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Speaker 1I I was not a very uniform answer there. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. There we go. Alright.
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Good to
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Speaker 2see you. I'm glad that
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Speaker 1you're here. I'm going invite Scott if he'll come up. We're going to get together and sing some songs. To God be the glory. Hymn number 56, hymn number 56, to God be the glory.
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Would you stand with us and we'll sing all three verses? Or whatever comes up on
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Speaker 2the wall. Yep. To God be the glory great things he has done so loved he the world that he gave us his son who yielded his life and atonement for sin and open the life gate that all may go in praise the Lord praise the Lord let the earth hear his voice praise the Lord praise the Lord let the people rejoice oh come to the father through Jesus the son and give him the glory great things he has done things he has taught us great things he has done and great are rejoicing through Jesus the son what pure and higher and greater will be that wonder our transport when Jesus we see praise the Lord praise the Lord let the earth hear his voice praise the Lord praise the Lord let the people rejoice oh come to the father through Jesus the son and give him the glory great things he Amen. Whoo. So, it was a foot race through that one, Yeah.
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Speaker 1Florine said we're to. Florine told me this morning that we were going to slow things down a little bit this morning.
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Speaker 2Yeah. Yeah, we are.
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Speaker 1That's what he said.
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Speaker 2So, that's why you put your tennis shoes on.
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Speaker 1Yeah. Come thou fount of every blessing. Hymn number 11. Thank you.
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Speaker 2Come thou fount of every blessing wandering from the fold of God he to rescue me from danger interpose his precious blood here's my heart oh take and seal it seal it for thy courts above
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Speaker 1Amen. Y'all can have a seat. Few announcements here this morning. Monday nights at First B happens at 06:00 in the evenings on Monday nights down in the fellowship hall. Carl is leading us through Proverbs.
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It's not verse by verse through Proverbs but each week, he's been going through and taking a section of it and hitting some highlights. This week, it's gonna be how Christ exemplified those proverbs. Now, he said that sometimes reading Proverbs can just sound like moralism and if you read it like that and go, ugh. But if you look at it and you see that Old Testament is fulfilled in Christ. Old Testament law is fulfilled in Christ and his precepts.
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He he bears them out in the way he lives. So, 06:00 tomorrow night, meal, music, and a message. Eden is making the meal and Carl and the band are making the music and the message is up to Carl this time. So, Awana is happening at the same time, 05:45 to 07:30 starting off in this room and then spreading out from here. We have a space for kids all the way from two years old up through fifth grade and the kids who have gone through the program before, a lot of them didn't wanna stop coming.
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So, they are in the sixth and seventh grade are serving now and teaching younger kids the scriptures so we can reach the hearts of this next generation. We are also doing Bible studies during the sermon time of the first service, the 09:00 service. So, about 09:25 or so. There's a high school, middle school, boys study and there's high school, middle school, girls study, and children's Sunday school happens during the first service. We don't do that in this service but we do it in the first one.
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So, we've got a precept study that's going right now on Thursday mornings, 09:00. Sharp, Jeremiah, it's part one. So, chapters one through 24 and it's really, really, really good. Jeremiah is such a great book and it dovetails so well with Hebrews. It's great.
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So, Jeremiah part one, precept study, Thursday mornings, nine to 11:30. There is a women's prayer group that meets over in Driggs at the Connell's home. That's happening and there's also a community group that's meeting at the Jennings home. It goes back and forth between the Connells and the Jennings. If you live on the other side of the hill and you wanna go to a study, there are a couple of em from other first B folks.
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Might be first service, first B folks but there are bunch of em that are coming over. So, if you wanna do that, there should be a place for you. That one's at Fridays at 08:30 and if there were another announcement, if there is another announcement that I'm forgetting, I'm looking out to see. Community groups. Community groups is it.
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Is there anybody here to announce it but me? No, I'm it. Okay. So, community groups are starting up probably about the second week of February. We have two groups that will be starting that right now don't have anybody signed up for them.
