Consider Jesus
First B Jackson
2019-08-11

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

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I'm going to hand this one off to Scott. Would you all stand with me? We'll sing folks in. We'll either sing em in or out. One or the other.

If you'll stand up, some of them will fly away. I'll fly away. It's hymn number seven seventy nine. Sing it with gusto and enthusiasm if you mean it, alright? Some

glad morning when this life is all fly away

Amen. Amen. Thanks, Judy. You're warmed up this morning. Yeah.

How great thou art. Hymn number 147. It's hard not to cross that hill up above the fish hatchery there and see that side and not think of this song. How great thou art? Would you sing it?

Sing it with me. We're going to sing all of them that come up on that wall.

Oh Lord my God I hear the rolling thunder thy power through how the universe display then sings my soul my savior God and forest glades I wander and hear the birds swing sweetly in the trees. When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and hear the brood and feel the gentle breeze then sings my soul my to thee how great thou and when I think that God his son not sparing sent him to die I scarce can take it in that on the cross soul, my savior God to thee, how great thou art, how great art, then sings my soul, my savior God to thee when Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home what joy shall fill my heart and sings my soul my savior God to thee how great thou art

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. Have a few announcements this morning. We've got Monday nights at First B happening. Big surprise, Monday night.

That's tomorrow night at First Baptist right here down in the fellowship hall. It'll be meal, music, and a message. Carl, what is it? That's right. Tomorrow is Mexican food night.

Felix and Guadalupe are cooking. So, it'll be tamales for the meal, music, and message tomorrow night. Perfect. Songs and Psalms today, today are tamale. Yes, sorry.

Tamale, it is. If you would like to give through old bills to First B's benevolence fund, you can certainly do that. I just put this up here to be a reminder for us. It's coming up the first full weekend in September. What we do with those funds is we can say yes when people are having trouble or difficulty, we are able to be benevolent of goodwill towards that.

So, that happens soon and you can be given that way if you'd like to. First B is having a camp out. August at, it's actually the twenty third and the twenty fourth. Night of the twenty third and twenty fourth. If you want to come up for a little bit or for the whole time, I'm planning on spending all day Saturday, myself up there.

I have other engagements for some of the other time. Sunday morning be in the meantime. Have something to do next that Sunday morning but if you want to go up, Culture Bay Group Site Number 6. It is going to it's big enough for 100 people to be there. So, we'd love to have as many as we'll go, go up and we're planning on doing a Saturday morning kind of a worship time and a and a Saturday evening bit of worship too.

We'll let you know more the closer we get. First, be camp out. You can talk to Brian McCooey if you want to know more or call the office. Nancy, you're back there. Dan is back there.

There's a microphone right here. He's got it. Dan, commander Dan and Dansy, Tolleson,

there you are. One month from now, I wanna starts back up. We were just talking in the foyer, I think, for, like, the twenty fourth year in a row in Jackson. We're the only church in the valley that hosts it. And while Carl is bringing the word down the hall in this room, the Holy Spirit's doing really powerful things in the hearts of kids.

We've got 50 to 80 kids every Monday night eager to hear from adults God's word and the gospel. We have volunteers that come and go. The Lord is always faithful to provide the number of volunteers that we need, but we're always actively recruiting volunteers as well. So if you want to get involved where the Lord is already moving and have an opportunity to share the gospel with kids who are eager to hear it, this is where you should be, and we would love to have you helping out. Sitting with kids, listening to them, memorize their Bible verses, teaching to a large group of kids, Bible stories and Bible truths, or in this room, we transform this room into a circle of games and the kids are running around playing competitive games and and we need a new game leader this year.

So, come and talk to us if you're interested in more information.

And we're growing the Awana ministry, which is awesome. We have a lot of little ones coming up in our church and typically ours... What are we gonna do with ours during this time? Well, we are starting a puggle. So if y'all heard of Awana and are familiar with it, it's always been, ages three through 11 or 12.

It's basically preschool through fifth grade or sixth grade, some kids wanna join. So we're gonna start a two and three year old little ministry, and, basically, we're just gonna sing songs and have a lot of fun down there. But the the purpose of it was to have a vibrant nursery down there. So we're gonna have infants obviously welcome, and we'll have a bunch of the sixth graders want to run the puggles. So we're gonna have a lot of fun downstairs, and this is a ministry to the families because we want young families to be able to go out on a date on Monday nights and just know that there's a consistent child care, at first be.

