Do Not Be Carried Away
First B Jackson
2020-03-01

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

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You were not a god created by human hands. You were not a god dependent on any mortal man. And you were not a god indeed. We can give by your plan, that's just the way it is. Let's sing that line again.

You are not a god created by human hands. You are not a god defendant of any mortal man. And you are not a guy in need of. Anything we can give by your hand, that's just the way. Because you are God alone From before time began, you were on your throne.

You were God alone. And riding up in the good times in bed, you were on your throne, you were God Hey, you're the only God whose power none can contend. You're the only God whose fame and praise will never end. You're the only God in his word. Anything we can give, you are God.

That's just the way it is. Because you are God alone. And right now in the good times and bad, you were on your throne. You got alone unchangeable. You're unshakable.

You're unstoppable. That's what you are. You're unchangeable. You're unshakable. You're unstoppable.

That's what you are. Because you are God alone. From the fourth time began, you were on your throne, you are God alone. And right now, in the good times and bad, you were on your throne. You are God of God.

Behold him there, the risen man, With Christ my savior and my God. With Christ my savior and my God. Hallelujah. Risen son

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. The frontline team is already coming forward. Would y'all pray with me? God, we thank you for this morning.

We thank your music. Thank you for the ability to sing your praise, lord. You say, let everything that has breath, sing your praise and Jesus says, if we were to stop that the rocks and the hills, the rocks, and the trees would crawl, cry out, lord. You say that your creation is constantly constantly communicating you to all around. God, may we be able to attribute that glory to you.

When someone is in awe of you and don't even know it, may we be the connecting point that connects the dots for them. Amen. Thank you lord for your general revelation that we all get. The common grace that you spread to all all flesh. But God I thank you for the specific revelation of your word and that we might be instruments in carrying that forth is an amazing privilege.

So, God, would you do that this morning? Would you use the offerings that are put in these plates to advance your good gospel, the specific message of Jesus having lived a perfect life, died a perfect and sacrificial death on behalf of anyone who would believe. Put their trust in him. Lord, would you please use us this morning to advance your good gospel by our intent lord and your will. In Jesus name, blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.

Would you put the two together to save us? Amen.

Jesus loves me. This I know. I won't forget the Bible says that he loves me so. Forget the Bible says that he loves me so. Yes, Jesus loves me, me so.

It was just three days, but it changed our world when there seemed no way from the grave heroes. Jesus loves me. Yes, I know. Jesus loves me. Yes.

Know I won't forget the Bible says that he loves me so. Yes. Jesus loves

Amen. It's time downstairs for Children's Church in the middle school and high school young men and young ladies. Amen. So, we're studying together in Hebrews Last week, last week, I was in Hebrews 13. I started with verse one and it was, I said, I'm going to the middle of a paragraph.

So, it was this. Where are we, Blake? Oh, yeah. Thank you. Thank you for my new there was something else.

He's keeping me on track. Always does. The last week, at the very end, if you listen on Facebook and there were several that said you had and I said, Blake, would you cut off the video? Because I wanted to pray for somebody who was stuck. This is the person who was stuck that we're going to watch this video for but if it did make sense to you on Facebook, this is what that's about.

This is the follow-up to that prayer. Thank you, Blake. And it's sideways. We got a little sideways. Sorry.

She sent it and that's the way it is and we can't figure out how to do it any other way. So, turn your head sideways, alright? As

some of you know, as I was flying to Israel last weekend, I got stopped at passport control, and I was detained for further questioning. And pastor Ray prayed for me and during church, and you guys all prayed for me as well. And what's super crazy about that is you guys were praying for me about forty minutes before I got pulled in to be questioned, and then I was released about another twenty minutes after that. So it was about an hour after church ended that I was, released. And I know that I wouldn't have made it without the power of prayer, just because of how intense it was and the questions they were asking and all of that.

And so, I just wanna thank you guys so much for your prayers, for sure, and then for texting me and messaging me and just making sure I made it okay and that I was doing alright. I am so, so grateful for my church family back home and just how much you guys support me. And, I just pray that you guys are blessed through this as much as I have been. It's been an amazing week and I'm super excited. For the next three months that I'll be here and I will talk to you guys soon.

God bless. Shalom.

Amen. That's cool. That's cool. I got the word right before the second service or right before the sermon of the second service last week and realized I didn't really have a good way of getting that message out to Oli also. There it was.

Hebrews 13. So, we did one through eight last week. I'm gonna run through em again really quickly. I hope so we can ramp up to this last portion nine through 16 and then, we're gonna take communion, Lord's supper together. So, here we go.

