back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service 3/13/2022
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So let us begin by singing the song, "I Stand Amazed." 00:18:06.520 |
We have a few announcements before we get started, 00:18:09.520 |
is gonna come and give the announcement about VBS. 00:18:34.520 |
and we're expecting probably about 120 plus kids. 00:18:46.520 |
we're gonna need a lot of people to volunteer. 00:18:49.520 |
And so, and especially this is like a call for the parents, 00:18:53.520 |
not to just drop off your kids and go on a date, 00:19:06.520 |
If our whole church volunteers, that's great. 00:19:19.520 |
For the registration of the VBS itself and the children, 00:19:26.520 |
So that we're gonna push out at a later time, 00:19:31.520 |
And this is a request for you guys to sign up and volunteer. 00:19:35.520 |
This is open to members only from college age and up. 00:19:43.520 |
and then know that there will be safety training involved. 00:19:57.520 |
So we're gonna not open up the signups for too long. 00:20:18.520 |
I'm making an announcement for the women's ministry. 00:20:21.520 |
We would like to invite all women, college age and above, 00:20:26.520 |
Our sisters of various life stages will come together 00:20:36.520 |
And at that time, sisters will be assigned to smaller groups 00:20:40.520 |
and meet at designated homes over tea and snacks. 00:20:44.520 |
as this is a great opportunity to get to know 00:20:46.520 |
other sisters at church and to hopefully build relationships 00:20:53.520 |
or the app to sign up, and the deadline for sign-ups 00:20:58.520 |
and it will take place on Saturday, April 30th. 00:21:01.520 |
And if you have questions, please contact Grace Kim. 00:21:04.520 |
- All right, so we have a few more announcements 00:21:09.520 |
Starting from today, we have the college study hall. 00:21:15.520 |
and the church will be open for that in the cafe side, 00:21:21.520 |
that you want to encourage your college students with 00:21:36.520 |
And then next Sunday, we have a new visitors welcome lunch. 00:21:40.520 |
and you want to find out more about the church, 00:21:57.520 |
so that they can make sure that that's prepared. 00:22:08.520 |
being led by Elder Phillip, is a one-day course 00:22:11.520 |
just to teach you about how to do personal devotions. 00:22:15.520 |
And then family worship devotion by Elder Joe. 00:22:22.520 |
I think the personal devotion is going to be taking place 00:22:37.520 |
he's going to be in the youth group room on the other side. 00:22:47.520 |
We'll give more specific instructions as it comes, 00:22:49.520 |
but they're going to be doing it more frequently 00:22:52.520 |
so that they can prepare for the Easter that's coming up 00:22:55.520 |
and so that we can really maximize the opportunity 00:23:02.520 |
and just to let them know that you're coming. 00:23:04.520 |
There are three places that they're going to be going to, 00:23:11.520 |
UTI is something different--Source at Buena Park. 00:23:31.520 |
for the Ukraine special offering we took last week. 00:23:38.520 |
And some people just gave during the weekday, 00:23:40.520 |
but we want to give you one more opportunity to do that, 00:23:42.520 |
and every part of the offering that you'll be giving 00:23:47.520 |
and the local--the Baptist local churches there 00:23:50.520 |
who are already heavily involved in helping people evacuate, 00:23:53.520 |
those who have been displaced, to find homes for them 00:24:02.520 |
So the finances, I think, are being used well for that purpose, 00:24:12.520 |
We'll give you a minute to give the offering, 00:24:14.520 |
but again, if you are giving it specific for Ukraine, 00:24:18.520 |
saying that this is for Ukraine so it will be set aside. 00:24:20.520 |
And sometime this week, we will be handing the offering over. 00:24:27.520 |
Heavenly Father, we pray for your continued grace 00:24:31.520 |
with all the various things that are happening at church. 00:24:41.520 |
We pray specifically for what's going on in Ukraine. 00:24:44.520 |
