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Hey. Good morning, everybody. How are you? It's good to see you today. Hey.
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Shall we stand up? We'll praise together. I've got a verse I wanna share, and we're we're gonna share it and then sing it. It's Psalm 34, taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him.
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Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him. Amen. I sought the Lord. Let's sing this together.
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I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from everything. Those who look on me are radiant. They'll never be ashamed. They'll never be ashamed. And this poor man cried.
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And the Lord heard me and saved me from my enemies. The son of God. Sir, I want you to say, will deliver them. He will deliver them. Magnify, magnify the Lord with me.
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Come exalt his day
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Oh, taste and see.
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Let's sing it out. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, blessed is he who hides in him. Oh, fear the Lord. Oh, all you sayings, he'll give you everything.
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He'll give you everything. Magnify. Magnify the Lord with me. The comings over these days
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And let's sing, let us bless the Lord.
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Let us bless the Lord every day and night, never ending praise. May our insins rise and let us bless the Lord every day and night, never end in praise. May our insins rise and let us bless them, though, every daynight, never end in praise. May our sins rise magnified in the Lord with me. The comic souls is there to
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Carl, if I didn't come in during the first song, would you do the announcements for me?
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I wouldn't know what to do. Yeah. I'd freeze.
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I don't believe it. They come up on the slide so you know what's happening. Monday nights at first b.
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Yeah. We're on tomorrow. Meal music message part six in a series of the power of words. How important encouragement truly is. So know that that you're invited.
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Doors are open at six.
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The power of words. It's been a really good study. Meal, music, and a message tomorrow night, 06:00 down the hall or Awana is happening in this room starting out in this room at least. The kids gather here and the volunteers gather here. We're pouring scripture into the minds of the kids to make it to their hearts.
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So, we could still use some volunteers, right? Always. Always. That's right. That's always the the case though.
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The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, right? So, Tanya is in Kenya right now. My wife is in Kenya. If you continue to pray for her, she's been sending back pictures and hopefully by the end of the sermon, some of those will have uploaded to our drop box and I'll be able to show you some of that but she is still there. Would you please?
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Oh, there are some there. Look at Blake. He's already on it. There's Tanya with a few precious little ones. That's a drum kit actually that we bought in February while we were there to help out with worship at the Mavuno Church that meets on their site.
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There are there are others. We'll get to em later. Community Bible study, would you stand up and engaging God's word? There's a microphone right here.
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Good morning, you guys. My name is Anne Stalker, and I am extending a fabulous, wonderful invitation to come and engage in God's word. It starts up this Wednesday during the morning. It's in your bulletin. Or Thursday night, it's a six week study on Galatians, and I'm really hoping you are there.
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Now I'm gonna do something. I'm gonna put you on the spot a little bit. Who here is already in a Bible study this fall that you love? Oh, cool. Love it.
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So I'm talking... So you all just please you can pray for me. You can pray for it. This other thing that's happening. But for the rest of you consider this.
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Cool. The Bible and engaging God's word comes together. It's all about transformation. It's about digging into the richness, the awesomeness, the radiance of God's word And, it takes you deeper, deeper, and deeper into a relationship with our living risen savior. So I would love to, invite you in.
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Just want to say one more thing. Last year, we did an eighteen week study on Hebrews, and, there was one gal who had her young life all figured out. She was... Had just finished her freshman year at a Mormon college. She was about to go on a Mormon mission, but then there was God.
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God arrived. And then she decided, because of an invitation, to come to the Hebrews study. And then God called her to go to YWAM in Oregon. And her her life just continued to change and change and change. So right before she left to go to Thailand, she wrote a letter to me, and it goes something like this.
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And I will continue to pray for engaging God's word created by community Bible study. I'm so excited to hear how it goes. Community Bible study is where my journey with God began, and I pray someone else gets to meet God there. I pray for such a God presence. I'm excited to hear all about it and how it goes.
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So I'm praying for a God parent presence too. I am praying that you guys who don't who didn't raise your hand that you say yes. So, I'll be at the back after we worship and enjoy all the teachings and I'll see you there.
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Amen. Thank you. Alright. So, that is one of the Bible studies that's being offered and it's a lot of companion groups that go along. There's a girl's Bible study meeting at the whole grocer community room at 04:00 on Wednesdays.
