How Shall We Escape If We Neglect So Great a Salvation
First B Jackson
2019-07-21

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

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Here. How are you? You're talkative. It's great. It's the day that God has made.

Let's be glad and rejoice in it. Scott, would you come on up? We're gonna sing holy, holy, holy to start off this hymn number three in your hymnals if you want to sing your part. We are going to do the optional broad ending at the end, okay? Fourth verse is going to be broader, bigger, key change, all of that stuff.

So, don't let it take you by surprise. Hymn number three, holy, holy, holy. Good morning.

Amen.

Praise God. Y'all sound like

y'all meant

that this morning. It is true. Whether you were just singing along or not, it is true. Amen. Amen.

Great is thy faithfulness. God is steady. The same yesterday, today, and forever. Great is thy faithfulness. Lord, keep us close.

Great is thy faithfulness oh God my father great is thy faithfulness great is thy faithfulness morning by morning morning by morning great is thy faithfulness lord unto me

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. Have a few announcements and they are announcing some unusual things. So, pay attention. We next week will not have our tomorrow, tomorrow.

We will not have Monday nights at first B at first B tomorrow night. We're not doing it here. Those of us who normally go to Monday nights at 1st B for church are going to go out to Doran's to the Hootenanny. Whoo. Yeah, that's going be fun.

So, we we normally have meal music and a message here. We're going to have music and maybe if you want a meal, have a meal there. Meal and music are there. We're not going to be doing the message but we are going to be mingling and mixing it up with people at Dorning's at The Hootenanny tomorrow evening at 06:00. So, come on out.

We have several other worship leaders for other bands at churches in town are getting together and we're all just going to play. We're gonna last year, we did some songs together and we're gonna do a smattering. So we're gonna try to get on the list. We don't know what's gonna happen because you never know at the hoot who's gonna show up and what they're gonna do. So we're gonna try our best to play tomorrow night, but the Monday nights at First Bee is happening at Dorning's at the Hootenanny.

Mike, you'll be the only one that doesn't have to catch a ride tomorrow, right? If you want a carpool, you can. He's living out there working at Dornings. That's good. Church next week is happening but not in this building.

It's happening at the fair. So, next week, if you come here at 11:00, you are probably going to find a parking space. Okay? Because we're not having church here next week. We're having it at the fair, which is just a few blocks from here.

So if you want to park here and walk there, that's fine. We might even shuttle some, but church will be at the fair next week. It starts at eleven but I'll give you a hint. Lions Club is doing their pancake breakfast and if you have the fair book that they send out everybody or you look it up online, it says that we're having church at 10:00. We're having it at 11:00.

It was a misprint. We're having it at eleven but we hope lots of people show up at ten. The band from the 09:00 service is prepared to play for that hour in between. So, there'll be people eating pancakes and we'll be playing music during the time in between. So, 10:00, if you want to get there and have pancakes and kind of prepare yourself, then, 11:00, we'll do church.

That's the only service we're having next Sunday and it'll be under the big top at the fair. Everybody get that. I'm starting really early with the are you with me, aren't I? Alright. So, first week campout is happening August the twenty second and twenty fifth.

We all noticed the theme here. Church has left the building. This is a lot of church happening in other places. So August twenty second and twenty fifth, we are doing a camp out and come as many of you as will up to Coulter Bay Group Site Number 6. It's space they say for a 100 people and we will figure all of that out in between now and then.

August 22, twenty third, twenty fourth, and we'll leave, come back on the twenty fifth. I'll actually be here preaching on the twenty fifth. They're going to do a service up there and then come back after the service. Another one, youth group is going to Lagoon, which is not a sticky, miry place in the mud. It is an amusement park in Salt Lake City.

So they're going down on the ninth to go to Lagoon and then spend the night in Lagoon's Campground right there attached next door. Come back the next day. A little bit of shopping, little bit of eating on the way home, but it's a youth group trip all about shared experience and shared their experience. So Lagoon Camp, camping out and group trip is the ninth and tenth. If you miss a message, does it surprise you that you can find it?

