Christ Be All Around Me
First B Jackson
2019-09-08

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Good morning everybody. How are

you? Beautiful morning. What do you say we stand up? We give God praise. I'd love to I'd love to just start by, sharing a verse here from Psalm 33.

It says, let your unfailing love surround us, oh Lord, for our hope is on you. Let's pray on that for a moment, shall we? Lord, we're thankful to be able to gather here together. We're we're grateful that you've given us life and and breath and meaning and purpose, and and we are here to meet with you as you are here to meet with us. And, God, would you would you bless this this time together?

Would you truly fill us with with with love and with grace and with truth? We might pour that out on on one another as well and just enjoy being in your presence. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Alright. Wonderful. So wonderful. A glorious beautiful you are. Beautiful on my love.

Beautiful on my door, beautiful on my soul must see. Powerful, so powerful, and glory fills the Beautiful one night, your door. Beautiful one night, so I'll sing. Sing that again. Beautiful one night, love.

Open my eyes to your wonders anew. You're capturing my heart with this love. There's nothing on earth as is beautiful as you. Let's sing that again. Open my eyes to your wonders and know.

Capturing my heart with this love. There's nothing on earth as is beautiful as you. Beautiful on I love, beautiful on I adore, beautiful on my soul

Few announcements this morning and no clicker, Blake. My fault.

I can talk about that. So tomorrow we're on meal music message part four of a series about the power of words and tomorrow we'll talk about the words that we were meant to speak, specifically words of joyful humor and words of encouragement. And so, know that you're invited to Monday nights, meal music message, 06:00.

Thank you. Cool. Meal music and message tomorrow night. Old bills happened yesterday. Just about everybody was in town, it seemed yesterday, but on the front of your bulletin, you'll see Nick set this up that until the thirteenth, if you wanna give to any charity in town, you can do that through the thirteenth through the Community Foundation at Jackson Hole.

Our benevolence fund is a part of that, but so is Good Samaritan and Turning Point, so that's happening still until the thirteenth. Dan, do you wanna say anything about this? Awana, we have a meeting today. Say that one more time.

In the common grounds room downstairs, new volunteers downstairs between services. And then Iwana kicks off tomorrow night, 05:45 in this room. So if you're coming to Monday night and you wanna bring your kids, you wanna bring your kids and leave them in Iwana, do that or just bring your kids.

Thank you. Appreciate that, Dan. And there's a new group, the Puggles, not to be confused with Muggles. They're Puggles. Alright.

They are a small group in a different sense. These are for little kids. Okay? Puggles are starting up. That's right away.

Yeah. It's on. It's good. It's exciting. Cowboy Church.

I forgot to mention this last week because a slide did not come up on the wall. If there's not a slide, I often forget it. So Cowboy Church is happening next week with a horse whispering demonstration up at the Diamond Cross Ranch. Have you all heard of this before? Have you all ever seen one of these before?

Okay. So Grant Gallagher is going to be doing a horse whispering demonstration at the Diamond Cross. We are planning on I'm planning on going. The way that it was introduced to me by another pastor in town, it's a multi church event, by the way too. There are some cards out on the little demo loon tables out there if you wanna grab one, so you'll remember.

September 15 at 05:00. The way it was introduced to me by this other pastor in town, he said, the birth of my kids, my wedding day, and this thing. I'm not going to say any more about it than that. I don't really know but that's that's pretty pretty high. Coming from a preacher too, that's something.

So, it was pretty good. There'll be a little live music to go along with it, but it's at the Diamond Cross which is in between Moran and Buffalo Valley. Okay? On the main road, Outer Park Road beyond the north entrance to the park. So Cowboy Church, Diamond Cross Ranch next Sunday night at 05:00.

Kenya, this slide came up so I would remember to call my wife. You have a microphone. I do. Tanya is heading to back to Africa, the September 17, and she's gonna tell you a little about what's going on.