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Started last week. How's that going? It was awesome. Cool. It was awesome.
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Yeah, it was cool. That's perfect Bible study for junior high and high school girls is happening during Peak Children's Church during this service after the music. We got a precept study that's happening on Thursdays at 09:00 in the morning, nine sharp to 11:30 in the Fellowship hall. Youth group is on Sundays now. So, five to seven tonight is youth group.
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Mike B, you have anything special to add to that? Hearing five to seven right here. Okay, that's good. That's a moving target sometimes. They're all over the place.
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That's really good. Connect hours happen in between services and that's always fun. If we forgotten it is in the little paper bulletin that you got coming in and if you didn't get one coming in, you're welcome to grab one coming out and you can see what else is going on. Is there another one? Blake Yes Would you all stand and greet one another?
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Thank you, Blake.
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The the whole earth with holy thunder, who leaves us spreading in our in wonder, the king of glory, the king above all kings. And this is amazing grace. This is amazing grace. This is unfailing love. That you take my face, that you would bear my cross, you would lay down your life, that I would be set free.
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Oh, Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me.
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Who brings our chaos back to order?
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Who brings our chaos back into order? Who makes the orphan, the son and daughter, the king of glory, the king above all kings. Hoodles the nations where truth and justice shines like the sun in all of its brilliance. You king of glory, the king above all kings. This is amazing grace.
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This is unfailing life that I won't be set free. Oh, Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me. And let's sing worthy is worthy is on their most day. Worthy is the king, conqueror the great. Worthy isn't thou who say.
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Worthy is the king, conquer the great. Worthy is worthy isn't thou who sing. Worthy is the king who conquered the grave. Worthy is the lamb who sing. Worthy is the king who conquered grace.
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This is amazing grace. This is unfailing love. That you would take my face. Free. Oh, Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me.
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Would you pray with me? God, as we sing that song, I just continue to think how personal the gospel is, how personal you are, that you would leave the glories of heaven to meet us here on earth and and live among us and serve us and love us and give your life for us so that we could be set free. That's our story. That's our song. And so God, I thank you for your willingness to reach, to extend your your love and your grace and your truth toward us, and that we would be here to receive it.
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May you incline our hearts toward you this morning in Christ's name. Amen.
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Alright. Let's say you give life. You give life. You are loved. You bring light Let's sing that again.
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You give life. You give life. Me. Let's sing that truth again. You give life.
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You give life. You are love. Broken. Great are you alone. And it's your bread in our lungs.
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So we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise. It's your bread in our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you only.
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And let's sing all the earth, shout your praise.
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All the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones will sing. Great are you, Lord.
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Let's sing that again. All the earth.
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All the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry, and our bones will sing, great are you, Lord. And it's your bread and our lungs, So we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise. It's your braille in our lungs.
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So we pour out our praise I dare not trust the sweetest phrase, but only trust in Jesus' Let's sing that again.
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My hope is built on nothing less.
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My hope is built on nothing less. I'm Jesus the and I interest this. I dare not trust the sweetest prayer, but only trust in Jesus' name. Christ stood on cornerstone. We prayed strong in darkness seems to hide in space I rest some news on changing grace And every eye and stormy care, my anchor rules within the veil.
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I stood alone cornerstone, we made strong in the sails of love. Through the storm, he is Lord, Lord.
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And when he shall come, let's sing this out.
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When he shall come with trumpet sound, hold me out there and it be found. Rest in his right, just nesting alone. Fall as I stand before the throne. Christ alone, cornerstone, weak baiting strong I stood alone, cornerstone, weeping strong in the savior's love.
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Through the storm in the storm lord invite
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in the the frontline team forward. Would y'all pray with me? God, thank you for this morning. I thank you for the this great reunion. This this gathering of your church.
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Lord, later on in Hebrews and already alluded to it but later on, it talks about us gathering together and God it is good to be with you this morning here all together In Jesus name, lord, we ask that you'd bless us with with unity and love and kindness and thank you lord for your word. It is like we sang a minute ago. It's your breath that's in our lungs, lord. So, may we always sing out with praise. Lord, may every action that we undertake be to glorify you.