They're on the internet and available if you miss one. If you don't know how to get it, you can call us. We'll put it on a cassette tape for you if you need it. I'm kidding about that. Please don't call back cassette tapes, all right?

I'm kidding. If you feel disconnected like that little guy over on the left there, we have a connect hour that's between services and we are trying not to forsake the assembling of ourselves as a whole body together. So, we have that little fellowship hour between services and if there's anything that I've forgotten and I'm sure there is. There's one of em. Carl introduced it this morning.

There is an all church worship night scheduled for next Sunday night and we are hosting that. Now, I know it's at the exact same time as the figure eight races at the fair. 06:30 in the evening. If you're not going to the figure eight races, come here. If you are going to the figure eight races, pray for us, alright?

And we'll pray for you, okay? But it's it's happening. Next week, 06:30 and so there are folks from the bands from tribe and from the Presbyterian Church and from this church and a few other stragglers that are coming and we're all going to be worshiping God together at 06:30 right here next Sunday evening. That's the last one, I think. Would you all stand and greet one another?

And we'll bring you back together with a song. His

name is wonderful. His name is wonderful. His name is wonderful Jesus my lord the mighty king master of everything his name is wonderful Jesus my lord Let's do it again. His name is wonderful his name is wonderful is wonderful is the mighty king master of everything and

to continue with that name. There's something about that name. This seems nonspecific and fuzzy to some people but there is something about that name. The name of Jesus.

Jesus there's just something Jesus there's just something

Y'all can have a seat. I'm going to invite the frontline team to come forward. Y'all would pray with me. I appreciate it. God, thank you for the blessing of this day.

What a beautiful, amazing place you have given. Those of us who who live here to live. Lord, it's an amazing privilege. May we, lord, like these mountains and skies and prairies, animals, declare your goodness day after day, night after night. May there be no language where the voice of God cannot be understood preaching, preaching all the time, proclaiming your word, your goodness.

God, I pray that you would take right now that which we will give over our lives and our words and our acts of service lord but also of our resources that you'll take these and that you will bless and multiply them more. That you do that, feed your people here, that you would do that to spread the good news to the uttermost parts. May we start right here in our hometown, right in our own house and across the street with our neighbors, lord, but may that word reverberate to the very ends of the earth. May we take part in your good gospel's advance. In Jesus name, would you do your will and your way beginning lord, the work in our own hearts but extending it to the uttermost parts.

Amen. This morning, we're up to Hebrews two. That's where we are in our chronological study. We've been going forward for quite some time and I had a lot of time this week to internalize. I went on a drive this week.

I had somewhere far away to go to help somebody and so, I had a lot of time to internalize this message and Hebrews is a heavy book. It's a it's a full adult portion. No matter which section of it you take. The point of Hebrews is Jesus is better than and then, it goes, you know, he's better than angels and we've covered that. We covered that in Hebrews one.

We've got, he's better than the instruction and the way Torah, you know, that the angels deliver. Mentioned that already by inference In Hebrews one and he's gone through that. He will go forward or the author of Hebrews will go forward and say, that Jesus is better than Moses. He's better than promised land. He's better than priest.

He's better than Melchizedek. Oh my goodness, that mysterious figure. He's better than sacrifice. He's better than that old covenant and the new covenant in his blood. My goodness.

That Jeremiah had prophesied before and the author of Hebrews is going to take an approach. This is and we'll see today, I think. We'll see this today. A second generation Christian. This is not someone who heard directly from Christ but heard from those who heard directly from Christ.

And so, we fit in that category because I'll just go, I'll go to the text. I don't ever stray away from what it says but I had a lot of time this week to contemplate the gravity of this and so, I had one little fellow this morning that said, I felt something different this morning. I usually am going sometimes fast just by what it says, what it says, what it says, what it what it means, and how we're going to apply it like that but this morning, I'm really considering the table that is set before us right here, considering communion, and considering this is the Lord's supper. It's an offer that he has made and when we get into the text, I hope that it'll be something that the gravity of it sets upon you and that at the other side of the gravity of considering this great salvation, it will be something that is freeing and liberating that you can live in this great salvation but you got a choice of whether you will either live in it or you'll neglect it and that's the the point of the message today. I tell you that at the beginning just because.

