would it have been easier in a temporal setting? Would it have been easier to be son of Pharaoh's daughter or to be the leader of a slave band? By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God rather than to enjoy the past and pleasures of sin, considering the reproach and this is where it mentions Christ, the anointed one. Considering the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for he was looking forward to that reward but what he was experiencing was not easy and not happy times but it was done in faith. By faith, he left Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king for he endured and this is the point. He's making or the writer of Hebrews is making a call for the endurance in the way, in the way, the truth, the life. Continue in Jesus and persevere with this because going back to that shadow and that copy is wrong. You're not of those who shrink back to destruction but you're those who persevere and endure to the preservation of your soul. When he left Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king for he endured as seeing him who is unseen by faith. He kept the Passover. This was what God said and by faith, he did it and he instructed others to do it and what happened? By faith, he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. If the people acted out of faith, their firstborn was not harmed. By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. Same conditions were available but the Egyptians, were they doing it by faith? No. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days and that was a very strange battle plan indeed but it was done by faith. And the walls fell. By faith, Rahab, the harlot, the word actually can mean innkeeper too but most of us think of it as harlot. By faith, Rahab, the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient after she had welcomed the spies in peace. Now, Rahab was a woman and she was a Gentile. She was not Hebrew Israelite. I love this list. It shows the heart of God. What more shall I say? For time will fail me. This is very preacherly Time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David, and Samuel, and the prophets who by faith and this key by faith, you can hook it up to every verb in here. By faith, they conquered kingdoms and by faith, they performed acts of righteousness and by faith, they obtained promises. Some promises. By faith, shut the mouths of lions by faith, quenched the power of fire. By faith, escaped the edge of the sword by faith. From weakness were made strong. By faith, they became mighty in war. By faith, they were putting foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection and others were tortured. So, we saw a lot of long list of good things and then, now, we're starting to see that in their faith, they still were tortured and not accepting their release. They had the opportunity to renounce their faith and renounce their God and they would not have been harmed but they were not accepting their release so that they might obtain a better resurrection. They stuck with it and endured death. Others experienced mockings and scourgings for their faith. Yes, also chains and imprisonment and they were stoned for their faith. They were sawn in two for their faith. They were tempted even in the midst of having a strong faith. They were put to death with the sword. They went about in sheep skins and goat skins being destitute, afflicted, ill treated, and then this is the closing part that I'm going to come back to in just a minute. The sandwich here, the bread. It really is our bread and butter that it's gotta be by faith. It's gotta be by faith. All of these, that's a long list and it's a a varied list. They're not all the same. They're not all asked to do the same thing. They don't all have the same outcomes but they all do it through faith. All of these having gained approval through their faith. That's by the grace of God. By the grace of God but it's got to be accessed through the faith that God has given. You can place it in him and his goodness. All of these having gained approval through their faith. They did not receive what was promised. Does that sound like the record just stopped right there? What? They did not receive on this side. They did not receive what was promised. Moses got right up to the edge of the promised land and wasn't even allowed to go into the temporal promised land but he was listed as righteous and he's listed as having acted out of faith and when we get to the last verse down here, we see that they did not receive what was promised because God had provided something better for us so that apart from us, they would not be made perfect but with us, they will. Does that make sense? When the fullness of the Gentiles have come in and when all of the tribes and tongues and nations are represented around the throne, we will together unify. We will glorify God. So, I want to mention a couple of other offshoots here because we're in church and I think that we have our own list of sins and we think, well, I don't do any of those things. So, everything else is good. I'm golden. Romans 14 is a great, great, great reference for living the Christian life and being able to get along unified as believers. It's saying on the disputable matters, in that case, it was whether somebody eats vegetables or doesn't or eats meat and whether people have one, I'd say political persuasion or another in our day. That's the biggest divide that I see around me all the time. It's