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Would you use us lord to do your will and your way this morning? I pray over this offering right now that the the offering that goes into these plates, these resources, lord, would be used for the advance of the gospel here in this community but lord, to the very ends of the earth. Amen. In Jesus name, do your will this morning. I ask you to bless the gift and the giver.
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Amen. Amen. As Jesus said, why worry about tomorrow? It has enough worries of its own. What do you say we just be present right here in this time with the Lord?
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If you trust and never die, he will surely bring you out. Thank you, I'm burdened to the Lord, leave it there. If your body suffers Take your burden to the Lord and leave it Leave it there. It there. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
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If you trust and never doubt, he will surely bring your eye. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. And when your enemies are safe and your heart begins to fade, don't forget that God never answers your prayer. He will make a way for you. He will guide you, save you through.
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Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. Leave it there. Leave it Leave it there. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. If you trust and never doubt, he will sure drain you.
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Take your burden to the Lord and leave you there. Take your burden to the Lord and leave you there.
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Amen. I thought I was going to have to go downstairs and do some push ups to shake the nerves but I think the song did. For real. It's time for children's church. I do girls push up though.
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Sorry. I really do. It's true confession time this morning. Sorry. For those of you who've been following along, we're up to Hebrews six four.
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We probably going to go through 12 instead of through 20 but I have up through 20 on there. I think we're going to make it to twelve. We'll six four through twelve is what we're planning on doing. Before we go, I've couple of pictures not of Tanya this time. This is pictures of Israel trip.
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So, have you all ever heard of Moctesh Ramon? You know what that is? Moctesh Ramon? If you've been to Southern Israel like going down into the Negev and then back up towards Tel Aviv, most people fly in and out of Tel Aviv. There's what they call the Israeli Grand Canyon and it's Maktesh Ramon.
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It's not my name in Spanish. It's Maktesh Ramon and this is it. Sorry. It's by the way, Hebrews six four through eight is a warning. It's a pretty strong warning and I have a picture here from our trip.
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Those are people. We have 22 people on trip. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11 and our tour guide are right there. 10 there eight or nine there and they're looking over into Makhdash Ramon which is Israeli Grand Canyon. It is hundreds of feet straight down over that little precipice and right there, in front of the cameraman, which was me, I'm scared to death of heights.
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I don't like heights. There is this sign and it says in three languages and international symbols. Danger, no passage. I see, I see some faces. They're looking like, that's me in the picture.
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Nobody was harmed. Nobody was hurt. There was a warning and they knew that it was bad and then they looked and they said, whoo, it really is bad and we all backed away and everybody made it out safe but it was a warning that was effective, right? It was doesn't seem effective because there are people on the other side of the sign but it didn't say how far it's like, oh, just watch out. No passage.
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Don't want to do that. So, I thought of that this week because this is a very real warning. It's a very very real warning. It's also a theological pitfall. Huge theological pitfall and folks from one end of the theological spectrum disagree with folks on the other end of the theological spectrum about exactly what it means but what I'm trying to do this morning is tell you what it says.
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This is what it says and I think that if we're wise, we will take into account what it says and apply it to our own lives rather than applying it to everyone else around us sitting on the row or someone who you might have left at home going, oh, he ought to come with me. Try our best this morning. We're going to try to take the warning and the encouragement out of this passage, okay? Are you with me? Starting off this morning.
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Lord, help us. I mean it. Okay. So, I'm going go back to last week's sermon was just six, seven verses from the end of chapter five and the beginning of chapter six concerning him. I think that's Melchizedek.
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Concerning him, we have much to say and it's hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. Oh my. Last year, last week was kind of hard too. It's hard to explain why because it's hard to explain. Now, the gospel is actually simple and it has to be understood and taken as a child would take it.
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So, it's not that hard to explain the gospel but it is hard to explain if someone has become dull of hearing. So, concerning him, we have much to say. It's hard to explain since you become dull of hearing and I say right there, there's sort of a parenthesis. Now, it's a part of the greater sermon if you will of of Hebrews, the epistle of Hebrews. Some say that it's a treaties and some people say that it is a letter to a specific group in a specific place.
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There are a lot of people who say it's a sermon and for an American audience, 13 chapters in a row would be a long sermon. Even explaining a little bit of it is hard sometimes but it does take the path of a sermon. So, there's a little bit of a parenthesis right here where the author of Hebrews steps back for just a moment, mention Melchizedek and then says, it's hard to explain. It's hard to explain because you're not listening because you become lazy and sluggish and you're dull of hearing. And then for the next little while, we're gonna cover that portion today.