We're going two one through whatever we get to, okay? I know that we're going two, one, through four and that's the main text for the day but I might do five through nine also. I did in the first service but I might have said too much. Caution. Warning.

Warning. We ended last week with a with a warning. It's the first of the warnings in the book of Hebrews. It is a very real warning. This is a book that's written by someone who is a second generation Jewish background person that knows the Old Testament and knows it very well.

Also, the author of this book assumes or presumes that the intended audience also knows the Old Testament really really well. That's why it's it is to the Hebrews. It's written in Greek. It's translating. I mean, it's it is using the Septuagint which is a Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures available at the time of the first century.

So, this person that's writing Hebrews is conveying a message to some folks who already have an established system that they know and know very well but they have taken the old covenant and seen it as pointing towards the new in Jesus. Are you with me? They have seen that and the people who will be reading this book and contemplating this book are professing believers in Jesus. But they are being tempted at this time through persecution and other means because this system is something we can see, we can aim at it, we can hit what we can aim at. No, you can't.

New covenant, well, it's dangerous for us to believe in this new covenant but it's kind of comfortable to go back to this old covenant. So, they're being tempted to walk away from that which they have seen and begun to trust. They're being tempted to go back to the old system and the author of Hebrews is saying, don't do that. Don't do that. He says that over and over and over again.

So, the caution at the end of last week's message was this, how then will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Because every transgression and disobedience does receive a just penalty. We all agree on that. Y'all agree on that and I agree on that.

If you're a first century person, everybody does it. I think in America today, there's some question as to whether there is any peril at all like we're just dusting the wind, man. We just go back to dust, right? The author of Hebrews quotes songs over and over and over. Psalms mostly but songs over and over and over trying to make a point.

If the words spoken through the angels proved firm and unalterable and it did. Nobody's arguing that fact. They agreed about that and so does this author and if every transgression and disobedience received the just penalty, not only did they agree about that and this author agree about that, James, the book of James. He says, if you've erred in even one point of the law, you've broken the whole thing. How then will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

That's a rhetorical question designed to get you to see that this is the way. Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the father except through me. So, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? The point is you won't.

You won't escape. So, that's the caution and actually the takeaway last week was this, for this reason because there's no other way. For this reason, we must pay closer attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away from it. So, the author of Hebrews is saying, pay closer attention what you've heard in the gospel. The gospel really is where it's at.

The good news. That presumes that there is bad news. The law, this in a couple of chapters will say, was designed to show you where you air and that you need a savior. So, for this reason, we must pay closer attention to what we've heard. Pay closer attention because you might have some preconceived notions that are blocking you from seeing all the good that Jesus is and can be in your life.

Pay closer attention to what we've heard. Why? So that we do not drift away from it. So, if we use analogy of being in a river, creeks where I'm from are only about this deep. Rivers are deep enough that you can swim in em, right?

So, when you're in a river, the world around you, the mill you were in is flow in one direction. Hell, okay? It's bound that direction and if you're a Christian, you're swimming by the grace of God upstream. What happens if you stop paddling? You drift but you don't stay still, do you?

If you just stop paddling, I'll just rest and tread water right here. You go backwards. All that ground is going backwards, right? So, for this reason, we must pay closer attention. God, illumine your scriptures.

I pray right now, lord. Almighty God, illumine your scriptures and may the gravity of it set upon us in a way lord that it alters the way that we think about you and the way that we act before you and before those who do not yet know you. Lord, in Jesus name, may we not drift away from what you have said. Amen. So, that was the point last week and I made it up this far.

