Scripture referenced 14 passages
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Psalm 92:1-2 sung as an opening worship response, 'It is good to give thanks to the Lord'
1 It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing praises to your name, Most High;
2 to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night,
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Keep this verse
Hebrews 1:1-4
quoted as the exordium and thesis of the whole book, establishing Christ's preeminence
1 God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.
3 His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4 having become so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they have.
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Hebrews 2:1-3
first warning passage, 'we must pay closer attention... how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation'
1 Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away.
2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense;
3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation—which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard;
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Hebrews 3:7-11
warning from the Holy Spirit through David, 'Today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts'
7 Therefore, even as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you will hear his voice,
8 don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness,
9 where your fathers tested me by proving me, and saw my deeds for forty years.
10 Therefore I was displeased with that generation, and said, ‘They always err in their heart, but they didn’t know my ways;’
11 as I swore in my wrath, ‘They will not enter into my rest.’”
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Hebrews 5:11
warning that the hearers had become dull of hearing
11 About him we have many words to say, and hard to interpret, seeing you have become dull of hearing.
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Hebrews 6:4-6
strong warning about those who were once enlightened and have fallen away
4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,
6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.
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Hebrews 10:26
strongest warning, 'if we go on sinning willfully there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins'
26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,
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Hebrews 10:28-29
warning about trampling underfoot the Son of God and regarding as unclean the blood of the covenant
28 A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses.
29 How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
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Hebrews 10:30
'Vengeance is mine, I will repay... the Lord will judge His people'
30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance belongs to me,” says the Lord, “I will repay.” Again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
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Hebrews 10:32-39
the main passage of the sermon, the encouraging confirmation to remember former days and not shrink back
32 But remember the former days, in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings;
33 partly, being exposed to both reproaches and oppressions; and partly, becoming partakers with those who were treated so.
34 For you both had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an enduring one in the heavens.
35 Therefore don’t throw away your boldness, which has a great reward.
36 For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise.
37 “In a very little while, he who comes will come, and will not wait.
38 But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
39 But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.
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Hebrews 11:1
quoted as the opening of next week's hall of faith passage, 'faith is the assurance of things hoped for'
1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.
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Ephesians 2:8-10
quoted to show salvation is by grace through faith, and believers are created for good works
8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, that no one would boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
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Habakkuk 2:3-4
cited as the source of 'my righteous one shall live by faith' and the vision that will not delay
3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hurries toward the end, and won’t prove false. Though it takes time, wait for it; because it will surely come. It won’t delay.
4 Behold, his soul is puffed up. It is not upright in him, but the righteous will live by his faith.
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1 Peter 5:10
used as the closing benediction, 'the God of all grace... perfect and establish and strengthen and settle you'
10 But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
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Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This message was a review of the first ten chapters of Hebrews, walking through the book's argument that Jesus is better than every old covenant figure and sacrifice. The pastor covered the warnings woven through those chapters alongside the encouragements, and then closed with the short but pointed confirmation passage in Hebrews 10:32-39. The aim throughout was to press the question: have you carefully and decisively considered Jesus for yourself, or are you coasting on someone else's answer?
What was said
The opening verses of Hebrews set the thesis for everything that follows: God has spoken his final word in his Son, who is the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of God's nature, and who now sits at the right hand of the majesty on high interceding for those who trust him. The pastor kept coming back to that session of Christ as the anchor of the whole book. Jesus is not a figure from the past; he is actively at work right now on behalf of his people.
The book builds its case in layers. Jesus is better than the angels who were understood to have delivered the law. He is better than Moses, the most revered figure in first-century Judaism. He is better than Melchizedek and the whole Levitical priesthood, because those priests were many in number, died, and had to offer sacrifices for their own sins, while Jesus lives forever, is without sin, and offered himself once for all.
Running alongside each of those positive arguments is a warning, and the pastor did not soften them. The warning in chapter six about those who have tasted the heavenly gift and then fallen away, and the warning in chapter ten that if someone walks away from the only sacrifice for sins there is nothing left, were treated as real and serious. His reading of those passages was not that a genuine believer loses salvation, but that in any room full of people worshiping together there are some who have written down the right answer without ever truly owning it, copying off someone else's paper rather than carefully considering Jesus for themselves.
The encouraging confirmation of Hebrews 10:32-39 was the specific text for the morning. The pastor noted that the first readers of this letter had already suffered concretely: public reproach, seizure of property, solidarity with prisoners, and real danger under Nero's Rome. The writer tells them to remember those former days, because they got through the suffering then by knowing what they had. The same holds now. The call is to endurance, the Greek word the pastor identified as meaning remaining up under the pressure, not throwing away a confidence that carries eternal reward.
He paused on the phrase "so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised" and connected it to Ephesians 2:10, the idea that believers are God's workmanship created for good works prepared in advance. His thought was that there is something quietly comforting in believing that until you have done the last good work God has prepared for you, you are going to make it through, and when that final work is done, you get to meet him.