talking about how you live together in unity and so for the disputable matters, the faith which you have, you have it as your own conviction before God and you be thoroughly convinced about it in your own mind. But I will say this, you worry about yourself. If you try to change everybody into being just like you, you're going to fight and fight and fight and fight and that does not show. The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Before the end, we'll get to what demonstrates the righteousness of God. The faith which you have have is your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself and what he approves but he who doubts is condemned if he eats because his eating is not from faith and whatever is not from faith is sin. Dwell on that church folk. I am a church folk, right? I'm the pastor of the First Baptist Church. Whatever is not done out of faith is sin. James seconds that emotion. Come now you who say today or tomorrow, go to such and such a city. We'll spend a year there and we'll engage in business and we'll make a profit. Yet, you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You're just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, what you ought to say is this, if the Lord wills. Now, what is that? If the Lord wills, that's a conviction that God knows what he's doing. If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that. For it's by grace that we're saved through faith and that's a gift from God. It's not of ourselves so that no one should boast. We're his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works that he's prepared in advance. If the Lord wills, he will communicate that to me. But I need to be yielded to him in order to receive that communication. Actually, I have I looked up, didn't use this in the first service. This is the definition of faith. Now, Hebrews defines it. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, The confidence of things not yet seen but listen to this, faith, pistis, is always a gift from God. This is from Thayer's lexicon. Faith is always a gift from God and never something that can be produced by people. In short, pistas, faith. For the believer is God's divine persuasion. So, when Abraham received the word from the Lord and it was, leave the place you know and go to a place I'll show you or Noah received word from lord and is build a boat though it's never rained. God's divine persuasion and therefore, it is distinct from human belief or just confidence. It does involve it but the Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believers so that they can know what it is that he prefers. The persuasion of his will. I'll I'll mention it again next week but I wanted to hit that. So, if you say, if the Lord wills, God, I long to do your will. Show me your way today, lord and I walk in it. If you start your morning like that, show me your way, lord and I will walk in it and then in the evening, you look back over your day and you say, thank you for this divine appointment and thank you for that. Way, lord, that I could show your love. Thank you for this and I think I missed it here. Would you forgive me for that? Lord, I long to do your will and thank you lord for involving me in this process. I love you. That's a great way to live. If the Lord wills, then we will live and we'll do this or that as he wills but as it is, you boast in your arrogance and all such boasting is evil. Therefore, to the one who knows to do the right thing and does it not, to him, it's sin. That gets everybody. That gets every single one of us and we have to come in absolute humility humility before God to say, we do not know the right way but if you will show us your way, we'll walk in it. Hebrews 11, this is the this is the actual sermon. What holds us together? We're united. We're unified with all believers of all times. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen for by it, that is by faith, the ancients gained approval and then it gives us lift and it does not divorce New Testament Christianity from Old Testament belief. It is about faith in God and acting out of your faith in God. The ancients gained approval by the exercise of their faith in God's faithfulness. Then, all of this, all of those slides are the people doing the things by faith and receiving different reward or punishment for their faith and then comes to and all of these and all of these different circumstances and people that we're going to examine next week. They had gained faith or they gained approval through their faith. So, faith again is that outer slice of bread. They didn't receive what was promised and that's hard. That's hard for us because we look at it but like I said, New Testament Christianity is not divorced from its roots in faith in the Old Testament. New Testament Christianity is the content continuity of what God had promised and he had shown and he kept on showing up to the point where Christ in the fullness of time was born of a virgin. And in the fullness of time when the fullness of the Gentiles have come in, Christ will return. Though it tarries, wait for it, for it is coming. All of these having gained approval to their faith did not receive what was promised because is it going to give me an answer? Because why? Tell me why. Because God had provided something better. That's the answer. Okay. What does that look like For us, This is a difficult concept. We get to be here. We get to live this Christian life. I think some of us have