I hope. Blake, this thing does not seem to be doing what it's supposed to do. Hebrews thirteen one through eight says this, let love of the brethren continue. Love one another and it says, continue because you're already doing that, you're doing it well, let love of the brethren continue, don't neglect, or show hospitality to strangers, for by this, some have entertained angels without even knowing it. It's good advice.

Love one another well but also don't neglect the stranger. Remember the prisoners as though you were in prison with them and those who are ill treated, since you yourselves are also in the same body, you're in the body together. If one part of this body hurts, we all hurt. Marriage is to be held in honor among all. Marriage bed is to be undefiled.

For fornicators and adulterers, God will judge. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have for he himself, that's Jesus has said, I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you. Actually, that's Jesus in the New Testament. It's God in the Old Testament said the same thing. I'll never leave you nor forsake you so that we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper and I will not be afraid no matter how difficult the situation gets, right?

That's a that's a sketchy situation every time you cross a border, every time. Passport control is always one of those. Even if everything you're doing is great and above board, it's still is one of those things. Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid.

What will man do to me? Remember those who led you in the past. Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you, and considering the result of their conduct. What is the result of the conduct of the people who spread the word of God to the listeners for this original first century letter and what is it today? You're here in this building because somebody has spoken the word of God to you.

Remember, those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you and considering the result of their conduct, the good things about their conduct, imitate their faith. That's where it comes from. Jesus Christ is the same. Yesterday and today and forever and that little verse right there between Carl called it out in the song service. It's kind of a transition between what has come before it.

Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. The past but Jesus is the same in the right now. Even though the circumstances of your life may have changed and the difficulty around us has changed and it's a different look being a Christian today in the 2020 than it was in 1980 than it was in 1950 than it was in the middle ages. It's different but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried away is the next line.

So, that's where we're starting today. Do not be carried away. Don't get carried away. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His grace, his love, his mercy, his compassion.

He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Don't get carried away by buried and strange teachings. I hesitate to even ask but have you all heard any buried and strange teachings lately? Oh my goodness. It's all around us all the time and from this position or from Carl's position, when we get up every single week and we are expected to bring, you know, an interesting message on your favorite book, what you base your life on, you know, as a Christian.

If we're get up to get up here and we're supposed to lay it out there and we feel like we say the same thing over and over and over again, what we do. Grace is on every page. It's dripping with God's love and his grace. And if we just think, you know what? I gotta tweak this somehow to keep em coming back.

I gotta change it up a little here and there. No, don't do that. Don't get carried away by strange and varied teachings. Oh, the secret. The secret code of the Bible, numerology, and all kinds of other stuff that people have come up with.

Don't get carried away with varied and strange teachings. Varied, poikilice, various of different colors, many striped is a good translation of that. Diverse, properly, it is of various kinds or manifold. It's different. And strange is that which is alien or new or novel or strange or foreign.

Zenice is what that is. Xenophobia is afraid of that which is other but Zenas, Zenas, alien, new, novel, stranger, foreign teaching, something that is far into the gospel, okay? So, don't get carried away. Don't be carried away by buried and strange teachings. Now, at the time that this letter was written, there were people who had put their faith in Christ and they were being persecuted for it and their temptation was to go back to the religious Judaism of their day where the persecution was not as great.

But they had already seen the true, the truth in Jesus and so their temptation was to back away from that truth and go back to practicing a shadow that was just designed to point towards to this truth. In our day, it may be very different. It may be somewhat different, I guess. We might be tempted to fit in with a different group and a different ditch so that won't we won't be noticed for being a Christ follower. Don't get carried away by buried and strange teachings.

So, are there other similar warnings in the New Testament? I thought this was fun because I thought of a whole bunch of em all at once. So, in Canon order, they are. Matthew 24, four, and five and Jesus answered and said to them, see to it that no one mislead you. There will be people who try.

There will be many who come in my name claiming that I'm the Christ and they will deceive many. Acts 20, I know that after my departure, Paul says, the elders at Miletus, elders of Ephesus, I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and they will not spare the flock even from your own number. Men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them. Romans, Paul says, now I urge you brothers and sisters, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learn. Turn away from them.

Don't go after these buried and strange teachings. He says it again in Corinth. There was real trouble in Corinth. Why? Because I don't love you.

This is Paul's in sort of a rant here. We're picking up midway through but what I'm doing, I'll continue to do so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they're boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself and his angel light. Therefore, it's not surprising if his servants, that's Satan's servants, also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness whose end will be according to their deeds.

