back to index2022-03-13 Overview of Hebrews
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All right, we are finally at the end of the book of Hebrews. 00:00:12.520 |
We've been on it actually exactly three years. 00:00:20.720 |
So we're actually almost exactly three years it took us to go through Hebrews. 00:00:24.240 |
And there was a stretch, I think in the middle when we were, because of the pandemic, we 00:00:32.560 |
But outside of that, I'm almost reluctant to leave. 00:00:36.520 |
You know, like one of the benefits of teaching through the Bible is that I benefit from it. 00:00:42.300 |
You know, I remember in the beginning of ministry, you know, when I was a youth pastor and I 00:00:48.320 |
was a college and EM pastor, I was just preaching just kind of topically, what does the church 00:00:53.080 |
And I would choose and I would preach like that for three, four, five years. 00:00:56.360 |
And at the end of it, I don't, I didn't feel like I knew the Bible any more than I did 00:01:01.400 |
after five, six years of it, because it's just, I just knew the topic of discipleship 00:01:08.040 |
And so there's like 15, 16 different topics and you give different versions of that. 00:01:12.600 |
But then I remember very specifically, I decided to just preach just verse by verse, starting 00:01:18.520 |
And then I would just make it through the New Testament. 00:01:21.320 |
But I remember specifically after finishing Philippians, it's like, oh, I, even though 00:01:26.400 |
I went, I was an undergrad Bible major and I went to seminary, I learned more from studying 00:01:31.840 |
to teach it that way than I did in all the years that I was in seminary. 00:01:36.240 |
And then, so, you know, the benefit ultimately, I get the first benefit because I'm able to 00:01:40.280 |
dig through the scripture and examine it better than before. 00:01:43.520 |
So Hebrews, I've gone through several times, but I feel like I've probably gleaned more 00:01:48.760 |
So I'm almost reluctant to leave it, but I do have other passages that I do want to go 00:01:54.200 |
I'm still not sure exactly where, but I'll let you know as we get closer. 00:01:58.420 |
After today, we're going to probably take about a month of various different topics 00:02:03.360 |
And after Easter, I'll jump into the new area of what we're going to study. 00:02:09.680 |
But I want to read with you as we wrap up the study, just to kind of give a, again, 00:02:14.040 |
And it'll be very similar to the introduction that I gave three years ago. 00:02:17.240 |
Hebrews 10, 32 to 34, it says, "But remember the former days when after being enlightened, 00:02:23.080 |
you endured a great conflict of suffering, partly by being made a public spectacle through 00:02:28.240 |
reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. 00:02:33.340 |
For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully a seizure of your property, 00:02:37.720 |
knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one." 00:02:43.360 |
Heavenly Father, we pray that your word would convict us, lead us, transform us into the 00:02:52.720 |
We thank you, Father, for your living word that judges the thoughts and intentions of 00:03:02.520 |
And we pray, Father God, that as we wrap up the study in the book of Hebrews, that all 00:03:07.080 |
that we have learned, Lord God, would transform us, build us up, that we may be sanctified 00:03:12.760 |
according to the purpose and will of your son. 00:03:18.040 |
Now, last week we had our salt and pepper, more salt than pepper fellowship. 00:03:24.920 |
And so I think we were expecting maybe about 30 people in the church. 00:03:28.400 |
To our surprise, we actually have close to 70, over 50 at our church. 00:03:33.380 |
We had about 56, 57, and then we had at least a dozen who were in that category but wasn't 00:03:41.240 |
And so to our surprise, we actually have a lot more people than we thought that are over 00:03:46.720 |
We're just scattered, so we normally don't see. 00:03:48.840 |
Typically when people come to our church, it's like, "Yeah, it's all college students." 00:03:54.560 |
But when we had that fellowship, even I was surprised that we have that many people at 00:04:00.680 |
One of the interesting thing was, because we have older people at church, that our testimonies 00:04:10.420 |
We have people who've lived in different continents. 00:04:13.780 |
They were playing one of the games of what's unique that are at our table. 00:04:17.260 |
And we had actually two cancer survivors at our table, so we thought that would be unique 00:04:22.540 |
And then when we presented it, we found that we had three other cancer survivors. 00:04:26.260 |
And so the stories that were coming out of the different tables, these are from all walks 00:04:33.980 |
One of the benefits of getting older is you have the ability to be able to see. 00:04:40.020 |
When you're younger, there's certain things that seem so important, just seems trivial 00:04:45.340 |
