It Is a Terrifying Thing
First B Jackson
2019-11-17

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

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Alright. I think we're on. Good morning, everybody. How are you? Wanna stand up and sing together?

Yes. You do. First Corinthians, God is faithful who has called you into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our our Lord. Remember that as we sing this song. Let's be reminding ourselves and telling ourselves of it.

God is faithful. God is faithful.

All your promises are yes and amen. And I will rest in your promises. My confidence is your faithfulness. I will rest in your promises. My confidence is your faithfulness again.

And I will rest in your promises. My confidence is your faithfulness. Faithful you are. Faithful are. Faithful forever

I have few announcements this morning. Are they coming up? Yeah. Here they are. We have Bible study for junior high and high school girls.

It's happening downstairs during children's church time. Same time the kids get up and go out. The gals from junior high and high school can go down for a Bible study. Judy Wells is leading that. Youth group tonight at five, Mike, you around?

He's here somewhere. There's a youth group here at church night five to seven. Tomorrow night, we have Awana meeting right here back to normal in this room. Big game circle right here, and we're pouring scripture into the minds of kids because kids matter to God. So that's happening right here tomorrow night in this room at the same time as Monday nights at first b.

Yep. We're on tomorrow. We're gonna wrap up Job where we're invited to trust God's wisdom. The Lord answers Job, and it's very, very good. It's rich.

So join us for the last part of Job. We don't have a cook yet. So if if if you're able to cook a meal tomorrow for Monday night, please come and see me. But know that you're invited to join us down the hall at six tomorrow.

Cook or coordinate a meal. Cook or coordinate a meal. That's the way that that goes. And if you're feeling stirred up, alright, stir Stir it up to do that. That's great tomorrow night.

Carl made supper last week. So, he did meal music and the message all last week. So, I'm not trying to use shame but it's coming out that way. Alright. Anyway, if you want to help with the meal tomorrow night, talk to Carl after this is over.

So, Bible study at Senior Center is on Monday, 12:45. If you're 60, it's a $4 lunch. If you're 60, it's $8 lunch and then there's a Bible study after that 12:45. Roseanne has been leading that study since 2003 and it it just keeps on plotting along. It's good.

They're looking for young blood like I mentioned. So, if you're 60 or so, they're looking for you, alright? It's fun. Study of Lamentations. We're on the third of three weeks.

Hope and healing in the aftermath of rebellion against God. That's been good down the hall in the fellowship hall at 09:00 sharp. I showed up late this week but 09:00 sharp in the fellowship hall for that. Jackson Hole Men's Alliance is meeting at Wednesday mornings, 06:00. They're also meeting in the fellowship hall, 6AM, Wednesdays down the hall there and studying Ephesians together.

There's a build day. Nick, do you want to say anything about this? Oh, good. That's nice. Firstbjackson.org is our website and there's a link to go fill out that form.

Nick is working for Habitat for Humanity now if y'all did not know that. So it's great. Our build day is December 7. Easy to remember that day. Operation Christmas Child, KC, did you wanna come up and make that announcement?

There you go. That's the red one.

Okay. So this is the last week. We are wrapping this week and sending these packages off. So there are extra boxes just like this on the back table if you would like to wrap a Christmas box for a child in need. I did make myself a couple notes so I could stay on track.

So the information packet is back there. The label for your box is back there because you pick whether you're wrapping for a boy or girl and what age you're wrapping for, and that also helps you to shop properly. So a little bit about these boxes. This may be the only present that a child receives maybe this year, but maybe ever. These boxes are very important.

And a lot of times, the whole entire family will come to know Jesus because of the love of Jesus that's sent in this Christmas box. So they're incredibly important. It costs $9 to mail this box, so you put the $9 in this envelope. Again, all the information is in there. If you keep in mind when you're shopping, think third world third world country.