The sermon closed by pointing ahead. Hebrews 10 ends with a quotation from Habakkuk about the righteous living by faith and with the declaration that "we are not of those who shrink back to destruction but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul." That line sets up the hall of faith in chapter 11, which is where the pastor said the series will go next week.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- The pastor used the image of copying an answer off someone else's paper to describe a person who calls Jesus the answer without having carefully considered him for themselves. What does it actually look like to carefully and decisively consider Jesus rather than just going along with what others around you believe?
- The writer of Hebrews tells his readers to remember the former days when they first came to the light and then endured suffering for it. Can you think of a time when the cost of following Christ was real for you, and what did it do to your faith?
and 3 more questions in the guide
Read the full transcript 8,739 words
0:00
Speaker 3Wow. I just saw on my phone that first bee is now live. Whoo. Good morning, everybody. How are you?
0:10
Alright. It's quiet in here. Would you you stand and we'll sing together? Let's warm up to the Lord. Psalm 92, a song to be sung on the Sabbath day.
0:24
It's good to give thanks to the Lord and sing praises to the most high. Amen.
0:42
Speaker 2It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name,
0:52
Speaker 3almost high. Sing that again.
0:55
Speaker 2It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name. Almost I. Almost I.
1:20
Speaker 3Alright. Let's sing that again.
1:22
Speaker 2It is good to praise you, Lord, and make use to your name, almost high. It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name, oh, most high, to proclaim, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night. Let's sing that again. To proclaim. To proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.
2:14
And oh, I sing for joy. Oh, I sing for joy at the sound of your name and the works of your hands. You make me clear And for all of my life, let my song to you rise almost high. Alright. Let's sing again.
2:54
It is good. It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name, oh, most high than you. It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name almost I am almost I.
3:41
Speaker 1Alrighty. Y'all going to have a seat I have a few announcement this morning. They're different from our normal announcement and there's a reason for that that they're different from the announcements. We just do the same ones over and over because they happen every week, right? So, I'm going to do a few of those and if I forget one, please do call it out but I got something else I want for you to do in the midst of this.
4:05
Last week, so going in chronological order. Last week, they had the we had the wrapping party for the Operation Christmas Child boxes and a 196 boxes were sealed and delivered on time. Got out of here. I think that's a record. It's really, really cool.
4:20
I wanna let you know about it. That's good. Those are getting to where they need to be in the world in time for Christmas. So thank you for doing that. Monday nights at first b?
4:29
Speaker 3Yes. Yeah. We're on tomorrow, but it's a Thanksgiving potluck. So song and scripture and food. But what makes a great potluck is everybody brings something.
4:37
So if you plan to come tomorrow, would you would you bring a little something, a a side dish or a dessert or a pie or whatever? It would be great, and we'll have a fantastic time tomorrow.
4:47
Speaker 1And if you said that you would bring a turkey, please bring that turkey. Okay? Because he he gets the turkeys and then sends them out with families to to bring em back. So, if you if you said you'd bring a turkey, please do but community entry services, there are few folks here that go to church here that work with community entry and if you promise that you'd bring sides, side dishes, or turkey for them, would you do that too? I just want to remind you and by the way, on Thanksgiving Day, there's a Friendsgiving that goes on and it's happening here.
5:17
So, if you remember that, talk to Anna, would you stand? Hey. There she is. She's kind of in charge of the actual Thanksgiving Day, Friendsgiving. We got a Monday celebration community entry I think is on Thursday also and then, Anna, thank you for doing that too.
5:32
There is a meeting today in the pastor's office down the hall. Second door on the left If you would like to or are thinking about going or supporting or funding or whatever you want or thinking about doing that has to do with Africa. If you would go be a part of that meeting in my office between services with my wife, Tanya. She will be there. She spoke last week and several people said, oh, what do I do about that?
5:57
So, come next week in between services down the hall and today, following the second service, this is a star spangled announcement. Ferry, do you all know Ferry Francis Salimon? Do you all know him? He's the one who sets up the chairs in here every week and sets up the tables down the hall. A couple weeks ago, a few weeks ago, we went to Casper and he passed his citizenship test.
6:19
And so we're celebrating that fact that he's headed towards. He only thing he lacks is the swearing in ceremony and they said, you can go to Denver and do that or you can wait and do it at Grand Teton National Park. He's waiting because he wants to do it here because he love to have his family and friends around. So, but we're doing a big party for him today 12:15 right after the service and he is a dedicated dedicated servant of this of God but of this church too. So, want you to know about that.
6:47
That's very Bulletin insert. Okay. The paper bulletin. We print this out for a reason and there's everything even the stuff I forget Skip is in here. So, what's going on in this week happens in this?
7:02
If you didn't grab one on the way and will you raise your hand and somebody in the back, will y'all bring em and hand them out? So, this I am not forceful. Y'all know that, right? After seven years, have you all known that I'm just not forcing your hand on anything? There's an insert inside of it this week.
7:17
It's called Helping Hands. Got a smaller crowd this morning. I know people are spread all over creation going for Thanksgiving. I'm going to give you a little bit of time this morning. I would like for you all.