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So, it's it's going to be they'll they'll feel but it's not a group that's already established that you'd be coming in and you wouldn't know anybody. This is going to be a new group. We are hoping to build community within the body. So, this morning during the first service, James Landis, who is heading up this push for community groups. He said, look to your left.
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So, everybody look to your left, left, sorry. Your left, my right. Look to your right. He said, do you know? Can you list things that you know about the person that you just looked at?
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He said, if you can, they're probably kin to you. Right? Or he said, they're probably related to you but I say kin to you. Anyway, that is the case. We sometimes come and sit and we kind of know what each other believe because we gather at the same time on Sunday morning but there are another 167 in this week, right?
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So, this is to kind of inspire community. It's going to be, there's a group meeting on Tuesday evening and there's a group that's gonna be meeting on Thursday evening. It'll be a two hour long group. The two leaders themselves have decide to eat first. So, it'll be meal involved and then after that study and have discussion.
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So, that's the format of the groups that are coming up. It'll just be six weeks on the first time around and then we hope to get another group of community groups going up before too long. So, that's happening and I think that's it. If there's another announcement, probably be in your bulletin, your written bulletin Anybody else have something Nope. Seeing none.
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Would y'all stand and greet one another and we will carry on We'll bring you back together
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Speaker 2Amen. Here we go. Just to take him at his word just to rest upon his promise just to know thus saith the Lord just Jesus Jesus how I trust him how I proved him more Jesus Jesus precious Jesus oh, for grace to trust him more. Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus, just to trust his cleansing blood, just Jesus, how I proved him more and more, Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh for grace to trust him more, I am so glad I learned to trust him precious Jesus savior friend and I know that how he is with precious Jesus, oh for grace to trust him more. Amen.
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Speaker 1Amen. Day by day and with each passing moment. What a song. Yeah. Keep on going.
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Speaker 2That's right. Keep on going. Keep on going. Praise Jesus. Amen.
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Day by day. Day by day and with each passing moment strength I find to meet my trials here trusting in my father's wise bestowment there's no cause for worry or for fear
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Speaker 1Almost.
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Speaker 2Everyday the Lord himself is near me with a special mercy for each hour all my cares even would the
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Speaker 1Amen. You all. Amen. Amen. Y'all can have a seat.
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I have a ask the frontline team to come forward. That little clip that had the little bitty words up there in between. It says, optional choral ending and y'all as the choir opted not to do it. God, would you help us this morning? In Jesus name, lord, we ask for your help this morning.
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I I am thinking of the morning prayer, lord, to, lord, I long to do your will. Show me your way and I will walk in it. What a what a blessed thing to be able to participate in the divine nature by your spirit, not by our strength. The sacrifice of Christ on Calvary by his blood, we're cleansed but lord by your continuing grace for today, day by day with each passing moment. We are able to walk after you in holiness.
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In Jesus name, lord, we ask that you would use every endeavor that we undertake by your spirit to spread your gospel from here in this community, Teton County, Wyoming, and over the hill in Teton County, Idaho. Lord, but spreading forth from this place to the very ends of the earth. Lord, would you do your will in your way, however you deem fit but we pray that you would multiply the gifts that we place in these plates right now to do your kingdom's work the way you want it done. Amen.
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Speaker 2When I survey on which the prince of glory cross my grace draw near and bless your name were the whole realm of nature mine live. Oh, the wonderful cross. Oh, the wonderful cross. All who gather here by grace drawn near and bless your name so amazing so Amen.
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Speaker 1Thank you.
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Speaker 2Praise God. Amen. Thank you.
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Speaker 1Thank you. Thank you for filling in too. Hebrews 12, that's where we are in the text. That's where we are. It has been a hard fought battle, hadn't it?
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Hebrews, my goodness. It is so good, so good, so good. I talked to somebody earlier this week and they said, I don't think I could do what you do. I said, I don't think I can do what I do and they said, how do you make the Bible relevant? I thought, Read it.