When we're young, we're so consumed with what other people think of us. 00:04:55.140 |
It's not that we don't care at all, but it's just not as important as it was when it was 00:05:00.420 |
And then as we get older, there are certain things that become a lot more important, like 00:05:04.420 |
our family, our health, things that have more value long-term. 00:05:13.260 |
But one of the things that we have to be careful as we get older is that the things that we 00:05:23.460 |
And that specifically happens with our faith. 00:05:28.440 |
Just like the recipients of this letter, he says, "Remember." 00:05:39.020 |
Remember when you first met Christ, how exciting church was, how exciting fellowship was, singing 00:05:49.420 |
Every part of your faith is like, "Wow, this is a privilege." 00:05:53.100 |
But for some reason, as time passes by, everything about our faith becomes a mandate, like, "I 00:05:59.700 |
have to do this," and, "I don't want to do this," and fellowship becomes a burden because 00:06:05.740 |
And if we're not careful, we can just go through the motion. 00:06:12.300 |
After a while, just like the Bible says, you have a form of godliness, but there is no 00:06:17.420 |
You've just become a very religious Christian, but there's no power. 00:06:22.380 |
No one has ever come to Christ because of your sharing. 00:06:26.820 |
You're a very religious person," but there's no power behind that because it's just a formality. 00:06:32.800 |
There's no real inner change, inner joy that's happening. 00:06:35.700 |
In fact, Jesus warns about this in the parable of the seeds. 00:06:41.260 |
In Matthew 13, 19-22, Jesus says, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not 00:06:46.600 |
understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart." 00:06:50.980 |
This is the one in whom seed was sown besides the road. 00:06:55.000 |
Those are people who are typically not in the church. 00:06:56.980 |
They hear the word, "I don't understand," or "I don't believe it," and they don't make 00:07:02.620 |
These are people who we're trying to invite to our services, to get to hear the gospel. 00:07:07.060 |
They may be our coworkers or family members, but the word of God has no effect on them. 00:07:12.540 |
The second seed, it says in verse 20, "The one whom seed was sown on the rocky places," 00:07:20.540 |
this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 00:07:25.140 |
There seems to be immediate response, yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only 00:07:30.280 |
temporary when affliction or persecution arises because of the word. 00:07:35.040 |
You probably know of some people who at one point in their life were excited for God, 00:07:39.740 |
but as soon as they began to realize the consequence of following Christ, as long as they only 00:07:46.140 |
saw the benefit, it was fine, but as soon as their faith started to get tested, they 00:07:52.620 |
So I'm sure every one of us knows somebody in our life that came and was excited for 00:07:59.900 |
But those people are not in the church either because eventually they leave. 00:08:03.620 |
It's the third group that we constantly struggle with. 00:08:07.020 |
It says in verse 22, "And the one on whom the seed was sown among the thorns," this is the 00:08:12.420 |
man who hears the word and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of the world choke 00:08:22.100 |
Now the third soil are people who are still in the church. 00:08:27.540 |
Third soil are people who don't pack up their bags and leave. 00:08:32.260 |
In every way they may act like a Christian, but it says the word of God is being choked 00:08:38.940 |
in their life because of the worries of this world and deceitfulness of riches. 00:08:43.620 |
And so on Sunday they are pursuing Christ, but Monday through Saturday they're pursuing 00:08:49.700 |
So only time where there's any conversations about Christ, it happens at church or it happens 00:08:57.660 |
But it doesn't happen in any other context because the word of God is being choked in 00:09:04.020 |
And that's the concern that we have in our generation. 00:09:06.260 |
I think that the authors of Hebrew, the author of Hebrew is addressing that particular issue 00:09:12.660 |
because these people are not specifically shaking their hands at God and say, "You 00:09:24.780 |
He's not addressing people who have physically left the church. 00:09:27.900 |
He's not addressing people who have made it very clear where that line is. 00:09:31.820 |
He's addressing people who are in the church and is trying to have the benefit of the both 00:09:39.380 |
"How can I retain my salvation and still pursue the world?" 00:09:46.460 |
That's what he's addressing because these people are starting to gradually drift back 00:09:53.140 |
There is no specific doctrine that they were guilty of rejecting. 00:09:57.900 |