And we want them to be able to do their grocery shopping if they worked all day and they're exhausted or worship without little ones at their feet. So we just wanna be consistent and there to love on their little ones and, be a part of that. So if you have a heart for nursery aged kids up till three that we need, we're starting this fresh, and we need a a lot of help. So, yeah, that's it.

Cool. Thank you very much. Love the Awana program. Y'all do a great job with that. Let's connect our thank you, Dan and Dancy.

There are sign ups and they're down the hall kind of right next to the fellowship hall. There's a table set up and you can talk talk to Nancy and Dan anytime about it but there are also registration to register the kids and if you'd like to sign on to say, hey, give me more information about this, you can do that at the other end of the hall. Connect hour happens between services every Sunday between the first service and the second and I feel like there's something that I've forgotten but if I did, it will be in your bulletin. I'm confident of that. One more sort of an impromptu one that this morning in the first service, I said, did I forget anything?

And Yvonne Woods stood up and she said, she wanted to let the whole church know that in the kids program here in Sunday school last week, excuse me a second. Last Sunday was the third anniversary of Bonnie Woods passing and so Hayden, her son was with them last week and he accepted Christ in the Sunday school last week and Crystal got made the call to her and that's when they shared that this was kind of coincidental on the day of the third anniversary of Bonnie's death. He enters into new life. So, I just wanted to pass that on before I say, hey, we love y'all. Glad and thankful for all that you do for the kingdom of God.

Would you stand up and greet one another and we will bring you back together with a song. Do

you want to sing anything?

Great is the Lord he is holy and just by his power we trust in his love great is the Lord he is faithful and true by his mercy he proves he is love great is the Lord and worthy glory great is the Lord and worthy of praise great is the Lord now lift up your voice now lift up your voice the Lord. Let's sing it again. Great is the Lord he is faithful and true by his mercy he proves his love great is the Lord and worthy of glory great is the Lord and worthy of praise great are your lord I lift up my voice I lift up my voice are you lord are you lord

Amen. There are all kinds of DS Alcota optional endings on my paper up here but that wall, when it stops, shall stop.

That's that's not.

Very good. Holy holy. We don't

have to

tell em everything, do we? Okay. That's right.

Holy holy. Not to be confused with holy, holy, holy. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty holy, holy, gracious father, gracious father, we're so blessed to be your precious precious

Y'all can have a seat and I'm going to invite the frontline team to come forward. Would y'all pray with me? God, we thank you for this day. We thank you for this beautiful morning. Thank you for the sounds of life all around us, lord.

We are so thankful and we come to this time at this time in the service. Lord, we come to the time where we give back a portion of what you've given us. Lord, because we trust you and we want to see your will done in your way. We want for your kingdom to advance and so lord, we we are investing in the gospel's advance right now. Would you spread your word to the ends of the earth in your manner?

However, you would like to see that happen lord but we want to be part of your plan A. There's no plan B. Obedient servants, bow to your will. We pray lord that you would advance your gospel through our actions, through our lives, through our resources. We ask for a blessing on this that you would multiply it to do your kingdom's work.

Jesus name. Amen. Thank you, Judy. So, good morning. Hebrews three, that's what we've made it up to so far.

We've been doing a chronological study six and a half years of the New Testament. We've been going through, we went through life of Jesus in the book of John which is a later book written around 9095, about ninety five AD. We went through that first. Then, we went through Acts, the life of the early church, the life of Jesus, life of the early church and then since then, we've been going as best we can tell in the order of the books were written and we're up to about '66, 6seven somewhere around in there. AD, the book of Hebrews is just amazing.

It's so, so, so, so good and this week, studying through and looking ahead in the text and looking back in the text and really concentrate on this one paragraph. I've just been blown away again by how good God is. So, Hebrews three one through six, I'm excited about it. It's a nice, little, perfect unit. Now, there will be plenty of going on after this for the rest of these nine chapters but this one, it's a nice little compact unit and so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus.