the attitude that we've just gotta survive through it. We get to be involved in what God is doing and we get to be involved in the same family that Moses was a part of. For the same reason by our faith because God had provided something better for us. So, the fact that God has tarried this long. The world will use this against you and go, oh yeah. You believe that he's coming back. Yeah, you can't do anything wrong because Jesus might come back and they poked fun at it. Going, it's been two thousand years. When's he coming? You know, and they mocked that. But the fact that God has tarried is actually good for us because we get to be involved in it. We get to be involved in it at all. We have a life that can be surrendered and then eternal. It's good for us. So that apart from us, they would not be made perfect. Now, with us in the fullness of time, with us, we are one family of God from all of those believers, those righteous ones who put their faith in God. We have to look back to the cross of Christ and they had to look forward to it. They didn't know what they were looking for. They just knew that God would provide. It's like Abraham going up that hill with Isaac. He didn't know. They had wood but they didn't have an offering. Isaac's carrying the wood doesn't know what it is and Abraham's just going forward in faith. Apart from us, they would not be made perfect but they will with us. Actually, the next verse in chapter 12 says, since we're surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, these are a part of our family. Since we're surrounded, let us throw off the sin that so easily ensnares us and run with endurance, the race that set before us. It's a call to endurance. So, it's good for us and it's good for them. I don't know why I put that picture in there. This one was eat more sandwiches. By faith, we're united with all believers of all times. This always reminds me that I cannot be proud because I didn't do anything to deserve this. Christ made the sacrifice and he made the sacrifice for me a sinner and so I stand on level ground at the foot of the cross with every other sinner ever who's bowed the knee there. The scripture says, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. Love the song that says, but the greatest pleasure remains for those who gladly choose him now. By faith for united with all believers of all time. And this is where I wanted to get to. The gospel is the dividing point. It will either be that God forgives your sins mercifully based on what Jesus has done or you are justly condemned for your sins. That's the only two options and everybody in this room will either be mercifully forgiven or justly condemned. That's the way it is. The gospel says that though your condemnation would be just, God has made an offer in Jesus Christ and if you accept that, place the measure of faith that you have been given in Christ. You will be set free from the penalty of your sin. Jesus has accepted that on the cross for you. That's the gospel. For I'm not ashamed of that gospel. It's simple. I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the very power of God for salvation. Everyone who believes and this chronologically, especially in Hebrews, this is from Romans but to the Jew first and also for the Greek. The person who wrote Hebrews was a Greek speaking Jew. I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it's the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek for in it. It is the gospel for in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. You can be opposed to whatever ideology you want to. But your anger at the other side will not produce the righteousness of God and you have to realize when you come to this table, there will be people who think different than you. Do it right here with you. Accept in Christ humbly because that's the only way to do it. For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed and how is it revealed? From faith to faith? Our bread and butter, from faith to faith. Whatever is not done in faith is sin. As it is written, the righteous man shall live by his faith. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith but the righteous shall live by faith. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. If you walk out your actions coincide with your faith. You walk out your faith in the way you live your life. That will reveal to a dying world the righteousness of God. And the righteous one will live it out by faith. The power of God unto salvation for all who believe in that is what I want to land on and go to this table right here. Could I get the frontline team to come forward? And we're going go straight into a time of communion. Judy, you're to play something pretty? I actually, I'm going to sing, aren't I? You asked me to sing. So, there's room at the cross. I'm going to sing there's room at the cross for you. This is an absolutely open table. So, if you're of a different denominational affiliation, you're not Baptist, you're not first Baptist, you're not whatever Baptist. If you believe in Jesus, please partake, okay? It's an open table but I will say this, if you're not a believer in Jesus and have not placed your faith in him, don't do this. There's a strong, strong warning in there because that would be taking the blood of Christ unworthily. So, God, would you help us to understand what it is that you would have us do when we wake up in the morning and ask, lord, we long to do your will. Would you show us your