0:00
Speaker 1I'm going invite Scott to come up and sing with me here and if y'all would stand and join in too, we're going to start out with when we all get to heaven, right? When we all get to heaven, hand number seven seventy two. Here we are. When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory. Hymn number seven seventy two.
0:23
Speaker 3With gusto sing the wondrous love of Jesus sing his mercy and his grace in the mansion's right and blessed he'll prepare for us a place when we all glimpse of him in glory will the toils of life repay when we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that to heaven what a day of rejoicing that would be when we all see Jesus we'll sing
2:13
Speaker 1Y'all like that song? It sounds like you like that song. I like it.
2:16
Speaker 3I like that song.
2:16
Speaker 1Looking forward to
2:17
Speaker 3it. Chapin.
2:18
Speaker 1The love of God. Don't we usually do one song and then we do the announcements and everything? Two songs. That's the first service where we do that.
2:26
Speaker 3Okay. The voice from song.
2:29
Speaker 1You know what?
2:29
Speaker 3It's been a busy week. Thank
2:35
Speaker 1you, voice from the back. No.
3:33
Speaker 3Years of time shall pass away and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall refuse to pray on rocks and hills
5:17
Speaker 1Amen. Y'all can have a seat. Yeah. The last verse of that one, could we with ink, the ocean fill? That's a, wow.
5:28
And the skies of parchment made where every stalk on earth a quill and every man ascribed by trade to write the love of God. Would drain the ocean dry nor could the scroll contain the hole that stretch from sky to sky. John says in his gospel that if we were to write everything about, if we write everything about Jesus that ought to be written, the whole world couldn't contain the books but then he finishes off. It's only a 25 page book. He finishes off and says, but these things have been written so that you may have life in his name.
5:56
Believe it. Oh, so good. Bible study is happening on Sunday mornings at about nine thirtyish, twenty five or thirty. High school and junior high girls study. And I think you've inspired the boys study that's about to be happening too.
6:10
So Judy Wells is leading that for the young ladies and there's gonna be one upcoming for the young men. Awana is happening. That's for two year olds all the way up to fifth grade. Monday nights from 05:45 to 07:30. They'll start out in this room and then go all over the church.
6:27
Monday nights at first B is happening tomorrow night. Guadalupe came forward after the first service and said she will be making algo sencillo, which means something simple. Yeah. She said, I I'm going to grab the church card because that's what we do, you know. We pay for the food, but we ask for people to help out on Monday nights.
6:46
If you feel led or feel like you can do it, then, would you? Please sign up for a Monday night meal that you can make. Last week, Carl did meal music and message. All three, he did but but didn't have anybody sign up. So, he just caught it himself but if you would, we'd love for you to do that.
7:02
Guadalupe's got this week and that's nice. And Carl's finishing up a series on the book of Job and this is toward the end of the book of Job and it's about God's truth and his wisdom wisdom. So, that's what he Carl's going be preaching on tomorrow night, 06:00. Meal music and message. The Bible study at the Senior Center is on 12:45.
7:25
Tomorrow, if you're 60 or above, it's a $4 lunch right before that at noon And if you're 59 or below, it's an $8 lunch, which is still a pretty good deal in Jackson, right? But Mondays at 12:45. Roseanne is leading that study. What are you studying right now, Roseanne? Mark.
7:44
Oh, book of Mark. Fantastic. Last chapter of Mark. Beautiful. The study of Lamentations has been under they've been undergoing a study of Lamentations for the last two weeks.
7:54
The third week is this week. Hope and healing in the aftermath of rebellion against God. I really thoroughly enjoyed that one this week. Very good. Precept study.
8:04
We start off and using scripture. You let scripture interpret scripture and inductive Bible study. Really really good. Studying Lamentations together. Good crowd.
8:15
Jackson Hole Men's Alliance is meeting right here down the hall, actually in the fellowship hall, 06:00 on Wednesday mornings. That's a good study of Ephesians and it's a good place for a band of brothers to get together and encourage one another. We have a build day coming up for Habitat for Humanity. Ya'll know Nick that used to work in the office, Nick Staren, one of the twins, is now working for Habitat and he signed us up a while back for December 7. We are doing a build day.
8:44
It's right here at The Grove, so it's just down Snow King Avenue. It's inside work, it's not outdoor work, December 7. So if you feel like, you know what, I'd like to do that, you can sign up through our website so they know how many people to expect and how much work have ready for us. All the tools and all the safety gear are there. You just need to show up 08:30, 08:45 in the morning and then it'll go till 04:30 in the afternoon.
9:08
That should be fun. December 7, Operation Christmas Child. We're having the wrapping party this week. It's the twentieth on Wednesday and the wrapping party for finishing those boxes up, we'll send them to the distribution center where they need to go by the next day. But if you'll come Wednesday night, it's gonna be the wrapping party.
9:29
So in the evening, yes.