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You get this diagnosis of the problem. Well, dull of hearing is like the audiometric test. You give, you're not hearing. You're not hearing certain frequencies. Then, the remedy, how do we handle that and we cover that.
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We'll cover that right now as a matter of fact. Then, there's a warning and then there's encouragement but the diagnosis is this, concerning him, we have much to say. It's hard to explain since you become dull of hearing for though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have accepted the truth and you had started to live it out but then you're shying back away from it Though you ought to be teachers, you've need again for someone to teach you the very elementary principles of the oracles of God and you've come to need milk and not solid food. That's an abnormal thing that if a baby needs milk and then gets to solid food and goes back to just milk, something's wrong. There's an immaturity that's happened.
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Elemental principles of the oracles of God and you've come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness. So, that is actually the solid food, the word of righteousness, it's holiness. Could be Jesus's righteousness, could be our derived righteousness from him. They're not accustomed to the word of righteousness walking it out or he's an infant but solid food is for the mature who because of practice really does matter how you live your life because of practice and you'll mess up sometimes, right?
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The solid food is for the mature. Those who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Earlier in Hebrews, it said that a priest is able to help deal by dealing gently with those who are ignorant or misguided. How many of y'all felt ignorant or misguided? Were you accidentally stepped into something and it turned to be a big nightmare?
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There are two hands went right way up. Solid food is for the mature who because of practice, the more that you walk out the Christian life and submitting your will to God's will and walking it out, the clearer his still small voice will become and the easier it will be for you to tell which way to go to the right or to the left, straight up the middle, you'll be able to discern good and evil. Earlier, it said, we need in Hebrews earlier, it said, we need to pay more attention to that which we've already heard so that we will not drift away from it. Alright. So, diagnosis and remedies right there.
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Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity. Let us press on to maturity. Not laying again the elementary foundation of repentance from dead works. That is the way into the kingdom. No doubt about it.
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Repentance from dead works and faith toward God. That is how you get in. Yes, because that's God's grace accepted through faith. Yes. Instructions about washing and laying on hands the way we do church, our church practice, quibbling over that, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment, even our eternal destiny, how that's going to go.
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Yes, there will be a resurrection from the dead. It's our incorruptible hope according to Peter but all of those things are elementary. Says, let us press on maturity and this we will do if God permits. So, you cannot by the force of your own will mature just by going. I'm gutting it out.
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Gutting it out and thinking, I'm going to mature. It is willing submission to God's will. Listening to his voice. I think we mess up a lot by gutting it out, trying to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Thank you for saving me, lord.
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Show me your way and I'll walk in it. I'm looking forward to my incorruptible hope. Help me be of use on this great celestial ball and this I'll do if God permits. So, diagnosis, remedy, here comes the warning. There it is.
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Danger, no passage, alright? Alright, before I start the this is one of the oldest saws in the in the toolbox at the seminary where I I was trained. Columbia International University. Robertson McCook was the second president and he's a good guy wrote a text that's used all over called Understanding and Applying the Bible. It's really good and this is one of his main things.
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It's easier to go to a consistent logical extreme than to remain in the center of biblical tension. Let that sink in for just a second before I move on. So there are isms on both ends of the spectrum and they tend to war against each other. They throw grenades. Look, see, right here it says this.
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Yeah, but you're not looking over there where it says that. And the other side says, look, right here it says this, but they're not looking at the other side where it says that. We're taking the blinders off. We're going to try to remain in the center of biblical tension here this morning. I want you to listen to what the words actually say.
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So here we go. Therefore, leaving elementary teaching, this we will do. We'll press on maturity if God permits and then there's no break in the paragraph. It just goes forward from there. For in the case of those who who have once been enlightened, therefore, actual participles right here.
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There are four of em that say, for in the case of those who and then it's having been once enlightened. So, at some point in the past, something happened that brought them into an enlightened state and have tasted of the heavenly gift. So, they have been enlightened and they have tasted of the heavenly gift and they have become or haven't been made partakers of the Holy Spirit. They they have become practicing members in the Holy Spirit. They've been made partners of the Holy Spirit.