Some of these boxes go do go to kids in The US that don't have much, but most of them go to third world countries. So when you're purchasing items, obviously, if you're if you're packing, you know, watercolors, a lot of these kids don't even have water to drink, so they're not gonna use water to do a water cutter color project. You know, things like that you have to think third world. So also when you're buying the gifts, they have to be quality gifts, you know, that something that can't be broken easily. The dollar store is wonderful for balls and things like that, but some of the other things can don't last very long.

So I'm just cautioning you on that. So Monday night, if you have kids in Owana, kids in from Owana's are bringing things to put in boxes for Wednesday. And then Wednesday night here at 06:30 is a packing party. If you'd like to bring items for that, you can. If you'd like to just bring money for people to send boxes, that is welcome too.

And if you wanna help pack and wrap, that's open too. So 06:30 this Wednesday, and that's the end of it.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Alright. Thanks. Let's see if there's something else up here. Yes. So from 1967 to 1971, Roy Plummer was the pastor of this church and his his son and daughter-in-law go to church here.

They're here among you most Sundays. It's a little quick after the death of Gladys. Roy's wife, Gladys, died this week and so, I just want to let everyone of you know that. They've put some of the flowers up here on the front or in memory of miss Gladys Plummer and my wife's going to speak today and being a pastor is one thing. Being a pastor's wife is another.

Entirely different thing. It's kind of tough and this family is grieving the loss of their mom. I just wanted to say, would you all pray with me? God, I thank for John Plummer and for his wife and I just ask you lord that you would be with him in their time of grief. I thank you for the faithful witness of Roy and Gladys over the years.

They lost their dad several years back but Lord, I just thank you for the time that you allowed them to spend with her the last twelve hours of life that they were able to sit there and breathe the same air with her and speak to her loving words of comfort and peace, your comfort and peace, lord, before she passed into this glorious and incorruptible hope into eternity. In Jesus name, lord, we thank you for the blessing of those who have gone before us and we're faithful. In Jesus name, we ask that you bless that family. Amen. And I'm going to ask if y'all would.

You can stand up and greet one another. Anything that I forgot is in the bulletin, okay? Me too.

Fear not. He is with us, so be not dismayed. For he is our God, our sustainer and soul. He'll be our defender and cause us to stand upheld by his mercy for all my Jesus, firm foundation. The soul that is trusting in Jesus

Let me read, from John here. A couple verses I wanna share before we sing. John eight thirty six. So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Would you let that soak in just for a minute?

If the son sets you free, you are free indeed. No question about it. John 14. In my father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you for I go to prepare a place for you.

God, thank you that you are solid and steady and eternal, that you can be trusted, that you are the firm foundation beneath our feet, that we can stand tall because of you, that we can keep walking through dark stuff because of you. Thank you, Lord, that your promises are true. They are resounding yes and amen, every single one of them. Thank you, Lord, that you are have indeed you have prepared a place for any of those who have called upon your name, who trust in you. We call on you today.

God, we we trust when you say we're chosen. We're not forsaken. That you truly mean that.

Amen. Am. Pre last he has ransomed me. His grace around his way. While I was stay at 2¢, Jesus died for me.

Yes. He died for me. Oh, the sun sets free. I In my father's house, there's a place for me. I'm a child of God.

Yes. I am. And I'm chosen not forsake. I am chosen not forsake him. I am who they say I am.

You are for me not against me. I am who you say I am. I am chosen, not forsaken. I am who you say I'm a child of God yes I am in my father's house in my father's house

God, as we sing that song, I I am I'm grateful not just for eternal life to come and knowing that promise of eternal life and the assurance of it, but I'm thankful, God, for the the rich and abundant life you offer right now. Right now. Right here for us. And God, would we really rest in that, cling to that, cling to you, and enjoy this life that you've given. It is to be enjoyed, and it's to be enjoyed and lived out in you, walking in your spirit, enjoying you from day to day.