They're just drifting back into their old life. 00:09:59.580 |
In fact, that's the language that's repeated over and over again. 00:10:02.220 |
In Hebrew chapter 2-1, "For this reason, we must pay much closer attention to what 00:10:07.580 |
we have here so that we do not drift away from it." 00:10:13.060 |
Drifting is something that happens when you do nothing. 00:10:17.940 |
You get on a boat, say you want to drift, what do you do? 00:10:31.540 |
If you're not anchored, if you're not deliberately anchored because you're concerned about drifting, 00:10:37.500 |
And that's why he says to pay much close attention to the things that you have heard. 00:10:51.940 |
In Psalm, I think it's chapter 50, where it says, "The birds and all the creatures are 00:11:07.260 |
And he found this home, so he wanted to join us for worship. 00:11:10.560 |
So let him chirp, and we'll pretend like we're out in the woods, enjoying God's creation. 00:11:21.580 |
Anyway, let's get back to the word, all right? 00:11:34.460 |
And that's the temptation that all of us are in. 00:11:38.180 |
You start out with a bang, and then every year that goes by, we just slowly drift, and 00:11:42.740 |
then we wake up one day not recognizing even our own selves. 00:11:48.020 |
That person I was when I was in my 20s or 30s is, I'm just not the same person. 00:11:54.780 |
It's just years and years of just neglecting and allowing this thing to keep drifting, 00:12:03.420 |
And then so we have this attitude of, "Yeah, that happens. 00:12:07.620 |
And in college, yeah, that's where all the passion is, with college students or younger." 00:12:15.140 |
And so we kind of think that passionate pursuit of Christ is something you do when you're 00:12:20.940 |
But when you're old, you just kind of sit through, and we just make it to the end. 00:12:25.660 |
And that's what he's warning us about, not drifting. 00:12:28.620 |
Hebrews 2.3 is, "How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" 00:12:41.100 |
God who created the universe, the universe, for whatever the reason, had pity on us, and 00:12:49.260 |
sent his only begotten Son, in order that we can have eternity with him, that we can 00:12:57.460 |
So the hope that we have in the gospel is one day when all this passes, which is 100% 00:13:02.500 |
guaranteed, Christian or non-Christian, when this passes, that we will have eternity with 00:13:12.780 |
And to profess that, sing about that, memorize that, read about it, and then to simply neglect 00:13:27.100 |
You're just doing what everybody else in this world does. 00:13:29.180 |
Going to work, paying your bills, raising children. 00:13:33.580 |
And then in the meanwhile, just living like the rest of the world, we're just neglecting. 00:13:46.980 |
Hebrews chapter 3, verse 7, it says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your 00:13:50.260 |
heart as when they provoked me, as in the day of the trial in the wilderness." 00:13:54.740 |
In other words, it's the kindness of God that leads you to salvation, leads you to repentance. 00:14:01.700 |
It's not God's knocking on the door and saying, "Oh, not today." 00:14:07.940 |
If not tomorrow, then the next day I'll knock next day." 00:14:10.980 |
He said, "No, today it's the kindness of God. 00:14:13.380 |
If the word of God comes and convicts you and you say not today, and most people who 00:14:18.780 |
at least profess to believe God never says no to God, they just say not now." 00:14:28.780 |
Now is not the time to really devote my time because I just got a new job. 00:14:44.060 |
So we think that we're obeying, but it says, "If you do not obey today," he said, "you 00:14:51.780 |
So the next time that maybe there's a knocking on the door, you don't even hear the knocking 00:14:55.740 |
anymore because your hearts have become so hardened, you don't feel anything anymore. 00:15:02.700 |
It's just a lot of information getting into your head, but it's never enough to move you 00:15:08.980 |
So when you are here, hearing the word of God week after week after week, when you're 00:15:13.060 |
participating in Bible study and you're not responding to that every week, your heart 00:15:22.860 |
And that's what he's trying to address, not to neglect our salvation. 00:15:26.100 |
Hebrews chapter 13, 3-12, "Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, 00:15:32.340 |
unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God." 00:15:35.100 |
I mean, that sounds pretty harsh for just being lukewarm, just neglecting. 00:15:43.980 |
I mean, from our perspective, it just seems like, "Well, that just happens. 00:15:49.140 |
But from God's perspective, he says, "It's unbelief and it's evil." 00:15:58.060 |
What's the greatest gift that you've ever given anybody? 00:16:02.220 |
I mean, think about if, whatever that may be, if you gave that to somebody and they 00:16:06.100 |
just kind of received it, it's like, "Oh, thanks," and they just kind of threw it on 00:16:10.500 |