That's where we ended last week. I stopped halfway through verse one. Told Blake, scrap the rest of em. We're out of time. We'll come back to it next week.

This is the New Living Translation of Bible and I usually use New American Standard or ESV but I'll go to it. I want do something this morning. In order to think carefully about Jesus, I'm thinking, we're going to do this. I want to read the entire text beforehand. Usually, I don't do that.

Usually, y'all see it unfold just a piece of a sentence at a time unless you're reading in your own Bible, you don't know exactly where it's going from what I say up here but this one, I want you to have a chance to soak it in for just a second. So, we're reading the New Living First and then I want to come back bit by bit, take it, not word for word, pretty much. Word for word, phrase by phrase, all the way through. Just six verses. Out of the New American Standard and looking at some Greek word order and stuff and so dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God's messenger and high priest.

God's messenger and high priest. We'll come back to that. Those that's kind of a dual role. It's and there. It's not not just two different names for the same guys.

It's two different roles of Jesus. For he, Jesus was faithful to God who appointed him just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God's entire house or household but Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses. Remember, this is Hebrews. He's writing to the Hebrews, Pros Hebreas or the authors writing to the Hebrews and says, remember though that Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses. That's a big deal.

Just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder but the one who built everything is God. Moses was certainly faithful in God's house as a servant. It's Hebrews, like I said, don't say anything about Moses, bad most about Moses, don't say anything bad about him at all but it does elevate Christ based on Moses already glorious position. His work was an illustration of the truth that God would reveal later and amen to that.

That is true but Christ as the son is in charge of God's entire house and we are God's house. If we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. Amen. God, would you help us understand your word and would you help us come back to this place in all of our consideration of Jesus where we place him in our lives and in our minds, in our hearts, and what position we give to your good and gracious, merciful son. For living the life that he lived and dying the death that he chose voluntarily to take on it on the behalf of all who would put their trust in him.

In Jesus name, would you reveal your will to us this morning through your word. Amen. Hebrews three one through six. New American Standard this time and I am going to pick it apart. Therefore, okay, I'm a preacher.

So, therefore, what are you supposed to do? See what is there for. Problem is in Hebrews, everything connects to everything else. It is, you know, some things are really compartmentalized and then other things are like noodles. They just touch on every, that's the way Hebrews is to me.

Everything is connected together. It is linear and that it has therefore and if you go back and see what that's there for, there's another therefore and if you go back to that, it's another therefore and then it goes back and there's some another conjunction. So, I told the first service this morning rather than just ramping up by reading a couple of scriptures, I want to go back a little further and I want to be like a half pipe. We're on a skateboard together, okay? We're dropping in together this morning from a little further back so that therefore, this is the paragraph or two, three preceding it but I'm not going to preach it.

I'm just going to say it. I'm going to read it. For it was fitting for him, that's Jesus. For it was fitting for Jesus for whom are all things and through whom are all things and bringing many sons to glory to perfect the author of their salvation, the pioneer of their salvation through sufferings for both he who sanctifies, that's Jesus and those who are sanctified, that's everyone who has put their faith in him. Bow to his will.

Are all from one father for which reason he, Jesus, is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters saying, I will proclaim your name to my brethren. In the midst of the congregation, I will sing your praise. That's a reference to Psalm 22. And again, I will put my trust in him. That's Isaiah eight seventeen and again, behold, I and the children whom God has given me.

It's Isaiah spoke that in eight eighteen but he's speaking it saying, this is Jesus. Behold, I and the children whom God has given me. We will do that. Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood and that's all humans share in this that they have flesh and blood. Since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself, that's Jesus, likewise, also, partook of the same.

He left the glories of heaven. He emptied himself of his divine rights to be able to come to Earth, found in appearance and acting actually as a man. Yet was without sin. He partook of the same that through death, he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all of their lives. For assuredly, he does not give help to angels.

This isn't a part of Hebrews that is about how Christ is superior to angels. Angels are messengers and they carry a message and that message is Christ is exalted. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty. That's what they're singing continually. For surely, he does not give help to angels but he gives help to the descendants of Abraham and the descendant of Abraham is one who believes.