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My goodness. It's it it is like it's reading my mail. Every week, I can't believe how spot on the scripture is. It's amazing to me. So, this week, when you see this text, you'll think, man, he went through it this week.
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I did and we seek to internalize the scripture, right? We seek for it to change us and not for us to change it. I'm gonna try to say exactly what this passage says and just these few verses, it's amazing to me how close to our soul this will get if we let it. So, it is relevant if we pay attention to it. So, Hebrews twelve twelve through 17, this is it.
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That's the whole passage right there that we're gonna study today. I'll read it through one time then I'll come back and I'll go through it in more depth, I guess, and reference all the references or most of the references and then we'll come back then. Imma read it again and this is very relevant to where we're living life today for sure. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble and make straight paths for your feet so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
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See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God. See to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by it, many be defiled and see to it that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected and found no place for repentance though he sought for it with tears. God, would you illumine your word and would you apply it to our lives? So, lord, we might walk closer just a closer walk with thee is what we're seeking.
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Amen. So, therefore, I every time you do this, old pastor saw us, when you see therefore, you gotta see what it's there for. So, if you look back to last week's passage, just the last few verses of last paragraph there is this, it is for discipline that you endure and last week's message was a little longer than seven through eleven but I'm just gonna read this for right now. Seven through eleven. It says, it is for discipline that you endure.
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God deals with you as sons For what son is there who his father does not discipline but if you are without discipline of which all of us have become partakers. He's talking to first century Jews by the way. First century Jewish background Christians. First century Christians who had walked away from the legalistic religiosity of first century Judaism when they recognized that Christ was the fulfillment and Messiah to which they had been looking and the temptation for these folks who are under persecution was to step back into old first century religious Judaism because it's an easier path without having the persecution they would face as Christians or not as strong a persecution. Sorry.
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It's for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as sons. What son is there whose father doesn't discipline? So, but if you are without discipline of which all of y'all have become partakers, then, you are illegitimate children and you're not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them.
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So, we not much rather be subject to the father of spirits and live. For they, that's our godly fathers. The disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them and we might add there imperfectly. As it seemed best to them but he, God, disciplines us for our good and perfectly so, so that we may share in his holiness. That is what God wants is that we would share in his holiness.
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General statement about this, all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful but sorrowful. Yet, to those who have been trained by it, afterwards, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Amen. Therefore, that's what it's there for. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak.
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Remember Paul's analogy of the body of Christ being a body and there are some that are hands and some that are this and some that are that and shall an ear say to an eye, that sort of thing. Consider that there are some of us who are going through it right now that are weak. Strengthen the hands that are weak. Strengthen the part that is weak and the knees that are feeble. This morning, we had a lady sitting right over here who had had a knee surgery three years ago and it she was already somewhat hobbled and after her surgery, it was even worse and so her knees were literally feeble and this week, she had surgery.
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She was here last week. She's here this week. In between the two, she had a knee replacement and she was hard to keep up with this morning. She was all over the place. So, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble.
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For us, we have a way of seeing, seeing how, it's amazing what they can do these days with hands and knees and hips out of joint. For therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble. That is a quote actually from Isaiah thirty five three. It says, to encourage the exhausted and strengthen the feeble. Literally, I think it might be taken from this for one thing but also from another passage from Ciroc or Ecclesiasticus that's extra biblical.
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It's not in our Bible but I hope to bring it back up in two weeks because it's too much fun not to, okay? For me, I'm a nerd. Encourage the exhausted, strengthen the feeble. Proverbs three, my son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe his reproof for him. The Lord loves, he reproves even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
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We all go through it as children of God. We all go through this discipline and I wanted to bring this up because it's Proverbs three eleven and twelve and not Psalms like I said last week. I just wrote it down wrong and I got up here and I couldn't I was like, that doesn't seem like it is Psalms three but it's it's Proverbs three. Sorry about that and that while I'm up here making corrections and retractions, I might as well share one more. So, a couple of weeks ago, we hit something in the text that is this, earlier in Hebrews 12, therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us let us lay aside every encumbrance in the sin which so easily entangles us.