I made it through half of verse three last week and we're going to do the other half but if just for context, let's get the flow here. For this reason, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard. Do you think we have some preconceived notions about what we have heard? I know that they did in the first century Judaism about what was about to happen and everything for Judaism was about to change. This book is written around '66, sixty seven AD and in seventy AD, the locust of God is going to be destroyed.

The temple, not a stone upon another stone is going to be completely destroyed and that they held so holy as the only ever abiding presence of God was in that place and then all of a sudden, that's gone. So, this book in a lot of ways is preparing them for what is to come. Pay closer attention to what you've actually heard and actually seen. Pay closer attention to it. So that we do not drift away from it.

For if the word spoken through the angels proved unalterable and firm, it is and every transgression and disobedience received the just penalty that message that was delivered by those messengers, the angels was the law of God at Sinai and his abiding presence with his people in many times in many ways, right? I think I'm going go through that just a second too and every transgression and disobedience received adjust penalty. How then will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? So, there's the warning or admonition. Good Christian word for warning.

How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After, it was at the first spoken through the Lord and this through right here is important. We have seen this already in this book a couple several times actually, right? There, through angels, if the word spoken through the angels, it's God's word but it's delivered through a messenger and messengers and messenger and it's also been delivered through the Lord. If we look back to the very beginning, the exordium of this book, God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets, in many portions and in many ways, in these last days, spoke to us in his son in there is also like through and we'll see it in a minute, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also made the world.

He is the radiance of his glory, the exact representation of his essential being, his nature. He is what God is. He's a son. He carries out the will by his spirit and upholds all things by the word of his power. When he had made purification of his hands, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.

Having become as much better than the angels as he has inherited a more excellent name that they, there's just something about that name. Jesus is singular and different. He's different from all of these other celestial beings he's talking about. God has spoken in many ways and in many ages and many times. Through the prophets and through Jesus.

Long ago, this is the NLT and I think it's a good translation too. Long ago, God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. Many times and in many ways, now, he has spoken to us through his son and Jesus is the final and authoritative word of God. Same yesterday, today, and forever. He did come into history and he did live out and we will celebrate a perfect life well lived.

His broken body and his shed blood given for the remission of the sins of all who would believe and put their trust in him. After it was at first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard. If you consider that, I've already mentioned this, the second generation Christian. By that, I mean, it's not the child of Christians but it's it is someone who heard from someone who heard from Jesus. So, the author of Hebrews was a second generation Christian or since it says, after it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard.

Consider that the author of Hebrews might be the authors of Hebrews. It is a treaties and it's there's nothing better than sitting down and contemplating and thinking about, oh yeah, how about this? Oh yeah and how about this? And you put it all in there and that's the way this book is written. There's a kind of a hodgepodge of references to Psalms and Isaiah and lots of Old Testament in there.

So, consider that it might be. We don't know. We covered that in the first sermon about Hebrew. Exactly who it was. After it was at first spoken through the Lord, that's has not mentioned the name Jesus yet.

It's mentioned son multiple times. Now, he's being called lord. It's exalting exact representation of his essential being is pretty high praise. The radiance of God's glory has been called that. So far, he hasn't, we we had two songs this morning about Jesus's name and so far, he his name's not even been mentioned in this book.

God also testifying with them where it says, them, that's pointing back to those who heard. God testified first through the Lord and through those that heard to us and we received that word from them and from the Lord. God also testifying with them. There's something about that name. There's something about the message of the cross that God is the one who is testifying.

It's sort of like the dual authorship of scripture. We don't know exactly human wise who wrote Hebrews but we do know that it came from God. It was inspired by his spirit. God also testifying with them those who heard and the Lord both by signs and wonders. Oh, this is Baptist Church.

When you came in here this morning, you're like, I know it's a Baptist Church. I don't have to worry about too much of that signs and wonders business, right? But God did confirm. Do you, can you think of any biblical signs and wonders? Yes, absolutely.

There have been. I think that if I ask you individually, without fear of those sitting around you, you might say, I've seen a sign or wonder to myself. Did it edify God? I mean, did it edify God in your mind? He can't be built up anymore than he's built up.