way? You say that you will. Would you show us in a way that we can understand? Say that you speak in a still, small voice, your Holy Spirit whispering, lord. May we hear it with clarity and then may we act on it by the power of your spirit. Following after our perfect example, Christ, completely submitted to the spirit, walked it out, tempted in every way just as we're tempted yet without sin. Lord, may we follow after him. As we come to this time of communion right now where we commune around this table with you, it's it's your supper, the Lord's supper. Lord, we take this in remembering your perfect life that was so well lived in the body. You know what it's like to be in the flesh with us. God, would you help us as we walk it out here, walk out the faith that we have in you. I pray that you'd bless this as we distribute this little cracker, a representative of the body of Christ. Lord, would you bless each one who partakes and if there's someone who less has to let it pass because they just have not thoroughly considered you decisively considered you and come out the other side that you are their answer. God, would you using those of us around who are surrendered to you, would you reach em and draw em into your family so that they may give you the glory you deserve and it will be for their everlasting good. Jesus name, there is room at the cross. The cross upon which Jesus died is a shelter in which we can and its grace so free is sufficient for me and deep is its fountain as wide as the sea bears room at the cross for you bears room at the cross for you for the savior still waits to open the gates and welcome a sinner before it's too late there's room at the cross for you there's room at the cross for you for hand of my savior is strong and the love of my savior is long through sunshine or rain through loss or in gain the blood flows from Calvary to cleanse every stain on the same night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread after supper in the upper room after he done that long discourse about the way things were about to be. He took bread after supper and after he had given thanks, he broke it and he said to his disciples that were there with him and they transmitted it to us. He said, this is my body. Take this need and do it in remembrance of Lord God, each time we do this, I think of your body and how you did walk in the same realm that we walk every day and yet you are without sin. I pray lord that you would give us the direction and the power. You say that you will. You say that you will and we believe it. Lord, would you show us that joy? And doing your will. Also, lord, I pray right now for this cup representative of your blood, the sacrifice that was paid on our behalf for our sins but also for our sanctification. Lord, I think of that when we think of this cup. Would you bless it, lord? For everyone who partakes, I pray that you would remind us of the purity of your blood that though our sins be a scarlet that can be like waking up in Jackson, our sins. Are white as snow, gone, thrown as far as the east is from the West, that you remember them no more. Lord, may we live in that place. Thank you for your blood, freely given in Jesus' I hear the savior say thy strength indeed is small child of weakness watch and pray find in me thine all in all Jesus paid it to him I owe sin had left a crimson stain he watched it white as snow Lord, now indeed I find thy power and thine alone can change the leper's spots and melt the heart of stone. Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He watched it white as snow. Or I'm I'll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary's lamb Jesus paid it all all to him I owe sin had left a crimson stain and white as snow and when before the throne I stand in him complete Jesus died my soul to save my lips shall still repeat Jesus paid it all all to him I owe sin had left a crimson stain washed it white as snow Amen. Just like he had taken the bread, he took the cup after supper and he said to his disciples there with him, he said, this is the new covenant in my blood. Now, all of those guys understood what the old covenant was. They all were looking forward to the new covenant. The writer of Hebrews has been describing the differences between the old and the new and if I had to summarize, I'd say the old covenant was it's all on you. Good luck. The new covenant is by the sacrifice of Jesus's blood. It's all on him. Jesus paid it all. So, he said to his disciples there and they transmitted to us. This is the new covenant in my blood, Jesus said. Take this and drink and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. Amen. Paul says that as often as we do this, we proclaim his death until he comes again and I might add just like Habakkuk and though it tarries, wait for it because that which is coming is going to come and it's not going to be one minute late. We can look forward to that. Would you stand with me? And I think we're going to sing the doxology. How about that? Praise God from whom all blessings flow praise him all creatures here below praise him above you heavenly host praise father son and holy Amen. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God, the salvation for everyone who believes, Jew first and also for the Greek. It's in it that the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith. May God make his face to shine upon you and give you peace so that you can spread that peace to those around you. Amen.