I pray that you would raise up men and women, 00:24:53.520 |
that your love, your hope, the gospel, Lord God, 00:24:56.520 |
will be highlighted, and more and more people 00:24:59.520 |
will come to find their security and refuge in you. 00:25:02.520 |
And so we pray that you would ignite the believers, 00:25:05.520 |
strengthen them, and that as opportunity has arisen, 00:25:11.520 |
that this would truly be an opportunity that you've created 00:25:16.520 |
May the offering that we give multiply 30, 60, 100-fold 00:26:18.520 |
Church family, would you please stand with us 00:26:51.520 |
♪ And kings and nations tremble at His voice? ♪ 00:27:28.520 |
♪ Who can teach the one who knows all things? ♪ 00:31:11.000 |
Should nothing of our efforts stand, no legacy survive. 00:31:23.480 |
Unless the Lord does raise the house in vain, 00:31:35.960 |
To you who boasts tomorrow's gain, tell me, what is your lie? 00:31:48.920 |
A mist that vanishes at dawn, all glory be to Christ. 00:32:29.800 |
His will be done, His kingdom come on earth as is above. 00:32:55.240 |
When many wonders satisfy, well-adversity without price, 00:33:49.120 |
On the day, the great I am, the faithful and the true, 00:34:14.080 |
Behold our God shall ever last, and be our steadfast light. 00:35:33.920 |
All right, we are finally at the end of the book of Hebrews. 00:35:47.920 |
We've been on it actually exactly three years. 00:35:59.640 |
And there was a stretch, I think, in the middle when we 00:36:04.500 |
because of the pandemic, we went through the I 00:36:07.920 |
But outside of that, I'm almost reluctant to leave. 00:36:12.880 |
One of the benefits of teaching through the Bible 00:36:22.680 |
when I was a youth pastor and I was a college and EM pastor, 00:36:29.120 |
And I would preach like that for three, four, five years. 00:36:34.360 |
like I knew the Bible any more than I did after five, six 00:36:37.760 |
years of it, because I just knew the topic of discipleship, 00:36:49.680 |
I decided to just preach just verse by verse, 00:36:54.620 |
And then I would just make it through the New Testament. 00:36:56.960 |
And I remember specifically, after finishing Philippians, 00:37:00.440 |
it's like, oh, even though I was an undergrad Bible major 00:37:08.840 |
than I did in all the years that I was in seminary. 00:37:26.080 |
But I do have other passages that I do want to go into. 00:37:38.600 |
And after Easter, I'll jump into the new area 00:37:44.960 |
But I want to read with you, as we wrap up the study, 00:37:49.240 |
And it'll be very similar to the introduction 00:37:55.160 |
"But remember the former days, when after being enlightened, 00:38:01.400 |
partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches 00:38:04.320 |
and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those 00:38:10.280 |
and accepted joyfully a seizure of your property, 00:38:13.000 |
knowing that you have for yourselves a better position 00:38:18.560 |
Heavenly Father, we pray that your word would convict us, 00:38:30.680 |
that judges the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, 00:38:42.080 |
that all that we have learned, Lord God, would transform us, 00:38:45.560 |
build us up, that we may be sanctified according 00:38:59.980 |
And so I think we were expecting maybe about 30 people 00:39:03.580 |
To our surprise, we actually have close to 70, 00:39:10.940 |
Then we had at least a dozen who were in that category 00:39:19.060 |
have a lot more people than we thought that are over 50. 00:39:32.020 |
was surprised that we have that many people at our church that 00:39:41.180 |
that our testimonies and our background is very diverse. 00:39:45.620 |
We have people who've lived in different continents. 00:39:52.580 |
And we had actually two cancer survivors at our table, 00:40:05.260 |
from all walks of life, all different backgrounds. 00:40:14.620 |
When you're younger, there are certain things 00:40:16.460 |
that seem so important, just seems trivial now 00:40:20.860 |
Like when we're young, we're so consumed with what 00:40:31.980 |