Just a little. Okay. So many of y'all know y'all prayed for Carl and Pascal and Ray and I in February, and Jill Ramsour was there the year before that. It's the same place, that is was founded, by God. Thank goodness because it's it's a beautiful foundation what they have built on here with the complete and awesome direction of the Lord.

But, Dave and Kim Hatfield are the the founders. They it is a school called Maisha Mafia in Nakuru, Kenya. It's an it's an incredible experience to go, and we're hoping to build some foundations to where we can open up this to a wider group of people in February, or then possibly we're trying to structure something that could help the kids in between their school terms so that they don't work in the dump all day in the summer. So these things are we're this is what we're praying towards, and a few people are on the list about praying now about February. So as a church, I would love to do that.

But next week, for me, I would love your support, but I would also really appreciate your prayer support. Here are the cards. It's got a ridiculous picture of me that I did not choose. So that doesn't it's okay. So my my Euchem Mafia is a school that is right next to a dump.

It literally backs up to to the biggest dump in two or three counties, I think. And, we experienced that because we're allowed to do home visits when we go there as groups. They do it without Americans too. This is part of their, of their work, but we got to go into the homes and pray with the people and talk to their kids. They were so excited to welcome us into their homes.

It was a beautiful experience. But walking through that the dump, and the the kids, the kids, the goat kids, saw Pascal, and they were like, wow, she's a kid. And she kinda basically herded a bunch of them through the they followed her through the dump for a while there. The experience is nauseating at first in more than one way. And then you realize when you meet the teachers, when you see the school, when you understand the foundations that this is built on, that goes away.

The smell goes away. The horrifying circumstances go away, and God's presence just washes over you in the most amazing way. The the teachers at the school are 100% sold out. As I said, the founders are following the Lord on this. It is an incredible thing to just witness.

This is what you pray for in missions. This is what you pray for. You pray that all of these things will be happening at once and that they seem to be. So if y'all would pray with me for that, that would be great. I I'll have these in the back.

I also have things that Dave sent me about the kiddos and the dump, and you can read it. You can read all about it on their website also, and I would love for you to pray about thinking about going next year.

You. Maisha Mapia means a new beginning, and so from this dump that is right out the back, off the backside of the school, these students and this community are really getting a new beginning.

Okay. So what I'll be doing is teaching in the classrooms and encouraging the teachers and teaching the teachers some new techniques because the kids have to pass these eighth grade exams. The school only goes up to third grade right now and it will increase as the kids get older. So they'll know a lot by the time those eighth grade exams are are there. But the teachers at this point are very geared towards teaching towards exam which is extremely difficult.

But that's what that's what I'll be doing. So teacher encouragement is a big deal. And teaching teaching the teachers new techniques that I bring from here. It's great, and I've gotten that on the advice of all the teachers. Thank you.

Thank you. Alright. Cool. Thank you, Tanya. So be praying September 17 through October 2.

She is gonna be over there. There is a community Bible study that's starting up. It's two options for for time. Wednesday mornings or Thursday evenings. That'll be starting towards the end of this month, September twenty fifth and twenty sixth.

This is the time of year where all these things reboot. Okay. It gets started again. The girls Bible study, eight to 13 years old, 04:00, 04:00 instead of 03:30. On Wednesday afternoons at the whole grocer's community room, Dansy, would you just wave?

Dancing. If you have an eight to 13 year old girl that you'd like to introduce to dancing and introduce to the study, that'd be great. Chosen, holy, and dearly beloved. There's also for junior high and high school girls, there'll be a class that starts it's starting the September 15, which is next week, and it'll be during the peak children's church hour of this. So after we finish with the songs, any gals that wanna go down to that can go, led by Judy Wales.

There's a precept study on Thursday mornings from nine to 11:30. They're starting the second half of acts. Youth group is tonight. It is gonna be on Sunday nights, not on Tuesdays, so from five to seven tonight. Is there a special specific instruction for tonight, Mike?