God, may we as a church enjoy you. Really, to enjoy being in your presence, to be to enjoy being in your company because you are living and you are active. And your words, they really do bring life. Amen. Let's sing that again.

We'll make it a prayer, our song. Let me hear.

Let me hear your words above all of our voices above all the obstructions in this world. For your words bring light and your voice speaks promising. Lord, your love offers more than anything are words. Let us speak your words more than us, more than ever. Let us

Y'all can have a seat but would you pray with me? God, thank you for this time. We gather in your name, lord, to worship you, to praise you, and just be thankful together. Lord, we ask that you'd receive these offerings lord and that you would do your kingdom's work. We talked last night last week about stirring one another up into love and good works.

May everything that happens here, lord, be out of love, motivated by love, and may it issue forth in good works. Not the other way around, not doing the good works to earn any sort of favor, but Lord, out of what we have received, we give back time and resources and our best of our creative talents. God, I pray that you would do your will and your way among us right now and that what happens here goes forth lord and rings into eternity. In Jesus name, we pray that you would superintend and bless every soul present and everyone that will be touched by them this week. Amen.

You can use me, Lord. Riches and houses, cars

We say, yes, Lord. Say, yes, Lord. You

sing, we say yes, Lord.

We say yes, Lord. We say lord. We say, yes,

lord. Can you use me, lord? Sing for your glory. For your glory, you can use me, Lord. We say yes.

We say yes, Lord. We say, yes, Lord.

You can use

for children's church downstairs and there's a junior high high school girls study down there too. I've been getting closer and closer to knocking this thing over for the past few weeks. I can see it in your eyes that it's making you nervous. I'm going move it out of the way. Really, Carl's eyes that's making him nervous.

Tanya? There you are. Here she comes. For a lot of times, Tanya and I are on opposite sides of this church all the time and I I see a lot of faces that are new. This is my wife, Tanya.

I'm up here all the time. She's up here some of the time. You just push that button right there to go forward and that button to go back.

Good morning, everyone.

Gotta do this.

That's not on.

It's on.

It is?

It is now.

There it is. I can hear myself now. Okay. Good morning. Good morning.

Today, it's been a long time coming. I've been home for a while. And Carl and Ray and Pascal and I were in Africa in February and March, we've all been home for a while. We've just now gotten around to talking about it because there's something at the end that is gonna become important to all of us. Okay.

So what Ray was talking about last week in Hebrews stirring one another up in good in love and good deeds. Well, the way I got to Africa the first time is because Roseanne was indeed over there stirring us up here to go and do things there. And she was in Kenya. And when I say Roseanne was stirring things up, she for as far as I could see in Kenya and what I learned for the next few years, she stirred a nation. And I know that seems kind of impossible, but those of you that went with us, the 19 women in 2013, know that she started a nation.

There are people that are pastors, and there are people that are youth leaders, and there are people that have started programs that Ray put Grace's Purse up there last week because of what God has done through people from here. So we're gonna have an opportunity to talk about that in a few minutes. But what I would like to say first, I think

there we go.

Okay. So this is the Kenyan flag, And I love how patriotic, everyone is. And that's a that brings I'm patriotic for my country, and that brings joy to me to see them all sporting their bracelets, their Kenyan bracelets. But this is the outlook at the school, a school called Maisha Mafia that

we

were just just last in and in March also. What God calls us to do is go and share his love and his word with the people of every tribe and tongue and nation. And that's what's happening here. Primarily, his word for the saving grace is happening. There's one little voice at Maisha Mafia.

This is a school in the rainy season. Right there. This is a school that the part of the school that we were talking about building and praying about building about a year and a half ago. And when we went, there were foundations. And foundations are always important.

In this case, the foundation of God and his word and these teachers are what's building an education and will eventually build solid protection for these children for the rest of their lives. It is, they live in a precarious world and it's it's our world and it's particularly their world. So when we go here, this is, this is a morning opening ceremonies, I guess, is what Paschal calls them. They call them, the opening blessings and that this is opening ceremonies. This little girl's name is Velma.