Don't follow after these strange and varied teachings. Galatians, I'm amazed that you so quickly are deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel which is really not good news, another gospel. Only only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ but even if we, that's Paul and Timothy. Even if we or an angel from heaven for crying out loud should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you. He is to be a cursed and cut off as we have said before.

So, I now say again, if any man is preaching to you a gospel that's contrary to what you received, he is to be a cursed, strange, and various teachings will come up. Ephesians, as a result, we're no longer to be children tossed here and there by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness, and deceitful scheming. Let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not be partakers with them. This is the same kind of warning.

I'm hitting you all at once, I know. I say this so that no one will delude you with a persuasive argument, a varied, or a strange teaching. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy or empty deception according to the traditions of man, according to the elementary principles of this world rather than according to Christ. Thessalonians, that you do not, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or message or letter as if from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come. That's about the return of Jesus and the Thessalonian had gotten a sense that they had missed it.

From a varied and strange teaching. Let no one in any way deceive you. First Timothy but the spirit explicitly says in the later time, some will fall away in the last days. Some will fall away from the faith. Paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.

By means of the hypocrisy of liars seared into their own conscience as with the brand and iron. Men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods that will come up again today. Which God has created to be gratefully shared by those who believe and know the truth. Later on in first Timothy six. If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceded and understands nothing but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words out of which arise envy and strife and abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

Are there people who are peddling God's word for their own gain today? Oh Timothy, he says in verse 20, guard what has been entrusted to you. Guard it and don't vary from it. Guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter, and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge. Couple of we haven't hit yet but we're heading that direction.

First John is next. Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they're from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world and Jude, oh I love the book of Jude. Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt it necessary to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. It hasn't changed. Don't let it change.

Buried in strange teachings. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed those who are long beforehand marked out for this condemnation. Ungodly persons who turn the grace of God into licentiousness and deny only our master and lord, Jesus Christ. So, it's not just a legalistic ditch. Jude is mentioning, he's saying, there are be people that say, your sin don't matter because it's paid for.

Go ahead and have fun. Are people saying that today? People are still saying that. Yes. Jude 12, these are men who are hidden reefs.

This is the a seafaring analogy here. They are hidden reefs. That wreck ships. These are these are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feast. Actually, love feast is talking about communion.

They're hidden reefs in your love feast. When they feast, view without fear, caring for themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by winds, autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead and uprooted. That's strong words, isn't it? And it's a lot of em.

If I had time, I could find one in every book in the New Testament where it says, stick with this. Stand firm in the faith instead of going after strange teachings. So, are there other similar warnings in the New Testament?

Yes.

Do not be carried away by buried and strange teachings. If you're coming up with something that's absolutely new, usually nowadays, the carriers of absolutely new are bright enough to say, oh but this is the way that it was with Paul and Peter and original apostles and this is the way it was back then and that's the way it should be now and what we have is all this tradition has gotten in the way. What is actual orthodoxy is blah blah blah. So, they all, they can be very very deceitful. I'm just throwing that out there.

Don't be carried away by buried and strange teachings to stick to what? Is good and for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace. Amen. It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace. If we get to believing that what we're doing is how we are being saved, what we're doing, we're doing the right things at the right way, holding our mouth exactly the right way, standing on the right foot, all of the stuff, doing exactly what we need to be doing and that is what's gaining us favor with God.

We need to remember and be strengthened by God's grace. God's riches at Christ's expense. God's riches at Christ's expense. It's good for the heart to be strengthened by grace because all of our human effort will fail. Paul says, it says, filthy rags before God.

It's good for the heart to be strengthened by grace. Grace is central. It absolutely must be. God's grace must be central theme. Holiness does happen by effort and the effort is submitting to God's will and by his grace, he will sanctify and transform us.

Don't be carried away by buried and strange teachings for it's good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods. It's not about what you're eating. I don't care what it is that you're eating. It's not by foods. It's not by foods through which those who were so occupied were never really benefited.

Be healthy. Yeah. Do what it takes to be healthy. That's good. That's good advice, I think but religious adherence to a system, the system, the human kind of you must do this at this time and do this this way, do this this many times a day.

Those things are like this, not by those foods, these practices through which those who are so occupied were not benefited. God's grace must be central. There may be all manner of other sincere religious practices that are not really beneficial at all. God's grace must be central. And just to make that point again.

Grace central, okay? It has to be. It has to be. It has to be in our dealings with other people. If we receive grace from God, it is ours to give grace to others.