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That's three so far. Then, enlightened, having once been enlightened, there's that moment. And have tasted of the heavenly gift. There's no difference there in tasting something and ingesting it. It's just Jesus tasted death for us.
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Did he barely do it or did he all the way do it? He all the way did. The plainest reading of these words, those who have having been once enlightened, having tasted of the heavenly gift, and having been made partakers of Holy Spirit, and having tasted the good word of God. What are those four things sound like? What what does that sound like?
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I I know y'all weren't expected to talk back this morning. It sounds like a Christian. It sounds like a Christian. That's the plainest reading of the text, alright? If we say, well, it doesn't say anything about this or it doesn't say about anything about that.
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We might be bringing in our own parameters but so far, that looks a whole lot like a Christian. I think that somebody who would identify as having once been enlightened, having tasted of the heavenly gift, and haven't been made a partakers of the Holy Spirit and haven't tasted the good word of the Lord. If you're a Christian out there, does that describe you? It describes me. That's I feel like I feel like this describes Christian experience, really.
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Oh, and having tasted the powers of the age to come. They they had some transformative experience by the power of God. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work. This is the power of age to come. To me, this looks like adequate, true, real Christian experience.
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Now, one side of anism might not see that, might go well, you can explain that away. We we can handle that but why are we why are we trying to explain it? If there's a warning given, then there could very well likely be a danger accompanying that warning, right? So the next thing we're going to see is why? And then, then as added, whenever you see something in italics in the New American Standard, there's really, really, really good translation.
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I almost always use it when it's when it's a tight... Want to keep it right in the center of the plate, always go to New American Standard, but anytime that's italics, I want to admit that that one is added. So, those who have once been enlightened, they've tasted the heavenly gift. They've been made partakers of the Holy Spirit. They've tasted the good word of the Lord and the powers of the age to come and have fallen away.
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That just set some of your heads on a spin. You just went, that's not possible. That can't be. Yet, the warning stands. The warning is there.
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So, I think that we, if we're considering it for ourselves, we consider this warning and the encouragement after as a call to do something, Call to continue in something primarily. I don't want you to be thinking about other people. I want you to be thinking about you, yourself. Right now, I'm thinking about me, myself, and I've been wrestling this for three weeks and I wrestle through it in seminary and I've wrestled through it in different places in life. If you hadn't considered this, consider it.
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It's it's straight. It's straight to those who have all of those things. They're right here and they're considering going back in this first century Jewish background. People, they're considering going back to the law and the temple. The eight time that this was written was probably sixty seven AD somewhere right around there and they do have the great great promises of God and they're used to the old covenant having tasted though of the new covenant to go back to that old covenant from outside pressures.
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Rome, persecuting Christians, the Jews persecuting Christians as an offshoot sect that is harmful and heretical They're considering going back to what they know and in our age, we might be more likely to go back into this which we know. This this ditch of licentiousness rather than legalism or rather than trying to hit exactly what we can aim at. We might be more tempted to go with society saying, you know what? All roads lead to heaven. It's not that big a deal.
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Just get along with people. Tolerate and love and you're good. Well, having tasted of there is actual holiness and there is actual truth. If you're turning back away from that, this says and have fallen away. They've fallen away from the good old gospel way.
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It's impossible to renew them again to repentance. That's what it says, flatly. I could go into all the Greek stuff you want to but that's what it says. It's impossible to renew them again to repentance since they again or continually are crucifying to themselves, the son of God and put him to open shame. So, if you are a believer in Christ, you know and have recognized that Christ died a sacrificial atoning death for your sin.
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And it's sin that you did beforehand that you couldn't do anything with and he willingly went to the cross and you accepted that he died on your behalf. It's past, present, it's future, even sin. He's he's taken that from you. If you should repudiate that and say, no. I'll stand on my own in the day of judgement and you back away from the salvation that's offered.
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You are denying a great salvation as Hebrews said earlier. How are we going to stand if we deny so great a salvation? Are we going to crucify Christ again ourselves? Are we going to say, no, he deserved what he got and he'll stand on his own. I'll stand on my own.
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It's a harsh warning. Next is an illustration of that warning. An illustration of Hebrews six, seven, and eight says this, for ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it. So, there's ground that drinks in the rain that often falls on it. This is going to be for two different fields or two different pieces of land.