9:30
Speaker 206:30.
9:46
Speaker 1Do's and don'ts. Okay. Good. Alright, that's very good. That's good to know.
10:03
So there's a station back there at the back. It's set up so that you can get some instruction on how to do that. And how many of y'all were here in 1971 or 1967 to '71? So there are a few of you who know knew Roy Plummer was the pastor of the church here and his wife Gladys and John and Susan, his son and daughter-in-law come to church here. They usually come to the 09:00 service but they are grieving the loss of their mom.
10:29
Some of the flowers up here on the table here are in memory of Ms. Gladys Plummer, pastor Roy Plummer's wife. He passed on some time ago but she just passed in Driggs and they were able to spend the last twelve hours with her and just encourage her as she let go of this temporal life and pass on into eternity. Her incorruptible hope in Christ. So, and I mentioned this morning, being the pastor of a church is one thing but being wife of the pastor of a church is a whole different calling and so we really appreciated them bringing along the flowers and wanted to mention that.
11:08
So, would y'all pray with me? God, I thank you for the faithful servants of the past. I know in Hebrews, we're working up to that long list of the faithful in Hebrews 11. Not quite there yet but we're getting there and I think back up with the names on the plaques on the walls and the service of the church and the churches here in Jackson. And I'm thankful for each one of those who has served, undertook the call and Lord to be faithful to the text and faithful to your people.
11:37
Lord, I pray a special peaceful blessing on John and his wife as they grieve the passing of miss Gladys Plummer. In Jesus name, lord, we ask that you would bless and that if there's anything that we should do to follow-up on this lord, you'd lay it on our hearts and you would allow us to to continue stirring one another up in the love. In Jesus name, thank you for those who have served here faithful in the past. Amen. I think that's the last slide except for the one that tells you, if you don't know it already, the bulletin has all the information.
12:14
If I forgot anything, it's in the bulletin. One more. There is one more. Ah, Diane. I knew.
12:19
So Ferry. Y'all know Ferry, the Romanian fellow, not this little Romanian fellow but but Ferry Francis Salomon. Where is he? Here he is. Stand up right there, Ferry.
12:31
Alright. So a few weeks back on Monday, Ferry and I went over to Casper and we did he did his citizenship test. We studied on the way over and he passed with flying colors, his US citizenship test. I I honestly don't he he he gets uncomfortable when I start kind of recognizing him for all that he does around the church but if if you're sitting in the chair this morning, he set that chair up and he did last week and he did the week before and he did the week before and he has since I've been here. He's been doing it every Sunday.
13:03
It's very rare that anybody else ever lays a hand on this things. He does a great job of that but he also does so much more than that. And you know that he takes care of our yards. He takes care of a lot of things and we just appreciate him so much. Next week, we're gonna do a little patriotic party for this upcoming US citizen.
13:23
After this service, we'll do next week, we'll have a little red, white, and blue potluck. So if you would, bring something to celebrate his upcoming citizenship. Side dishes. Would say we'll have cake and we'll have meat, but y'all bring the sides if you would. Is everybody hearing me?
13:45
Yes. Okay. Very good. So next week, we're gonna celebrate that right after this the second service down in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you very much.
13:52
And if you would, stand up and greet one another. We'll bring you back together with a song.
14:25
Speaker 3In moments like these I sing out a song I sing out a love song to in moments like these I sing out a song I sing out a love song to Jesus in moments like these I lift up my hands
16:02
Speaker 1A beautiful song. Amen. Holy Ground. Number one thirty eight, we're going to sing this chorus. We're standing in his presence on holy ground.
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Amen.
17:35
Speaker 3Are his presence on holy ground
17:47
Speaker 1Y'all can have a seat but I'm going to invite the frontline team if they come forward Would you pray with me? God, we thank you for your word. Thank you for the great foundation that it lays beneath us. Lord, we are here and we're standing on holy ground. In Jesus name, lord, we ask that you'd bless your word to our hearts and our lives this week that we would understand in our minds but lord that it would move beyond that and it would touch our hearts and it would draw us in the closer and deeper relationship with you and that love of God that we sang about that's so inexhaustible lord.
18:25
A bottleneck is if we don't share it. If we don't share it, if we don't write it, if we don't proclaim it, if we don't say it, lord. So, you've commanded us to carry your good gospel to the ends of the earth. You've commanded us to take it every tribe and tongue and nation. Lord, may we never never shrink back or shy away from that task.
18:46
In Jesus name, lord, we pray this morning for the folks I mentioned last week, the Manasseh Berber of Algeria Lord, we pray that a near culture that we would be helpful in the near culture that can reach them. From the people who know you, Lord, to the people who don't know you. Lord, we pray for the gypsies of Kazakhstan that though they are surrounded by Islam on all sides, Lord, that you would convict hearts by the advance of your good gospel and your word. You would convict hearts of the truth of Jesus Christ as the way and the truth and the life. And Lord, I pray that they would take that to heart and they would use all of the gifts and faculties you've given to spread that among their brothers and sisters.