7:28
There's some pens and pencils in the back. Steve Landis is going to walk around. I'd like for all of us, everybody here to fill this little sheet out. So, we're going to take time to do that this morning rather than just saying, I'll turn them back in. 10 or 15 people did turn them in last week but if you feel like Ray's being too forceful and I don't really like this, write that down.
7:46
Pretend you're signing up for something, okay? If you think that you want to send a note to the band or if you want to send a note to the people carrying the offering, if you want to do whatever you want to write down, write something down on this form. I know some of you are visiting. We don't do this every week. It's a weird thing but I'm going to give you a little thinking music or actually ask, would you give some thinking music?
8:10
Okay, very good. Yeah. Yeah. And you can put these in the offering plate when the offering plate comes by, okay? Alright.
8:18
Thank you. We'll give you a little time. It's in C, fellas, if you want to catch up with it. One more time. Why not?
8:46
Play it again. I think it's self explanatory. If you have questions, write down. I have questions. Okay.
8:55
And send that back in and we will get you the answers to those questions. If you put your name and phone number down, we're not immediately going to put you on all of our lists, okay? You don't have to worry about spam. We're we're not that consistent with spam, okay? So, please do write something down and then we'll get up and do the shaky shake hand.
9:21
Thank you very much and I appreciate y'all humoring me for that. If you would scribble that on down, get it in the offering plate before but right now, you can stand and greet one another and the band will bring you back together with a peppy little song. Thank you for doing that.
10:09
Speaker 2And Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? Who leaves us breath in all in wonder? The king of glory, the king above all kings. And this is amazing grace. Let's sing of it.
10:55
This is amazing grace. This is unfailing love. That you take my face, that you'd bear my cross. You'd lay down your life, that I would be set free. Oh, Jesus, I say for all that you've done for me.
11:33
Yeah. Who brings our chaos back into order? Who makes the orphan a son and daughter, the king of glory, the king above all kings. And who rules the nations? Who rules the nations with truth and justice shines like the sun in all of its brilliance.
12:05
The king of glory, the king above all caves. This is amazing grace. This is unfailing love. That you take my face. That you'd bear my cross.
12:31
You'd lay down your life that I would be set free. Oh, Jesus, I say for all that you've done for me. And let's sing worthy is. Lamb who slayed. Worthy is the who conquered the grave.
13:11
Again, worthy worthy is the lamb who slain. Worthy is the king conquer the grave. Worthy is the lamb who slain. Worthy is the king conquer the grave. This is amazing grace.
13:37
Is unfailing love. That you would take my place. That you'd bear my cross, you'd lay down your life, that I would be set free.
14:21
Speaker 3God, as we sing that song, I just can't help but think of your consistency. How consistent you are, how consistent your love is for us, your unfailing love. Thank you, Lord, that you would be willing to leave the glories of heaven to come to earth as a as a man, but also God, and then live a perfect life and and die a sacrificial death in our place for our sins so that we could be free, just as we sang. And that is what you've come to do. You have come to free us, to free the captives so that we would not be in bondage to into sin and death and destruction, but God, that you would give us life and life to the full measure.
15:07
That is why we're here this morning, and we come thankful. We truly do. Thank you. Amen.
15:27
Speaker 2Alright. Let's say, you give life when you are loved. You give life, you are loved. You bring light to the darkness. You give hope.
15:43
You restore every heart that is broken. Great are you, Lord. Let's sing that again. You give life. You give life.
16:01
You are loved. Bring light to the darkness you give hope. You restore every heart that is broken. Great are you, Lord, and it's your breath in our lungs. It's your breath in our lungs.
16:32
So we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise. It's your bread in our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you only. You give life.
16:58
You are loved. You bring light to the darkness. You give hope. You restore in our lungs, so we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise.
17:33
It's your bread in our lungs, so we pour out our praise to you only.
17:48
Speaker 3And let's sing, all
17:49
Speaker 2the earth will shout your praise. All the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones will sing. Great are you, Lord.
18:08
Let's sing that again. All the earth. All the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones will sing.
18:21
Great are you, Lord. Against your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise. It's your bread in our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you only.
19:14
Speaker 3Let's let's take this in from Proverbs. Okay? It says, trust in the Lord with all of your heart and don't lean on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. God, we make that our our prayer and we are going to sing it as well.
19:33
We lean not on our own understanding, although we want to desperately. We want to, God, even more so lean on yours because you truly do. You you know what's best. Your wisdom is is beyond ours. And so God, may it be our our prayer, but our song and our heart's desire to lean on your understanding rather than our own.
19:54
And as we do, you will make our our path straight. That's what you've promised us, and that's what we're counting on. Amen.
20:19
Speaker 2I'll
20:27
Speaker 3I'll be
20:29
Speaker 2glad My life is in the hands of an acre of air. I give it only you got, trusting that you'll make something beautiful out of me. I give it only you got. Trusting that you make something beautiful out of me. I lean not on my own understanding.
21:09
My life is in the hands of another day. I lead not on my own understanding. My life is in the hands of a young girl. And I give it, I give it only you got. Trusting that you'll make something beautiful out of me.
21:39
I give it on you. I'm trusting that you'll make something beautiful out of me. And I will climb, and I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open. I will climb this mountain with my hands wide. There's nothing I hold on to.