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Let us run with endurance array set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. That's the main point, right? Author and perfector of our faith who for the joy set before him. So, in English, the way you might read that is, for the joy set before him, he was willing to endure the cross in between right there but the text, I went back and actually it was after Rich Stig and I talked after the service and he didn't point out and say, you gotta fix this. He didn't do that.
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He never would do that. He encouraged and he said, look at this preposition and it's auntie and auntie for four. Means over and against or instead of. So, think about this, Jesus who since eternity has been one with God the father and God the Holy Spirit and in perfect relationship and then, over against that joy which he had been enjoying and could have stayed. Over that or instead of that joy that was right there before him, he chose to endure the cross and the cross was the point and thirty, thirty, or thirty three years of life building up as prologue before the cross of a perfect record that could be given.
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Sacrificially, who instead of the joy of being eternally with the father. He chose the cross on our behalf. Now, that makes a difference for the sermon today because you got a choice what you do with the discipline. You got a choice whether to receive it and move through it I should say, you have that choice but we also have a body of Christ around us who are to strengthen the weak and help those who are feeble. He endured the cross, despising the shame.
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He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So, therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble and make straight paths for your feet. Make straight paths for your feet. If you have a condition where it's hard to walk, don't you think about every step? Don't you think about every single way?
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How what would be the easiest to be dropped off out here and have to step up two steps or should I go around to the back parking lot and use the ramp? What's easiest? Maybe parking that parking spot where I can use this across and up to the ramp. What is the best path for me to take? I think since the author of Hebrews has said already, pay more attention to that which you've already heard and read that we could say, lord, your word is like a light to my feet and a lamp for my path.
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Light the way. Show me. Give me a straight path to walk. Make straight paths for my feet. Have a plan.
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Strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble and make straight paths for your feet. Proverbs four says that, watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Keep it between the ditches. Don't fall off in the legalism. Don't fall off in the license.
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Just watch the path of your feet. Use God's word as a lamp for it and all your ways will be established. So, why would you wanna make the straight paths? Well, the text answers it. So, the limb which is lame when we have something we're getting over, hope to get over, it would be better that it may not be put out of joint but rather healed and you can baby an injury for the appropriate amount of time, rest, and exercise in its proper order and have people around you who will help you get in, who'll bolster you up, who will help you through it, and you can do that.
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So that that which is lame may not be put out a joint but rather heal. I think that's very practical to start up again with our athletic metaphor and I think this actually goes along with that athletic metaphor because in a marathon, people are gonna get tired and people are gonna get injured too and so to help people is important. Pursue. This is a word that is straining and striving forward, pursue, go after the goal, and what is the goal? Pursue peace with all men.
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Pursue peace sounds like a really hippie thing, doesn't it? Oh yeah, dude. Peace. In this day and age, it's easier to pursue peace with half of the man. Do you agree?
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It's politically so polarized that there's right and there's wrong and there's left and there's right and all this stuff and you don't wanna pursue peace with all men but that's what it says. Pursue peace with all men. Psalm 34, seek peace and pursue it. That's a a quote. It's a septuagint quote from it but that's what this says.
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Pursue peace with all men. It's the second part of that. Seek after peace and pursue it. Strive towards peace. You know why?
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Because we are hardwired in our human nature to take an offense and hold on to it and stew on it. We are hardwired to take offense and hold on to it. We can let it go by God's spirit but our human nature is wanting to hold on to it. This says, depart from evil and do good, seek peace. Those are the same thing.