They didn't realize the gift that you've given. 00:16:12.460 |
They don't realize the sacrifice that you made so that they can have that. 00:16:15.700 |
And it's like, "Okay, thanks," they just threw it on the couch. 00:16:19.660 |
It's an unbelieving, evil heart to profess this and then live your life like you don't 00:16:28.460 |
You profess it with your mouth, but by your life, it demonstrates your unbelief. 00:16:35.460 |
So from God's perspective, I mean, it makes perfect sense that he would say this. 00:16:40.780 |
Perseverance of the saints is one of the greatest indicators of genuine faith. 00:16:47.940 |
You know, everybody has, again, even the three soils that are mentioned, there's some response. 00:16:54.460 |
One they hear it and it's, "Okay, I don't want this." 00:16:56.260 |
Or the second one, they hear it and they have immediate response, but they don't persevere. 00:17:00.460 |
And the third one, they seem like they're bearing fruit, but then as soon as the worries 00:17:04.780 |
and concerns and you start coveting what other people have, all of a sudden, those concerns 00:17:13.460 |
And then there's certain parts of the Bible that you don't want to hear because you've 00:17:20.300 |
And he says, "Ultimately, God will test through various trials, through various stages in 00:17:26.020 |
life, that is Jesus really better than that." 00:17:30.460 |
You know, Hebrews chapter 6, 4 through 8, you know, a lot of people read this passage 00:17:34.340 |
and misunderstand because they read it just in this context, but read what it says. 00:17:39.300 |
Hebrews chapter 4, it says, chapter 6, verse 4 through 8, it says, "For in the case of 00:17:43.100 |
those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been 00:17:48.140 |
made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers 00:17:53.180 |
I mean, a lot of people read this passage and say, "Well, this must be a Christian who 00:18:03.140 |
A genuine Christian can never lose his salvation. 00:18:07.420 |
The reason why, first of all, because you didn't earn it, so you can't lose it. 00:18:15.340 |
Then what does he mean here if that's the case? 00:18:20.700 |
It is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucified to themselves the 00:18:29.860 |
Does this mean if he's referring to a Christian who loses his salvation, does this mean that 00:18:35.620 |
God gives you one chance and you had that chance? 00:18:40.420 |
And because you've fallen away, that God will not accept your repentance? 00:18:45.620 |
If this means a Christian loses his salvation, once you backslide, you're done. 00:18:56.060 |
"For the ground that drinks the rain, which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation, 00:19:01.380 |
useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God. 00:19:06.900 |
But if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it 00:19:13.540 |
So what he's referring to are people who are in the church, have benefited from the 00:19:18.700 |
Word, where the Holy Spirit is working within the church. 00:19:22.660 |
He has the Word, so in every way he's been exposed to everything that a genuine believer 00:19:27.060 |
needs to be saved, and yet he bears no fruit. 00:19:32.660 |
He's an individual who willfully rejects the things of God. 00:19:37.220 |
So he's not talking about somebody who wants to follow Christ and he didn't do well and 00:19:41.940 |
he backslid for a period that he can't repent. 00:19:45.020 |
Clearly that contradicts everything that we know in the Bible. 00:19:48.700 |
What he's referring to are individuals who are in the church. 00:19:51.300 |
The third soil people who've been in the church, who are going through the motion, 00:19:58.100 |
have the form of godliness, but there's no power. 00:20:03.020 |
Who've received every blessing that you could. 00:20:05.380 |
You're around Christians, you're around the Word of God, you're around missions, fellowship, 00:20:12.980 |
and then you choose to pursue after the world. 00:20:15.980 |
There's no other repentance because the only way of repentance is Christ, and so by your 00:20:21.780 |
You receive Christ with your mouth, but by your life you pursue the world. 00:20:26.920 |
And that's why he spends the whole book of Hebrews reminding them that Jesus is better 00:20:35.460 |
And so that's the question that we need to be asking ourselves. 00:20:41.020 |
Because you can love the church without loving Jesus. 00:20:44.560 |
You can love other Christians without loving Jesus. 00:20:46.620 |
You can love the leadership without loving Jesus. 00:20:53.780 |
You can become a pastor without loving Jesus. 00:20:58.920 |
You can be a missionary without loving Jesus. 00:21:03.500 |
He says the remedy for a Christian adulterous life is to have the best marriage that he 00:21:13.220 |
You know, what prevents me, and I think every single one of us, is capable of adultery because 00:21:22.180 |