but it's just not as important as it was when it was younger. 00:40:36.620 |
certain things that become a lot more important, 00:40:48.340 |
But one of the things that we have to be careful 00:40:51.700 |
as we get older is that the things that we started with 00:40:58.580 |
And that specifically happens with our faith. 00:41:02.220 |
We start out with a-- just like the recipients of this letter, 00:41:13.860 |
Remember when you first met Christ, how exciting church 00:41:17.580 |
was, how exciting fellowship was, singing new songs, 00:41:24.300 |
Every part of your faith is like, wow, this is a privilege. 00:41:32.180 |
everything about our faith becomes a mandate. 00:41:34.420 |
Like I have to do this, and I don't want to do this. 00:41:36.780 |
And fellowship becomes a burden because you've 00:41:48.660 |
you have a form of godliness, but there is no power. 00:41:52.460 |
You've just become a very religious Christian. 00:41:57.420 |
No one has ever come to Christ because of your sharing. 00:42:03.660 |
But there's no power behind that because it's just a formality. 00:42:07.800 |
There's no real inner change or inner joy that's happening. 00:42:10.740 |
In fact, Jesus warns about this in the parable of the seeds. 00:42:18.700 |
says, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom 00:42:22.940 |
comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart." 00:42:25.940 |
This is the one in whom seed was sown besides the road. 00:42:29.940 |
Those are people who are typically not in the church. 00:42:34.500 |
or I don't believe it, and they don't make it the way 00:42:38.980 |
to invite to our services, to get to hear the gospel. 00:42:42.140 |
They may be our co-workers or family members. 00:42:51.740 |
"The one whom seed was sown on the rocky places," 00:43:04.860 |
but is only temporary when affliction or persecution 00:43:10.020 |
You probably know of some people who at one point in their life 00:43:19.660 |
as long as they only saw the benefit, it was fine. 00:43:22.780 |
But as soon as their faith started to get tested, 00:43:25.700 |
they started drifting away, and they disappeared. 00:43:27.700 |
So I'm sure every one of us knows somebody in our life 00:43:30.660 |
that came and was excited for a period, and they disappeared. 00:43:34.860 |
But those people are not in the church either. 00:43:38.540 |
It's the third group that we constantly struggle with. 00:43:41.980 |
It says in verse 22, "And the one on whom the seed was 00:43:46.060 |
sown among the thorns," this is the man who hears the word 00:43:49.180 |
and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth 00:43:57.060 |
Now, the third soil are people who are still in the church. 00:44:02.340 |
Third soil are people who don't pack up their bags 00:44:11.740 |
But it says the word of God is being choked in their life 00:44:20.500 |
But Monday through Saturday, they're pursuing the world. 00:44:24.620 |
So only time where there's any conversations about Christ, 00:44:28.860 |
it happens at church or it happens at Bible study. 00:44:34.980 |
Because the word of God is being choked in their life. 00:44:38.900 |
And that's the concern that we have in our generation. 00:44:41.260 |
I think that the authors of Hebrew, the author of Hebrew, 00:44:51.700 |
shaking their hands at God and say, you know what? 00:44:59.660 |
He's not addressing people who have physically left the church. 00:45:02.780 |
He's not addressing people who have made it very clear 00:45:09.740 |
and is trying to have the benefit of the both worlds. 00:45:15.380 |
How can I retain my salvation and still pursue the world? 00:45:22.620 |
Because these people are starting to gradually drift 00:45:39.580 |
we must pay much closer attention to what we have here 00:45:47.660 |
Drifting is something that happens when you do nothing. 00:45:52.420 |
You get on a boat, say you want to drift, what do you do? 00:46:06.380 |
If you're not anchored, if you're not deliberately anchored 00:46:13.180 |
And that's why he says to pay much close attention to the 00:46:36.340 |