He is what he is but did it glorify God and did it aid you in your understanding of his word. We see that in scripture. He testified. I think that this this part of this passage about authenticating and especially the great salvation. I don't think I'm on a flight of fancy here.

He has said, how are we going to escape if we neglect so great a salvation? And then he says, it was first spoken through the Lord. It was confirmed by those who heard him and God is testifying through them to us and we've seen these signs and we've seen wonders and there have been various miracles whether we witnessed them or we heard about em and by gifts of the Holy Spirit. Okay, we're baptist. We're comfortable again.

No signs, no wonders, no miracles but who who would say that there is no such thing as a gift of the Holy Spirit? No, we all agree that there are gifts of the Holy Spirit. Do you agree? Yeah. Even if you don't agree about how many of them there are, which ones are still valid today?

You believe that there are gifts of the Holy Spirit and you've seen them and you've seen certain people acting in a way and you go, man, that has to be from God. God is glorified. We are edified as a believing people. So, God has testified through the Lord, through those who heard, through signs, through wonders, through miracles, and through gifts of the Holy Spirit and actually, it's all according to his own will. He is the one who divinely communicates.

Already said in the past, he did it many times and in many ways but he is authoritative authoritatively spoken through his son. Last book we study was second Peter and Peter had learned from Jesus and a lot of what Peter says in that sounds exactly like what Jesus had taught him directly. He learned those lessons and he internalized them. This week for me has been a week of internalizing this. The authentication is there.

Now, in our society, we're not dealing with first century legalistic Judaism where we understand that there's a wrath of God and there are going to be a chosen of God and if we do these things, then, we are that people. By by our birthright, we are these people already but we still ought to do em. If we believe that, we're not in the same place as if we're in America today where pluralism rules the day and universalism is the biggest heresy we've got going. So pluralism says, all opinions are equally valid, or all ways, all religions, thought processes, all ideologies are equally valid and should be treated all the same. If there is such a thing as truth, well, pluralism says, well, that's all relative.

There is no such thing as truth but that's hogwash. That cannot be and if there is a truth, there has to be anything else that not that is untrue. So, in our society today, it's not that we recognize that we're in peril. We figure all roads lead to heaven. Don't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere.

As long as you don't hurt anybody else. Man, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? God has made a way. I keep walking back and forth from the legalistic side over to the licentious side and I go, a lot of that but the solution is in between those two and it's not like because a lot of people who grew up in a legalistic family, as soon as they get away from that, they end up in a licensed ditch. Would you agree with that?

You've seen that happen a time or 12, haven't you? And you've seen people who are raised by wolves, my goodness, parents smoking pot and carrying on all the time and they get out of it. They go for something that's like just so legalistic. They're really, really, really likely to get swept into a cult and have some system that they live by to keep away from the loosey goosey licentious. The gospel says, come on to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I'll give you rest.

The gospel says, come. Come. You're forgiven. Now, go and sin no more. It's not that this is a solution for that or that's a solution for this.

It is that the gospel is the answer for both of those and that great salvation is available no matter what your malady, okay? And it's authenticated by all these different methods and so, what has me spinning this week is the goodness of the great salvation that has been offered. It is good to save us from eternal damnation which we deserve. Now, really do we deserve that? In America, it's like, no, I don't think a loving God would do that, would he?

Our lenses are skewed. Our thinking is in that river and if we're not swimming against it, paying attention to scripture, paying much closer than we ever have. We're going backwards and we're drifting along with our societal tendency to say, it doesn't really matter. It doesn't really matter what you believe as long as you're sincere. Well, we'd never say that, of course.

The exclusivity of Christ. Come on. Everyone that goes does get through Jesus. Universalism. Universalism is the most popular heresy and there are pastors who are presenting it that say and use some scriptural quotations.

Proof texting out of context. They use em to say, everyone will eventually be saved but that's not what scripture teaches. On the whole, it's not what it teaches. You have to be very selective and very manipulative to say that it does. There is a great salvation and Jesus is it.