She we met her. We went to her home in February, and she, for some reason, fell in love with me. She knows where I am. No matter what part of the campus I'm on, I can come out of a door, and she went lifts her hand. And that's a sweetheart of a child right there.

She's a sweet little girl. There she is. Now, this is, one of Ray and Carl's buddies. This is this is Martin, and and he is just as precious as he can be. And he is learning so much, and he is gathering so much information and education and confidence.

He is the man of his house, and he has a little baby girl sister, and her name is Violet. And well, we actually were arguing between Viola and Violet. But there he is and he's there he is smiling, with his mom. And what's happening here with the spread of the gospel and the spread of education is is an understanding of the solid need for families. The solid needs for families to stick together, and this is what he's learning.

And he wants to be a pastor, and I thought, well, bless his heart. But that's what he wants to be when he grows up pastor. This is why we make fun of this expression right here. I'm just gonna give you an overlay of some of the things and then give you a little challenge at the end. These are the desk in the school and he is listening to his teacher, teacher Richard right now.

This is teacher training, and that's part of what we went over there for last time. I went with a lady who was a superintendent of a school district in California, and with another lady with her master's of education and extensive international experience, and we got to, support the teachers, this time and be in the classrooms. And it's it's amazing to see how responsive the children are, how excited they are to be taught, and how they skip into school and they skip out to to go to their families too. It's it's a beautiful blessing but these are teachers learning. This is part of our the food.

This will thrill you. These bananas are soaked in water because that's what gets the spiders out of them. This is Celine. This sweet little girl has been through a lot, and I'm not gonna go into it. But this is inside her house.

It was inside of a a home visit, and we got to visit with her mom, and Dave Hatfield said, what is your prayer and what is your hope? And she said, I hope that my child is not here when she grows up. And here is the dump. Y'all know these children. You've heard me talk.

They all live in the dump and she's peripheral. This is her house, which is a really nice house. In the dump, she's three doors in at the corner right there, so it's fairly safe for her to be in the corner house. And there's she's got a wall. Oh, that's kind of a palace.

This is Alfred. He is from malnutrition he is about this big and his school uniform doesn't fit him very well this little man will grow up to be a family man with without a doubt his grandmother show show has been raising her children, her grandchildren, and her neighbor's grandchildren. And he gets her she pays. She works still, and she pays a little coin for him to be picked up at the top of a mountain and driven down in a motorcycle to go to school and hear, hear from these wonderful teachers. This is Celine, and she is holding her child sponsorship letter.

And that's part of what I got to do when I was there this time. We, we read them to them. The children, the little ones are still in Swahili, so we read them to them in English. The first grade, they've pretty much gotten it. And this was this is us reading to them.

It's a huge blessing. The sponsorship gets their textbooks. It gets their, food and their lunch, and they love it. One of the sponsors didn't accidentally didn't send a letter, and so we figured that out. Iran wrote this letter about this little girl, Gladys, who, she had no idea, and I wrote it in rainbow, and I told her talked about her and talked about her family and when when we handed it to her because we were like we don't know where it is.

She burst out into tears and held it for a long time and we had we just done it and the blessings are tremendous for that. So this is what I did, part of it. I helped them learn self portraits is what we did for them to send back to their sponsors. And what we got to talk about was the science of faces and how God has made us to where the top of your ear is the middle of your eye and the length of the width of your eyeball is here and the perfection that we all are in him. And so this is what they got to send back to their sponsors this year.

This is Grace. Ray showed y'all the purse last week. Next to me is Grace. And those are three of the girls that are rescued out of, the part of Kenya where Roseanne was working. And this is Grace was in her youth group.

She has her degree in counseling and she is well on her way to a tremendous, NGO. Yeah, a nonprofit, in Africa that rescues these girls. They learn to sew, they learn leather work now, and they put themselves through school. What this this children's church is gone, right? What this does is protects these children from assault.