19:32
In Jesus name, we ask that you'd bless those, lord and we pray lord that we would always continually be doing your will and your way. Show us your way lord and allow us to walk in it. Thank you for the gifts given this morning. We pray for the multiplication of the gifts but also for the blessings upon the givers. Would you do your will, lord, among us this morning?
19:54
Amen. Amen. Thank you, Judy. So, this morning, Tanya, I've invited Tanya to come up and so, I'm looking around. Most of y'all know me and most of y'all know that Tanya and I go together.
23:08
This is my wife, Tanya. But some of you don't and that it's odd because a lot of times we're on the opposite sides of the church and people just don't see us to Garrett to get. This is my wife and I love her. Okay. Alright.
23:20
And she is gonna talk a bit. She went to Kenya a while back. She's gonna talk about that. Here, here's the clicker. And you need a mic.
23:28
Speaker 2That's right. For some reason, I was a little bit
23:31
Speaker 1Hold on a sec.
23:34
Speaker 2Blake will get really mad if I don't use the microphone. This morning for some reason I was a little bit off. Can't explain why, so I'm just gonna relax and act like I'm home, which I am this time. So last week, Ray was speaking about Hebrews, he talked about, let us consider how to stimulate one another in love and good deeds. And I was trying to open all of this smoothly, for some reason I didn't, so I hung I clung to Roseanne, last service, which I'm going to do again.
24:09
Loving one another like like we practice here, and stirring one another in good deeds is is a great thing to say. When it happens and when you see it, it is a beautiful thing to to be able to see. And the reason I got to Kenya for the first time was because of Roseanne and the good deeds that she'd stirred up and the love that she has stirred up with her husband in Kenya many years before. And she went back to a blessed place, blessed ground there, and started a relationship with a with a country for this church, and we now love and adore several ministries that honestly were stirred up from the work that God did through them nine well nineteen years before I got there, so now that's twenty six years, ago. Right?
25:00
And when when I go there, and I got to go to Brackenhurst this time too, before the part I'm gonna tell you about, people say, where is mama Bill? How is teacher Roseanne? Where is pastor Roseanne? And I say, she's home. She sends her love, and she loves you.
25:19
But my point is a person, two people in God stirring up can make the difference on an entire community. And I promise you, no matter what she says, that community was stirred to a love and a knowledge of Christ and God, and they are serving him now. And that is beautiful. That's what we all pray to do, isn't it? And to be able to see that.
25:44
We don't get to see our deaf children in Mexico that we were there with for seven years. To to be able to see what happens when you truly love the Lord and serve him that many years later is a miracle. It is a gift from God. My point is we would love to do that again and continue taking generations. The next trip that we're I'm gonna talk about, the little ones.
26:10
There's some little ones that want to go, and imagine what they could see nineteen years later with their service to the Lord. I've seen it in Kenya. It is precious, and they have not forgotten this family, and I'm so thankful for that. She stirred me. We've stirred a few people.
26:27
We took 19 women in 2013, and then there's another ministry that came to kinda sit with us in Jackson for a while. They started Dave and Kim Hatfield. It's another school, and it's another blessed place, and I'm thankful to be serving that school also. And so what I would like to talk to you about is my time there. And we went in February and March, Pascal and Carl and Ray and I, and we served with a few people.
27:02
And it was great. And I just went back in September and Pascal did it's the first trip to Kenya. I've gone on without her. She didn't get to go because Ray said she could not. And what what we did this time was a little a little bit different in the school.
27:20
I went with a woman who was is a superintendent of a school system in California, and another lady who has her master's in education, and she works with in several countries. She has trained teachers, and it was oh, it was I love I love it when people are so good at what they do, and being able to witness that and see the difference it made in the teachers at this school was was precious. It's bracelets, actually. So I'm gonna see, this is the Kenyan flag, and this is also a view of the from the balcony of the school. And there is one of the children with the bracelets.
27:55
I love the patriotism that they have. And you just think this this country possibly developing with the developing this deep seated love for God in this community would make a country wide difference for these children and their pride when they grow up. They will have been part of of securing a protected area for them. I think that's incredible. Okay, so this is during the rainy season.
28:20
This is the going down from the classrooms, and that is the building that Dave and Kim talked about a few years ago, when they were leaving here. This is what was about to be built, and it really looked like an almost impossible task, and and it is there, which is a great testament to prayer and to people and to people who send. And these this is opening ceremonies. This is a line of little girls. This little girl right here, Velma, she's my friend.
28:50
Ray and Carl and I got to go and pray with her family in a house meeting, in February. And when I showed up this time, she gave the biggest hug. And every time I walked out of a door on campus, she knew where I was, and she lifted her hand and and found me and wanted me to make eye contact with her, which is just precious, which is another thing we are told to do. Build relationships. Build relationships in Christ.