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For for ground that drinks the rain which often falls on. It's receiving the good from God and it brings forth vegetation that's useful to those whose sake it is tilled, also tilled, it receives a blessing from God. So, that's the one possibility right there that the that the the ground is saturated as it should be and out of it yields good fruit and there are a lot of scriptural examples for good fruit representing works, good work, good works. I think that that's what it's doing right here too but if it yields thorns and thistles, if it yields thorns and thistles, it's worthless and it's close to being cursed and it ends up being burned. So, this is still the warning passage, right?
44:59
The diagnosis, the remedy, and the warning right there I'm looking for some encouragement but I'm going to go back for just a second to the warning. It looks like it has described a Christian. Now, I'm an eternal security guy. I admit that. I absolutely admit that.
45:16
I I was having a conversation with a guy a while back and we're it wasn't heated but we're going back and forth and he goes, well, I guess that's just semantics and I said, well, it's semantics but it still matters. In this case, that describes the the first, let me get back to that too. This describes an a believer. To me, I I I don't think that there's there any way around it without doing some verbal Olympics and trying to explain it away from nine different places and I'm I'm resisting the temptation to go to nine different places right now or 18 because I can pick nine from either side. Okay.
45:53
This is describing Christian experience but then having fallen away and what is Hebrews but a sermon or a letter or a treaties to a people who are considering leaving the gospel and going back to what they knew. I think it's a real warning. I think that the illustration is helpful because the ground that drinks in the rain often falls on, it brings forth vegetation useful. That is the normal process of maturity in the Christian life where you submitted your will to God and accepted the elementary principles and then you began to walk that out and you don't go back to the milk. You just keep on walking forward and you're able to take in more.
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You you're able to feed yourself. You're able to feed yourself meat. Then, you're able to prepare and take care of others too. That's the normal process of Christian maturity. It becomes a blessing and it receives a blessing from God but if it yields thorns and pistols where the elementary principle are taken for granted and then you just go back and stick with those where you just spend in the same place and you don't move forward.
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There is a very real possibility that you will drift from those things. It's been mentioned three times already in Hebrews and probably will be a lot more. If it yields thorns and thistles, it's worthless. It's worthless. It's close to being cursed.
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Close to being cursed. I think it's temporal. It's like, you never know when your time is going to be up In the past two weeks, I have done four, if you count memorial services, I've done four funerals in the in the past two weeks and I've got one at 01:00 today. You'd never know. And so the warning is real and it's clear.
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Don't back away from that which you already know to be true. It's it's worthless and it's close to being cursed and if you say, well, the it's the rewards that end up getting burned up. They're still good, still still bound for heaven but the rewards get burned off. I think that that's hard because it says it. It, there are two pieces of land and one land is good and is blessed by God and the other one, it is burnt.
48:04
So, that's that's tough but that's what it says. I'm presenting it for what it says, not for what either is says. Diagnosis, remedy, and warning and then the encouragement. If you take both warning and encouragement together, we've got a call and it's a call to do something or go a certain way and here we are but beloved, he says, beloved, it's only time in Hebrews that author says, beloved. Beloved, sounds like John.
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It's not but it sounds like John but beloved, we, oh, there's another in where the author of Hebrews might be the authors of Hebrews. It's multiple times but be we are convinced of better things concerning you. We're convinced that this land being burned that this falling away is not going to happen to you. It's a possibility. It's been put out there already as a possibility to have tasted and have experienced and have been become a partaker and all of that and then fall away but beloved, we're convinced of better things for you and things that accompany salvation.
49:05
We are still confident in your salvation but I still had to give you that warning. I still had to. Though we are speaking in this way and it doesn't take anything off of the warning. It says, don't don't really don't really worry about that sign. It'll be alright.
49:21
No, it says, that we are still speaking in this way and I mean it. There is a warning there. For God is not unjust. God's not unjust so as to forget the work and the love and all which you have shown toward his name. God does recognize that as you experience and as you tasted and as you partaken that it worked itself out in love and that that's the true true true experience that you've had God's not unjust so as to forget your work.
49:50
He knows. He knows where your heart is. Do you know where your heart is? That's the point. Do you know where your heart Do you get this?