Mike did youth group last week at Matiosky Park and then was called into the fire. He's a fireman too. So he did youth group and then was called in and got off of work with the fire about 01:30 in the morning. But we're thankful for for him doing that, for the rest of him doing that, and thankful for the rain all day to kinda put that out. Connect hours happen in between services, and if I've forgotten anything else, it's amazing.

There's been there's been a lot, but it's on the paper bulletin as you come in. And if you wanna read more about what's going on or remember the times, that's good. One more announcement. This week, I remember what it was. So we have had a couple of losses of dear ladies from from this church this week.

So Midge and Michelle LaBounta's mother, Laura Simpson, passed last Monday, and so we're gonna do a funeral for her next Saturday at 11AM. If you would like to help out with that, and some of y'all know the family really well and I think you'd probably want to, and some of you may not know them at all, but you know the value of that during a difficult time. So you wanna help with that, would you see Diane, and would you stand for just a second? That's Diane, our office manager. And Melanie Dalton's mother passed also this week, sweetly released from this mortal coil.

So what can we pray right now for that? And then I'll get you to greet one another. But God, thank you for your good gospel, for the saving grace that you offer, lord. I thank you that both of those ladies had accepted it. And in Jesus' name, Lord, we ask a blessing on all who would serve these families, all who were blessed by these ladies and by their caregivers.

In Jesus name, I I ask blessing on the Daltons and the Bountons, Sammy, and Michelle, and Mitch too. Lord, I thank you for your good grace, good gospel. In Jesus name, lord, amen. And now, if you would, y'all can get up and greet one another and we'll bring you back together with a peppy little song. What what is our peppy little song?

Me from danger, interposed his precious blood. O to grace

Let's sing wonderful, merciful savior.

Of counselor, comforter, keeper, spirit long to embrace. You offer hope when our hearts have

God, as we sing that song, I just can't help but think of this grace that you pour out on us, this kindness, this favor that you are always extending toward us. But, Lord, I I I also know we can get in our own way and not receive it, and and I pray, God, that we would be open to receive this grace, this forgiveness that you are offering us each and every single day. Your mercy is made new each and every single day, and I I pray, God, that if there are barriers that we ourselves have put up in front

of

you, that we would understand that, lord, you are graciously awaiting to take those down and just meet with us, and forgive us and and love on us. And so, Lord, would we would we receive what you are offering this morning? In Jesus' name. Amen. From first Peter, praise to be to the God of our father, of our lord and Jesus Christ.

In his great mercy, he's given us new birth into a living hope.

I'll greet the chasm that lay between us. By the mountain, could not climb. In desperation, Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Where's the word who set me free?

Hallelujah. Death has lost its grip on me. You have broken every chain. There's salvation in your name, Jesus Christ. My little Let's sing that again.

Broken their in shame there's some vision in your name Jesus Christ my living hallelujah Praise the Lord and set me free. Hallelujah. Death has lost its grip on me. You have broken every chain.

Y'all can have a seat. I'm going to invite the frontline team to come forward. Would you pray with me? God, we thank you. Thank you lord for all that you have done this week.

Temporal stuff, lord and we're stuck here in time and you're eternal. You know the end from the beginning. You are and you will be same yesterday, today, and forever as Hebrews states, lord, but we see these things unfolding and God, as we open our eyes to your wonders anew, we're just blown away by you. In Jesus name, lord, we ask you that you'd give the peace of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, the message of the cross that you would give that message, lord, through us. However, you should choose to do it.

If it's going to other countries or other folks coming here which we have great opportunity for. Lord, but we we are saying right now through this offering, we're saying that we want for you to take some of that which you've given us and use it so that other people may have the peace and the that we have in you. Lord, we praise you for your blessed assurance. We praise you for this life abundant that can be lived in praise of you. Would you spread that lord through what we offer here this morning.

In Jesus name, amen.

Would you sing these these lyrics with us here?

There's nothing I hold on to. There's nothing I hold on to. There's nothing I hold on to. There's nothing I to. There's nothing I hold on to.

Something beautiful out of me.

Amen. So, it's time right now for children's church downstairs. Here they go. I don't know if y'all can hear the children sing but we can hear the children sing. It is so great.