29:15
And when you have that and the gift you receive from it when you go back, it's remarkable. It's it's it's amazing. There she is. She's a sweet girl. Okay.
29:28
This is Martin. He is precious. He's so comfortable with me that this is the expression that I got. I have I have five behind it that are so cute with him smiling. But he is the man of his house.
29:43
And he's
29:45
Speaker 1got
29:45
Speaker 2a little sister that he loves so much and he carries and he helps his mom with the laundry and he helps his mom making sure that the it's not easy to protect yourself via locked doors and things like that there. So he helps, her be mindful of things like that, and he serves her, and he works very hard in school, and he wants to be a pastor, which I just think, well, bless your heart. That's what he wants to do. He is well on his way. The teachers that are teaching him are solid, solid Christians, and the ministry is being solidly prayed for by people in The United States, all over The United States.
30:22
So this is this sweet little boy, and that is his little sister, and his mama, and his neighbor. And there he is smiling. That's his normal face. And this is a child that is studying in teacher Richard's class, and he's been there teacher Richard has been there from the beginning of the school. And we've got 14, incredibly amazing teachers there, and this child is fully engulfed in what he is saying.
30:49
This is teacher training, and that was fun because I, the people that we went with are so great at it that that's what that's what, they were working on. Teaching them Kenyan curriculum is extremely difficult and extremely strict. So maybe opening and it's there. It's complete, and it's it's there. But every once in while giving the teachers tools to break away from that strict curriculum and expectations, and do something fun where the children are open to the same subject a little bit differently.
31:22
Not in place of it because you can't do that, but in addition to it is, they love that. This is part of the food process. I was gonna say there are three cooks there that have very nutritious meals, every day. They feed a 160 people plus staff, a 160 kiddos plus staff. Huge food.
31:42
And like, some people won't eat there, but Pascal and I ate lunch there every day because we are not afraid. Now there is something to be afraid of. The reason why those bananas are soaking in that bucket is because it drowns the spiders. This is Celine. This is a house visit.
31:58
And this little girl is Beyond precious strength, it is so rare to see in a child. What she has seen and been through. I just thank God every day that that's not what my child has seen and been through. And she is listening to her teacher and Dave in the house with her family and her We asked what we could pray for at the end. And, oh, I think I actually did the prayer, but Dave asked and he said, what can we pray for?
32:46
And she said, that my child would not live here when she grows up. All she wanted was an escape. And the the thing is is that that's possible. It's possible through what what I've seen God do in Kenya is amazing. Like I said, the gift of that post nineteen years of what what people have grown into, the confidence, the love of the Lord in jobs and education is amazing.
33:11
And that's what can happen here also. This is her fancy house. This is a really nice house in the dump, and they've got a wall around it. And there are several families that live in here, and hers is the third one down next to that purple, thing, which I can't tell from here what that is. And that is her gate.
33:32
So right outside that is a very scary environment. And what we were gonna get try to go to try to enhance next year, August fifth through twenty second, when we're trying to take a group from First Bee, is that right outside there, her mom works in that dump and works in the recycling and pulls things out of it. The children are safer with their parents, and you're thinking, well, can't we do something to get six year olds not working in the dump? Well, that's where they're safe. Their parents can see them, or another mother can see them, or the village raising the child there can see them.
34:08
They're not safe in their homes. And so that's why her mama doesn't want her to to live there. This is Alfred. He lives at the top of a mountain. He's so cute.
34:19
Look at he is being raised by his grandmother who's raising several other children. He's about this big, and he's he's in p p two, so that's six, five years old. Malnourishment is what has happened there, and we cannot find school uniforms small enough, for him. But with the sponsorship program that the school has and and, with, everything that's happening there that God just seems to be, a blessing with without count. You just can't count it.
34:56
He is doing well. This is Celine again. I meant to put Janet up here. Jill, Ramsur was in the congregation last, during the last, service, and she sponsors two little girls out there, and I thought I was putting Janet. It's part of why I was so thrown off.
35:12
I I went, wait, that's not Janet. These are them finding their sponsorship letters, and it was, oh, it was amazing. That was part of my job, was helping with the child sponsorship. Hundreds of letters being read to the kiddos. That's teacher Richard reading one of them to him, helping assisting.
35:28
This is part of what I did. I got to teach art, but more than that in this one is I got to teach the science and anatomy of how God created us and put us together. And the children and the teachers, which is weird to me because I've known this. I've been taught art my whole life, but, just talking about the dynamics and the measurements of the that this line here goes to the center of your pupil, and this your eye is the width of this, and that this distance right here to here is the same, and your mouth is as big as your nose. And all of that, they were fascinated by.