22:19
There's nothing I hold on to. There's nothing I hold on to. There's nothing I hold on to. There's nothing I hold on to. There's nothing I hold on to.
22:34
There's nothing I hold on to. There's nothing I hold on to. I lean not on my own understanding. My life is in the hands of the maker of it. I give
23:03
Speaker 3of maker of
23:07
Speaker 2them. I give it all new God, trusting that you'll make something beautiful out of me.
23:58
Speaker 1God almighty, y'all can have a seat. God almighty, we thank you lord that I'm just thinking of Hebrews that Jesus is seated at your right hand right now. He's interceding for those who put their trust in him. Lord, you are right now giving us the strength to do as you direct. Forgive us, Lord, when we when we deny that strength, forgive us when we walk away from it.
24:23
God, we come right now asking the children receive back a portion of what you've given us to do your kingdom's work, to make a difference in other people's lives and in their eternities So lord, we ask that you would advance your good gospel through your obedient servants. Amen. Gather here in your name this morning. Lord, would you do your will and your way in our midst and then from here to the very outermost parts of the earth. Would you do that, lord?
24:51
We yield our collective will to you. In Jesus name, amen.
25:29
Speaker 2Take your truth, plant it deep in us, sheep and fashion us in your life. Amen. Truths are unchanged from the dawn of time that we let go down from eternity. And by grace, we'll stand on your promises. And by faith, we'll walk as you walk with us.
26:55
Speak, oh Lord, till your church is built and the earth is filled with your glory.
27:26
Speaker 1Amen It's time for children's church downstairs There's also a high school and junior high girl study that's happening there. I did not mention there an announcement because I've changed all the announcement No youth group tonight. Youth group is not happening tonight. Happy Thanksgiving and y'all enjoy your family but we're not doing youth group this evening Help enhance So, as I consider the text for this Sunday over and over this week, it felt like a good time for a review and looking up and seeing a lot of new faces here. I'm thinking oh, here here they're going to get the whole load.
28:05
Hebrews all in one sermon. It's not all of Hebrews, just the first 10 chapters, okay? But here it comes. Hebrews ten thirty two through 39 is an encouraging confirmation according Warren Weirsby. It's an encouraging confirmation.
28:19
Now, it follows on the heels of a real warning or a solid sortation. It was a real warning last week and I hope when we get to that aspect, I'll clarify. I had a couple of people that called about some things. Hebrews 32 through 39, we'll get to but we're going to start with a quick view of the book as a whole. The Exortium, first four verses are very very important.
28:43
It really tells you what the point of the book is immediately off the bat, the Ixorium. First, opening paragraph, it's the thesis of this whole book and I the more I read Hebrews, the more I study Hebrews. I think Hebrews is a sermon. Now, to get the whole one today, that's the size and the density of Hebrews is very very rare. We're going to get 10 thirteens of it right now but here it is.
29:07
Hebrews one one through four is the exhorting God. Amen. After he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us ultimately. In his son, whom he appointed, heir of all things through whom he also made the world and he, Jesus, is the radiance of God's glory. He's the exact representation of God's nature.
29:33
He upholds all things by the word of his power. Christ is preeminent. Christ is preeminent. Christ is what this is all about. He upholds all things by the word of his power.
29:44
When he had made purification of sins and he did make purification of sins. When he had made purification, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Praise God. For Jesus's session, his life was important. His death was important.
29:58
His resurrection was important. His ascension was important but his session right now is ongoing where he's seated at the right hand of the majesty of God interceding for us. Amen 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 than they. The name of Jesus is above every name At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is lord That's the exor and it says, Jesus is better than in the exor specifically, it introduces angels and chapters one and two will go further into Jesus is better than angels and he's better than Torah law which they believe to be delivered by angels to Moses on Sinai. So, Jesus is better than in chapters one and two, angels and Torah so much the better and then, there is a little warning passage, not as strong a warning in chapter two but it's a warning nonetheless For this reason, we must pay closer attention.
31:02
We've gotta make closer attention to what we've already heard so we don't drift away from it. Drift the word that was spoken through angels proved unalterable and the law was unalterable. It's proven. Now, what the law is for, he'll get on into later in the book but it's to direct us towards our need for a savior, to show us our lack and remind us of our shortfall. If the word spoken through angels proved unalterable in every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty.
31:29
How then will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation and that salvation is the exclusive gospel of Jesus Christ. That's what it's pointing to. How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? God has made a way. Let's go with that After it was first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard.
31:49
God also testifying with them both by signs and wonders, various miracles, and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will. I'm not going to preach the whole message again. Chapters three and four. Chapters three and four go into Jesus is better than Moses. Now, Moses was just about the highest that you could get within Judaism throughout but first century Judaism, Moses was seen as the most faithful of servants and he was in charge during the Exodus, right?
32:17
He was in charge of the people through the wilderness wanderings and faithful throughout. But Jesus is better than Moses and he's better than the promised land. That rest that they were seeking to enter into. Moses didn't get to. Joshua led the people into that terrestrial or earthly rest was not the end according to chapters three and four.