I'm emotional this morning. Bless your heart. Hebrews four fourteen through five ten is what I tried to preach last week, okay? That's what I started with last week and I only made it up to about the fourth verse. I skipped ahead a little bit because we're going to communion and the text says, in the days of his flesh and I think that all of this is a unit and it's important.

Actually, it's important from about chapter three up to seven or eight but I'm not able to do that all this morning here. Imma concentrate on the latter half of this but I do want to ramp up to get to it. A lot of these foundational things are really, really good for us to kind of dwell on. So so far in Hebrews, we have had a few, I told called them last week, hortatory subjunctives. They are encouragements toward the good but the fact that it's subjunctive is that it leaves it in your lab.

Does that make sense when I say let us do something? Let us pray. You might sit there and just look and say, I'm not going to do that because I don't do that and look forward but it gives you the option of joining in, right? Or if I say, hey, baby, it's time to wake up to Paschal in the morning for school. So, you can just lay there.

Time to wake up. I go back five minutes later. Hey, baby. Time to wake up.

I say, let's go. It's time.

It's a gentle way and then I said, get out of the bed. Okay. The let let's go is saying, I am involved and you are involved and I'm leaving it with you to do something about it. When you get past that and it's just a pointed finger that says, get up right now. You're driving me nuts here The imperatives I said those first two were for somebody else.

It was for the angels and it was for Jesus himself but we must pay closer attention to what we've already heard so that we do not drift away from it. That's an encouragement to our good. Pay a closer attention to what you've already heard. There's stuff in there you don't know yet and when you start acting like you know it all and you've got the teacher's edition of the Bible with the answers in the back. Okay.

You probably are messing up. Pay closer attention to what you've heard so that you don't drift away from it. Carefully consider decisively all the way through to the end. This apostle and high priest Jesus Let us take heed. That's another way of saying, let us pay closer attention to what we've already heard.

Let's take heed. Let's carefully consider Jesus and take heed to what all the scriptures say about him. I think of those disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were so upset about the difficulty that they had experienced with their master being crucified that weekend and then Jesus comes alongside us. What is this conversation you're having as you walk together sad?

And then, he goes back home with him. He enters the house and he starts to explain all the ways that the Old Testament testified of him and when he broke the bread, their eyes were open. That's Jesus. Amen. Let us take heed to what we have already heard so we don't drift away from it.

Let us fear if there might be any among us who just has a false sense of security because they have been present here rather than actually being involved and partaking in the divine calling of God. Let us fear that that be the case. Let us be diligent so that none of us would fall short of that risk. Pay attention to what's going on and be diligent about it. Don't just mentally ascent to something but believe it and act upon that belief.

Let us be diligent. Let us hold fast our confession that Jesus is the Christ that this is where it's at. The good old gospel way. It's not in legalism and it's certainly not in license. It's right here.

But the good old message of the cross, foolishness to those who are perishing but it is the power of God, the transforming power of God to those who believe and are being saved. Let us hold fast that confession and let us draw near with confidence to what? The throne of grace. It's not a throne of judgement that we're coming towards. We know as believers in Jesus that we are covered by his blood and we can come before God and keep on coming before God and keep a right relationship with him through Jesus' sacrifice.

All of this is underpinning. We're up to this. Therefore, since we have such a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, this is not just an earthly guy. He's fully human and it'll go into that in the text today a little more but he's also fully divine and he has ascended and is at the right hand of the father. Hebrews has already said this, make an intercession for us is what he's doing.

Therefore, since we have this 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 one who has been tempted in all things just as we are yet. He is without sin. He has a perfect righteous account and can offer that to whosoever would believe and trust him. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy. Amen.

Mercy is when you do not receive the punishment that you are due. And that we may find grace. That is receiving something good that you don't deserve. Unmerited favor. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need for every high priest that's taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men.