36:01
So these are the self portraits that they got to send to their sponsors, and they copied them. None of them are fully sponsored, but well, there are three of them, but it's because a family sponsored the whole the whole the whole child. So this is what they got to send back, and they were so excited. Okay. This in the red, the red is Grace.
36:22
And when Ray popped up that picture of the purse up here last week, that is what she is doing now. She was in Roseanne's youth group. Grace credits her experience with God through Roseanne and her husband. She grew up knowing the Lord because of people serving Christ, serving the Lord, doing what they're supposed to be doing. Now she is rescued.
36:52
These girls, are paying their own way through university. These are in university. And when we first got there, Leo Kadea was what? Sixth, seventh grade? And she's in university now and she is paying her way from learning how to sew and she is safe.
37:12
She is not being assaulted on the way to school and that's that's what happens and I won't go into that. You can ask me anything after this service and that's us being ridiculous. And these are the children saying goodbye at the end of the day and in in in Kenya, Pascal come up here, in Kenya when you say goodbye you shake your hand and you say I will see you, yes, you do that but you'll say I I will see you tomorrow. Now Pascal wanted me to mention that and I just saw her and she said that when you greet somebody, what do you say? You say instead of what, like, how are you or something, you would say your status with Christ, which I thought was Your status with Christ, which is, hello, my name is Tanya, and I have been a daughter of Christ since I was 10 years old.
38:03
That's a greeting. That's a proper greeting, and that's an amazing place to be when your greeting is part of your greeting is your status in Christ. The they're saying goodbye, and everyone must shake everyone's hand on the way out. I love that about the culture too. And now this is this little sweet little boy praying.
38:19
He didn't know I was taking that picture. It was during opening ceremonies. This is Carl's favorite ginger drink. It settles your stomach apparently. My stomach is so tough, guess, from all of this that it's not affected, but Carl's was and that's why he This is teacher Ahn, she's Kisi, which is a tribe there and she's absolutely amazing, totally dedicated to these children And I think I think that's it.
38:47
So, we are trying to go. We're not trying. We're going. Good Lord willing, creek don't rise is what we say in Georgia. August fifth through twenty second next year.
38:59
If you are interested, we're going to have a meeting in between the services next week. And we would love for you to to come. I think we might even be able to talk Roseanne into coming on this. I think we're gonna make a be able to make a stop off, visit her folks, and it's complicated. We're trying to do that.
39:18
We're linking the ministries. Grace, that was Grace at this school, and, she is going to start teaching and maybe rescuing some of our young girls that, are a little bit older from from this area because our school serves this school serves PP one which is pre k, then there's another pre k, and then up to fourth grade. And so, they're not equipped yet for the older girls, but grace is, and there are reasons that they need to be taken out of those situations. So, let me let me pray about this, and then, we would love to see you come and even just ask questions is fine with me. I could talk about it for hours.
39:57
Okay. Let us pray. Lord, I thank you so much that we get to go to, to all the parts of the world. Lord, I thank you that every tribe, tongue, and nation includes Jackson. It includes the people that this church so beautifully serves here, Lord.
40:15
It includes, the people in Afghanistan with Judy's family. It includes run ministries in places we can't go. It includes the Kazakhstani gypsies. Lord, I'm so thankful that we get to be a very small part of what you're doing in a very big overwhelming way for a human to to to grasp. Thank you, Lord.
40:43
I thank you, Lord, for this church. I thank you for the heart that I've never seen before. I'm so thankful to to to be a part of this, Lord, and I ask a blessing on this would be trip. And I ask for the right people to need to go, and I ask for the prayer support from now until we get back, Lord. It's in your precious son's name.
41:03
Jesus, we pray. Amen.
41:04
Speaker 1Amen. Thank you. Thank you. You sure you don't wanna do the dance? I'll hold the mic.
41:15
Okay. This is an encouragement from a teacher named Pascalita. There.
41:25
Speaker 2Yeah. Okay. So this is what she does to encourage the children and they love it. And Carl and Ray and Pascal are completely capable of doing what I'm doing. They just won't.
41:38
Okay.
41:40
Speaker 1We're thankful for your boldness.
41:42
Speaker 2Yeah. Okay. So this is the Pascalita dance. Well done. Well done.
41:47
Pretty better. Better. Another better. Better. Marvelous.
41:52
Speaker 1Thank you. Yeah. Cool. It's an amazing group of teachers for sure, no doubt. I am gonna I'm gonna go ahead into Hebrews 19 through 39 and this if you know the section, I mentioned last week that that they're strong warning.
42:14
So, I'm going to ramp up into the very strong exhortation or warning and I don't think I'm going make it to verse 39. I'm planning on going through verse 31. It's a weird place to stop. I'll give you advance warning, okay? But I wanted to sit with us.
42:27
I wanted to sit with you this week. We'll consider Hebrews not 19. Hebrews ten nineteen through 39. Hebrews ten nineteen through 21 says this, therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus and that is the only way. That's the way that we approach God is by the blood of Jesus.
