Today, If You Hear His Voice First B Jackson 2019-08-18 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- Good morning, everybody. Well, the church bell has rung. Glad you're here. Hope you feel at home. What do you say we stand up? We begin to worship Lord in song. Oh, our Lord. Alright. Oh, our lord. Oh, I know. Oh, I know. A just stick is your name and all the earth. Let's sing that again. Oh, oh, I know. Oh, oh, I know. How much is your name and all the earth? And we behold we behold the rising sun. The earth awaits. Your hope has come. We look to you. We long for you, oh Lord. We behold the breaking I we behold the falling rain. We behold the falling rain like waters rise. Flood this place we reach for you. We cling for you, oh Lord. Oh, oh, oh, I know how much yes stick is your name into all the earth and oh your name. Oh your name is a light in darkness. Oh your name is a word of truth. Oh, your name. Oh, your name. Let's sing that again. Oh, your name is a light in darkness. Oh, your name is a word of Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I have a few announcements this morning. Monday nights at first b. What's happening, Carl? We are on meal music message. I believe it is lasagna on the message on the the menu for tomorrow, and we are yes. I hear see you, head shake. And we'll begin a new series about the power of words. And so know that you're invited. Meal, music, message, 06:00. Power of words. That sounds interesting. Alright. Monday nights, first be 06:00. Meal, music, and a message. If you would like to give to the local benevolence fund at first be, you can do so through old bills and that amplifies your giving. Usually ends up being about time and a half. So if you gave a dollar towards that, it'd come back about a dollar 49, a dollar 50, somewhere in there to First Bee to be able to say yes to people. Next week, you'll hear a little blurb from Chuck from the Good Samaritan Mission. He'll be in. He does this every year right before that. We have right before old Bills and we have Turning Point and a few others. If you wanna give, that's a way to amplify your generosity that direction. First week camp out is happening. Mike had a clipboard this morning. Mike, where are you? Mike is in charge of figuring out more about this camp out that's going on. What's happening in the camp out, Mike? Mike, take a mic. What a guy. So this coming weekend, Friday and Saturday night, we're gonna be having a church camp out at Coulter Bay Campground. We've got the site that we have can hold up to a 100 people, so everyone is welcome. However, I would like to know if you're coming because we plan on providing pancakes and bacon and eggs and bacon the other morning. So let me know in the back. I've got a sign up. You can sign up for Friday or Saturday or Friday and Saturday. And then you're on your own for lunch. Just bring something to some lunch meat or whatever you wanna have for lunch. But then in the evening on Friday night, we're gonna have taco night. So I'll have a bunch of ground beef up there, bring some sides and fixins and something to share. Then on Saturday night, we'll have kind of a potluck style. So bring something. We'll have a grill. You can bring some meat. This Friday and Saturday, twenty third, twenty third, and twenty fourth. Right? And I've got a little sign up in the back, so let us know if you're coming so that we have enough food for you. Alright. Thank you, Mike. Appreciate that. Last week, you heard Dan and Nancy announce about Awana. It is coming up as soon as school starts. That's when Awana starts, and so that's coming up. If you'd like to volunteer, please, please let them know. Let us know and we'll figure out what spot is the spot that you fit into for Awana. It is an opportunity to share the gospel with kids, sharing the word of God with kids so that they can get it in there and have a foundation. It makes a big difference. Also, we have a new age group. It's age two and three. Y'all know about the cubbies. The cubbies are around three to five and then the sparks are after that and then truth and trainers are after that. This is the new group called the puggles. Okay? The Puggles are age two and three. We want to be a blessing to the whole community and specifically be a blessing to parents. If parents have brought some kids and then they still have the two year old with them, We'd like for them to be able to just kinda take a deep breath, leave the kids with us, and let's watch them. It happens at the same time as Monday night. It's kind of a complimentary offering. We have the Monday nights at first be down there and we have Awana starting off in this room and then they spread over the whole church. It's about a hundred and thirty something kids last year were affected in some ways. That's cool. So, that's Puggles and Awana. Connect hour happens between services down in the fellowship hall. We usually have coffee and some sort of snack. So, please feel free after the preacher calms down and shuts his mouth. Y'all can go down there and I've got a couple of our announcements. Anne, would you come up and give us one of those? Community Bible study is begin again. Good morning, you all. My name is Anne Stalker, and I am here to be a cheerleader mostly for Bible study, but specifically for a Galatians study that's gonna start the fourth week of September. So do you notice that it's getting colder in the mornings? The kids are gonna go back to school, but the dust will have settled by about the fourth week of September. So we are going to be offering a day class, coed, with babysitting and an evening class, hopefully, for couples. Because here's the really cool thing when couples study the word together. Think of a pyramid on two sides. You go up. The closer you get to God, actually, the closer you get to each other. So, it's a really cool opportunity, and I'd like to encourage you to go. I