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Depart from evil and do good, seek peace, and pursue. Strain towards it. First Peter picks it up again and says, if you wanna do this, he must turn away from evil and do good. He must seek peace and pursue it. That's Psalm thirty four eleven quoted by Peter.
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Pursue peace with all men, not just the ones you tend to like or agree with but you pursue peace with all. Blessed are the peacemakers. For they shall be called the sons of God. It's important. It's important.
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To Jesus, it was important. Pursue peace with all men and okay, let's get away from that. I don't wanna make peace yet. Pursue peace with all men and there's something else I can pursue. Okay, what's that?
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Pursue the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. A lot of times we think of salvation and once I'm in, I'm in, I'm good. God's called me good because I'm I believe in Jesus. This is saying that if you are saved, you will be being sanctified. Actually, that's what this passage I read a few minutes ago says, it says, if you are without discipline.
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So, you're not running into any hardship at all. On this side, in this life, you're not running into it. If you're without discipline, then you're illegitimate and not. Sons. That's a hard thing.
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So, God disciplines everyone that he loves. Wow. So, all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful but sorrowful yet to those who have been trained by it. Once you get on the other side of it, it's good from the backside of this hard experience. Afterwards, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
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So, pursue the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. It's not a pleasant process always to be sanctified. It is about discipline and some of it is severe. Some of it feels harsh but it is good for As the text said last week, pursue that sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it.
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This is good word from the classical Greek. It's very elevated. See to it. Pay attention to this. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God.
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I I think that typically, we think of the grace of God as a salvation experience like, yes, I am sinful. I admit that to you God. I agree with you about my sin and I'm trusting that Jesus's blood has cleansed me from that sin and I'm in. You said I would be and that's the grace of God that I am and I'm trusting that blessed assurance but you know what, folks? We need God's grace every single day to get through the day, to be a godly example.
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Oh my goodness, we cannot walk in righteousness apart from him except for self righteousness which is not righteousness at all. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God and that is a continual thing that it's daily. It's not just when you trust Christ way back when to be your savior. It is that he daily is your lord. See that no one comes short of the grace of God.
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If you try to do this on your own, you will fail. If you go by what your flesh is telling you, you will be tempted to turn back. Don't turn back. See to it, no one comes short of the grace of God which is provided in Jesus. See to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes you trouble, causes trouble.
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See to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble. So, this is the second clause in this see to it or pay close attention to this and I want you to note the word springing and the tense of the verb. The tense of the verb is that it's happening. It's not. Don't let anything spring up because you can't control whether or something springs up.
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It's springing up. There are plenty of things that have roots that are roots of a tree with bitter fruit technically. So, a bitter, a root of bitterness. See to it that no root of bitterness springing up because they're gonna spring up. You're gonna listen to something that somebody says and it's gonna hit you and you're gonna think, you're gonna wanna hold on to it.
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This says that those roots of bitterness are gonna be springing up. Has anybody ever tried to take care of a sidewalk or a parking lot before? Or road maybe? Sidewalks or parking lots. They all have a little crack that'll develop and then, rain, birds, seed, gets into that little crack and then it starts a little root, gets in there, and it starts growing up and if you don't do anything about that, what happens?
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It gets to be bigger and the roots start to spread deeper and they start to cause trouble in a parking lot like this parking lot right out here. If you don't do something about the root of bitterness, it grows up and makes the crack a little wider and then a little more water gets in and when water gets in here, what happens next? It freezes and that causes the pavement to buckle a little bit and then, when that buckles, it allows even more water in and we have a freeze thaw cycle and it gets worse and worse and then, when things thaw out, we've got a pothole that's just in the way and once you have a pothole, it's it's hard to get rid of that pothole, right? See to it that no root of bitterness springing up because they're gonna spring up. See to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble.
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You gotta do something with it. So, it's gonna happen whether you want it to happen or not. Nobody lives a life apart from trouble. So, when these unwanted roots of bitterness spring up because they are gonna happen. Also right here, I added the word unwanted because some of us want the roots of bitterness.