42:47
Since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and a living way. Christ's resurrection guarantees and secures that a new and living wage which he inaugurated for us through the veil. That is his flesh and since we have a great high priest over the house of God because we do. This is a letter written to Christ followers in the first century. Jewish background folks but since we have confidence to enter the Holy of Holies and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, that's the rationale, then, let us use this last week.
43:26
Let us, let us what? Let us, let us draw near with a sincere heart. Y'all came to church this morning. We're drawing near with a sincere heart. It's out of a love and devotion to a love to the living way, Jesus Christ.
43:39
Let us then draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of our faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean by the blood of Jesus. It was sprinkled clean in the true holy of holies, the heavenly tabernacle. He made the way and he has sprinkled us clean from an evil conscience. We no longer have the feeling of guilt because we no longer have the guilt. He deals with the actual guilt.
44:06
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Having our hearts sprinkled clean from an ignorable conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, reference to baptism. Let us then hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Hold unswervingly to Jesus, The confession of our hope.
44:28
He is our hope. Now, why? Why should we draw near? Why should we hold fast the confession of our hope unswervingly? Well, because he who promised is faithful.
44:40
If if I may say so, the old covenant is all on you and everybody falls under the old covenant. To begin with, we all stand under the old covenant guilty. By nature and by choice, we stand guilty under the old covenant. Now, there were sacrifices for sins committed in ignorance and there were sacrifices for misguided sin. But the old covenant being all on you has been superseded by the new covenant which is all on Jesus.
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All on him has been laid. For everyone who puts their faith in the way that God may. Now, all of those sacrificial system that the Jewish people were carrying out and carrying forward was looking forward to Jesus Christ and we've had that for the last two chapters of Hebrews, last two and a half. Let us draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of our faith. Heaven, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.
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Our bodies with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope, Jesus. Without wavering, why? Because he who promised is faithful. So, if the old covenant's on you and the new covenant is on Christ and you've accepted the truth of this and then when you start trying to walk it out, you get weary and tired.
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You're slipping back towards the old covenant thinking everything is on you. He who promised is faithful. He says, follow me. Take up your cross daily and follow me. Take my yoke upon you.
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My burden is light. Imagine what it's like to not have a sin burden at all. Jesus didn't. Yet, he took that burden on the cross of all of our saying, he who promised is faithful and let us what? Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.
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Now, Tanya made that trip a while back in September but this has been the first Sunday to get to it and just the way God works things together. I hope that that stimulates y'all into love and good deeds. It's great to see somebody go after what it is that God is leading them to with gusto and enthusiasm and see what God does with it, you know? Years later, weeks later, or at the moment, let's consider how to stimulate us, draw together, let's hold fast that Jesus really is what this is all about and that salvation's on him and let's consider how to stimulate one another up into love and good deeds. Not forsaking our own assembling together.
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This actually in years past, I've heard a lot of sermons that are like, this is the, well, we missed you in church last Sunday. You know what Hebrews says? It says, don't forsake the assembling of yourself together. Right? Kind of a pointed look.
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Well, it is but it's way below the rest of this. This is a tertiary point. This should be the place where we love to be and love to get together because it's a place what? Of encouragement. Not forsaken on assembling of ourselves together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another.
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This ought to be a place where you come to get filled up so you can just go about life pouring out, right? Encouraging one another and so much the more as we see that great mighty day of the Lord approaching. We're closer today than we were yesterday to that. So, those three let us statements or let us draw near, let us hold fast the confession without wavering and let us consider how to stimulate one another love and good deeds. I've got ten minutes to teach this extreme warning.
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There's a warning. This warning says, it really is Christ or judgement. Those are the two options. Either it's on you and you fail or it's on Jesus and he succeeds. And in Jesus, we succeed.
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If it's on us, we fail. It's either Christ or judgement. That's what this warning says. Warren Weirs being his understated way says, this is a solemn exhortation and it is. It's solemn because it's there's a gravity to it but
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Speaker 3it
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Speaker 1is an encouragement to the good which is what an exhortation is. So, if we let this sit and that's where I'm going to stop is after the solemn exhortation. If we let it sit on us, we will come to a place of either saying, yes, lord, I agree with you about my sin and I want for you to take it away. Yes, lord, I agree with you about your plan for my life and I want to walk in the way you show me or you'll say no but you'll know which camp you sit in, okay? You either are under the old covenant and will fail or you're under the new covenant and will succeed because of Christ.
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So, here we go. Solemn exhortation for if we go on sinning willfully defiantly, willfully. If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. There's not like you can go and make a a new sacrifice once and for all, blood of Jesus. If you say you believe it, you have to trust in it and if he's your lord, you let him have it.