Abraham believed God. It was imputed to him as righteousness. Therefore, and this is right before our text. This is the immediate context. Therefore, he, Jesus, had to be made like his brothers and sisters in all things so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest.

I told you we're coming back to that and we will again. A high priest is one who makes a way for unworthy men and women to be able to have oneness with ultimately worthy, absolutely worthy God. A high priest is the one who makes that mediation between. Therefore, he had to be made like his brother in all things so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest. He knows what it's like to live.

In human flesh. In things pertaining to God, to make propitiation, that is to make the actual payment for the sins of the people. Verse 18, for since he himself was tempted and tried and that which he has suffered, he is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. Amen. We serve a great and mighty God but he knows what it's like.

Therefore, holy brethren, holy brethren. It's the only time in the Bible where it says, holy brethren, right there together. We're called holy in a lot of places and we're called brothers and sisters which brethren is brothers and sisters unless it's limited by context. If it says, brethren, guys, do this or men do that. It's holy brothers and sisters.

Right there together, Adel Foy Hagioi. It's brothers and sisters that are holy. Therefore, holy brother, comma, partakers of a heavenly calling. That's an a positive. So, those two things are the same people.

It's not like it's two different sets of people. If I were to say, pick somebody at random. It's not at random if I pick somebody, is it? Scott Humphrey, comma, the cowboy singer, okay? That's Scott Humphrey and then that's what he does.

This is partakers of the heavenly calling is one name for those of us who are the holy brethren and why are we that? Well, because of Jesus but let's get to that in a minute. It's the same group of people. Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus. Consider Jesus.

Think carefully about this Jesus is what the New Living Translation says and that this Jesus is because the word order in the Greek is emphatic about Jesus and so this Jesus is what they had. This is consider Jesus and then after that, the apostle, New Living, it said messenger. Apostle emphasizes that he was sent out. Apostolized means someone who is sent post office. We get our word for postal from this word.

It's one who is sent out and the high priest, I just mentioned what the high priest was at, one who makes the mediation and atonement. He knows the righteous requirement of God for expiating or propitiating the sins of the people. Consider Jesus, the one who is sent out by God and he is the one, the only hope that we have, the high priest of our confession. I want you to consider the word order right here because I think it's beautiful. It's kind of a rhetorical device.

Y'all know all of what we talk about kiosk construction, all kinds of other stuff. I just think it's beautiful. I'm going to use the Greek word order with the English words right here. So, brethren holy, brothers and sisters, holy. Partakers of a calling, heavenly.

Consider the apostle and high priest of our confession. Now, that's one thing. The apostle and high priest, that's one thing. It's dual roles but it's it's it's one person and then, very emphatically at the end of this, Jesus. Now, it's to the Hebrews.

How many Joshua's do you think there were around there? They wanted you to know the job of this particular one and these this was written to Christians. It was written to people. What's also funny is to say consider, we might think of this as a verse that's an evangelistic verse. So, we go out to somebody and you say, have you considered Jesus?

Right? Have you considered Jesus? Your life is in a shambles and you don't have any way of paying for your sin. Consider Jesus. He's the only way.

Well, that's great. Evangelistically, that does work but that's not what this says. It says, holy, brethren, brethren, holy, partakers of a calling. Heavenly, y'all have already decided this. You already said, yes, I'll go with that.

That's Jesus. If that's the way God made, he's the way, the truth, and life. I believe that. It's still saying to you, consider it today. Consider Jesus.

In everything you do, consider him. Keep him central. He's the apostle sent from God. He's the high priest. He's our only chance.

So, it's a do, it's looking at it from sent by God and needed by man. This is the, he is the only way between. Jesus, this Jesus. The verb is at the very center of the names for us to to, you know, our who we are in Jesus and then the the names of what he is with his name. No doubt about it.

Jesus named it. And sorry. Is the heiress active imperative if you want to know, alright? Here, heiress imperative from in second person plural. So, that is y'all be doing this and here's the explanation of it.

Properly, it is to think of it from up to down. Kata means down or according to and then no e o is about the thinking of the mind. Meta no e o is a turnaround. It's repentance. It's meta no e o to turn and change your thinking.