We have an altar from which those who serve the Tabernacle have no right to eat. Now, this in our day is an unusual reference because we don't know a whole lot. Most of us don't know a whole lot about the Tabernacle. We don't know a whole lot about the Old Testament system but we have an altar from which those who serve the Tabernacle have no right to eat. Many of you know that in the Old Testament, the some of the offerings that were brought in, when they bring the offering in, they slaughter this supposedly supposed to be unblemished lamb and the priests who were serving the priest and the attendance at the temple were actually fed by the carcasses of those animals, the flesh of those animals.

So, yeah, kill it. It's great for whatever purpose that that offering was given but also fills the belly of the priest and the attendants but the the day of atonement offering was not that way. Those animals were brought in and they were slaughtered in the temple to make atonement and that was the idea was behind. It was an atoning sacrifice. It was the one day a year when the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies and he would take these and sprinkle that blood and those animal bodies were taken outside of the camp.

Those were to be thoroughly consumed. No one was to benefit from them at all except for the shedding of that blood. For the atoning sacrifice which the writer of Hebrews says was a shadow of that which was to come where Jesus's blood would be satisfying the wrath of God. Those were to point to this. The original recipients would have known the reference right here.

We have an altar from which those who serve the Tabernacle have no right to eat. Now, we're also going into communion today and the Lord's supper is something where he says, eat this. Take this in. Take it in. It's representative of my flesh.

It's representative of my blood that's given for you. It's representative of my flesh that this life that was lived out for you. Here we go in 11 verse 11. Hebrews 11. Thirteen eleven, sorry.

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, the atoning sacrifice. They are burned outside of the camp. I just said that but that's what the verse says. There are others that are consumed by the priest. There are.

They're not the same offerings. Therefore, because of this, Jesus also that he might sanctify the people through his own blood. He suffered outside of the gate. Therefore, Jesus also that he might sanctify the people. So, the salvation happened, the atoning sacrifice it as it were, happens so that we might be saved but so that he might sanctify the people.

So that he might transform them. He suffered outside of the gate. So, let us then follow after and go out to him outside of the camp. If you're trying to catch up with this, this one's not an easy one to noodle. Not an easy one to think your way through in our current context but consider the recipients of this letter being first century Jewish background believers and all of the Old Testament stuff they understand.

All of the Old Testament stuff they get. When it says, let's go outside of the camp. The camp was always Israel and them safety in numbers as they're traveling across the wilderness, as they're traveling, they are all together in one pack. And this is saying that Jesus broke away from that pact. Literally, he suffered outside the gate.

It was outside of the gate of Jerusalem along the road in a Roman execution. Figuratively what God had given his chosen people was the word about his oneness, his goodness, his almightiness, and they were supposed to be spreading it to their neighbors. They were supposed to be spreading it the whole time and Jesus was going to do that. He was doing that by his blood. He left the camp and it's saying, y'all, get out of the middle and get out and be leaning forward with God's grace to others.

Don't let us go outside out of the camp with him. Old Testament reference here. This is bleak. It's not absolutely, I'm not absolutely certain in minute but I think that I can point to it. This is from the Septuagint translation just translated event English.

So, and Moses took his own tent, not the Tabernacle like the Big Tabernacle but the Tabernacle that we're used to associating with them but Moses and this is after they all sinned while he was up on Sinai after they had proven themselves to be just as pagan as any of the pagans around them. They're building a golden calf and all that worshiping it and having a hullabaloo and Moses after that took his own tent and he pitched it outside the camp at a distance from the camp and that was called the Tent Of Testimony. He didn't wanna be associated with that at all. He knew God could forgive it but in order for him to be doing what God directed, he had to get outside of that conventional thinking. And it came to pass that everyone that sought the Lord went forth to the tent which was outside of the camp.

That to me kept ringing in my ears. The bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin. They're burned outside of the camp. That's where they're consumed out on the edge and it's just for God. It's not no one else has benefited for God alone.

Therefore, Jesus also that he might sanctify the people through his own blood. He suffered outside the gate. So then, let us also go to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach, persecution was happening in that time. It's still happening at this time. Be willing to go outside of the safety of your friends in that ditch or outside of the religious safety of your friends in that ditch and be willing to go after Jesus who suffered outside of the camp.

Left the glories of heaven to come and to live that life. Jesus reproach, bear that. For here, on this side, we do not have a lasting city. You imagine this was written like sixty seven, sixty eight AD. This was three years, maybe two years before the destruction of the temple.