32:37
Jesus is better than Moses. He's better than the promised land. So, in this one, the positive before the warning is this, brothers and sisters who are set apart to be holy, partakers of a heavenly calling, those of you who have already trusted in Christ, carefully consider definitively and decisively all the way through to the end. Consider him the apostle, one sent from God and the high priest, one that man can trust to mediate between him and God. Brother and holy, partakers of a calling, heavenly, decisively consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Jesus.
33:12
Whole book's about Jesus. It's pointing to him. He's better than. He is the ultimate high priest. He is the ultimate one who has been sent out.
33:20
Now, there's a warning passage there too. Let us take heed. In chapter two, he's already said, pay more attention to that what you've already heard. Let us take heed to that. Let us fear.
33:31
It says, let us fear if there may be anyone among us who may seem to not be a part of what's really going on. Do you think it's possible to fake your way through church Oh my goodness Do you think it's possible Yeah. Do you think it's possible to fake your way past? God No. It's not.
33:53
So, let us fear if there may be any among us who seem to have fallen short of it and let us be diligent to enter into that greater rest that I just talked about. That's chapters three and four. This is the pointed part of the warning here and highlighted in green. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, through David, by the way, it's a Psalm. Today, if you hear his voice, if you hear the voice of God today, if you feel his impression upon you, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked me as in the day of trial in the wilderness where your fathers tried me by testing me and saw my works for forty years.
34:33
Therefore, I was angry with that generation. Always go astray in their heart and they didn't know my ways and I swore in my wrath. They shall not enter my rest and they wandered around the desert not because they didn't know where they were going. They wandered around the desert till that generation died off. How sad, right?
34:49
But today, if you hear voice of God, don't harden your hearts against it. That's the point. That's the warning. It goes on positively. Let us hold fast our confession and let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace because that's where that's where we can meet God in the place of grace where it's unmerited favor being poured out.
35:10
It's being offered to us and we have the choice to accept it or deny. Can be either old covenant. We'll get into in a minute. Old covenant, everything's on you. Do these things.
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There's no other power. It's on you. And then, the new covenant is, it's on Jesus. It's all been laid on him and he will give you the power, yield your will to his will, and he will sanctify and transform you. Let's draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.
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That'll be repeated on up in chapter 10. Chapters five through seven. So, five, six, and seven, these three chapters Jesus is better than Melchizedek Jesus is better than the other priest and I actually was moved by this section more than I expected to be. I've studied this before but in my own baggage that I bring to the table, priests, I don't ever read priest as a good guy. I don't know why.
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I kind of do know why because I grew up Southern Baptist and so priests were the bad guys. I didn't want to admit that but I'm a bit again. Okay. This talks about how priests are able to deal gently with the ignorant and misguided. That's a good thing.
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That's a really, really, that's a service that was offered and it was a service that was offered by God to guilty people to be able to help them deal with the fact that they sin and with the fact that they are not perfect and they keep on falling short no matter how much. So, not just were there priest and that was a good thing during the old covenant but there is a priest and Jesus is the great high priest and Jesus is better than those all those other priest and he's even better than Melchizedek. He's in a different line than those other Levi priest and then, Levi priest and there's a warning passage with that too and it's pretty hefty. I'm not going to read the whole thing on this one. Those green portions, five eleven, maybe I will bring the green portion.
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Since you have become dull of hearing, it's hard for me to explain because you're not listening basically. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you've accepted the truth of the gospel but you've allowed outside pressures to bring you back into that which you knew for expedience. Not for truth. You have need again for someone to teach you the very elementary principles of the oracles of God and you have to need milk and not solid food and if a baby goes from milk to solid food, that's normal but if somebody goes from solid food back to milk, they're sick and something's wrong. So, that's the prelude to this and then the for in the case of those who once been enlightened, they've tasted of the heavenly gift and they've been made partakers of the Holy Spirit.
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They've tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and then they have fallen away. It's impossible and I'd say for anyone else to renew them again to repentance since they again are crucifying to themselves the son of God and putting him to open shame. That's a very strong warning. When I preach that sermon, I just sat it in your lap and let you deal with it for the week and I did that last week with another very strong, strongest. I think this is the strongest in the New Testament honestly.
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It's something to be contended with. You have to wrestle with that Chapters eight through 10 we see the former priest actually. This is starts a little earlier than this but we see the former priest and the description of em that they were greater numbers of course because they died or greater numbers. Jesus is unique. He lives forever.
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They were temporary. He's permanent. They were not able to save and he's able to save and not just save but save forever. He lives to make intercession for us and they don't. He is holy, completely without sin or blemish, innocent, undefiled, and just because they're human beings, even of the best of intentions and doing all of the rights of purification, they're still unholy and guilty and defile.
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They needed to offer up sacrifices for their own sins but Jesus didn't because he had no sin. So, he could give himself as the perfect one and their blood was not worthy so they were therefore weak and if you look at both of those together, the the former priest, good as they were, come up weak and Jesus comes up perfect and so, Jesus is better than all the old covenant sacrifices. Once and for all, his blood. Once and for all, his sacrifice was sufficient for all who would put their faith in him. So, Jesus is better than Old Testament.