have a flyer. You'll find them on the bulletin boards, and I'd be happy to talk to you. It's in your bulletin. And I also have a few study guides to sell because I would love for you to come. So put that on your to do list because God's word is good. Being in the word is great. He speaks to us in our crazy, nutty, broken world. He brings light and that is always good. Thanks. Thanks, Anne. Appreciate that. If there are other announcements, I know that there are couple other Bible studies that are starting up soon and we are working our way up towards launching. I don't even wanna mention Paul but we're gonna launch that eventually. A lot of small groups are gonna be starting up but I'll give you a chance next week to mention those. Anybody else? Prayer quests? Anything else that I've forgotten? Alright. If if I've forgotten it, it's in the bulletin. They don't usually forget to put it in print. So if you grabbed one on the way in, read that, look it over, you know what's going on this week. And if you didn't grab one on the way and you grab one on the way out, greet at one another with a holy kiss. Thank you, Blake. Would you all stand up and y'all can greet one another however you feel appropriate this morning? When I survey, when I survey the wondrous cross on which the prince demands my soul, my light, my high lure. On the wonderful cross, Oh, the wonderful cross. It's me come die and find that I may truly live. Oh, the wonderful cross. Oh, the wonderful cross. All who gather here are crystal near and bless your name. Love so amazing, so divine, Oh, Lord. So true. So true. Your love, so amazing, so divine. It demands our life, our all. And, God, we do fall short, and and we confess that to you. We don't love you with our whole heart. We don't love our neighbor as ourselves. But as we live in you, that happens. That can happen well. And I pray that that would happen more and more that this this place would be a bright shining light in Jackson to the ends of the earth. Truly, it is by grace that we are drawing near today. It's the undeserved, unmerited favor that you have given us, that we come here before you, that we can't even, that we come boldly because of Jesus, because of the cross. That's why we're here. That's what brings us together. And so, Lord, would you unite us more and more in Christ's name? Amen. I'll greet the castle that'll live between us. I'll hide the mountain I could not climb. In desperation, I turned to England and spoke your name into the night. And then through the darkness, your loving kindness tore through the shinned ores of my soul. The work is finished. The end is written in Jesus Christ, my living. Ages stepped down from glory to wear my sin and bear my shame. The cross is of name Jesus. The the the of Praise the one who set me free. Hallelujah. That has lost its grip on me. You have broken every chain. There's salvation Jesus Christ, my living. Then came the morning free. Death has lost its grip on me. You have broken every chain. There's salvation in your name, Jesus Christ, my living. Hallelujah. It's the one who set me free. Hallelujah. Death has lost its grip on me. You have broken every chain. There's salvation in your name, Jesus Christ. Living Lord Jesus Christ my living Lord Lord, I thank you for standing in the gap for us, for living that perfect life that we could not live and dying that sacrificial death that was meant for us, for wrecking reconciling us to you almighty God. What a gift to stand here forgiven and not because of anything that that we've done, but everything that you have done, we boast in in your work and your work alone. And I thank you that you are a living, risen God. And lord, this morning, we truly do want to offer our hearts to you. Our inmost being that we would look to you, that we would trust in. Let's sing. Here's my heart, Here's my heart, Lord. Here's my heart, Lord. Here's my heart, Lord. Speak what is true. Let's sing that again. Here's my heart. Here's my heart, Lord. Hears my heart, Lord. Hears my heart, Lord. Speak what is true, what I found. I am found. I am yours. I am love. I'm made pure. I have light. I can breathe. I am me. I am free. Here's my heart, Lord. Here's my heart, Lord. Here's my heart, Lord. Speak what is true. You are strong. You are sure. You are light. You endure. You are good, always true. You are light breaking through. You are more than enough. You are here. You are love. Here's my heart, Lord. Here's my heart, Lord. Here's my heart, Lord. Speak what is true. And here's my life, Lord. Here's my life, Lord. Here's my life, Lord. Here's my life, Lord. Speak what is true. Speak what is true. Speak what is true. Amen. I can have a seat in the front line team is coming forward or as we go into this time where we give back a portion of what you've given to us of resources of to put in these plates. Lord, I pray that we would be considering you that we'd carefully consider you and your goodness, your grace, what's been extended to us and lord by this offering we extend it to others. God, would you use this offering to do your will and your way, whatever that be from here in Teton County, Wyoming, all the way to the uttermost parts of the world. Lord, would you permeate and saturate this globe with your word. I pray that there would be willing and obedient servants that would go and carry it and that we would be behind them empowered by the spirit pushing to the outermost limits, lord. So that no one, no one, no one goes without hearing. In Jesus name, lord, would you do your will this morning in our hearts and our lives but also through our hearts and our lives to others. God, would you bless this offering and extend it? Amen. I give my song to you. And there's a joy in my soul, and it rises like the morning this I know for sure. But your grace is enough and your promise never breaking. I give my song to you. All of your goodness is like a