I talked about last week how we don't get this as readily and as easily as those folks in the first century that the writer of Hebrews talking to because they knew the priestly system and they were tempted to go back to it. They're tempted to go back to it and trust that there is somebody else that's closer to God than we are and if we approach that guy, then he will mediate for us to God and it was part of the system. It was pointing towards Jesus but it was part of the system. Every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men and things pertaining to God in order to offer both gifts, sacrifices for sins because it is about sin. That's what separates us from a holy God.

He can deal this priest, can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided. Ignorant and airing some of your translations might say. Ignorant is just not knowing and people commit sin all the time just not knowing. And misguided. They've been told it's okay or they just believe that it's okay and a priest, a good priest could deal gently with ignorant and misguided and it says, why?

Since he himself is also beset with weakness. There may be some hot button sins that we think a whole lot about these days but sin is sin and all of it separates us from God. Whatever your particular proclivity or desire, desire. It's no better and no worse than anyone else's. A good priest understands his limitations and because of it, he's obligated to offer sacrifices for sins as for the people so also for himself and he recognizes that and he can deal gently with others because he sees that he's flawed.

And no one takes that honor to himself. Now, do you remember people in the Old Testament that were trying to take the honor unto themselves? It didn't go well for them. The Cora rebellion, remember that from number 16? Wow, why should Moses be the one?

Aaron even did that. Aaron, the priestly Aaron even had a couple of times where he's like, why should Moses be the guy? Yeah, he's my brother but come on. I'm a I'm a holy guy too. And they try to take it for themselves.

It doesn't ever go well in the core of Bay And they're just swallowed up by the Earth. No one takes that honor for themselves. It's not to be decided by them volunteering or putting themselves in the position of priest nor is it to be something that is eeny meeny miny moe nor is it something that is by vote. It's God says, he received it when he's called by God. Even as Aaron was and Aaron was, though he was flawed, more flawed than Moses and we see that multiple times but he was the one that God chose to be the the head of the line of priests.

No one takes honor to himself but receives it when he's called of God even as Aaron was and then, this is where this week's message really starts. So also, Christ did not glorify himself. In fact, we see in Philippians that he humbled himself and it's because of him humbling himself that God exalted him. So also, Christ did not glorify himself. He is about to make a comparison with Aaron and the lion because that's what these folks that the well letter was written to were used to.

Now, the objections that you have to the Bible and the objections that the first century Hebrews had to the Bible or to this book of Hebrews would be very very different. They know all about Aaron. They all they know more about Melchizedek than any of us know. They know about arcane figures because a lot of them had this Old Testament memorized or huge chunks of it. So also Christ did not glorify himself so as to become a high priest.

Aaron took, he received from God the fact that he was going to be the head of this priestly line and it would go by succession. It would be the tribe of Levi. It would be Aaron. Christ did not glorify himself so as to become a high priest and these pros Hebreos, it's to the Hebrews. They're thinking, wait a second, Mount Christ, anointed one, Messiah, you're talking about him being a priest.

He's not even of the tribe of Levi. How can this be? That's ridiculous. To them, you might see that and think, oh, that's he's prophet, priest, and king. Well, we know that because we've been in Sunday school because we have the book of Hebrews but Christ did not glorify himself so as to become a high priest.

He actually humbled himself and lived a humble life. He didn't set himself up. He drew crowds but he didn't do that because of him setting himself up or promoting himself. God raised him up. But he who said to him and this is God who said to Jesus to you are my son Today, I have begotten you.

Eternally begotten of the father is one of those things that we hear in the creeds. This is something that he had set Jesus up. It was the plan from the beginning but Jesus really did have to walk in flesh as a man. He had to be tempted in all the ways that we are tempted and yet without sin in order for this to matter. But God says, you are my son.

Today, I've begotten you. That's from Psalm two. He's already quoted this. The writer of Hebrews at least has quoted this. A couple of times already.

I will surely tell you of the decree of the Lord. This is what God says. Today, I have begotten you. You are my son. Father God, the son.