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Old covenant sacrifice Eight starts off immediately like that. Now, the main point in everything, this was the pastor's review in this sermon from Hebrews. Now, the main point this, we have such a high priest. We have Jesus. So, don't turn away from him.
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This is the good guy. This is the guy that you turn to with everything. Cast your cares upon him. Peter says, because he cares for you. We have such a he's taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of majesty in the heavens.
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He's a minister in the actual sanctuary and the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. What this chapter set up is that all of those old covenant sacrifices had a reason and they were copies and shadows and they were pointing towards this new covenant that is available in the blood of Christ alone Chapters eight through 10 come with a strong warning too. After the positive let us passage from two weeks ago, let us draw near. Amen. That we can come together.
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Some of y'all from out of town don't know anybody in this building but you knew that if you showed up this morning, there'd be people here praising your God, right? We're one in the spirit. That's awesome. Let us draw near. Amen.
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Let us hold fast the confession. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and let us consider how to stimulate one another up in the love and good deeds. The whole hand helping hand time. We're trying to stimulate you into more love and good deeds. We're not just trying to get help but we are trying to get help, okay?
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So, when when we hand that off, it's like, here, you deal with this. Now, the scriptures are pointing us that way anyway but we don't always do the best job of handing off, you know? Let's consider though how we might stimulate each other to love and good deed 26 is the strong warning passage in this one. For if we go on sinning willfully after after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin. Jesus is the only way if he has washed your sins away and he's promised to sanctify you.
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If you walk away from that, what else is there? There's nothing else. There no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. Now, this is the place chapter six and chapter 10 that people point to and say or chapter four, six, and 10 and they say, well, that that means I can lose my salvation. I don't believe that you can lose your salvation but the warning is very very real.
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What's the difference in a Christian and a professing Christian? One of them says it, the other one can say it and be it, but I think that this is being sent to a group of people. It's a sermon and then every single room full of people that have come together to praise God. There are some people who don't really believe in it. Maybe not every single one but a lot of em.
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Do you agree with that? So I thought of this this morning on the way here. I hope that the example works. You're taking a test. Okay?
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Taking a test at school, and you get to a place where you don't know the answer and you see the answer on somebody. I'm not saying you're looking to cheat, but you see the answer right there and you're like, ugh, and you write down the answer. It's the right answer. For the teacher, you just faked your way through that test in most cases, right? They didn't see that you saw the answer looking on someone else's paper.
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You copied off somebody else's paper. It might be your mama. It might be your daddy. I know that they know. They know I looked at them.
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I'll just say what they say. Jesus. Jesus is the answer. Scribble it down. And you write it, but you're not convicted that that's the answer.
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You don't know that answer. You're trusting somebody else kind of knows that. I I I put that down. It's good as anything. I know it's not this.
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I know it's not that. Don't cheat your way through this exam. Carefully consider this Jesus. He is the apostle. He is the high priest.
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Carefully and decisively considered all the way through the end and come up with this answer. Now, we're giving you all you need to study for this test. Carefully consider all that you've heard. The writer of Hebrews. There's a no longer a sacrifice for sins but a terrifying expectation of judgement and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.
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That's a warning. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses and that's old covenant, dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses How much severe punishment then do you think you'll deserve who is trampled underfoot the son of God has heard about it, knows about it, realizes it's the only way and chooses to go another way, walks away from it, has regarded as unclean, the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and insulted the spirit of grace and tried to make it about what I deserve or what I earn. I think I'll be alright. I think I'll be alright I'm better than most people Does it mean half of us get in? Oh.
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No. This is broad is the gate and narrow the way. Broad is the gate that leads to destruction. Narrow the way that leads to life. So, God is offering life but a lot of people just want to do it on their own.
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Carefully consider Jesus, apostle and high priest. He is the one. For we know, you know about it, vengeance is mine. I will repay And again, the Lord will judge. And that is the Lord will judge who are his people.
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He will say who is and who ain't. Okay? Many will say, Lord, Lord, didn't we cast out demons in your name? And he'll say, depart for I never knew you. Hebrews is a heavy duty book and to get all 10 chapters at one time, maybe more than you can stand.
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I'm gonna go to the seven verses in just a minute. It's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Last week, when I got to that, I said, it's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Welcome to church and it happened again. Just as just as I was saying, it's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
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Somebody walked into the sanctuary right then and I said, welcome to church. It is It's either the most magnificent thing that could ever happen throughout eternity and it will last for eternity or it's a terrifying thing to happen and what you do with Jesus is the difference So, that's the way this goes. One and two, three, and four, five through seven, eight through 10 and then chapters 11 through 13 are about the they're the hall of faith. That'll be next week. There will be a challenge as if there has not been enough challenge and then there'll be personal greetings at the end and that'll end it up but here we are.
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An encouraging confirmation. Now, I want you to know the answers to this test. I want for you to know him and Jesus is the answer. He really is. Now, will Jesus make your life here on Earth easier?
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No. Not necessarily. Will it make you more prosperous, more financially wealthy? Probably not. Maybe.