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The sin. You don't willfully go against what you know God is leading to do. I I I said willfully, that's one thing and from numbers 15, we see this Old Testament, Old Covenant, the person who does anything defiantly or willfully, rebelliously, whether he's native or alien, the one that is blaspheming the Lord, open, rebellion, progressive continuance, and that person shall be cut off from among his people because he has despised the word of the Lord and he's broken his commandment willfully, I should add. That person shall be completely cut off. His guilt will be on him.
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That's why I say, Old Covenant says, it's on you. If you break the law, you broke the law. That's the way it goes. Is there any way to make yourself right? There's some sacrifices that you need to do for ignorant or misguided but for open rebellion against God, there is no sacrifice.
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Hebrews 10 says, for if we go on sinning, that's willfully. After receiving knowledge of truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins and it is about sin. I know that's an unpopular thing in our culture but it is about sin and if you're sitting here in your churchy church, I grew up in church. I've been in church since nine months before I was born. I hardly ever missing a Sunday or Wednesday, right?
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You know, and so, I'm speaking to myself. If you start thinking, well, I'm not a murderer or an adulterer or a pornographer and I'm not somebody who dwells on those sins. We all know our sins. Well, listen to James. James four seventeen says, therefore, the one who knows to do the right thing and does not do it to him at sin.
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It's not just that you do bad things. It's that you don't do the good things you know you ought to do. So does that get everybody? Okay, it gets us all. So if we go on sinning willfully and I wanna mention something else.
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When I was a safety consultant way back when and I was teaching in sawmills and factories and all that, and when I go in, an OSHA violation for somebody, for a business owner that has an infraction against the OSHA rules, the highest that the government is supposed to be able to charge is $7,000 per infraction, $7,000. But if it's a willful violation, you've been told, you know it, and you still did it wrong, it's 10 times that. So yeah, if I told a forklift driver, hey, you're supposed to do whatever. There's one seat on that thing, only one behind ought to be on that thing, right? I write it up in a report.
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And then OSHA comes back later and says, hey, we caught two guys on the forklift and you've been told it's 70,000 versus $7,000 of fine. And I think that's true. You know that with parents, right? If if your kid slips into something accidentally and they do something that's wrong, it's a it's a there might be a consequence. But if they rebelliously defi absolutely want to do something that you've expressly told them not to do.
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It's at least 10 times, right? Yeah. How much more? So, if we go on sinning willfully or we said, you know what? God, I've given you 94% of my life but I have 6% that I really like of my own stuff.
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This is the this is the little area or just 2% that I'm going to hold on to. These sins I'll take these and I'll keep these for myself and I'll harbor these. I'm I'm going to be good 94% of the time or 98% of the time but these things, nobody else will know. It'll be fine. That's a willful sin.
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It's holding on to something that God's expressly told us. It's bad for us. It's not just that it's wrong and it's against him which it is but that it's bad for us. If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins. But what does remain?
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A terrifying expectation of judgment. Y'all know me as a mercy guy? This is the word of God. If you go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of truth, what remains is a terrifying expectation of judgment and beyond that, Old Testament, quote, the fury of fire which will consume God's enemies or adversaries. Isaiah says, oh Lord, your hand is lifted up and yet they do not see it.
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How many people are going on sinning or not doing what they ought to do? And They don't see it. They don't see anything coming because it's not coming. You don't don't necessarily get immediate retribution. Oh Lord, your hand is lifted up and yet they do not see it.
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They see your zeal for the people. They're put to shame. Indeed, your fire will devour your enemies. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. This was still happening in the days of Jesus, right?
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This was still happening among the Jews when this was written to those Hebrews. They caught somebody in the act in in the gospels, you might think of Jesus when they brought the woman caught in adultery in John, right? There had to be two or three witnesses to that but they brought her out and they were the witnesses and they had the stones and anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. That comes from Deuteronomy. The second statement of the law, Deuteronomas.
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On the evidence of two or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. He shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness and that is again in Deuteronomy 19. A single witness shall not rise up. So, it wasn't that one person could accuse and that was enough but two or three could and that was enough. Somebody could be stoned because of two or three witnesses.
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Now, if they were lying, they were to come under judgement about two or three other people and this just builds. It's on you and judgement is carried out by your peers. Woah. Single witness shall not rise up against any man on account of iniquity or any sin which he's committed but on the evidence of two or three witnesses, a matter shall be confirmed. If you think about New Testament where it says, where two or three are gathered in your name, lord, there are you in the midst.
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Now, if we think about that, that's a small church gathering that not many people come to. We say, oh, two or three are gathered. We're going to just God's right here among us. The context of that verse though is about church discipline. That's always a hard thing because we do, it's time for judgement to begin with the house of the Lord, right?
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Two or three witnesses confirm a matter. How much severer than a punishment do you think he will deserve who is trampled underfoot, the son of God? If this is a warning from the writers of Hebrews, they're saying that just upon two or three witnesses, that's not almighty God seeing it happen. Two or three witnesses carry out the execution and then they have to deal with God. But think about this New Testament.