where it says the birds and all the creatures are mine. 00:46:42.820 |
And he found this home, so he wanted to join us for worship. 00:46:45.380 |
So let him chirp, and we'll pretend like we're out in the 00:46:57.420 |
Anyway, let's get back to the Word, all right? 00:47:08.860 |
And that's the temptation that all of us are in. 00:47:12.940 |
You start out with a bang, and then every year that goes by, 00:47:22.780 |
That person I was when I was in my 20s or 30s is I'm just not 00:47:29.500 |
It's just years and years of just neglecting and allowing 00:47:35.140 |
And then saying, you know what, it just happens. 00:47:38.500 |
And then so we have this attitude of, you know, yeah, 00:47:42.300 |
And in college, yeah, that's where all the passion is with 00:47:49.820 |
And so we kind of think that passionate pursuit of Christ is 00:47:56.260 |
But when you're old, you just kind of sit through, and we 00:48:01.180 |
And that's what he's warning us about not drifting. 00:48:03.460 |
Hebrews 2.3 is how will we escape if we neglect so great 00:48:15.620 |
God who created the universe, the universe, for whatever the 00:48:20.940 |
reason, had pity on us, and sent his only begotten son in 00:48:27.580 |
order that we can have eternity with him, that we can call him 00:48:32.140 |
So the hope that we have in the gospel is one day when all 00:48:34.980 |
this passes, which is 100% guaranteed, Christian or 00:48:38.620 |
non-Christian, when this passes, that we will have 00:48:47.340 |
And to profess that, sing about that, memorize that, read 00:49:01.700 |
You're just doing what everybody else in this world 00:49:03.340 |
does, going to work, paying your bills, raising children. 00:49:08.180 |
And then in the meanwhile, just living like the rest of 00:49:18.820 |
And that's what he's addressing, not to neglect. 00:49:21.220 |
Hebrews chapter 3, 7, it says, "Today, if you hear his voice, 00:49:24.100 |
do not harden your heart, as when they provoked me, as in 00:49:29.740 |
In other words, it's the kindness of God that leads you 00:49:36.180 |
It's not God's knocking on the door and saying, oh, not today. 00:49:42.660 |
If not tomorrow, then the next day, I'll knock next day. 00:49:47.940 |
If the word of God comes and convicts you, and you say, not 00:49:50.780 |
today, and most people who at least profess to believe God 00:50:03.300 |
Now is not the time to really devote my time, because I just 00:50:18.300 |
So we think that we're obeying, but he says, if you do not obey 00:50:21.980 |
today, he says, you deliberately harden your heart. 00:50:26.300 |
So the next time that maybe there's a knocking on the door, 00:50:29.220 |
you don't even hear the knocking anymore, because your hearts 00:50:32.620 |
have become so hardened, you don't feel anything anymore. 00:50:37.180 |
It's just a lot of information getting into your head, but 00:50:39.220 |
it's never enough to move you, because our hearts have become 00:50:43.500 |
So when you are here, hearing the word of God week after week 00:50:46.940 |
after week, when you're participating in Bible study, 00:50:49.660 |
and you're not responding to that every week, your heart is 00:50:57.380 |
And that's what he's trying to address, not to neglect our 00:51:00.700 |
Hebrews chapter 13, 312, "Take care, brethren, that there not 00:51:04.660 |
be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls 00:51:09.700 |
I mean, that sounds pretty harsh for just being lukewarm, 00:51:18.580 |
I mean, from our perspective, it just seems like, well, that 00:51:23.740 |
But from God's perspective, he says, it's unbelief, and it's 00:51:32.380 |
What's the greatest gift that you've ever given anybody? 00:51:36.780 |
I mean, think about it, whatever that may be, if you gave that 00:51:40.060 |
to somebody, and they just kind of received it, it's like, oh, 00:51:41.820 |
thanks, and they just kind of threw it on the couch. 00:51:44.980 |
They didn't realize the gift that you've given. 00:51:46.940 |
They don't realize the sacrifice that you made so that they can 00:51:49.460 |
have that, and it's like, okay, thanks, you threw it on the 00:51:54.100 |