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We like bitter fruit. When unwanted roots of bitterness spring up, don't fertilize em. Ain't that ridiculous to see a weed and then want to fertilize it and nourish it? And we can do that. Let's don't do that.
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When unwanted roots of bitterness spring up, don't fertilize and nourish em. Take care to pull em up at the roots and you think, well, how can I do that? On my own, I can't do that. It's gonna require that I tap into something You can, though, completely obliterate them with the grace of God that he's extended to you. How did God save you?
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Was it by your works and by your deserve deserving it or was it just by his grace? Just by his grace. What did Jesus say? When he said, before you try to remove the speck out of somebody else's or point out their shortfall or their sin. He said, be sure that you've removed the plank that's in your own eye before you try to help with that.
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So, if we will actually do that, take that to heart and we recognize that God has extended grace, then, we can share that grace with other people. So, I'd say access God's mercy and his love and kindness which endures forever according to the scripture. Says it over and over. Access God's mercy and loving kindness and use it like round up. Spray it on that thing.
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Kill it, okay? Kill it at the root. Don't let it stay. I can't get over how the text. This week, I I mean, I'm I don't think I walk in complete righteousness all the time.
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I don't think that but I don't think I hold on to roots of bitterness. You know what I'm saying? I don't think that I do but this week, I discovered several because I was contemplating this and I I wept some bitter tears this week because I was like, I didn't even know I was holding on to that and it came out of my mouth. This is the trouble with bitter roots or roots of bitterness that spring up and you allow em to stay and they start to cause trouble. It's not just gonna cause trouble for you.
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It says, see to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by it, many be defiled. Just because something registers in my heart and starts to put down a taproot and I hold on to it, it doesn't stay with me. It spreads and almost every week, almost every week. I hear of a situation and I go, oh my goodness and it might be within a family, within a marriage, it might be within a business, or within a church and I hear and I think, woah, this can go one or two ways. Either, people are going to recognize the goodness and grace of God and extend it to one another and then they're going to be stronger when they come back together and it's going to be glorious or there's going be a church split, a divorce, fist fight, there's going to be something that many people are going to get involved in and quite frankly, the reason we're so polarized right now is because nobody can agree with anybody else about anything.
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Many are defiled when we refuse to lay down arms. When we refuse to get rid of our roots of bitterness and we just nurse them. And fertilize them. So, see to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by many be defiled. See to it that there be no.
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I wanna make sure that's still included in there. See to it that there be no Hebrews twelve sixteen says, immoral or godless person, irreligious person, technically, the word is fornicator but it is speaking in the figurative sense that they have turned their back on God and played the harlot with all other manners of sins but see to it that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau. See to it, these three clauses, ABC here. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God. We all need it every day.
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Just because you're in doesn't mean that you're as righteous as God wants to make you. He sees you as righteous in Christ. Yes, your position is secure but your sanctification is something that God is constantly prompting you towards by his Holy Spirit and you have a choice to reject that. See to it, no one's come short of the grace of God. See to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble.
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See to it that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau. Now, we're gonna get a Old Testament example, right? Hebrews always use an Old Testament examples and this is it. So, see to it that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau who sold his own birthright for a single meal. Doesn't that sound stupid?
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Doesn't it just sound like, how dumb is that? Well, it it's there for a reason and he did do it. He did reject it. Now, his brother, Jacob, was a trickster. And he convinced his dad, He convinced his mom.
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They worked around. He finagled. He was not a righteous guy by any stretch. He wrestled with God. We talked about wrestling with God last week.
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He wrestled with God and was he deserving? Uh-huh. But he made it into the hall of faith and Esau makes it in the chapter 12. Jacob makes it in chapter 11. Esau makes it as the bad example in the chapter 12 who sold his own birthright for a single meal for you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, which he gave away voluntarily for a temporal and fleshly desire.