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Probably not. The encouraging confirmation here is that you can know Jesus and you can get through the hard stuff because you know Jesus. So here we go. But remember the former days. Oh, the former days.
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I think that this author or authors of Hebrews saying, remember these former days when after you were in light, you came to the knowledge of the truth and you said, you know what? That clicks. That makes sense. From all that I have been taught, it makes sense. Maybe or because this is primarily Jewish background people.
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It's the book of Hebrews. So, it's usually for these but it would work from the other side too from people who had been in a pagan licentious state. Remember the former days when after you were enlightened, you said, oh, that all lines up. I get that. It makes sense that I I'm considered this and Jesus is the way.
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Okay, I'm signing on with Jesus. I want to I want to believe that and now outside pressures are pulling me back in. He's saying, remember the former days. Remember this because where it's at. Jesus is where it's at.
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Remember the former days when after you enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings. I remember some of y'all coming to a Christ as an adult and a lot of these people did come to Christ as an adult. It wasn't that they were raised up in Awana, had all the scripture in their mind, and then got to a place of no one or it wasn't like me. I grew up nine months before I was born. I was in church every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, every Wednesday night, and every time that there was anything to do, we were doing it, you know?
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Remember the former days. I remember people who have come to Jesus since I've been here that cried for the first three or four months because everybody around them that they knew their old life everybody around them didn't know Jesus. And they couldn't believe that they now had the savior and all of their friends and family were ignorant to him and didn't even know the peril that they were in. Or that after coming to Jesus, they recognized so much about themselves that it humbled them to the point where they saw everything going on that other people are being harmed and hurt. You endured a great conflict of sufferings.
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In the first century, in Hebrews, this book, this was being written to a people that when they came to Christ, they were being persecuted for being Christians. More persecuted than they were for being Jewish weirdos according to the Roman empire. Right? Christian was even worse than Jewish, and so it was less persecution there than here. It's still some persecution.
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You endured a great conflict of sufferings, not only from the Roman government, but also all of your Jewish brothers and sisters and family because you were claiming to know the Messiah that they were still waiting on. When this book was written, Nero was the emperor. I think my my time frame for this, Nero was emperor when this book was written. Does Nero have a good reputation? This is a classical antiquities or it's a copy of an old statue, and it's like seventeenth century marble.
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And when you see that, it kinda cleanses people a little bit. It just looks like a statue. We don't think of that guy with the neck beard right there being Nero. But there are are coins that were stamped and that's what he had. And so that's that's a representation there, four or five more coins that we still know about and we have a picture of him.
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There was an artist that undertook recently to have a more accurate picture of Nero. And I'll get to that in a minute. Partly by being made a public spectacle. Do you know Nero? First of all, he's a bad dude, really bad dude.
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Super selfish. Burned Rome or big part of Rome so he could build himself a bigger palace. The old saying is he fiddled while Rome burned because he was about to get a upgrade, and then he blamed the Christians for doing the fire, And then he would light Christians on fire for his garden parties. That's a bad dude. Isn't that awful?
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This artist wanted to make a more realistic. Think about the first century, the people that this was written to and they're dealing with the Roman government that this guy's in charge. The Christians were already kind of hated because they stood out. They didn't they didn't placate the Roman gods and so they're blamed for every famine and every sickness that came along. They were blamed for it and they were persecuted for it and they were thrown in jail and they were crucified and they were killed.
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They were drowned And the writer of Hebrews is writing this. Remember the former days when after you were enlightened, you endured a great conflict of suffer It's hard to go through suffering but you went through it partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations. Now, at your job, do you feel like you're reproach and you go through tribulations as a Christian If you talk out loud much, maybe about it. So, a lot we're we're tempted a lot of times to just be quiet and partly by and and and I understand being you know, like sheep and like doves but I I understand that you're listening out for somebody to ask for a reason for the hope that's in you Partly by becoming sharers with those who are so treated, there was a solidarity among the early Christians that when they saw people being persecuted, they visited them in prison and they took care of them and they took care of each other's families For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and you accepted joyfully the seizure of your property. How many Americans?
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How many of y'all would joyfully I could see accepting it because you don't have a choice when there's a military enforced peace and they just said, this now belongs to us but you joyfully accepted it as a part of the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. Knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. We have an incorruptible hope, Peter says. We have an incorruptible hope. We know that the persecution is real but we also know that the true tabernacle and the true hope is heaven.
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Therefore, do not throw away your confidence which has great reward. It is eternal and not temporal. So, you're going through hard stuff. You need to keep going through this hard stuff For you have need of endurance, and endurance, the word right there is endurance, steadfastness, upomones, patient waiting for. Now we're getting to the hall of faith.
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That's the next thing we're going to get to. But properly, this verb in Greek means to remaining up under the pressure remaining up under the pressure endurance, steadfastness, especially as God enables the believer to remain or endure, put up with the challenges that and this isn't a key thing that he a lots in life. There's nothing that surprises God about what you're going through. There would be nothing that surprised Jesus about what you're going through because he went through it. He was tempted and tried in every way just as we are yet was without sin.