He said, it's an unbelieving, evil heart to profess this and 00:51:58.500 |
then live your life like you don't even believe it. 00:52:02.940 |
You profess it with your mouth, but by your life, it 00:52:09.900 |
So from God's perspective, I mean, it makes perfect sense 00:52:14.620 |
Perseverance of the saints is one of the greatest indicators 00:52:22.540 |
You know, everybody has, again, even the three soils that are 00:52:28.740 |
One, they hear it, and it's okay, I don't want this. 00:52:30.740 |
But the second one, they hear it, and they have immediate 00:52:35.540 |
And the third one, they seem like they're bearing fruit, but 00:52:37.820 |
then as soon as the worries and concerns and, you know, you 00:52:41.220 |
start coveting what other people have, you know, all of a 00:52:44.620 |
sudden, those concerns start to choke it away, and then there's 00:52:49.060 |
certain parts of the Bible that you don't want to hear because 00:52:54.700 |
And he says, ultimately, God will test through various 00:52:58.500 |
trials, through various stages in life, that is, Jesus is 00:53:04.860 |
You know, Hebrews chapter 6, 4 through 8, you know, a lot of 00:53:07.780 |
people read this passage and misunderstand because they read 00:53:10.820 |
it just in this context, but read what it says. 00:53:13.740 |
Hebrews chapter 4, it says, chapter 6, verse 4 through 8, 00:53:16.580 |
it says, "For in the case of those who have once been 00:53:18.980 |
enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been 00:53:22.700 |
made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good 00:53:25.540 |
word of God and the powers of the age to come." 00:53:27.780 |
I mean, a lot of people read this passage and say, "Well, 00:53:30.340 |
this must be a Christian who loses his salvation," because it 00:53:37.580 |
A genuine Christian can never lose his salvation, okay? 00:53:41.780 |
The reason why, first of all, because you didn't earn it, so 00:53:49.660 |
Then what does he mean here if that's the case? 00:53:54.940 |
It is impossible to renew them again to repentance since they 00:53:58.100 |
again crucified to themselves the Son of God and put him to 00:54:04.100 |
Does this mean if he's referring to a Christian who loses his 00:54:07.300 |
salvation, does this mean that God gives you one chance and you 00:54:14.700 |
And because you've fallen away, that God will not accept your 00:54:19.900 |
If this means a Christian loses his salvation, once you backslide, 00:54:30.940 |
"For the ground that drinks the rain, which often falls on it 00:54:33.700 |
and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake 00:54:37.860 |
it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God. 00:54:40.980 |
But if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and 00:54:44.380 |
close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned." 00:54:47.820 |
So what he's referring to are people who are in the church, 00:54:51.980 |
have benefited from the Word, where the Holy Spirit is working 00:54:57.780 |
So in every way, he's been exposed to everything that a 00:55:00.620 |
genuine believer needs to be saved, and yet he bears no fruit. 00:55:06.900 |
He's an individual who willfully rejects the things of God, 00:55:12.180 |
So he's not talking about somebody who wants to follow 00:55:14.900 |
Christ and he didn't do well and he backs it for a period that he 00:55:19.300 |
Clearly, that contradicts everything that we know in the Bible. 00:55:22.900 |
What he's referring to are individuals who are in the church, 00:55:25.580 |
the third soil people who've been in the church, who are going 00:55:30.660 |
through the motion, have the form of godliness, but there's no power. 00:55:37.220 |
Who have received every blessing that you could. 00:55:39.300 |
You're around Christians, you're around the Word of God, 00:55:43.540 |
you're around missions, fellowship, and then you choose to pursue 00:55:50.100 |
There's no other repentance because the only way of repentance is Christ, 00:55:55.980 |