They are safe on their way to school. They are protected. They are not working in the tea fields where most of that happens in the to and from school. These girls are protected from that now. Now they weren't.

These were not protected. And the tragedies unfortunately to get into Grace's group are extreme. This is us being ridiculous. Okay. And this is the children waving.

So here is no. Oh, sweet little boy, Michael. He's praying. He didn't know I was taking that picture. That's at opening ceremonies.

Okay. So here's my challenge. First B is going again, August fifth through twenty second of next year. And, what we would love for y'all to do is come to a meeting next week between services. If you want to come, if you're interested in it and get to see get to see what God has asked us to do which is go and be with these to go and he's commanded us to help the poor and we're doing that here in Jackson actively in this church and he's asked us to go to all the tribes, tongues, and nations and we're doing that too and a lot of them we can't go to.

We can't go to the Manassas or Berbers and we can't go to the gypsies, the Kazakhstan gypsies, and we can't go with Eric with Run Ministries, and we can't go with Judy's family to Afghanistan. We can go here. We can pray. We can send to people, But you're welcome to go. It's gonna be very exciting.

It's a different program. I've got lots and lots of stories that are much more concise than what I've set up here, but they're not really for public consumption. So I have an entire slideshow after this that will run, and I can stop it and talk about anything up there. So Ray I told my sister that I would do yeah okay.

Oh gracious I'm not helping with this. Okay. Go right ahead.

So we have a teacher. Her name is Pascalita actually. Oh, this is what you'll see.

Jill would you like to help?

So that's the encouragement dance and the school is all about a love of education and a love of God but especially encouraging these children to stay in school and stand in there. So if you go with me, I promise you, you'll all be doing this. And if you don't, the children will shame you into it. Wow.

Is this on now? Okay. So in your bulletin today, there's a little sheet right here and it says Helping Hands up at the top and it's got a list of different place. If you would, if you don't mind, would you please? Okay.

Fill out your name and a contact on there and let us know if you're interested in helping out with any of these things. Every once in a while,

I get somebody to say, I just

don't know how to plug in. It's not that hard. Okay? Mention that you want to help and we'll show you where we need help. Okay?

But if you would, write it down right there. We'd love to have kind of critical mass around some of these items. No shame involved. Seriously, no shame involved. But if you would sign up for something, it would be helpful.

Something that's natural to you. If you are not a mercy person or a grief person, we will not ask you to do bereavement ministry, okay? We're not going to ask, not going to send you to the hospital to sit beside somebody's bed unless that's your thing, alright? We don't want, we want to set people up to win, not to fail, okay? And some of us are wired to go, go, go, go, go like crazy and some of us are wired to pray and pray and pray like crazy.

So, we recognize that but if you would, you want to sign up right there, that would be great. What's next? Am I preaching today? Hebrews nine nineteen through 39 is the text for the day and we will just see how far we get, okay? It's pretty hefty.

This is a very hefty portion. The 19 through 25 we covered last week. I'm going to hit real quick. There'll be the white slides I'm going through and I'll remind you what I said. Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus and that is the only way you can have confidence to enter into the holy place or into communion with God is by the blood of Jesus.

Since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus by a new and a living way which he inaugurated for us. He was the one who went before through the veil. That is his flesh and since we have a great high priest over the house of God and we do and Jesus is it. Jesus is our great high priest and he is the only acceptable sacrifice and he made it. That's the rationale.

Since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us. Let us this. Let us what? Let us draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith. We're gathered right here together.

We're drawing near. Having our hearts sprinkled clean, we can know that by the blood of Jesus, we are forgiven before God, sprinkled clean and from any evil conscience and having had our bodies washed with pure water. I think that's a reference to baptism. Let us then hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. The confession of our hope is Jesus.

In Christ alone, our hope is found. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. So, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Why?