Now, so far, we haven't even heard his name. We've heard son, son, lord. We've heard exact representation of his nature, radiance of God's glory, and he upholds all things by the word of his power but we haven't heard his name. So, we're going to go forward from here and quickly, I think. We're going to get to that.

Hebrews two five through eight, carrying forward says this, I I wanted to camp out for a minute on the great salvation because if you have accepted that great salvation and I'm saying this because I'm preaching right now in a church and y'all showed up at the same time on Sunday morning. So, I'm assuming that most of y'all have some inclination towards Christ and most of you in this building would be professing to be Christians. Well, the people reading this letter, the original intended audience were professing to be Christians and the author of this wrote it to say, don't just be professing it. Embrace that great salvation not just for salvation but also for transformation. Hold on to it and see it.

Now, the rest of the book will get into that even more especially towards the end. This next little part right here is a going to be a quotation from Psalm eight but the therefore here, the four, four because and that's right after this. So, you see it being authenticated. There is a great salvation and it is available and then, this is the backing text for he did not subject to angels. Jesus is better than the angels, remember?

Last week and this week? For he did not subject to angels, the world to come. Concerning which we are speaking, we again, consider the author might be authors. We are speaking but one has testified somewhere that somebody was David. It was a Psalm of David.

Psalm eight but one has testified somewhere saying, what is man that you remember him? It's recognizing in humility how insignificant mankind is before God. What is man that you remember him or the a son of man that you are concerned about him. You have made him for a little while lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor.

You have appointed him over the works of your hands. You put all things in subjection under his feet. That is speaking primarily, although I know how the author is going to take it or is meaning it. He's pointing them down something that they have heard before. Now, when I mention, I mentioned the song mentioned Dust in the Wind by Kansas at the beginning of the service.

I've I've actually had peppered in lyrics from other songs. I can't help it. That's just the way I talk. The first service, I had four or five of em that came up. Some of em probably wildly inappropriate but anyway, This is the song that he began to sing.

What is man that you take thought of him or the son of man that you care for him? Yet, you have made him a little lower than God. That's the original. That's what it said in the song in Psalm. Not Song of Songs but in Psalms eight.

Yet, you have made him a little lower than God and you crown him with glory and majesty. You make him to rule over the works of your hands and you've put all things under his feet. It's talking about mankind. Now, I say that. That's what they had always taken it to mean but there's embedded in there references to Jesus and we'll see that just a second.

For in subjecting all things to him and that's a small H there. He left nothing that is not subject to him. So, God gave to our federal head, Adam. He gave dominion, right? Over the animals and told him to subdue the earth and he gave that but what do we see in the garden we saw that he did a pretty good job of it but how long did that last?

Just till the fall and how how well have we been doing since then? Not very well. The more we think that we are doing a good job, the more splintered and divided we have come. I don't think we've ever been more polarized as a nation than we are right now. How is that whole search for world peace going?

You know, we're not doing a very good job and I like that the the author of Hebrews says this, but now, now, we do not see yet all things that are subjected to mankind. We are making a mess of this. And then, verse nine and this is significant but we do see capital H, him. We do see capital H, him, who was made for a little while lower than the angel. Now, Jesus, Kenosis.

He emptied himself of his divine rights and glory and he came to Earth. He was born as a man. Fully God, fully man. Emptying himself. He was made a little lower than the angels.

He understands exactly what it's like. That's a big part of the argument of Hebrews two. We're going to see that he was tempted in every way just as we're tempted yet. He was without sin. We do see him, capital H, that's Jesus, who was made for a little while lower than angels and it says, namely, Jesus, finally, there's something about that name and here he's finally introduced for who he is.

The man, the God man, Jesus. We do see him who is made for a while lower than the angels Jesus and because of the suffering of death, he took on death and now is crowned with glory and honor, seated at the right hand of majesty, it says in chapter one. So that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. Okay. What a universalist would key in on right here is everyone.