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Are you going to cleave to him or are you going to reject him and go back to something that was easier or that you at least knew? For God is not unjust so as forget your work and the love which you have shown toward his name and having ministered and you are still ministering to the saints. You you have loved others. You have a vertical relationship with God and that is shown by the way that you treat your horizontal relationships with others. God's not unjust.
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I'm convinced the better things concern you. I know you better than that but I still had to give you the warning. Don't fall away. Don't fall away. Grab on to Jesus and hold on to Jesus.
50:34
Please, strive, lean in, pay closer attention to the word which you've already received. And we desire that each one of you shows the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end. It is a call to perseverance. This is a call for Christians to persevere under difficult circumstances where being drawn back there and they're being persecuted for the name of Jesus. Can we just shy away from that and hide?
51:04
He's saying, persevere, stick with it, hold on to this. We desire that each one of you show the same diligence earlier just just two weeks ago, it was about let not anyone of you be found, fall short of this. So, and therefore, be diligent to enter into God's rest. We desire that each one of you, each and every, one of you, show the same diligence so as to realize the assurance, the hope till the end. So that you will not be sluggish.
51:36
This is backsliding sermon. You have been sluggish. You've been lazy. That's what this writer or these writers are saying to these original first century Jewish background recipients. You've been sluggish.
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You've been hard, oh, sluggish is not for us again. It's blunt, dull, spiritually sluggish, remiss, slack, or lazy. Right there it was. It's hard to explain since you become dull, sluggish of hearing. We desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end so that you will not be sluggish.
52:12
Don't just coast. But the imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. This is foreshadowing of chapter 11 where he's going to give the list of faith from the Old Testament saints which is an amazing list. Can't wait till we get there but is there anything else? Yeah.
52:35
I'm not going go that far though. I'm going to stop shop short right here. The rest of this is when God made the promise to Abraham, he couldn't swear by anyone greater. We'll talk about this more in detail next week but I want to savor this and I want for y'all to savor a real warning to a group that had not yet fallen. That's why he's given him the warning.
52:57
If if someone saying danger no passage to the guy that had already fallen, that would be pointless, would it not? You shouldn't have done that. Thank you for being a lesson to us. No, it's there's a very real warning and if we cross it, we do so at our peril. So, it's a call to persevere.
53:15
It's a call to persevere in the faith. I know you feel silly sometimes in your workplace because you trust in Jesus and they try to make you feel silly for it. I know it. Persevere. Persevere.
53:28
It's Jesus's name. I've got a poem by TS Elliot. I don't do that very often but I've got one right here and didn't put it on the screen but it says this, there shall always be the church and the world and the heart of man. Shivering and fluttering between them, choosing and chosen, valiant, ignable, dark, and full of light swinging between the hell gate and heaven gate and the gates of hell shall not prevail. That's it.
54:07
We get the band the trio back up here. Would you stand and let this rest? We were five minutes shy again this week. Y'all can look ahead in the text and read this and try to wrestle with it next time too. God, would you help us as we try to assimilate this information and would you comfort the afflicted lord and those of us who become comfortable in our knowledge and it's puffed us up and we've got an ism that we're back in a 100%.
54:34
God, would you also afflict the comfortable? In Jesus name, amen. Christians
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We will walk with each other. We will walk and in our hand. And together, we'll spread the news that God is in our name. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
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We will work with each other. We will work side by side. We will work with each other. We will work side by side. And we'll guard each one's dignity.
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Save each other's And all praise, all praise to the father from whom all things come. And all praise to Christ Jesus, his only son. And all praise to the spirit who makes us one. They'll know we are Christians by your love, by our love. Yes.
56:58
They'll know we are Christians by our love.
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And the benediction this week is may the Lord direct your heart into God's love and into Christ's perseverance. Lord, would you keep us by your power in the center of your will, in the center of your love. May you use our good works to bless those around us with your good gospel. May they see it lived out in our lives lord and may we never stand close to that precipice. May we never stand close to that pranks.
57:48
Not by ignorance nor misguidance lord. I pray that you would hold us right in the center of your hand. I know that you say that nothing can pluck us out. In Jesus name, lord, would you hold us right there? Allow us to savor it.
58:06
May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ perseverance. Amen.