whale running over. Oh, my soul, it sings for you. For all of your goodness, I'll love you forever. All my songs, sing for you. Let my life let my life be to you a symphony singing out holy, holy, my days, every single breath I breathe, singing out holy. Holy. Let's sing together. And let my life be to you a symphony singing out holy, holy. All my days, all my days, every single breath I breathe singing out holy, holy, the heart of your goodness is like a whale running over. Oh, my soul, it sings for you. For all of your goodness, I will love you forever. All my songs, 'll see for you. Yes. All my songs I'll see for Amen. It's time for Children's Church downstairs Peak Children's Church. Love it. We're up to Hebrews three seven through 19. Last week, we did three one through six. Guess what? Seven through 19. This week, here we go. We're just going forward but before we get to three seven through 19, I want to remind you what I said last week. I laid it out there for you to carefully consider but I wasn't terribly pointed about it, okay? Carefully consider Jesus, apostle and high priest of our calling. I just said, carefully consider and I explained what I meant by that but we're going to do it again. First, a quick review of last week. We're going to do this very quickly again. Hebrews three one, therefore, holy brethren, if you believe in Jesus, the writer of Hebrews is calling you holy, consecrated, set apart, holy brothers and sisters, partakers of the heavenly calling. This is for those who profess to know Christ. Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider carefully, consider Jesus, the apostle and the high priest of our confession. I laid it out there. The verbs in the center but it's got a couple of names for those of us who claim Christ. Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession. That's his job. Both of those things and his name, Jesus. No doubt about it. And this is the verb. Cleaned it up a little bit, made it a little bit easier. I think, I hope. Aristactive imperative, second person plural from Katanueo if you care, alright? Properly, it is to think from up to down all the way through to a conclusion. So, not just consider it like I asked you to do last week but consider it all the way through to a conclusion. You have a choice to make. It is ever before you every single day. We'll see it today. We'll see it today. Properly to think about this Jesus from up to down all the way through to a conclusion to consider it exactly and attentively pay attention for this reason we should pay even more attention to that which we've already heard, the writer of Hebrews says earlier. Consider exactly and attentively and decisively go all the way through to getting to the decision at the end. If you really consider Jesus, he's superior to the angels. He's superior to Moses. He's superior to Joshua. He's superior to the old covenant. He's superior and so if you consider all the way through the decision is clear that you should make. To consider or to concentrate by fixing one's thinking, set your mind on the things above. Set your mind on these things. Concentrate by fixing one's thinking in order what? To perceive clearly the way forward. Are we going to shrink back? Now, at the time when the writer of Hebrews was writing this audience, they were considering shrinking back because there was considerable persecution in the Roman Empire for Christians, for those who claim to follow the way and there was not as much persecution for the Jews and so their temptation was to step back in order to avoid persecution associated with Jesus to step back into the old way of thinking and just go through the religious rights that had been carried down since the days of Abraham and Moses, right? David, all them. Just go back to what we know. We know that. It's easier this way and so that was their temptation but he is the writer of Hebrews is telling them, concentrate by fixing one's thinking in order to perceive clearly the way for you. Do you really want to go back to that? To a conclusion, decisively and perceiving the way forward. It expresses thinking decisively to a clear and definite resolution. Okay, so this is about resolve. This is a little bit like Joshua's choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we're going to go with God, right? Okay, we're going to serve the Lord. So, carefully consider the verbs at the very center. If you get that part of last week's message, then the this the message today goes better. Carefully consider, decisively consider the apostle and the high priest of our confession. Last week after the service, I talked to Rich Stig who I love. He, former pastor here and he said, what you give up when you go back to Moses? You know, Jesus is a faithful and merciful high priest. The high priest at the time maybe kind of merciful but he's not going be as merciful as the son of God. What do you give up by going back? There are a lot of protections. There's a lot that you give up by going back and then you start to train other people in this old way that really is pointing to this, to Jesus. Carefully consider Jesus. Decisively consider Jesus. Hebrews three, we'll get up to verse two. Jesus was faithful. He was faithful to him. Jesus was faithful to God who appointed Jesus just as Moses also was in all of God's house. I actually changed this to Jesus was faithful to this father. Who appointed Jesus. He was faithful just as Moses also was in all the father's house. For he, Jesus, has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses. We talked about glory. I think we understand glory, really. Praise glory, lord. Lifting someone up high. Jesus deserves to be lifted up higher than Moses. By just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house he's saying, Jesus is the builder and Moses is a part of the house. And then it goes on to say, every house is built by someone but the