This is consider or properly think about it up and down all the way through to a conclusion but it requires a conclusion. Think about it all you want to but come down on this solid consider Jesus. To consider exactly and attentively but also decisively. It's not like, well, I consider it a little more tomorrow. Maybe.

I guess he's one of the ways probably. Everybody else is telling me, no, no, no, no, no. You consider it and this author of Hebrews is saying, based on Old Testament, based on everything that you know him and the Holy Spirit, prompting and illuminating his word, consider it exactly and attentively all the way to decisively, concentrate by fixing one's thinking to perceive clearly. So, when it comes down to it, expresses real comprehension that has come down to a decision. Thinking decisively decidingly to a definite and clear understanding.

By God's grace, you can concentrate on Jesus. So, I'd say carefully consider. I like that. Carefully consider all the way through to a conclusion. Brethren, brothers and sisters, holy ones that have already chosen him, already decided he is the way.

Partakers, since you're partaking and he has made the way up, we're actually going into a time where we're going to partake of communion in remembrance of the sacrifice that Jesus made. Carefully consider in every area of your life. The apostle, one sent from God, the high priest, the one that can make a difference and did of our confession, Jesus. He was faithful. He was absolutely faithful.

He was faithful to him who appointed him. So, God said, go and Jesus went. The spirit was leading and he was consciously in submission to the spirit all the way throughout his whole earthly life. So, he was faithful to him who appointed him. Jesus was faithful to God who appointed him.

Jesus. I'm putting that up there because pronouns sometimes get confusing for people. Jesus was faithful to God who appointed Jesus and then it says, as Moses also was in all his house, his house is God's house. In all of God's house, Moses was also faithful and for a good old Southern Baptist from Georgia with a high high Christology, I look at that and I go, how in the world could you even blaspheme like that? Because it says, just as Moses was faithful just as Jesus was folded.

Well, I'm twenty centuries later and pros Hebreos. This is not, this was written to the Hebrews. The people who put Moses as high as could be put, right? He was the highest. So, Jesus was faithful to God who appointed Jesus as Moses or just as Moses in the New Living.

It said, just as or in the same way that Moses also was in all of God's house. Now, that puts an equal sign right there. Jesus is faithful just like Moses is and that says equals and that make my heart fluttering. I don't like it because I read about Moses. Moses had a couple of instances where I just look at him and go, God didn't let him enter the promised land.

We'll get to the Old Testament quotations about this stuff next week but I look at this 20 centuries removed and I think of and I go, wow, that's but the reason that I think so highly of Jesus is because of what this goes on to say. For he has been counted worthy. Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses. Amen. Hebrews one four through 14, the summary of that section was, Jesus is better than the angels.

You know, over and over and over and over in Hebrews, we'll see Jesus is better than the angels. Jesus is better than Moses. Jesus is better than the old sacrificial system. Jesus is better than that. It's Jesus is better than all the way through.

So, the first part was Jesus is better than the angels. In this section right here for the next few verses is Jesus is better than Moses and there will be a lot of Old Testament quotes to bolster that argument. Jesus is better than Moses. He says so flatly but look at why he had

to say

so, okay? This is numbers 12 and in numbers 12, Aaron and Miriam have begun to think, well, didn't God speak through us too? They're brother and sister to Moses. There's a little sibling rivalry going on there and they're like, and the murmuring about Moses. That's what they're murmuring because of the way God has been using Moses and then in verse five, that's a little summary of verse one through four.

Then, the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and he stood at the doorway of the tent and he called Aaron and Miriam. Can you imagine the scene? The tabernacle, the tent of meeting. He's standing outside in a pillar of smoke and he calls them out, Aaron and Miriam and when they had both come forward, he said, hear now my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make myself known to him in a vision and I shall speak with him in a dream.

Not so with my servant, Moses. Moses is on a different plane. Not so with my servant, Moses. He is faithful in all my household. Where do think the writer of Hebrews picked that up right there?

He's faithful in all my household. With him, Moses, I speak mouth to mouth even openly and not in dark sayings and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant against Moses? That's heavy words from almighty God and he's put Moses on a I speak to this guy. He hears from me directly and yeah, there are some folks who will understand glimpses here and there but there's not anybody else like Moses.