But what prevents us, what's the greatest guarantee that prevents someone from adultery 00:21:29.020 |
is to have the best marriage that he can have. 00:21:35.180 |
So that everything else, everybody else looks like rubbish. 00:21:45.500 |
I think the best decision I've ever made in my life, outside of following Christ, is marrying 00:21:50.900 |
I mean, it wasn't like perfect from the beginning. 00:21:53.980 |
I mean, God allowed us to go through stuff and we were able to be where we're at now. 00:22:03.580 |
Again, I'm supposed to knock on wood on this, right? 00:22:08.700 |
Because I can't imagine anybody better than her. 00:22:16.980 |
Would I have the gift that God has given me through my wife to play around because of 00:22:27.100 |
He said, "Maybe you've forgotten what you have in Christ. 00:22:35.340 |
You've forgotten what it was like when you first met Christ. 00:22:40.720 |
And that's why he spends the whole letter going over Jesus. 00:22:44.740 |
It's not simply to, "I want to make sure that you understand all Christology. 00:22:49.060 |
That if somebody asks you about the new covenant and somebody asks you about the Melchizedek 00:22:54.140 |
that you can say, 'I can answer these questions.'" 00:22:56.620 |
No, every part of what he's been saying is to remind them of the preciousness of Christ. 00:23:03.940 |
So that whatever it is tempting them out of that is that, "Do you really think that the 00:23:21.100 |
Do you really, you're tempted because you think that somehow that if you purchased land 00:23:26.500 |
and had a nice house and you have enough money in the bank account that that's where you're 00:23:38.100 |
You're drifting back to your old system under Aaron. 00:23:44.100 |
The only reason why God even put up with Aaron is because Aaron served the purpose of pointing 00:23:52.340 |
I mean, if it was up to, if it was, Aaron should not have lived. 00:23:58.060 |
If you know anything about Aaron, Aaron should have been wiped out a long time ago. 00:24:03.100 |
Only reason God even put up with Aaron is because he was being used to prepare for the 00:24:09.420 |
And you're tempted to go back to that system? 00:24:12.620 |
See, only reason why genuine believers get tempted into this world is because we've taken 00:24:27.860 |
I know some of you, your salvation wasn't like, wow, my eyes are open and I love Jesus. 00:24:36.280 |
Whether you got bonked over the head or whether it had gradual understanding, you know early 00:24:45.620 |
God grabbed you by the throat and forced you to come to church. 00:24:49.940 |
You know, when young Christians come to church, I always love the questions that they ask. 00:24:59.700 |
Because they're just so excited about their faith because they met Christ and it changed 00:25:05.180 |
And then you talk to Christians who've been walking for 30, 40, 50 years like, is that 00:25:16.340 |
The difference between the first and the latter is their affection for Christ. 00:25:23.140 |
It's because their first love is still there. 00:25:32.020 |
It's not something that you do because you came on Sunday. 00:25:39.700 |
When we recognize the beauty of Christ, the love of Christ, the gentle beckoning of Christ, 00:25:45.420 |
the enduring patience of Christ, the sustaining power of Christ, the immutable nature of Christ, 00:25:57.340 |
Because just like Paul says, in view of the surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ, 00:26:06.780 |
Our struggle is we're trying to make the world be rubbish without Christ. 00:26:28.380 |
The only difference between a devil and an angel is his moral nature. 00:26:35.380 |
The external beauty, usually when we picture an angel from God, is beautiful with white 00:26:40.740 |
wings, attractive, you know, glow, and then a demon is hunched over with fangs. 00:26:54.580 |
So the angel in his temptation is also beautiful. 00:26:58.500 |
Only in comparison to Christ, it becomes rubbish. 00:27:06.020 |
So the moment we take our eyes off of Christ and our affection is not in Christ, then of 00:27:19.780 |
When you get on an airplane and they offer you the first class seat, do you say, "No, 00:27:38.700 |
And there's not necessarily like, "Oh, if you want to be a good Christian, you always 00:27:46.980 |
But when that becomes our primary pursuit and you're willing to sacrifice an active, 00:27:53.340 |
passionate pursuit of Christ in order to have that, then that has become your idol. 00:27:58.980 |
You're taking your eyes off of Christ because you think somehow there's rest there. 00:28:07.480 |
When every time you come to church you profess it is not. 00:28:12.100 |
Whatever you are willing to compromise to have, that's your idol. 00:28:26.700 |
Because our actions always say more than what we say. 00:28:31.700 |
That's why he says, "Knowing the surpassing knowledge of knowing Christ, that He's more 00:28:36.220 |
beautiful than anything that we can be tempted by this world," he says, "let us," chapter 00:28:42.140 |