That would be the most important thing in this. See, I told you, everyone. That is proof texting and it's a heinous thing to do. I'm six foot six inches tall and I don't like being on a ladder over about that high. I don't like heights.

I don't mind if I'm on the ground. I can walk up that hill right there, but if I get close to an edge, I don't get close to an edge. This is as close to an edge as I want to be and that's about as high as I want it to be. So and I've fallen off of this several times. So I I I usually stand back from an edge if it's going to be perilous, you know?

But if I'm trying to back that up and I said, I don't like heights because Jesus said, lo, I'm with you always. That would be proof texting and horribly so. It's taken out of context and it's not taking the original intent at all. The the important word is not everyone because again, if everyone, if I take that to mean, well, everyone's going to be saved. He tasted death for everyone.

He's crowned with glory and honor. He is the one who sets all of us free even if what they're putting their faith in is Buddhism. Even if what they're putting their faith in, they just think that they're putting their faith in something else. It's really Jesus and Jesus disguises himself in many ways and there are many roads lead to heaven. If that's the case, no, no, no, no, no.

It's not everyone. It's not everyone. The text makes it clear if you keep on going. The text makes it clear because of the warnings. He keeps on warning them not just to be professing Christ but to actually be in Christ.

Bow the knee. Say yes, lord. So, the keyword right there is might and it's not might like, well, I might or I might not. There's a contingency. It introduces a subjunctive into

it.

It's Helen, Courtney. The subjunctive is the hardest thing to teach in Spanish. Would you agree? In another language. It's hard to teach because it's disappearing in English.

And so would that it were so is a subjunctive clause. It's would that it were so. It's not so, but I wish that it were, right? It's contrary to reality. This might is introducing this idea that it's a possibility but it will not just be just because.

Are are y'all with me now? The gravity of this is really really important to get. Jesus is crowned with glory and honor and he is. He has the name that's above every name. At the name of Jesus, every new will be.

I'm going to take that one too, everyone. No, no, no, no, no. It's either you do now or you don't to your peril. And so the great salvation has been offered. Will it be accepted?

The might is on you. It's on you. It's a contingency of your own will. Will you accept the great salvation or will you neglect it? And that's true not just for salvation but it's true for sanctification.

Will you be transformed by the renewing of your mind? Maybe. You might be. You might be. The power is there but you have got to submit your will to the will of God and in doing so, you will be.

So that he might taste death forever. Now, one more thing about everyone. When I was on, we were on a mission trip a week and a half ago and we went, we're coming home from Gillette. It's seven hours from Gillette. Had 10 people in the van with me.

I'm driving the van. So, when we get into the van, I said, is everyone here? Because there are a couple of people in that van that were super quiet and didn't know whether they were there or not. And some of them might be laying down in the back seat, you know. Is everyone here?

Now did did they think I was asking about the Prime Minister of England whether they were there? Did they think, are you here? The cruises, are they are the whales? Is everybody here? No, that's not about everybody.

It's limited by context and the context here is limited to those who put their faith in Christ. We're going to celebrate in just a moment. The death of Christ, the end to sin. The penalty of sin, oh be of sin, the double cure, save from wrath, and make me pure, not just salvation but sanctification also is available in Jesus. This is but a representation of that.

But as I consider this this week, I kept thinking about, are we neglecting in our life the great salvation that has been offered? And if you're resisting, his word, you are neglecting the great salvation. If you're holding on to unforgiveness, you are neglecting this great salvation. Do you pray the Lord's prayer? Do you pray it in its essence that lord, forgive us our trespasses just as we forgive those who trespass against us.

I want mercy for me and justice for everybody else, God. Backing away. No, really God. Allow me the grace to extend forgiveness the same way you have, undeserved, unmerited. May I share your favor and your love with all that I meet and with all that I have known in the past that have harmed and hurt me.

Would you use me as an instrument of your love and grace? Wow. That is powerful and that's the great salvation we've been offered. I think that's the last slide. I'm going to ask the frontline team if they come forward and we'll do a blessing right now.