That's numbers twelve five through eight if you want another reference. So, Hebrews three when it says in three, for he, Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses. If this is to the Hebrews, that's a big, big, big deal to them because they're not anybody like Moses. Actually, Moses said in Deuteronomy eight, Deuteronomy 18, he said, be looking for a prophet, someone like me, someone like me, who will speak for the Lord, the Taheb, Taheb, for he has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses. I don't think I have to explain glory.

But this picture helps, right? We think of glory and it's a sports saturated, you know, society and people are talking about the Denver Broncos. They're talking about baseball players or they're talking about people but the Olympics is where glory. There's a three tiered platform. It's gold, it's silver, and it's bronze and when you get the gold, right?

This guy's a ski jumper. I think that's funny. We don't have to explain that there are gold, silver, and bronze. Which one's the best? Gold, more glory.

Silver? Silver is the hardest one to have. Bronze is glad you got a medal. Gold you won. Silver is like if I'd only been one one hundredth for a second faster, I would have more glory than that guy.

Doesn't matter, you know? So... But more glory. If you think about it that way. If you look it up on the Google, this is what you'll come up with.

High renown or honor won by notable achievements. Oh, Moses had some pretty notable achievements and he deserves high honor. He does. Renowned, fame, prestige, honor, distinction, kudos, eminence, preeminence, acclaim, acclamation, celebrity, praise, accolades, laurels, recognition, note, notability, credit, repute, reputation, name, illustriousness, luster. You could go on and hit more in there about this many down below that.

Magnificence or great beauty. Both of those definitions fit Jesus very very well and a lot of those things fit Moses very well too. When he says that he has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, for us, we go, yeah, of course, he's Jesus but for them, they look at it and go, what's my temptation? My temptation is to go back to the law of who? The law of Moses that came down from Sinai.

I know there are six thirteen laws that I can't keep exactly. 10 commandments and then everything that came after it and I have been trying to do that and then I saw Jesus offering freedom and life and liberty and I came over to this but now, how do I keep on living this life? Consider Jesus carefully and definitively and decisively all the way to the end and stick with this. Don't go back to that. That's what the writer of Hebrews is saying.

For he's been counted worthy of more glory than Moses. You're never going to live up to all of those standards but all of those standards point you towards Christ who deserves the glory and give it to him and follow after him in humility. He's making the case. He's never says anything bad about Moses by the way. The whole time, this writer never says anything bad about Moses.

By just so much as, this is this is the description. Jesus is better than Moses but just so much as the builder of a house has more honor than the house. Okay. So, an architect or a builder who builds a house and I see architects and builders actually in here right now. They have a a heartbeat and a soul and a handshake and craftsmanship and all the other stuff that goes into being able to build a house.

They have the ability to do that but a house is just a house. House burns down, build another house. That soul is that soul. It's either going to live forever. It's going to be in torment forever.

It's it matters. It's eternal and houses are temporal. He's making this just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. I want to mention something. Here he says church but it's a little paragraph out of Matthew.

I want you to think about it though. Now, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea, Philippi, he was asking his disciples, who do people say that son of man is? And they said, well, some say John the Baptist and others, Elijah but still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets and he said to them, but who do you say that I am? Who do you, my disciples, ones who've been following me around for the last little while here, who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter, impetuous one, speaks up right off the bat and he says, you're the Christ.

You're the son of the living God. And Jesus said to him, blessed it, blessed are you, Simon Barjoni. Called him by his old name right there. Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, son of Jonah. Because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my father, who is in heaven.

I also say to you that you are Peter, that's his new name and upon this rock, the rock is the foundation. Upon this rock, I will build my church. The foundation is, you're the Christ. His confession of it. He's the apostle and high priest of our confession and this is that confession.

You're the Christ, son of the living God. If you've chosen him because the all of this points towards Messiah and you see Jesus as him, that's the foundation upon which he will build his house. His house is the church. The Ecclesia called out ones. Everyone who receives or partakes of the heavenly calling and everyone that is made holy because of his righteousness.

Simon Peter answered, you're the Christ, son of the living God and Jesus said, blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my father, who is in heaven, I'll also say that you're Peter, and upon this wrath, I'll build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower. Gates are defensive by the way. We crash in the gates of hell proclaiming that Christ is Jesus, son of the living God. So, just so much as the builder, Christ said he would build his church and he has. He has been building it before during his earthly life and after.