Everything that they knew. Everything that these folks knew was that temple. How long? When it was built? Who did it?

Why they did it? What the foundation was? Knew the prayer that would that consecrated, knew everything about that temple and then, in two years, it would be shaken. We've already seen that in the last chapter. But we're seeking a city that's to come.

Hebrews 11 says, by faith, Abraham, he was called, he obeyed. Amen. May that be said of you. When you're called, obey. May it be said of me.

By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was receiving inheritance and he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise has in a foreign land dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise for. He was looking for the city which has its foundations whose architect and builder is God. That's was speaking of Abraham. The next chapter goes into the only thing that won't be shaken is that which is established in God.

Everything earthly will be shaken. Through him then and that hymn is Jesus. Through him then, let us continually offer up what we have a sacrifice of praise to God and that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name. So, what can we do? We can praise God and be thankful to God.

Psalm 50 says this, if I were hungry, I would not tell you this is God speaking. Psalm 50, God is speaking. It's a Psalm of Asap. If I were hungry, God says, I would not tell you. For the world is mine and all that it contains.

Shall I really eat the flesh of bulls and drink the blood of male goats? Really? Offer then to God. Offer me. Offer them to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows.

If you have committed to live this Christian life, live it. Satisfy your vows to the most high and call upon me in the day of trouble. That's what God wants. He knows you're going to struggle and he says, when you're struggling, call upon me in the day of trouble and I shall rescue you and you will honor me. Through him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice and praise to God that that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name and do not neglect doing good.

This is coming back around. There's kind of a chaos construction for y'all grammar nerds out there where it comes back around to the original intent of chapter 13 where it's given practical advice. Don't neglect doing good. Don't forget about that. Keep on doing good and sharing.

Y'all are one body. Take care of one another. For with such sacrifices, God is pleased. Do you want to be pleasing to God? And praise him and thank him and do good and share with one another.

So, here it is. If I were to boil it down, this is it and then we'll do. If I can get the elders to come on for it as I read this last one, that'd be good. The elders distribute this. Don't get carried away.

By various and strange teachings but because of Christ, because of Christ, because of Christ, it's gotta be because of Christ but because of Christ, because you're saved by God's grace, because of Christ and you're sanctified by God's grace because of Christ, do be ready to go outside the camp. We've got, I mentioned several last week, missionaries that are sending out from literally from out from this place to take the gospel into the rest of the world but be ready to go out of your common thinking outside the camp and because of Christ. Do continually be giving God what he deserves, praise, and thanksgiving he deserves. He desires it too because it's good for you. Even if you're going through a hard time, maybe especially when you're going through a hard time.

Praise God and thank him through the storm. And do good to one another and share. Call upon him in the day of trouble. He will rescue and you all and him. He loved it when we do that.

Alright. God, would you bless as we go into this time where we actually are celebrating your perfect life well lived and your sacrificial blood consciously given by choice voluntarily for the remission of sins and sanctification, transformation of everyone who would put their faith in you. Thank you. Would you bless this cracker as we distribute it this morning, lord? In Jesus name, would you call us into alignment with your purpose and your will Just as Jesus.

Amen. Tradition goes all the way back to the upper room the night that Jesus was betrayed. I don't want to get far from it. The methods of doing this are many but the principles behind it are few. Methods always change.

Principles never do. The grace of God. Jesus said to his disciples there and says to us, this is my body which is broken for you. Take this and eat and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. Lord, we, may we never stray from the life that you lived the perfect, perfect life that you lived in our stead.

Lord, and may we be strengthened by the sacrificial grace that you shed your blood on the cross, lord, and that you are offering that sort of perfecting influence that you'll establish us and confirm us and strengthen us and lord, that you'll perfect. As we humble ourselves to you, lord, would you bless this cup as we distribute this little plastic cup of grape juice, representative of the blood of Christ that washes away sin. Lord, would you bless it as we distribute it? May you continually be transforming lives. In the same way that he'd taken the bread, he took the cup after supper and he said to his disciples there, this is the new covenant in my blood.

Take this and drink and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. Paul, apostle Paul says that as often as we do that, we proclaim Christ's death until he comes again. Would y'all stand with me? I'm looking for the band but I think we're just going to go ahead. You want to do it?

Let's do it. Alright. We're going to sing the doxology to close.

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.

Therefore, just as you received Christ, Jesus, the Lord, so be walking in him. Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith just as you are taught, abounding in Thanksgiving God. Thank you. Amen.