four, verse one, "therefore let us fear while a promise remains of entering His rest." 00:28:48.300 |
You know, fear typically we think it's negative. 00:28:58.420 |
If you see a dark alley and you know there's drug activity going on with gang violence, 00:29:08.620 |
You don't buy a house near biohazardous thing in the ground because you're afraid that that's 00:29:16.260 |
So fear is good because it causes you to take things seriously. 00:29:22.980 |
So when it comes to the things of God, and we are nonchalant about it, we're very fearful 00:29:28.620 |
that we're not going to be able to pay our bills. 00:29:30.820 |
We're very fearful, but if I do things, my friends are going to reject us. 00:29:35.060 |
We're very fearful, but if we don't save up enough, that we're not going to have enough 00:29:39.180 |
So because of this fear, it causes us to change our behavior, our values. 00:29:45.820 |
But of all the things, all the good fears, the greatest and the most beneficial fear 00:29:52.300 |
is to fear the Lord and see the weightiness of what it is that we are dealing with. 00:30:00.620 |
I'm not just giving you philosophy where you can take it or leave it. 00:30:04.500 |
This is the Word of God that is warning us, encouraging us, and challenging us. 00:30:10.260 |
So he says, "Let us fear while a promise remains." 00:30:13.540 |
Verse 11, "Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest." 00:30:24.260 |
You know, in the sports arena, there's usually, let's say you're playing basketball, there's 00:30:40.980 |
They're fighting with every ounce of energy they have. 00:30:45.500 |
Or the coaches were maneuvering every knowledge that they've had in basketball in order to 00:30:52.340 |
And then we have about 40,000 experts from analysis. 00:30:59.820 |
They're experts because they've watched a lot of basketball. 00:31:03.380 |
They watched so much basketball that every decision that the coaches made is like, "Ah, 00:31:15.060 |
You shouldn't be taking shots from out there. 00:31:17.580 |
And so we have 40,000 people who are experts from analysis. 00:31:23.980 |
We shouldn't be experts of the gospel because we read, because we exposited a text. 00:31:32.320 |
We should become experts of the gospel because we labored and strived to share the gospel, 00:31:37.740 |
because we were on our knees begging for their souls with the cuts and bruises that come 00:31:48.700 |
If we're not careful, we can be a church filled with people who become experts in all these 00:31:52.860 |
fields from analysis because we read someone else's testimony. 00:31:58.140 |
We read what someone else did, but it's not from personal experience. 00:32:04.660 |
We're all armchair experts if we're not careful. 00:32:10.100 |
If Christ truly is what we profess that he is, he says, "Let us be diligent to enter 00:32:18.580 |
Verse 14, chapter 4, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through 00:32:22.900 |
the heavens, Jesus, Son of God, let us hold fast our confession." 00:32:31.540 |
Apostle Paul, I think, explains it the best in Philippians 3, 12 through 15. 00:32:36.000 |
This is an apostle who probably preached the gospel to more people and has suffered more 00:32:44.540 |
Sitting in prison, possibly awaiting his death, and this is what he says, "Not that I have 00:32:50.100 |
already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay 00:32:54.540 |
hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus." 00:33:01.060 |
You think there's an opportunity, it's like I'm relaxing, I'm taking it easy because I'm 00:33:09.500 |
Verse 13, "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing 00:33:13.420 |
I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward 00:33:18.140 |
the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." 00:33:20.860 |
He's sitting in prison and he's writing this letter because he's concerned about the Christians 00:33:27.780 |
If you've never studied the book of Philippians, you would never know that this is a man sitting 00:33:33.980 |
Because when you think of Philippians, you think of rejoice always. 00:33:39.500 |
It's an epistle where he's rejoicing, he's thankful, he's praying constantly. 00:33:44.300 |
But he's sitting in prison, possibly awaiting his death, writing this letter. 00:33:48.140 |
And he says, "I have not laid hold of it yet. 00:33:52.020 |
Which is, again, one of the temptations when we get older is we think that passion and 00:34:05.540 |
And we always get excited when young people come to faith. 00:34:13.500 |
When was the last time you met somebody in their 60s, passionate for their faith? 00:34:21.980 |
Because we have a tendency to kind of take the back seat as we get older, as if we've 00:34:27.700 |
We haven't retired at work yet, but we've retired spiritually. 00:34:31.620 |
We just kind of let the young guys do the work. 00:34:34.540 |
You know what's interesting is I hear that kind of sentiment earlier and earlier. 00:34:43.700 |