And just as he says in another passage, you are a priest forever and that is the emphasis of this part of the passage right there forever. You're a priest forever. He's speaking to the son again. You are a priest forever according to the order of or of the kind of Melchizedek. Now, I'm still not going to go totally into who Melchizedek is.

I'm giving y'all a chance to study up and think, see what you can find too because it only mentions it right here in passing really quickly and it'll mention it again the writer of Hebrews or writers of Hebrews will mention it again in the seventh chapter and we'll go into greater treatment there. I'll mention a little more towards the end of the sermon. You're a priest forever. There's something eternal about this priesthood. We know from further in Hebrews that those other offerings and sacrifices were all pointing to this ultimate and finishing one.

You're a priest forever. Once and for all. According to the order of Melchizedek and that's from Psalm one ten four. So, I mentioned last week that there are only two places in the Bible where Melchizedek is even mentioned at all and one of em was about two thousand years before the cross and one of em was about a thousand years before the cross and then the writer of Hebrews writes quite a bit in chapter seven and a couple of mentions here. He's a a the speaker or the the treaties is presenting it just to get their minds going about it and I think, well, I haven't considered that.

I I had certainly considered that. It had to certainly had to be of the priestly tribe of Levi. It had to be. Couldn't be any other way. The ironic blessing flows that way and certainly it would be this and Jesus is the tribe of Judah.

How can that be? The writer of Hebrews says, this is how it can be. You know, Melchizedek? That guy you barely know anything about. Pretty powerful guy if you get into the story.

You're a priest forever. Kinda like Melchizedek. We'll get into that later on. In the days of his flesh, okay, we're coming back to Jesus's earthly life. In the days of his flesh, we see way over here, Abraham at 2,000, Moses at 1,400, Joshua forty years later, David in a thousand.

Isaiah prophesying 700. I even had to have a little break in there if you spread it out. It would be about like this. This little portion right here, this thirty, thirty three years right here. That little thing, there.

That is in the days of his flesh when he was here and experiencing life just like we experience life, breathing air, walking, Three times a year, they walk from like right here to Smoot, Wyoming. Actually, not here but that's the distance from Capernaum to Jerusalem and they did that for the feast and festivals every year. He walked with these guys. Three years of doing that. In the days of his flesh, this is going to describe Jesus and his humanity and his reliance upon God.

He offered up both prayers and supplication. That's asking type prayers. Prayers can be just communicating with God often. It's filled with praise. Supplications though is when you're asking something of God.

In the days of his flesh, he offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears and most commentators at this point or most people at this point think, well, Jesus had sweat drops of blood in the garden. It doesn't specifically say that he cried or that he cried out loud but that he did have tears. It says that. It says that he had tears outside of Jerusalem. It says that he cried during Lazarus' short time in the grave.

He was crying for the sisters. It says in the days of his flesh that maybe he did it when he withdrew into the wilderness to pray. He's deeply moved by what he saw all around him. He offered up both prayers and supplication with loud crying and tears to the one who was able to save him from death and this takes us to the night before the Garden Of Gethsemane is what most people point to and say, he was praying to God saying, not my will but yours but if it be possible, can you take this cup from me? I don't know that I can handle this.

I don't know that I can take it. But he entrusted himself to the Lord. Actually, Hebrews two thirteen, he's the writer's already mentioned this and again, I will put my trust in him. Jesus will put my trust in God. Quoting from Isaiah seven hundred years before.

I will put my trust in him. I will wait for the Lord who's hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. You know, the intertestamental silence of God is what theologians call it from about 400 and something until the gospels. We don't see God speaking. It's hiding his face from Jacob.

I will wait for the Lord. Jesus says, who's hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob and I will put my trust in him, the Lord. I'll put my trust in him. He's praying and supplicating to with loud crying and tears, the one who's able to save him from death. I think of this line from first Peter two also.

And while he was being reviled, he committed no sin nor was any deceit found in his mouth. He told the truth. He told it in love and while he was being reviled, he did not revile in return and while suffering, he uttered no threats but he kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. Some of y'all are going through some difficult, difficult circumstances. Defending yourself is not working.