You receive Christ with your mouth, but by your life, 00:56:01.100 |
And that's why he spends the whole book of Hebrews reminding them that Jesus is 00:56:06.260 |
better than everything that you're tempted by. 00:56:09.620 |
And so that's the question that we need to be asking ourselves, 00:56:15.020 |
Because you couldn't love the church without loving Jesus. 00:56:18.740 |
You couldn't love other Christians without loving Jesus. 00:56:20.820 |
You couldn't love the leadership without loving Jesus. 00:56:27.940 |
You can become a pastor without loving Jesus. 00:56:31.500 |
As crazy as that sounds, you can be a missionary without loving Jesus. 00:56:37.700 |
He says, "The remedy for a Christian adulterous life is to have the best 00:56:47.380 |
You know, what prevents me, right, and I think every single one of us is 00:56:51.820 |
capable of adultery because we're all tempted. 00:56:56.300 |
But what prevents us, what was the greatest guarantee that prevents someone 00:57:02.260 |
from adultery is to have the best marriage that he can have, to love your wife, 00:57:07.580 |
to love your husband, so that everything else, everybody else looks like rubbish, 00:57:19.820 |
I think the best decision I've ever made in my life outside of following Christ is 00:57:26.220 |
I mean, it wasn't like perfect from the beginning. 00:57:28.180 |
I mean, God allowed us to go through this stuff and we were able to be where we're 00:57:39.460 |
You know, you're supposed to knock on wood on this, right? 00:57:42.740 |
Because I can't imagine anybody better than her, right? 00:57:48.540 |
So why would I forsake that, what I have, the gift that God has given me 00:57:53.500 |
through my wife, to play around because of the temporary temptation? 00:58:01.260 |
He said, "Maybe you've forgotten what you have in Christ. 00:58:09.380 |
You've forgotten what it was like when you first met Christ. 00:58:14.780 |
And that's why he spends the whole letter going over Jesus. 00:58:18.780 |
It's not simply to, "I want to make sure that you understand all Christology, 00:58:23.100 |
that if somebody asks you about the New Covenant and somebody asks you about the, 00:58:27.380 |
you know, Melchizedek, that you can say, 'I can answer these questions.'" 00:58:30.780 |
No, every part of what he's been saying is to remind them of the preciousness 00:58:38.020 |
So that whatever it is tempting them out of that is that, "Do you really think 00:58:55.100 |
You're tempted because you think that somehow that if you purchased land and had 00:59:00.900 |
a nice house and you have enough money in the bank account that that's where you're 00:59:05.180 |
Jesus is the true rest, the labor to find rest in Christ. 00:59:12.100 |
You're drifting back to your old system under Aaron? 00:59:18.180 |
The only reason why God even put up with Aaron is because Aaron served the purpose 00:59:30.340 |
Aaron should not have lived, if you know anything about Aaron. 00:59:34.420 |
Aaron should have been wiped out a long time ago. 00:59:37.060 |
Only reason God even put up with Aaron is because he was being used to prepare for 00:59:43.500 |
And you're tempted to go back to that system? 00:59:47.140 |
See, only reason why genuine believers get tempted into this world is because we've 01:00:01.900 |
I know some of you, your salvation wasn't like, "Wow, my eyes are open and I love 01:00:10.340 |
Whether you got bonked over the head or whether it had gradual understanding, you know early 01:00:19.620 |
Nobody grabbed you by the throat and forced you to come to church. 01:00:24.260 |
When young Christians come to church, I always love the questions that they ask. 01:00:33.700 |
Because they're just so excited about their faith because they met Christ and it changed 01:00:39.180 |
And then you talk to Christians who've been walking for 30, 40, 50 years like, "Is 01:00:50.320 |
The difference between the first and the latter is their affection for Christ. 01:00:56.180 |
It's because their first love is still there. 01:01:06.020 |
It's not something that you do because you came on Sunday. 01:01:13.660 |