By just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone. That's a good point. Houses don't build themselves. Every house is built by somebody.

Doesn't it imply the presence of a house implies that there was a builder? It doesn't just happen. For every house is built by someone but the builder of all things is God. Actually, all that is or all things didn't just happen either. That's a little sideline point but creation implies that there was a creator.

How is it that how great thou art? That's what you sing when you go up the hill, right? You see that? You go, goodness. Wow.

Gracious God. Worthy of glory. Wow. That's just a mountain. Think about the one who made that mountain.

It's mind blowing. Now, like I said, everything in Hebrews is connected. For every house is built by someone but the builder of all things is God. Now, Moses. Back to Moses.

Moses was faithful in all his house. Deuteronomy said so. I mean, a number said so. Now, Moses was faithful in all his house as a servant. Oh, there's a key right there.

Moses was faithful but he was faithful as a servant. For a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later and we'll talk about that. Next week, actually, we'll hit the quotes about the people who are wandering in the wilderness with Moses as their leader but everything that was written about Moses in the Old Testament points toward what would be happening in the New Covenant. The Old Covenant stuff points toward that and it is a testimony of the things. We know a lot about God and his character because of what happened with those wilderness wanderings.

Their testimony of those things which were to be spoken later but Christ was faithful as a son over his house. So, we have Moses as a servant and we have Christ as a son. Over God's house. This is important. I used an example this morning.

I kind of hesitated to use it but I'm going to use it again. I, my name is Ray McDaniel. Raymond Wade McDaniel. Named for both my grandfathers, my grandfather on the McDaniel side was Raymond Rex McDaniel and he was a sawmiller on the sawmill and we all worked there. I figured that I would work there when I finished high school that I'd just start doing that.

In sawmilling, you know, you buy a tract of land, you cut the timber off of sometimes you keep the land. He had land. He had quite a bit of land in this kind of a low land value part of Georgia, rural Georgia and we would rent out the land for a hunting lease to help pay the taxes on it, you know? And so, these folks from Atlanta would rent the land out or lease the land out and come down and they hunted on the land. It wasn't their land though.

They just had some rights. It was limited rights to the land but we were in the family. It was written into a contract. We, I was a son, grandson, but I was a son of that family and so I had I had all the rights to the land and when they signed the lease, they knew that it's our land. Y'all are just kind of sojourning here during hunting season for a little while with some limited rights and they were serving land.

They actually did plan a few things and they did harvest a few things and they did help in some ways. Kept the bridges up and kept the roads up and they did some things to help out but they were just serving that land. It wasn't their land. Does this make sense? So, my brother about, I was about 12, 13 maybe and my brother's about 10 or 11 and he was down there and just playing with one of our first cousins, both of them grandsons of Raymond, Rex McDaniel, and and the guys were that were out there hunting did not like them being on the land at the same time and so with a gun, told my brother and my cousin, you don't need to be around here.

Get away from here, you know, ran them off and so they came back to town and saw my granddaddy and said, well, somebody run run us off. We called it the bottoms, the bottom land. He goes, somebody ran us off the bottoms down there, pop. He said, who was it? One of the hunters, I guess.

He had a gun. Told us, get on the way from there with a gun. Man, my granddaddy really mad. You know, it's his land but he didn't go and say anything to the guys. He just said, you going back down there right where you were, do right what you were doing.

You have every right to be there. He said, if you see those folks again, I don't care if they got a gun or not. He said, you tell him, I'm a McDaniel and can't you say sir to me?

You

have more rights as a son than you do as a servant. It's a completely different thing, right? Christ is a son. He serves faithfully as a son. Moses was a servant but he just part of the house.

He wasn't the builder of the house. He was just a part of the house. He might have been, he might have been a pretty important part of the house but he just part of the house and Christ is the builder of that house. Christ was faithful as a son over his house. Whose house?

We are. We are. Oh my. So we're a part of the son. We're a part of what Moses was a part of.

He was before Christ. We're after Christ. We're all looking to the Messiah. We're all looking for our prophet, priest, and king. We're looking towards Jesus and considering him carefully all the way through to a decision because the next thing is conditional.