And people are reviling you and it's horrible I would encourage you to keep on entrusting yourself to God who judges righteously and when he gives a word of what you should do, then do it. But you can take the abuse that is being hurled at you and you have an example in Jesus and you have a way of escape in Christ. With loud crying tears, the one who's able to save him from death and he was heard. Amen. Jesus was heard.

His prayers were heard because of his piety. He did not have sin on his account. He was surrendered to do as the Lord directed and he was heard. He was delivered from death even after death. So, he's resurrected from death.

He was heard. He was heard when he prayed for people and they got better. He was heard. Because of his piety. Although he was a son and this points out his sonship, again, that's already been pointed out right here.

Moses was certainly faithful in God's house as a servant and actually since he's talking about Aaron, he's like, Aaron was pretty faithful too. But Moses was certainly faithful. No doubt. He never says anything bad about Moses. His work was an illustration of the truths that God would reveal later but Christ as the son is in charge of God's entire house.

Although he was a son, sonship is very important. In fact, when it says, Aaron, no one takes this unto themselves. Now, what takes a priestly duty to themselves? Jesus was a son. It elevates the bar.

He was a son. He learned obedience from the things which he suffered. He went through and saw great difficulty in his time. Outside of his own just observing what's going on all around all of the oppression and difficulty and all the resistance to God. Remember him crying outside of Jerusalem that oh I want to gather him like chicks under my wings but they would have none of it.

They're rejecting him and he knew they would. He learned obedience from the things which he suffered. Hebrews two nine has already mentioned that. We do see him who was made for a little while lord the angels. Namely, Jesus because of the suffering of death, because of his humiliation and suffering of death.

He was crowned with glory and honor. Same thing, we see in Philippians where it says and he humbled himself unto death even the death of a cross and then God exalted him. So, his name would be higher than any other name. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things which he suffered and having been made completely whole or perfect, ready to do what he had to do, prepared by his obedience in suffering. He was prepared then He became to all those who obey him, the source of eternal salvation.

And bringing many sons to glory. He became to all those who obey him, the source of eternal salvation. He showed the gospel. He taught the gospel. He mentioned it often.

He pointed towards the cross before it happened. The spirit testified through all of the other writers of scripture, old and new testament. He pointed that out on on many occasions and it says right here that he became to all those who obey him. I've said multiple times that what it is that you really believe is what you act on. So, action does follow belief.

It's all about belief. Read the gospel of John. Believing is what saves. It is by God's grace through faith, belief, trust. That is what saves but if you get that, if you get salvation, it will change the way that you act.

Obedience in suffering is a part of that. There's temptation to pull away. This whole book is to a people that are tempted to pull away from the cross of Christ because they already know this system. Having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him. They listen to and respond to the gospel and through the renewing of their minds, it transforms them.

The source of eternal salvation. There's a I've I've studied this, studied this, studied this, and then I'll listen to people and Piper has an interest and take on this passage and I think preachers struggle to get in Hebrews especially. We struggle to get a three point sermon out of this thing. It's all connected to everything else. It it really is.

Piper's three words that he used to do this one were the the dignity of Christ. He was a son, not just a priest, a great high priest, dignity. So, he's worthy of honor and eternality. You are forever a priest according to or kind of like Melchizedek. And his purity His purity was proven.

It's not that he had to become pure. He was pure but through suffering and through the heat of all of the spiritual battle all around him, the physical battle all around him especially towards the end and the passion. He was made completely pure having been made completely perfect or pure. He became to all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation. So, it's dignity and purity but eternality is the other thing.

Eternally begotten of the father, he is always been. There was not a time when he wasn't. Everything that was created was created through him. He's the exact representation of God. He's the radiance of his glory.

Yet, we can we can see him and we can feel this. Having been made perfect, Jesus became to all those who obey him, the source of eternal salvation. I'd say, if you are hearing that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and you've been rejecting it, Listen to the still small voice within you that's saying, Jesus is the way and he's the truth and he's the life. Taste and see that God is good. It is the plan.