Because he who promised is faithful. God will do it. I I reminded you last week of the Old Covenant. It's all on you. With the old covenant.

It's all on you and everybody stands under the old covenant and it's all on you but that should point you in humility towards the new covenant which is the blood of Jesus. Where it's all on God. He took upon himself the sins of everyone who would put their faith in him. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So, it's either all on you or it's on Jesus.

Which would you rather have? Old covenant, new covenant. He who promised is faithful and he will start a good work and see it to completion. So, let us what? Let us consider how to stimulate one another up into love and good deeds.

I think Tanya did a good job of stirring us up, right? Stimulate us into love and good deeds. Not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some. That used to be the main passage right there. I remember being in a church at a time where it says, hey, now, now, now, now, we missed you in church last Sunday.

Don't forsake the assembling of yourself together. Like we're keeping roll. Around here, it's more like Olive Garden. It's like when you hear your family, alright? I want it to be the place you wanna be.

I want for this to be the place you want to be, but I don't want for there to be any shame in not being here. If you're on mission for God, go, go, go, go, go, go, go If you need rest, go, go, go, go, go but this should be the place where we gather and we encourage one another and it's a restful place. For not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more as you see that great and mighty day of the Lord approaching the the end is coming. That's not a doomsday prophet's way of looking at things. The end is coming and it's heaven for sure.

Glory, glory for all of those who are in Jesus after that. So, it's an anticipated and incorruptible hope but let's encourage one another as we're headed towards that and bring as many with us as we can by the testimony of our lives and the blood of Jesus. Eleven minutes left. Here we go. So, those are the three letter statements.

Let us draw near. We're doing that. Let us hold fast the confession unswervingly even though it's unpopular in our time and in our place to say that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life, exclusive. It's true. Hold fast to it and let us consider how to stimulate one another up into love and good deeds.

This should be a farm for lettuce. Alright, lettuce, lettuce, lettuce. And then there's a very strong warning Immediately after that, it's this, I think second strongest warning in the whole New Testament and it's hefty. He's speaking to believers. Writer or writers of Hebrews are speaking to believers right here and it's saying, it really is the new covenant.

Jesus entrusted in him humbly or it's judgment because everybody fails under the old covenant. So, it really is either Christ or judgement. Those are the option. Warning, Warren Weirsby as understated as he is. He just puts, this is a solemn exhortation.

It's it's an exhortation which is an encouragement towards the good but it comes with a strong warning. So, here it is. For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains any sacrifice for sins. Willful disobedience is a lot worse than ignorant disobedience. Been mentioned a couple of times already.

If you go back to numbers, numbers fifteen thirty, 31 says this, but the person who does anything defiantly, it's talking about sin before that but the person who does anything defiantly or willfully whether he is a native or an alien, the one that is blaspheming the Lord and the person, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment and that person shall be completely cut off and his guilt will be on him. Like I said, old covenant, guilt's on him. But that's the old covenant. New covenant points back to this though and says, if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, it's like, if Christ has saved you and he has promised to sanctify you, you do have to yield your will to him and if you're yielding your will 94% and you got 6% that you go, what?

This is not enough sin to worry about God. I'm just going to hold on to this. This is mine and I'm going to do this no matter what you say. You missed the point. You missed the point of salvation.

He is seeking to sanctify and draw you into a close and deeper and deeper relationship with him and by your life, draw others in. Says sin. It says sin. James four seventeen and this is for your churchy church people, okay? Because there's some people thinking, oh, I'm so glad so and so's here today because they are a sinner.

James says, therefore, the one who knows the right thing to do and does it not To him, it's sin. So, it's not just murder and adultery and pornography and all of these different things that we all know are sins. It's knowing to do the right thing and doing it not. Being stirred up into doing something and then saying, nope. That gets us all.