Ask a blessing from God over this little representation of the body of Jesus and the life that's perfectly well lived and I want for us actually to survey the wondrous cross. I think that's actually what Judy's going to play right now but as you consider that there's a great salvation that has been offered, I know there are some of you in the room who absolutely wholeheartedly believe it or you're seeking to live your life that way every single day. There are others who yeah, believe it but I mean, I don't want to stand out, you know? Their opinions, their opinion, I don't want to ruffle any feathers. I don't know.

Consider whether or not you, yourself, personally, it's directly on you right now. Are you neglecting this great salvation? Is it something that you've tasted and seen that God is good? And if so, will you surrender your steps, your way to God? Lord, I long to do your will.

Show me your way and I'll walk in. By accepting communion this morning, I think that's what we're saying we want to do. God, would you please bless this little cracker lord, this representation of your life well lived without sin and lord, therefore, having a perfect record and I thank you for the transference that took place at the cross for all who would believe that you tasted death for them so that we might be resurrected to life evermore. In Jesus name, would you bless each one who will partake lord but would you also bless those who have to let this plate pass because they just don't believe it. Lord, I pray that you'd use those of us who do and our goodness, our derived righteousness that comes only from the son of God.

That you'd use that to love them and bring them into the peace of your kingdom. Jesus name.

A survey save all the vain things

and on the same evening that Jesus was betrayed, I just talked about forgiveness just a second ago. I talked about forgiveness and I thought, there's several places where it says to that we should be forgiven one another just as God in Christ has forgiven us. On the same night that he was betrayed, Jesus took bread after supper and he told him, this is my body which is given for you. Take this and eat and do it as often as you will in remembrance. Lord God, we thank you for sending Jesus.

Jesus, we thank you for for coming. Voluntarily surrendering the glories of heaven to be found a little lower than the angels and to walk out in the spirit. God's will perfectly and offering your perfect account by your death to anyone who believe. Thank you. In Jesus name, lord, we're thankful and we look to his atoning death, his blood as the only sacrifice.

We find ourselves all equal at the foot of the cross. We have nothing to boast of except in you. May the message of the cross ever be on our lips. Jesus blood is the new covenant. So, lord, we're going to celebrate that new covenant in Jesus blood in just a moment and as we distribute this little cup of grape juice, a little plastic cup of grape juice but representative of the precious blood of Christ.

We think about taking that in, living that out. In Jesus name, lord, may you bless each one who would partake and if there's anyone here, lord, who just has to let the plate pass. I pray that you would pursue them, that recognize your relentless pursuit through the words and the life of the Lord and through those who heard him and lord, I ask that you would perform in their lives, signs, wonders, various miracles so that may your message may be authenticated that you would impart them with spiritual gifts so that your gospel may go forth and your kingdom may grow. Jesus, amen.

Love sent my savior to die in my stead why should my savior to Calvary call why should he nails pierced his hands and his feet for my sin why should he love me so he suffered so for my salvation he love me so

so

why why should should he he love love me so why should my savior to Calvary why should he love me so oh how he agonized there in my place why should he love me why should he love me so why should he love me so why should my savior to Calvary

in the same way that he had taken the bread, he took cup after supper and he explained to his disciples then and they explained to others and those others explained to others and those other explained to others and down the line, we all hear together today hear that this is representative of the new covenant in Jesus' blood. He said to them, this is the new covenant in my blood. Take this and drink. That has made the old covenant completely obsolete. The author of Hebrews is saying, don't try to go back to that.

Keep swimming. Keep swimming upstream. Though it slay you, keep swimming upstream. This is the new covenant. Jesus gave his life for you.

To atone for sin. This is the new covenant in my blood, Jesus says. Now, take this and drink and just do it as often as you will in remembrance. Would you all stand with us? We're gonna just sing the doxology to close.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow praise him all creatures here below Amen.

The benediction today, may you grow in the grace and knowledge of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory of now and forevermore. Amen. Amen.