It is the only plan. It's an exclusive plan. Jesus having made perfect and appropriate by living that perfectly sinless life and offering it sacrificially on the count of whoever would believe, he becomes to all those who listen and obey the gospel. The source of eternal salvation and it really does matter. You are in peril if you have not trusted Christ.

And then he mentions Melchizedek one more time. Being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek Melchizedek, I mentioned and I'll I'll go really quickly through this. Melchizedek, this is a picture from 1897, an illustration of Melchizedek blessing. That's the way you do it if you didn't know. Alright?

Just like that. Now, he's blessing Abraham and Abraham's coming back from battle and he's just one and Melchizedek is blessing Abraham. Actually, he's only mentioned two times. One Psalm one hundred ten four, which we've already mentioned and it says, you are forever a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. That's it.

You're a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The Lord has sworn and he will not change his mind and then, it's Genesis fourteen eighteen. If you want to read the first 17 verses, it'll tell you all about the battle. All the flanking maneuvers and everything about battle. If you're really in the military history, go look at Genesis fourteen one through 17 but 18 says this, and Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine.

He's he's associated with Jesus for a reason but that that in itself is mentioned one time and I think that the writer or writers of Hebrews were paid so close attention to the Old Testament that they had in their mind this and they weren't going to drift away from it. They're looking for ways to persuade people that Jesus is prophet, priest, and king and better than all and Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine and now he was a priest of God most high. Those are capital letters. This is for real. It's not just what he was saying.

Melchizedek was a priest of God most high and he, Melchizedek, blessed him, Abraham, and said, blessed be Abraham of God most high. He recognized. The priest recognized that Abraham was a man of God. Blessed be Abraham of God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God most high. Amen.

Who has delivered your enemies into your hand. He recognizes God's part in battle and then he gave him a tenth of all. That's a weird little phrase, isn't it? Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything that he had. He tithed to him.

Now, I have said many times from up here that heresy thrives on insufficient biblical evidence and felt need. Right? Felt need and and obscure biblical references because people tend to look for ways to support what they want and if you want a tenth of everything that everybody else has, who would you go to but Melchizedek? It's done. It's done a lot.

It's done a lot across cultic religions appeal to this guy. Now, the writer of Hebrews is a biblical writ. It it's no doubt about it. Melchizedek is as explained in chapter seven of Hebrews and it's a good reference and there's not any doubt in my mind about that but you have to watch when you pick something that is so obscure and you make it into a fundamental part of your makeup because chances are you're probably straying over there to grab something to get a tenth of everything. If we can get a tenth of everything, let's use this guy.

Melky Zedek, king is Melky. Melkyor, you remember one of the three kings of Orient? Melkyor. It's king and then Zedek means of righteousness. This is a real person.

Now, we'll get into him again in chapter seven. Is that really the last laugh? What did I do? That really is the last laugh. Can I get the band to come back up?

I don't have an invitation this week except for that you would pay more attention to that which you've already heard. I really do want for you to study ahead and think about this because Hebrews is a great great book. It's unlike any other in the New Testament and so far, you've seen that it's hard. It's kind of hard to preach quite honestly. It's hard to preach because there's so much there but my life is richer right now than it was when I started six weeks ago because Christ is my priest, my great high priest.

He has taken my sin. He's taken my punishment and I understand it in a new way now because I'm paying closer attention to that which I've already heard. I've been in church my whole life I pray the same for you and this song is a prayer. Christ be all around me. Would you stand with us and sing

as I rise as I rise strength of God. You're the four. Lift me up as I wait. Eyes of God, Alright. As I wait, as I wait, heart of God, satisfied that sees me.

Christ be all around me above and below me. Before and behind me in every eye that sees me. Christ be all around me. And as I go hand of God, my defense by my side as I rest breath of God fall upon Crust be all around me, above and below me. Before and behind me, in every eye that sees me, crust

Amen. For the benediction today from second Corinthian 13, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of his Holy Spirit be with you all. In Jesus name, amen.