It gets us all. I'm not trying to pretend that it doesn't get me. It gets us all. If we go on sinning willfully, by the way, when I was a safety guy, like safety consultant, if you are the government works this way too, you know, government's instituted by God. If you get an OSHA fine, the largest OSHA fine for a single violation you're supposed to get is normally a $7,000 fine unless it's willful.

If it's willful, it's 10 times that. It's a multiplier of 10. If you knew better but didn't do something about it, it's $70,000. Yeah. So this is, I think we know that to have a child that is accidentally wrong is one thing but to have one that's defi wrong.

We know that that. We understand that. So, if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins but what does remain is a terrifying expectation of judgment. I'm a grace and mercy guy. I like mercy.

I like to preach about mercy. I don't like to see judgment because then I have to present it. It's here though. God is righteous and he is just and either Christ took the penalty for sin on the cross for those who put their faith in him or the person will pay. This says, a terrifying expectation of judgement and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries and that is going to happen.

Isaiah 26 says, oh Lord, your hand is lifted up and yet they do not see it. There are plenty of people who just ignore the fact that God is and that judgment will come to pass. They see your zeal for the people and they're put to shame. Indeed, fire will devour your enemies. That's the truth.

It's biblical. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses, so that's old covenant, right? Anyone who sets aside the law of Moses and just defiantly goes against what the law says dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses if you don't know where that is. It's Deuteronomy 17. It says, it's a long passage before but at the end down here it says, on the evidence of just two or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death mainly by stoning old covenant, unmerciful.

He shall not be put to death though on the evidence of just one witness. So, they're not a lot of he said, she said, murders but on the evidence of two or three witnesses, it says it again in Deuteronomy 19, a single witness shall not rise up against the man on account of iniquity or any sin which he's committed on the evidence though of two or three witnesses of matter shall be confirmed. Actually, the New Testament where it says, where two or three are gathered together in my name, we use that all the time. Oh, it was a small service. There were just a couple of us there but where two or three are gathered in his name, there he is in the midst and that's true but it's talking about church discipline.

It's hard, hard stuff. This is the two or three witnesses. And how horrible would that be? That's terrible. It's old covenant.

It points towards our lack and our new covenant status but then this from Hebrews is a solemn exhortation. How much then severe punishment do you think he will deserve who is trampled underfoot, the son of God. So, to step on the sacrifice that Jesus made. Surrendering his perfect life for our imperfect ones and promising to sanctify and yet if we rebelliously, defiantly go against, we're trampling underfoot the son of God and and have regarded the unclean as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified. Eventually, sometimes, people get to the point where yes, I'm saved but you know what?

I just got tired. I started relying on my self rather than on the power from God rather than than on bending my will to his. I just decided, you know what? I give up and I'm not going to do that. What you're saying is the blood of Christ and the power that raised him from the dead is not sufficient for your whatever shortfall it might be.

Regarded as unclean, the blood of the covenant by which we sanctified and has insulted the spirit of grace. The spirit of grace is what God though we have sinned, what he offers us is forgiveness. Through Christ. He offers forgiveness. It it would be insulting to say, yeah, I'll have the salvation but the sanctification I'll handle that on my own.

I'll do what I want to do. Thank you very much If that's the mentality or the attitude then you didn't get it You didn't understand the depth of the sacrifice. You didn't understand what it is. Now, he's reaching out but he does say, we know this is a seeing type of knowledge. This is something that we have seen with our own Isaac's experiential for we know him.

We know God. We've seen God and how he is and he says, vengeance is mine. I will repay. Now, in Romans, that's a comforting thing. He said, don't don't take vengeance on other people.

God will repay. So, that's comforting if you're in the right frame of mind but if you're not, it's not comforting. We know him who said, vengeance is mine, I will repay. Deuteronomy, Old Covenant again. Vengeance is mine and retribution in due time, their foot will slip.