builder of all things is God. Now, Moses was faithful in all his house as a servant and he does not put down Moses. The author never puts down Moses. Even though Jesus is lifted higher. It's never saying anything bad about Moses at this point. Now, Moses was faithful in all of God's house as a servant. Moses, faithful servant for testimony of those things which were to be spoken later. We have a lot of examples from that time period that should help us live our life if we internalize them and understand them. But Christ was faithful as a son. Moses' faithful servant, Christ, faithful son. That's a big difference. Christ was faithful as a son over his house. Whose house we are? We are a part of the family of God, the house of God. If and there's a big if and I stopped right here last week. If we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Now, what did the first verse said, consider this Jesus apostle and high priest carefully considered decisively, conclusively, all the way through to the end. If we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end, we are present tense, his house. Now, verse 14 is going to say something just almost exactly like that. So, verb tense is a little different. I'll read it and then we'll come back to it when we get there. For we have become instead of we are, we have become which is something that happened in the past as continuing emphasis into the continuing influence into the future for we have become partakers of Christ. If we hold fast the beginning of our assurance, firm until the end. There's something about perseverance and what the author of Hebrews is saying is keep on sticking with Jesus. Keep on being in Christ. Keep on keeping on. So, here we go. Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses and this next portion, we'll see this, how are their followers compare? Actually, you're just going to see a picture of the followers that were led out of slavery in Egypt by Moses, led by God but led through Moses going to Pharaoh, doing what God told him to do, being faithful in all of God's house. He was the one who let him out but how did the followers compare? If you're considering going back to Moses, think about what the people that followed Moses did. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, this verse seven, therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, I have to stop right here too. The writer of Hebrews attributes what he's about to quote to the Holy Spirit. Now, later in chapter four, it says it's a Psalm of David. It's Psalm 95. That's what's coming but he attributes it or the author of Hebrews attributes it to the Holy Spirit. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit, think about that. God, the spirit says, the words of God and we might have adjusted our thinking and consider second Peter. We just got out of second Peter and we talked about this at the beginning. We have the prophetic word made more sure to which you do well. Pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place. It's something that was written in the past that was forecasting a future so that you would have a more clear and optimistic hope. Until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts but know this first of all, no prophecy of scripture which scripture is full of prophecy. No prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. This is what the theological concept behind this is the dual authorship of scripture. God inspires the writer to write. So, God is, it's God's words through a human being. Second Peter 119 to 21 is that. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, in four seven, like I said, he uses exactly the same Psalm. In fact, the first two lines are pretty much the same. He again fixes a certain day. Today, today is the day. Today is the day. You got a day. Today is your day. Tomorrow's not guaranteed and yesterday's gone, right? Someday never comes. CCR said. He again fixes a certain day today saying through David, the Holy Spirit says, through David, after so long a time, just as has been said before, today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts. Amen. So, here we go. Psalm 95. It starts in seven B, I would say. It's not all of verse seven but seven B of Psalm 95. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, today, today, that's what you got. It's today. It's really important. Today, day by day living. His mercies are new every morning. Lord, as you are my helper, I will not blank. Today, help me through today. When I wake up tomorrow, I'll give it to you tomorrow but today, will you help me? Today, if you hear his voice, 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. This is a story about the Exodus. But it's from Psalm 95 direct quote. Therefore, I was angry with this generation and and I said, they always go astray in their hearts and they do not know my ways. As I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. What a sad statement that is and it's by almighty God. Today, if you hear his voice, 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. The Holy Spirit is saying this and saw my works for forty years. Therefore, I was angry with this generation and said, they always go astray in their heart and they did not know my ways. As I swore my wrath, they shall not enter my wrath. So, this is Psalm ninety five seven B through 11. Today, if you would hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Imma say that about 15 more times before the end of the hour, okay? Maybe more. Today, if you would hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as at Meribah. Well, they didn't mention that. Well, Meribah is a translation. It actually means temptation or strife. They named the place where this happened after what happened there. They were tempted and they were full of strife. Today, if you would hear his voice, do not harden your heart as at Meribah, as in the