His house, whose house we are? We are the house of God if if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Don't go back to this when this has always been pointing to this and yes, you're being persecuted now but this is right and good and the way and everything pointed forward to it changes all of human history, all of history. If we hold fast the confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Now, I'll come back to that.

That conditional statement is something that the writer of Hebrews is saying, I've told you to carefully consider this and resolve to stick with this Jesus. Now, we'll go into a time of communion because there is no other way that we get drawn into the Ecclesia called out ones, the church, or the house of God except for by the blood of Christ. So, if you are a believer in Jesus, I'm not asking you what flavor believer in Jesus you are. If you believe in Jesus, we are going to have communion right now. I'm going to invite the frontline team to come forward.

Imma ask a blessing. Judy, if you play something pretty, I might sing with you. We're going to first distribute the bread, the cracker here. It's just a little oyster cracker, a gluten free cracker in the little muffin cup. It's a representation of Christ's body, that life perfectly well lived, under trial and tribulation, he was tested but was without sin and so we're celebrating the life of Jesus and in the cup, we celebrate death, sacrificial death, and perfect record given on behalf of Christ to anyone who would believe.

He is both apostle and high priest. So, if you put your faith in Christ, you may partake of this table. Holy brother, partakers of the heavenly calling. Please do take. In Jesus name, lord, we ask your blessing on this little cracker representing the body of Christ.

It's a symbol but a meaningful symbol. Would you do that lord and bless each who receive and if there's someone here who does not believe, lord, I pray that you'd soften their hearts and you would embolden us who do to share in our actions, in our words, in a way that they can understand and see you for who you are and come to believe. Ask your blessing on this little crack. Amen.

There are things as we travel this earth shifting sands that transcend all the reason

and earth is no more I'll still play to that old rugged cross

and I believe that the Christ who was slain on that cross has the power to change lives today for he changed me completely a new life is mine that is why by the cross I will I believe in a hill called Mount Calvary I'll believe whatever the cost and when time has surrendered

Paul says that he delivered unto us just as he heard it and he also says that this is the way it went on the night before crucifixion. The evening that he was betrayed, he took bread after supper and after he given thanks, he broke it and he told his disciples, this is my body which is given for you. Take this and eat, do it as often as you will, and remember it's in me. Lord, we're thankful for that, for that body. We're thankful for your submission.

I think on that same very night, they were arguing over who would be the greatest in the kingdom and you began to gird yourself to wash their feet. Served us, lord. You served us well, sinlessly. It's equal footing at the ground of the cross where you voluntarily gave, shed your blood. So, none of us belong in this house but you have used us anyway.

Would you, lord? Bless this cup as we distribute it and each one who would partake lord and we ask that we would be a blessing to those who just have to let the cup pass because they do not yet trust you. In Jesus name, we bless this cup. Amen.

I believe that this life with its great mysteries surely someday will come to an end but faith will conquer the darkness and death and will lead me at last to my friend I believe in a hill called Mount Calvary the I'll Jesus there a precious fountain free to all healing stream flows from Calvary's Mountain in the cross in the cross be my

So, just like he'd taken the bread, he took the cup after supper and he told his disciples there and he speaks it forth to us today that this is the new covenant. This is the new covenant in his blood. This is not that old covenant that was conditional. This is the new covenant. In his blood and he told them and he tells us still today to take this and drink and do it as often as you will in remembrance.

Amen. Paul says that by doing that, by celebrating the life and the death of Jesus, we proclaim his death until he comes again and so, thank you frontliners. Would y'all stand and we're going to sing the benediction. I have a I have a spoken benediction at the end of the benediction. Would you play something afterwards?

That'd be great but let's just do a acapella.

Benediction. Praise God from whom all blessings flow praise him all creatures here below praise him above ye heavenly host praise father son and holy ghost

Amen and yet for us, there is but one God, the father, whom from whom all things came and for whom all for for whom we live and there is but one Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things came and through whom we live. That's first Corinthians eight six. Would you carefully consider this Jesus this week and everything you do, holy brethren and partakers of the heavenly calling. Consider Jesus. Amen.