I hear 25-year-olds saying, "Oh, man, my back." 00:34:47.180 |
And I look at the 19-year-olds, "When I was your age." 00:34:54.700 |
And then you know there's going to be a 30-year-old, it's like, "Oh, you young punk. 00:35:04.220 |
And then you know there's going to be a guy in his late 30s, it's like, "What, at 30, 00:35:13.060 |
And then the 40-years-old are going to step in, it's like, "30? 00:35:19.340 |
You wait till you get 40, you can't see anymore." 00:35:25.220 |
And for whatever the reason, we hit that retirement early. 00:35:29.700 |
And we think this passionate pursuit of Christ is something that you do when you're young, 00:35:34.140 |
and then you just kind of retire at 25, 30, 40, 50, 60. 00:35:42.460 |
You know, I have all my roommates back in college, they're all 10, 11 years older than 00:35:50.660 |
And so last time I went to have lunch with them, you know, they're missionaries in different 00:35:55.820 |
countries and pastors, and you know, and I sit down and I'm very curious because they're 00:36:00.500 |
hitting their mid-60s, like, "What's your plan? 00:36:05.380 |
Thinking that I'm going to get some pointers, like, "What's coming? 00:36:09.420 |
And every single one of them, it's like, they have plans for their 70s. 00:36:28.060 |
I mean, you've done it, if you have enough retirement saved, then that's it. 00:36:43.360 |
Because the seriousness of what He has called us to does not end at 30 or 50 or 80 until 00:36:58.140 |
And then verse 16, "Let us draw near with the confidence to the throne of grace, so 00:37:02.340 |
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." 00:37:12.020 |
You know, I'm very encouraged that so many of our families are trying to adopt, who've 00:37:17.700 |
already adopted and adopting, in the process of adopting. 00:37:21.660 |
And even the embryo adoption is happening now, so we're encouraged to see that. 00:37:26.860 |
But what if you adopted a child and that child is living in your home, benefiting from everything 00:37:32.820 |
that you've done, but they always keep you at an arm's length? 00:37:38.900 |
They will only hold your hand if you grab their hand, but they never come and sit on 00:37:45.660 |
Now, you're all, your biological children are jumping on you, but that child is always 00:37:50.300 |
sitting in the back just watching them, you know, because I'm adopted. 00:37:58.940 |
You know, when we're told in the Bible, "Let us draw near to the throne of grace," this 00:38:11.100 |
There's reason why he adopted us as his children. 00:38:13.220 |
He didn't just say, "I forgive you and you're no longer going to be judged," and then he 00:38:21.540 |
There's a reason why he says, "Abba, Father, Daddy," because he has adopted us. 00:38:31.940 |
Just like if you were to adopt a child, you want that child to embrace you and love you 00:38:41.100 |
So this invitation to draw near to him is our Abba, Father, telling his children to 00:38:49.100 |
That's why I sent my only son, so you can also be co-heirs with Christ. 00:38:54.420 |
You're not a second citizen in the kingdom of God. 00:38:58.780 |
So when he invites us to come into the throne of grace, it is not a legal invitation that 00:39:07.900 |
It's a loving father who wants to commune with his son, with his daughter. 00:39:18.980 |
Come I'll give you help because you're my child. 00:39:23.300 |
Let us draw near to the throne of grace with confidence. 00:39:30.460 |
Chapter 6, verse 1, "Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us press 00:39:39.620 |
Philippians 1, 6, "He who began a good work anew will carry it on to completion, unto 00:39:45.620 |
Our pursuit of him to maturity does not end at 30, 50, 80, until the day of Christ." 00:39:52.180 |
Chapter 10, 24, "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good 00:39:57.820 |
To as I am pursuing Christ, help other people as well. 00:40:03.980 |
Tell other people, encourage them, stimulate. 00:40:06.180 |
12, 1, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us 00:40:09.900 |
also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles." 00:40:17.380 |
What has captivated your heart that is preventing you from running this race passionately? 00:40:25.800 |
What anxiousness, what fear, what concern is causing you to run this race with hindrance? 00:40:31.740 |
12, 1, "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, this marathon." 00:40:37.740 |
You know, whenever you see a marathon, the largest number of people is in the beginning, 00:40:48.820 |
You get together with a bunch of your friends, and say, "Yeah, we're going to run this 00:40:51.900 |
By the time they're halfway through, they're not together, right? 00:40:55.100 |
By the halfway through, some of them are going to quit, have already quit. 00:40:58.980 |
And then you could see who's going to quit by the time they're halfway through. 00:41:03.380 |