You know the great awakening that happened way back when Jonathan Edwards sermon sinners in the hands of an angry God Their foot shall slip in time was the passage that he preached from for that. That's it In due time, their foot will slip for the day of their calamity is near and the impending things are hastening upon them. Man, that's judgement looming. Romans, like I said, never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God. As unpopular as it seems in our society, there are two paths that we can go by.

One leads to heaven and one leads to hell and wide is the road that leads to hell and narrow the gate that leads to heaven. And again, the Lord will judge his people and that is from Deuteronomy 32 also and it says, the Lord will vindicate. You might not think vindicate judge are the same. They're not really the same, exactly the same but the Lord will vindicate his people. He will judge them.

He knows who his people are. He knows. I think we can convince ourselves that we are. Yet, by the way, we live our life, we prove that we are not. The Lord will vindicate his people.

He'll have compassion on his servants. When he sees that their strength is gone, he recognizes human frailty. Jesus walked in a human body and knows and recognizes human frailty. Yet, he was without sin. He understands and has compassion on it.

We have a great high priest who knows and understands our weaknesses. Outright rebellion though is what this is warning against. Defiance. He sees that their strength is gone and there's none remaining bonded free. And then this closure for the solemn exhortation where he says, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Welcome to church It is a terrifying thing. If you think about an all powerful and he is all powerful, almighty God. He is merciful and he is just. How can that be? Because he took upon himself, Jesus, the justice.

He took upon himself the penalty for sin for everyone who asks him for forgiveness. And trust in the way that God has made exclusive way. But other than that, you're on your own and it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God because the enemies will be consumed. Christ is seated at the right hand of the father interceding for those who put their faith in him. He's given us the mission to reach those who have not yet put their faith in him and he is doing that until God makes his enemies a footstool for his feet consumes them with fire.

This is a heavy passage Hebrews ten thirty two to 39 is a natural break but it's hard to leave on it a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God There is confirmation after this and encouraging confirmation but I I actually do think I'm just going to let it set for this week Will you consider your way this week? Will you consider if there's any way that you are defiantly refusing almighty God in his gentlemanly request to live your life? Will you consider your way? Let's sing that song we sang earlier. There's one that's take my life and let it be consecrated lord to thee.

We were thinking of singing that one at the end. Yeah, think that would be appropriate if we went seven more verses but right here can we we can either say yes lord or we can say no. Okay, to what God wants from us. We can either say yes, lord but you can't say no, lord Does that make sense to you? And if he's your lord, you say yes.

Yes, lord or you can say no but consider that. This song says, we say yes. We say yes. We say yes. We say yes for your glory, for your glory, for your glory.

Yeah and for your glory, would would you stand up with us? But for your glory, we sing a lot of glory to God songs, but let me just share a very small, short, simple definition of of God's glory. It's the going public of God's infinite worth. So God's power and his wisdom and his mercy and his justice, all the attributes that makes God, God, you know, infinite almighty God, it's the going public with that for his sake. Right?

For his name, for his praise, not our own. So that's what we say. God, for your glory, it's about him, not us.

Lord.

Riches and houses, cars and lands will all pass For your glory. Let's sing that. Glory, we can use me now. And we say yes.

We say yes, lord. We say Lord.

We say yes, Lord. You can use me, Lord. We say yes.

So, Blake, can you go to the very last slide in the sermon? So, where it ends up next week is right here. It's given a contrast. It said, it said, let us, let us, let us, let us. If you're part of Jesus, let us draw near, hold fast to confession, and love and good works and then it has this warning that I've shared today and then it goes into a confirmation and it gives you the clear contrast between the two and then says, but we are not of those who will shrink back to destruction but of those who have faith to the persevering of the soul.

Would you examine your life this week? Consider and think about it and get to the place I pray where you can say, yes, lord. Yes, lord. Where you lead me, I'll follow. Yes, lord.

Yes, lord. I agree with you about my sin and rebellion and I want to give that to you too and he has grace that is available for everyone who asks for. Jesus name, amen.