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And he will provide a way of escape. Bowing your will and humbling yourself to him. Get you through to remain under Hupamone endurance, steadfastness. You have need of it so that when you have done the will of God, when you have done the will of God I thought of something and this might seem a little bit weird to y'all but it's okay. I do it all the time Ephesians two eight and nine ringing our ears all the time.
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We mention em a lot We we don't believe in a works based religion. It's by grace. God's unmerited favor offered and it has to be accepted by faith. That's it, not by works. Works grow out of that and as this shows for eight through 10 says this, Ephesians two eight through 10, for by grace, you have been saved through faith and that is not of yourselves.
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It's the gift of God. It is not as a result of work so that no one may boast. For we, those of us who have put our trust in Christ, we are his workmanship. We are his poem, his poem, or his masterpiece which was created in Christ Jesus for good work unto towards good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them and when I saw this, this so that when you have done the will of God, when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. I thought of we're not invincible.
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You know, we're not invincible as as Christians. We are not perfect but we are forgiven but this and that Ephesians passage, when you have done the final good work that you are going to do for the kingdom, when you have completed the final good work that you have done for the kingdom, then and not before then will you be changed and taken up. Would you dwell on that with me for just a minute I think there's comfort there that until you have done all that you can do for the Lord, you are going to survive and if if you are constantly doing that and bowing your will and going forward, then he should take you. That will be glory. That will be glory.
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That will be your incorruptible hope made whole. I'm not sure why it came to mind, but I think that that's there's something about that that really gives me a lot of comfort. I am doing what I can do for the kingdom and only what is done for Jesus will matter eternally. And as soon as I've done my last act for him, I get to meet him. So that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised For yet in a very little while, he he who is coming will come and will not delay but my righteous one shall live by faith.
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This is pointing towards that next chapter. My righteous one shall live by faith and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. That everything in Hebrews is like, here, here, here, here and then there's a warning that goes with it. This is from Habakkuk. This is the silver lining in the book Dark Book of Habakkuk.
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For the vision is yet for the appointed time. It hastens toward the goal. It will not fail though it tarries. Wait for it. For it will certainly come and it will not delay.
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Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him but the righteous will live by his faith. And to close out the passage of the week is this, Hebrews thirty ten thirty nine says this, we are not of those who shrink back. This is a sermon that's being delivered and it's being delivered to the heart of the people who are there in the pews. It's still being delivered to the hearts of the people here in the pews and it's saying, this is an encouraging confirmation for you or it should be a question for you as do, am I cheating off somebody else's paper? Have I thoroughly and carefully consider this Jesus and he is my answer and I'm going to stick with him.
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That's what the whole book of Hebrews is saying, choose Jesus You will not be disappointed. We're not of those who shrink back to destruction but we are of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Thank you lord. Jesus is better than all the old covenant sacrifices and though there are warnings, we can have assurance chapters 11 through 13 faith right there is going to go into the hall of faith next week and I think that's going to be I think it's going to be. There are there are several of these halls of faith out there.
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Stephen's speech in Acts is one of them and there are other ones that were written around the same time but I think we're going to study em together and I think it'll be enlightening. I hope. Hall of Faith, the challenge and some personal greetings. This is the way next week's message will start off. Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for and hope in the Bible is always an absolute certainty that has just not come to pass yet.
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So, faith is evidence of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen and I would say not yet seen. Okay. We did it Are you with me I waited till the end to say that this time. Are you with me? Would you all stand up and we'll sing something I think that it's take my life and let it be consecrated lord to thee.
1:00:20
God, would you do that? I pray that this group of people that are right now in this room up under my voice whether they're visitors or whether they're long time members, attend or just coming with somebody that they're going to spend Thanksgiving with. God, I pray that you would take our lives and let them be consecrated to your kingdom purpose. Lord, would you use us and use us and use us until you use us up and then would you receive us with a well done, good, and faithful servant. Amen.
1:01:42
Speaker 2Be swift and beautiful for thee, swift and beautiful for thee. And take my will and make it thine. Shall be no longer mine. And take my heart, it is thine own. It shall be thy royal throne.
1:02:19
Shall be thy royal throne. Let's sing, I surrender. I surrender
1:02:49
Speaker 1Amen. I didn't give a walk the aisle invitation but the invitation is wide open. I'm available. Carl's available. We've got lots of people in this room that would love to talk to you about Jesus and making him your answer, your final answer, right?
1:03:03
If you would like to receive Christ and you'd like to know that you know him for your very own, would you come talk to us? That's that invitation is wide open. It doesn't have to be during the last song in the church, okay? I've got a benediction for you right here. This is from first Peter five ten but may now the God of all grace who called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus.
1:03:24
May he after you've suffered for a little while, may he perfect and establish and strengthen and settle you In Jesus name. Tanya, you're coming forward Yeah Are you going to tell him about the meeting? Okay, I I just did but there she is down the hall. If you want if you're thinking about Africa, please go meet Tanya down the hall in my study. In Jesus name, I pray that y'all receive a blessing and that you wouldn't just keep it, you'd share it.
1:03:52
Amen.
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