And by the time they're at the end of the race, nobody comes in holding hands. 00:41:16.940 |
But the crowd is always largest in the beginning. 00:41:26.220 |
We should not be satisfied that we started the race. 00:41:29.420 |
Paul says, "Run to win, to finish this race, to make sure that we commit and we get to 00:41:37.540 |
the end, and not just be satisfied that we have the number we've registered, but to run 00:41:50.460 |
Don't wait until deathbed to be concerned about your loved ones. 00:41:57.620 |
Don't wait until you get an emergency call and then say, "Shoot, I only have a few days." 00:42:11.940 |
Run with fear, knowing that there are serious consequences. 00:42:16.900 |
Run as if we really believe what we're seeing and we're professing. 00:42:24.260 |
12, 28, "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude." 00:42:29.700 |
Let us be thankful for all that God has given us. 00:42:31.860 |
And then chapter 13, verse 3, "So let us go out to him outside the camp, bearing his 00:42:40.020 |
One of the frustrations for many Christians is they want to try to meet Christ inside 00:42:47.340 |
They want to be inside the camp, accepted by the world, have what the world offers, 00:42:58.740 |
We want to enjoy all that the world has to offer inside the camp, wondering why it's 00:43:03.460 |
so difficult to connect with Christ when Christ keeps telling us, "Come outside the camp." 00:43:16.380 |
It doesn't mean that you shouldn't take care of your children. 00:43:18.220 |
All these things are what good Christians do. 00:43:22.860 |
But if that's our primary pursuit and you're trying to fight and connect with Christ inside 00:43:28.340 |
the camp, he made it very clear, you cannot serve mammon and God at the same time. 00:43:35.780 |
So the invitation is, if Christ truly is better than anything that tempts us, he says, "Come 00:43:47.580 |
The greatest commandment in the scripture is to love the Lord your God with all your 00:43:54.500 |
And I remember early on as a Christian, this was such a stumbling block to me because I 00:44:05.980 |
I mean, there's nobody or nothing like Jesus. 00:44:12.460 |
But I'm not sure if I could say I love Jesus. 00:44:17.180 |
Because I would compare, because what I know of love is at that time I loved my mom and 00:44:29.540 |
You know, the way I think about this is, you know, those of you who love your mom or love 00:44:34.140 |
your wife, and I hope you love your wife and your husband, right? 00:44:38.180 |
Soon as somebody says something or sounds like they're going to say something about 00:44:44.700 |
You think they're going to say it, then you get offended. 00:44:51.420 |
Like, what are you going to say about my son? 00:45:12.660 |
How do you react when people blaspheme our God? 00:45:17.680 |
When they drag his name through the mud, saying that maybe he had a child out of wedlock and 00:45:46.600 |
I think if we love Jesus, it would bother us more. 00:45:53.760 |
Because our natural tendency is whatever we love, we want to share. 00:46:21.040 |
I know if I take a vacation, where I should go. 00:46:27.340 |
Because whatever you love, you end up sharing. 00:46:31.200 |
Because you want other people to love what you love. 00:46:35.560 |
If you're a Dodgers fan, you are a Dodgers apologist. 00:46:50.800 |
And because we want other people to love what we love. 00:46:55.000 |
You see, loving Christ is the backbone of everything that we do. 00:47:04.500 |
If you don't love Christ, you're just regurgitating information when you're sharing the gospel. 00:47:11.360 |
If you don't love Christ, you're just singing songs. 00:47:16.520 |
If you don't love Christ, you're just studying words. 00:47:21.840 |
If you don't love Christ, you're just building friendships. 00:47:29.800 |
That's why he says the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your 00:47:35.680 |
Because until you have love for Christ, until Christ becomes more precious than anything 00:47:50.960 |
But at the end, it means nothing if we don't love Christ. 00:47:55.920 |
So in conclusion, as we wrap up this letter, it doesn't matter whether our church is 1,000 00:48:04.240 |
A church of 10 that loves Christ with all their hearts has more power than 10,000 people 00:48:12.520 |
just nonchalantly coming in and out of church. 00:48:28.080 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your constant grace and provision you give 00:48:34.300 |
We are truly unworthy of all that you've given. 00:48:42.000 |
We get so tempted with trivial things that we know it's trivial, and yet when we're tempted, 00:48:50.160 |
I pray, Father God, that you would help us remember the height from which we had fallen 00:48:55.400 |
to repent and redo the things that we did at first so that above everything that we 00:49:01.760 |
are pursuing, that the love of Christ would take center stage. 00:49:09.840 |
Give us strength, Lord God, to persevere, to be anchored in Christ and Christ alone.