day of Masa, strife in the wilderness when your fathers tested me, they tried me though they had seen my work. They had seen it. Can you get that? They had seen his work. For forty years, I load that generation and said there are people who air in their heart. It was almost immediate when they left Egypt that they started worshiping other gods and that they fell away. For forty years, I load that generation said there are people who air in their heart and they do not know my ways. Therefore, I swore in my anger that truly, they shall not enter into my rest. Thank God for the new covenant. Thank God for the age of grace that we are in. Psalm 95 is referencing Exodus 17. I feel like we know a lot more of a lot more these days about the New Testament than the old. I'm going to read this blurb but small words, you might not be able to read it but I'm going to read it. Psalm 95 is referencing this story from Exodus. It's just verses one through seven. Then, all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of zen or sin. It's aptly named. The wilderness of sin according to the command of the Lord encamped at Rephidim and there was no water for the people to drink. Circumstance is difficult, right? Therefore, the people quarreled with Moses and they said, now, they quarrel with Moses. Moses was their leader, right? Divinely moved by God. Faithful, author of Hebrews says, in all of God's house. Therefore, the people quarrel with Moses and said, give us water that we may drink. Moses said to them, why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? But the people thirsted there for water and they grumbled against Moses and they said, why now have you brought us up out from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst. So, the people at the time of the writer of Hebrews was writing them were in a difficult situation. Their difficult situation tempted them to go back to where they were, where they came from. The folks in the wilderness in Egypt, you see the parallel here? They were out in the wilderness. Yes, it's a difficult situation but they were not in slavery in Egypt. And the folks in the time of the writer of Hebrews first century they were not under the slavery to the law if they were free in Christ. If they had Christ, they were not under that law. Christ had taken the hit. We go on from there and just for a matter of timeline, I didn't quite finish this timeline but Moses Exodus was around fourteen forty six BC and David as king is about a thousand BC, ten ten. Isaiah wrote around 700, 07/30, 750 somewhere right in there. There are a lot of those things. So, before the cross, that's the way to think about this. 1446 and a thousand years before since it's a Psalm of David. It was written somewhere around a thousand years before Christ and Moses Exodus, we're talking about an example that happened fourteen fifty years before. But the people thirsted there for water and they grumbled against Moses and said, why now have you brought us up from Egypt kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst. So, Moses cried out to the Lord saying, what shall I do to this people? Little more and they will stone me and then the Lord said to Moses, pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel, take in your hand, your staff with which you struck the Nile. He'd already done miracles with that staff. Either in protections for Israel or punishments for Egypt. Taking your hand, your staff with which you struck the Nile and go. Behold, I will stand before you, the Lord says. I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb and you shall strike the rock and water will come out of it. This is a different time from what we read a while back where he was not supposed to strike but just speak to the rock. It's a different time. It has precedence that he would strike a rock but that's not what God said in the second occasion or later occasion. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb and you shall strike the rock and water will come out of it that the people may drink and Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel, he named the place Masa and Meribah because the quarrel of the sons of Israel because they tested the Lord. Actually, Masa and Meribah, temptation and strife. He named the place after it. Temptation and strife because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel and because they tested the Lord saying, is the Lord among us or not? Is the Lord among us or not? So, if people had it the time of the first century considered that Jesus is the way and then all of their relatives and friends that did not believe Jesus is the way started to try to pull them back in and convince them otherwise. Come on. It's a faker. It's not really him. We're still looking for that. Safety in numbers. Come on. We've got a good relationship with the government right now. You don't want to be in that crowd. They're tempted and they're in strife. It's a good example from the writer of Hebrews to come up with and they might feel like, is the Lord among us or not? We're being killed. We're being persecuted for our faith. Quick aside, real quick. I'm not going to read all that little fine print but this is Exodus 15 and this is Exodus 16. It says, the Lord provides water in the middle of the desert and he just did so and then 16, the Lord provides manna. So, gave him bread to eat and the Lord provides meat. So, each time it says and they grumbled and they complained against Moses. They grumbled and complained against the Lord and God met their needs. And then, they grumbled and complained against Moses Again, Hebrews three seven through 11 back to that. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts today. If you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts and then they use he uses example of when they provoke me. As in the day in the wilderness, I think you get that now. Verse 12 is directly after that quote. It says, take care brethren, brothers and sisters, unless limited by context. Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be anyone of you with an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. Evil, unbelieving heart. A heart gets to be evil or persist in its evil by unbelieving. And fallen away from the living God. Jesus resurrected, living God. Jesus is better than Moses. Moses, God buried himself but he's buried. Jesus was brought forth from the tomb. Jesus is better than Moses. Take care brothers and sisters. There not be anyone of you with an evil and unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God but y'all do this, please. Encourage one another day after day. As long as it's still called today, you've got today. You can encourage someone today. You can encourage someone that you know struggles with sin. You can give them breath and inspiration to keep on going forward for today. Today, as long as it's still called today because time will come to an end at some point. The great mighty day of the Lord is approaching and we don't know when that's going to be but as long as it's still called today, as long as we've got the grace of God that's pleading with us, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. If you feel like God is saying, alright, now is the time. Give it up. Give up that sin that you've been holding as a pet for so long. It's killing you. Give it up today. Don't harden your hearts against that because if you do, it gets harder the next time. It gets even harder. Your heart gets harder. Encourage one another day after day as long as it's still called today. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Today, I love the use of today. Luke uses it in his gospel and it's today is born in the city of David, a savior who's Christ the Lord and today, today, you will be with me in paradise. There's a today, there's an urgency to the now. Especially considering verse six and verse 14 which are both around this where it says, we are, if we hold fast until the end, it is a call for perseverance in the faith and in holiness and then, we have become and it's you're able to know that by continuing and persevering until the end today. So, why? Why should you encourage one another day after day? In America, we are super super individualistic. It's like, my walk don't have anything to do with anybody else. I beg to differ. You can bless or curse the power of words. What Carl's going into tomorrow night. You have the power to bless and curse with what you say and this says, encourage one another. Day after day, as long as it's still called a day. Why? So that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Have any of you ever been led away by the deceitfulness of sin? Oh, we all have. All we like sheep have gone astray. That looks really good over there. Let's walk away from this or that looks really really good over there and we walk away from this. Encourage one another to stick with the gospel, to stick with the good news of God's love and forgiveness. If you're harboring unforgiveness in your heart, let it go. Just let it go. God has made a way and it is the blood of Christ so that sin can be forgiven. Your own sins forgiven. You're free. You're free to forgive other people. You're free to pray that God would forgive other people. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. It's a bad situation they're in. I don't see any way out, but God, I trust you. Would you show them the way out? I'm gonna love them and not take offense. Today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts. You got a choice. It's before you. Carefully considered all the way through to the end decisively, resolutely so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Sin is inherently deceitful. Temptation. Oh, temptation. This is why because sin is inherently deceitful. So, don't be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Sometimes, it's just flatly a choice. I'm not going to listen to that today. God, I don't want to go do that. It would be embarrassing to have to go to that person and say, I'm sorry. I'm not going to do that. The chances of you going to them after you've said, I'm not going to do it. Dwindle. It's deceitful. That that'll be a better time. Oh, Billy Graham. I think of Billy Graham all the time with his. You may never be any closer than you are right now. The voice of God is tugging at your heart right now. Answer him affirmatively, yes. I will give up that sinful past and go with whatever you show me, God. I'll walk in holiness because you are powerful as God is my helper. I can. Four and this is a conclusion following that. The sin is deceitful. Don't harden your hearts. Be encouraging one another day after day as long as it's still called a day so that you won't be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin for we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. You know, if we continue in Hebrews 10 will say this, let's draw close with full assurance of our faith and stir one another up into love and good works. It feels great to be free and able to serve the living God but when we walk away from him, it's a dreadful and fearful thing to fall into the hands of God. We become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. If we have become, I mean, for we have become, that's the exact literal translation is, if we, for we have become, if, and have become is in the past, we have become in the past. If we continue through and this gets into theological debate over whether or not one can lose its salvation. I think that this definitively says that you have become if you persist. Eternal security. Once you're saved, you are always saved as the Baptist would say. It's enough of a warning though for you to take this and go, you know, I've been in church my whole life. Well, I've got a toolbox that's been in the garage