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So, think back to who this letter was originally written to. It's written, the writer of Hebrews is writing to a Jewish background audience that had accepted the truth of Christ's Messiahship. But they were under earthly persecution and they had temporal reasons to want to shrink back and shy away. It was not a comfortable place to be persecuted. It might mean that they would die actually earlier in this text.
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We hit the you have not yet shed blood. You have not yet had to lay down your life for the cause of Christ but it was coming and by the way, I'm sorry to skip the subject here a minute but I mentioned the pastor last week that had been captured by Boko Haram and I used his testimony. He was beheaded this week. God bless his family. For you know that even afterwards, when he desire to inherit the blessing, he was rejected.
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That's he gave away something in this text, this this writer was saying, don't walk away from Jesus to go back to something that would keep you safe temporarily. He was rejected. So, Jacob, his brother was mentioned in chapter eleven's hall of faith. He was mentioned chapter 12 as a bad example. For he found no place for repentance.
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Okay. So, every day, when a root of bitterness starts to take root in our lives, we have a choice to access God's grace, mercy, and love and kindness and extend it to the other and love keeps no record of wrongs and who are we supposed to love? Everybody, even our enemies. Esau found no place for repentance. In his mind, he was right.
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I'm the firstborn. Even if I was hungry, I'm the firstborn and I deserve that blessing and my brother tricked me and my mother tricked me and my dad tricked me and all of them were wrong and ultimately, he's saying, God is wrong. He found no place for repentance. He held on to that. Though he sought for it with tears and if you read that in English, you might just say, well, found he no place for repentance though he sought for it with tears.
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I hate to think that there was a guy who could cry and want to repent but he couldn't repent but the it there is not about the repentance. He wanted to hold on to his root of bitterness. He, that it stands for what he wanted was to inherit the blessing. That he gave away voluntarily knowing that he was giving it away. Even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he sought for it with tears.
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He cried over the fact that he gave up something that was a blessing. To go to something that was a temporal thing that would just last for a little while. That's the admonition for us. Don't walk away from Christ who will be with you, who for the joy set before him like over and against being with God almighty. He chose to come to Earth.
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He humbled himself. He lived a perfect life and he extends to you the perfect record that he earned and he's the only one who's ever earned it and he voluntarily gave it for anyone who had put their faith in him. Don't give up the blessing. Hebrews four one says this, it says, therefore, let us fear if while there remains a promise of entering his rest and it does. There is an open invitation for anyone who would believe in Christ.
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There's an open invitation for you to come on in. Let us fear then while a promise remains of any rest that anyone of you may seem to have come short of it. That you would for earthly reasons not access the salvation and sanctification available through the grace of God. It's saying, don't be like Esau. Don't do something that you will lose that which is forever over something that just lasts for a little while.
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Today is the day. Today is the day. Paul says this, you know, today is the day of salvation. We see today a lot. We've already seen it in Hebrews and we saw it.
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Actually, I'll get to that in a minute. So, we saw it in Hebrews early in Hebrews three and I'll come back to that but today is the day. I have a quote from a modern day author, John Ort Ortberg, said this, the greatest moment of your life is now. The greatest moment of your life is now and some of y'all are sitting there thinking, oh, I hope not because this kind of stinks. The greatest moment of your life is now.
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Not because it's pleasant or happy or easy but because this moment is the only one that we've that you've got. Every past moment is irretrievably gone and it sometimes we sit and we remember and things are good and that's great but if we sit and remember and we get locked up and wishing we had done things different and wanting to change. We don't have that. We can't do that. So, not because it's pleasant or happy or easy but because this moment is the only moment you've got, every past moment is irretrievably gone.
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It's never coming back. If you live there, you'll lose your life. And the future is always out there somewhere. You can spend an eternity waiting for tomorrow or worrying about tomorrow. If you live there, you likewise will lose your life.
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This moment is God's irreplaceable gift to you. This moment is God's irreplaceable gift to you. You gotta do it though. Now, today is the day. Today is the day.