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God sees everything. He knows our hearts. He knows everything about us and how much severe then do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the son of God. Saying that the sacrifice of Jesus was not enough. Actually, it goes on to say and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified.
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It is knowing the truth and then shrinking back and saying, but I'm going to do it on my own. I'm going to take this upon me. I'll trust Jesus for salvation because I don't want hell but I'm on my own on the whole sanctification thing. I'll deal with this. I'll do what I want to do.
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I love this simple statement and I I want it to hang in the air a little bit that you can say either yes lord or you can say no but you can't say no lord. Because if he's your lord, you say yes. Yes, lord. Yes, lord. Yes, yes, lord.
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Don't regard as unclean the blood of the covenant by which you are sanctified and don't insult the spirit of grace and has insulted the spirit of grace. If God sees and knows everything that you've ever done and he sees the iniquity of us all and he has said that if you will call out to me, I will say. If you will ask me, I will sanctify you. Freely, freely, he will give grace. Because there's no other way.
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We we owe a debt we cannot pay. He says, I'll put it on Jesus. I'll put it on him and so, don't insult that spirit of grace for we know experientially sight. We have seen and know him, God who said, vengeance is mine, I will repay. Vengeance is mine, I will repay.
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God doesn't miss anything and either we will be justly condemned or will be mercifully forgiven. Those are the two options. If you call out for to be mercifully forgiven, you will be because that's the way that God made. Don't shrink back to this. Vengeance is fine and retribution in due time, their foot will slip.
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You know the great awakening? The great awakenings that happened in The US in the seventeen hundreds. Part of the great awakening was centers in the hands of an angry God, Jonathan Edwards sermon. You know the text for that? It was your foot will slip in time.
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He got that whole sermon from your foot will slip in time and it's drawn from this and something else from the Psalms but vengeance is mine and retribution in due time, their foot will slip because we are unstable and if it's on us, we fail. For the day of their calamity is near and the impending things are hastening upon them. We take this when we are of a right mind, we take vengeance as mine, say it the Lord to say, but that vengeance will not fall on me because I have trusted in the blood of Jesus. If I have other people who are speaking ill of me, I can trust that God will repay or God will forgive and I'm good with either. I'm good with either one.
1:00:03
Either God will repay the evil that they have done or God will forgive them and we will become brothers and sisters in Christ and that's okay with me. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God for it's written vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. If you go on from there and again, the Lord will judge his people and that's from Deuteronomy again. For the Lord will vindicate his people. That says, he will judge and know who is his person or he who are his people.
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He will separate the sheep and goats. He is the one that is doing the judging. But the writer of Hebrews is saying, examine your life and see if you are of the faith. Are you shrinking back to the old covenant where it's on you and you're trying to do it and going to fail or are you trusting the blood of Christ and walking it out daily in humility looking to him? This is the closing verse for today.
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Welcome to church. Closing verse is this, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Consider that God is all powerful, almighty. He has made a way that we can be saved. He has shown us the way that we can attempt to be right but we will fail.
1:01:23
So, has made a way. He pointed us to that way with the law and we can see it in Christ and we can live it. We can live out the fulfillment of it in Christ. He has made a way. Other than that, it's on you and it's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
1:01:45
It should scare us. It should scare us that we might slip back and writer of Hebrews has already said that. Can I end right there and just let it set? Next week, we'll go to this. 10:32 through thirty nine and this is an encouraging confirmation but I I'll get there.
1:02:04
I'll get there. We'll do that next week, alright? I don't I don't think judgement does not come up quite honestly. Judgement does not come up in the New Testament nearly as much as mercy. Doesn't come near but it's just as true, okay?
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It's just as true and we need to sit on that for a little while. So, that's what we're going to do. Judy, you're going to come up? What do you have to close with? Follow that.
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Rock of ages. Perfect. This is this is the way God has made. Would you stand up and Scott, would you come on up and join? We're going sing Rock of Ages.
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Cleft for me. Yes, lord or no. Those are the two responses.
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Speaker 3Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee let the water and the blood from thy wounded thy womb be of sin the double cured
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Speaker 1Well, that was the perfect ending to that. This is the end of next week's sermon, okay? This is the end of next week's sermon. So, there is an encouraging confirmation in there but I want you to sit with, am I living the life that Jesus has given me or am I insisting on my own way? Now, the writer of Hebrews ends this way, this chapter, oh boy, it's gone.
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But we are not of those who shrink back. Say it, Blake. To the preserving of the soul. Amen. Thank you and now, may the good lord bless and keep you and make his face to shine upon you.
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May you recognize his face. May you recognize his light and may you reflect it onto all of those around you. Would you give him everything this week and see what he does through you, brothers. In Jesus name, amen.