my whole life. A toolbox has been in there but cars are supposed to be in garages, right? Well, that toolbox is not going to turn into a car just by being in that garage and you can be in church your whole life and listen to the word and know the right answers to the questions. And still not be regenerate, converted, saved. That's a hard truth but it's the truth. This says that we have become if we endure and have you all seen anybody walk away? If you're reading anything from Christianity today or any websites recently, there are a lot of rather high profile Christians that are apostasizing and walking away and it's really disconcerting. And I don't want to write them off completely going, oh, they're never saved. But the writer of Hebrews does. Oh, that's difficult. Is there a way to be turned? Yeah. Looking to God just like it was from any other sin, only unforgivable sin is not accepting the truth of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. We have become partakers of the Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm till the end. If, it's a big if and it's in verse six also whose house we are. We are the house of God. If we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Think about those folks that who's right to. Everybody uses these passages for their own systematic theology. If folks fall on the eternal security side of things or if folks fall on the possibility of forfeiting or losing your salvation due to sin and waywardness. Everybody uses these same verses. I think it makes more sense to say, professing Christ is not the same thing as no one because you can profess him with your mouth but not know him in your heart and live it out in your life. It is not saying that just persist and keep on doing churchy things until you die and God will reward you by saving you. If God has saved you, it is overwhelmingly freeing and you will live that life out. It is the power over sin. It's the power unto salvation but it is a process that we are walking through. We are his spouse if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope till the end. We have become if while it is steady, repeats the same phrase again. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. May I stop right here and pray? God, would you speak? What was the song we sang a little while ago? Here's my heart, lord. Here's my heart, lord. Here's my heart, lord. Speak what is true Speak what is true because sin is inherently deceitful God. Show us what is true. I am found. I am yours. I am loved. I'm made pure. I have life. I can breathe. I'm healed. I'm free. Speak what is true. You're strong. You're sure. You are life. You endure. You are good. You're always true. You are light breaking through. You are more than enough. You are here. You are love. You are hope. You are grace. You are all I have. You're everything. Here's my life, lord. Here's my life, lord. Here's my life, lord. Speak what is true. Speak what is true. What is true. God, I pray right now. You'd speak what is true. From the word but also in our hearts and in our minds, we know what we've done and we know how we are. We know what we're apt to believe. I pray that you would give us an extra measure of grace to show us how deceitful our sin has been and allow us the grace of putting it aside and walking after you in holiness. In Jesus name, lord, we ask it and that's the only way it's ever going to happen. Today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts. Warning. Just as when they provoke me. It's a great example using the wilderness wanderings and Paul does that also in Corinthians 10, he says, now these things happen as examples for us. All this Old Testament stuff that we're reading happen as examples for us so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. They've just been led out of slavery in Egypt and they start worshiping a golden calf. While Moses, faithful, is up on the mountain. Receiving the law that will point out their problems but it doesn't save. It points to the one who does. Do not be idolaters as some of them were as it's written the people sat down to eat and drink, eating manna and quail and drinking the water that God provided. Then, they stood up to play and go about carousing nor let us act immorally as some of them did and 23, zero fell in one day nor let us try the Lord as some of them did and they were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now, these things happen to them as an example and they were written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the ages has come. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands, take heed that he does not fall. I've got cousins visiting right now. They're in town with me and the last time they were here, they said, I remember something you said in the sermon. I thought, I like it when anybody remembers anything that I said in the sermon and what you said was this and what I had said was, if you're sitting there listening for somebody else this morning, you go, oh, I wish so and so was here today. I'm talking to you. That's what I said. That's what they remember from last time. Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. The deceitfulness of sin is deceiving even those of us who think we're standing firm. No temptation though has ever overtaken you but such as is common to man. Mankind and God is faithful and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able. Jesus came and proved that concept. He came and proved that no temptation even if it's directly by Satan himself out in the wilderness after fasting for forty days. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man and God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond. What you are able but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape so that you will be able to endure it. Amen. Jesus proved that and how did he do it? By walking in complete submission to the spirit of God. His burden was light. Imagine how free and liberating it would be to not have any burden of sin whatsoever or any regret for past sin. That's what God sees if you are in Christ. Your relationship with him and the communication with him is disturbed because of the deceitfulness of sin. When you go for it, you are hardening your heart. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. For who provoked him when they had heard? 15, Exodus, they saw that God did that. 16, Exodus, they saw that God did that. 17, they're complaining again. Absolutely complaining about it. God still provided. Their physical needs but they will get to that in a minute in the text. For who provoked him when they had hurt? Well, the Israelites did for sure. Indeed, did not all of those who came out of Egypt led by Moses. Actually, Moses didn't get to enter into that promised land either and we don't see much that he did wrong. There's one little tiny itty bitty thing but he still didn't enter into that rest because these things happen to them as an example for us. Pointing towards Christ. And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned? Whose bodies fell in the wilderness? It was. And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest? But to those who are disobedient. Listen folks, writer of Hebrews is saying, you've been faced with the mighty and living God and this is his way and everything before that points to this and Christ is superior to everything that has come before. It's been prophesied and it went down exactly like they said it would and now, you've been led out of slavery and you've got a choice. Consider carefully and decisively whether you're going to stick with this though it may mean your physical suffering. Are you going to stick with it for your eternal well-being? To whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but to those who turn back, those people were outside of Egypt. They led outside of Egypt and it's not forty years from Egypt to Israel, okay? You can walk that. We've traveled it. It's smaller than New Jersey. It's not a big, big place. You know what I mean? It took him forty years because he's waiting for them to die off. That just makes me sick to think about. But they would not enter his rest. Those who are disobedient. So, we then see and this is the bow at the end of this paragraph leading into the next. We see then that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. Unbelief. What you believe matters. And I would argue what you believe is what you live. If you believe it, live it. If you don't believe it, you're not going to live it. So, consider carefully this Jesus and all that he has done and then, resolutely determine that you are going to submit your will to the Holy Spirit. You're going to listen to what he says today, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart as they did. Good example. It's a wise person who can learn from the mistakes of others. What you believe matters. So, holy brothers and sisters, partakers of this heavenly calling, decisively consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Jesus. This is the rest of Psalm 95, okay? Ninety five one through seven. This is the choice and I like it that the positive is first. Writer of Hebrews didn't mention this. I'm mentioning this, okay? You've got a choice. Where do you want to live? In the first part of Psalm 95 or in the second part of Psalm 95? This is the first part. Oh come, let us sing for joy to the Lord. It's exuberant. Actually, come on up, Carl. I think this is the last thing. Oh, come let us sing for joy unto the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to him with Psalms for the Lord is a great God and great king above all gods. In whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are his also. The sea is his for it was he who made it. He upholds all things by the word of his enduring power and his hands form the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down and let us kneel before the Lord, our maker, for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Amen. That's where I want to live life right there where I'm recognizing the blessing of God, where I'm submitted to the spirit of God and I'm right there. So, today, I don't do this every Sunday but it's always open. I don't care if y'all come up while I'm preaching quite honestly. The altar is always open for prayer. So, if today, you're hearing his words, you hear his voice. Don't harden your hearts against it. Altar is open for prayer. I'm available afterwards if y'all want to talk but today, if you've heard God's words and you have because the Holy Spirit of these things through man way back when I'm proclaiming as close as I can to what it says. Would you come forward and just pray, kneel before the Lord, your maker. Amen. And would you stand and we'll sing one more song. We'll sing, take my life and let it be. Moments in my days. Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands, take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of I love. Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. Swift and beautiful for Amen. Got a benediction from Proverbs for you today. Seek his will. This is right after by the way. Lean not on your understanding but in all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path. Seek his will in all you do and he will show you which path to take. Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil and then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones and honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything that you produce. God, would you do your will and your way in our lives this week and may we be submitted and surrendered to it, lord. I pray that you would speak and I know it's a still small voice but I pray that we'd remove ourselves from the den that is around us and listen and hearken unto us. In Jesus name, amen.