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It's the only one you got. So, Hebrews three seven says this, therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, so it's God that's speaking. Today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts. Don't harden your hearts as when they provoke me. We've got all those Old Testament examples of folks who harden their hearts as in the day of trial in the wilderness where your fathers tried me and by testing me.
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They also saw all of my works, miraculous as they were, manna from heaven, quail from heaven, pillar of smoke, column of fire, God leading, water in the desert, Saw all my works for forty years. Therefore, I was angry with this generation and said, they always go astray in their hearts. They didn't know my ways. I swore my wrath. They shall not enter my rest.
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While the promise remains, I've been in the rest. Let's see that no one falls short of it. By the grace of God, you can't do anything to earn your way in. Today, take care brothers and sisters that there not be any one of you, an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. That's the same kind of language they were using about Esau.
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But encourage one another day after day as long as it's still called the day. Today is the moment you've got so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin for we have become partakers of Christ. If we hold fast the beginning of our assurance, firm till the end. Don't walk away from Jesus. Don't go back to that which was pointing to Jesus.
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Don't go back to religiosity. Stick with we have become partakers for we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance, firm till the end, while it said today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as when they provoke me. So, today, right now, if there's anybody, if there's any thought that you've been having and going, I don't have this moment back and I'm holding something against a brother or sister or mother or business partner or somebody. If you're holding something against somebody today, if you're hearing God say, forgive him. Forgive him.
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Then, forgive him, okay? I'm gonna read the whole passage again because I think that this actually loops around. When you get to that end and say, you know, you don't know where you're gonna be. If you nourish that root of bitterness, you might find yourself in a place where you can't get rid of it. You can't do anything about it because you're blocking God from working.
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Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak. We need to be encouraging the weak. Strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble. And make straight paths for your feet. It is a call to holiness and it is a call for the path.
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Like Proverbs teaches. The Proverbs that are laid out there are principles that will lead us well. Christ fulfilled them perfectly. Make straight paths for your feet so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint but rather healed. Pursue peace with all men.
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Not just some of em and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. Open yourself up to God for him to move. Test him. If he says to do something, trust him. Do it.
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See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one has a root of bitterness. Excuse me, see to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by many be defiled and see to it that there's be no immoral or godless person that's like Esau in that. They sell their own birthright for a single meal for you know that even afterwards when he desired inherit the blessing, he was rejected for he found no place for repentance even though he sought that blessing. He couldn't have that blessing which was already his and available to him. He gave it away.
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Don't give it away. God has indwelt you. If you're a believer in Jesus, God has indwelt you by his spirit. Let him fill you. Let him fill you to where you're overflowing on the everyone around you.
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In Jesus name, lord, I pray that you'd apply your word to our hearts. Would y'all stand with me? We're going to sing whatever comes up there. Oh, how I love Jesus. Good.
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This is really good. Fixing our eyes upon Jesus. Thank you, Scott.
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Speaker 2How I love Jesus because he first loved me Let's
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Speaker 1do sing that actually. It's too good to skip. Sorry.
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Speaker 2That's right. Me hold oh how I love Jesus oh how I love Jesus because he first love me
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Speaker 1Can you turn back to that the last the last little bit? Oh, how I love Jesus. The last little verse of that, Blake. It tells of one whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe. Who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear.
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You cannot bear the burden that is on you without it. He's asking for you to turn it over to him. He cares for you. God, would you help us? There are some of us who are weary, weary, and heavy laden right now.
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I pray that you would help that the rest of us lord would strengthen the weak that we would encourage them. That we would not let that lamb which is right now lame be put out of joint but rather healed. God, would you heal our deepest woe? Amen. Now, the benediction for today is this, whatever it is that you do, whether it's in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, the father through him.
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Lord, would you do that in our lives? Work in us to work through us and lord, we want you to be glorified in us. Amen.