When we recognize the beauty of Christ, the love of Christ, the gentle beckoning of Christ, 01:01:19.380 |
the enduring patience of Christ, the sustaining power of Christ, the immutable nature of Christ, 01:01:30.300 |
Because just like Paul says, in view of the surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ, 01:01:40.740 |
Our struggle is we're trying to make the world be rubbish without Christ. 01:02:02.340 |
The only difference between a devil and an angel is his moral nature. 01:02:09.340 |
The external beauty, usually when we picture an angel from God, is beautiful with white 01:02:14.500 |
wings, attractive, you know, glow, and then a demon is hunched over with fangs. 01:02:28.500 |
So the angel in his temptation is also beautiful. 01:02:32.420 |
Only in comparison to Christ, it becomes rubbish. 01:02:39.900 |
So the moment we take our eyes off of Christ and our affection is not in Christ, then of 01:02:46.340 |
course you're going to give in to temptation. 01:02:53.660 |
When you get on an airplane and they offer you the first class seat, do you say, "No, 01:03:12.540 |
And there's not necessarily like, "Oh, if you want to be a good Christian, you always 01:03:20.820 |
But when that becomes our primary pursuit, and you're willing to sacrifice an active, 01:03:27.140 |
passionate pursuit of Christ in order to have that, then that has become your idol. 01:03:32.820 |
You're taking your eyes off of Christ because you think somehow there's rest there. 01:03:41.300 |
When every time you come to church you profess it is not. 01:03:45.700 |
Whatever you are willing to compromise to have, that's your idol. 01:04:00.500 |
Because our actions always say more than what we say. 01:04:05.500 |
That's why he says, "Knowing the surpassing knowledge of knowing Christ, that He's more 01:04:10.020 |
beautiful than anything that we can be tempted by by this world." 01:04:13.940 |
He says, "Let us," chapter 4, verse 1, "Therefore let us fear while a promise remains of entering 01:04:21.660 |
You know, fear typically we think it's negative, but fear is not always negative. 01:04:32.180 |
If you see a dark alley and you know there's drug activity going on with gang violence, 01:04:42.380 |
You don't buy a house near biohazardous thing in the ground because you're afraid that that's 01:04:50.020 |
So fear is good because it causes you to take things seriously. 01:04:56.740 |
So when it comes to the things of God, and we are nonchalant about it, we're very fearful 01:05:02.360 |
that we're not going to be able to pay our bills. 01:05:04.580 |
We're very fearful, "But if I do things, my friends are going to reject us." 01:05:08.820 |
We're very fearful, "But if we don't save up enough, that we're not going to have enough 01:05:12.820 |
So because of this fear, it causes us to change our behavior, our values. 01:05:19.580 |
But of all the things, all the good fears, the greatest and the most beneficial fear 01:05:26.020 |
is to fear the Lord and see the weightiness of what it is that we are dealing with. 01:05:34.340 |
I'm not just giving you philosophy where you can take it or leave it. 01:05:38.260 |
This is the Word of God that is warning us, encouraging us, and challenging us. 01:05:44.060 |
So he says, "Let us fear while a promise remains." 01:05:47.260 |
Verse 11, "Therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest." 01:05:57.940 |
You know, in the sports arena, there's usually, let's say you're playing basketball, there's 01:06:03.660 |
usually about 20 experts in that stadium, 20. 01:06:11.660 |
They're sweating, they're getting cut, they're getting injured, and they're fighting with 01:06:19.140 |
Or the coaches who are maneuvering every knowledge that they've had in basketball in order to 01:06:25.980 |
And then we have about 40,000 experts from analysis. 01:06:33.460 |
They're experts because they've watched a lot of basketball. 01:06:37.020 |
They watch so much basketball that every decision that the coaches make is like, "Ah, it's so 01:06:48.700 |
You shouldn't be taking shots from out there." 01:06:51.220 |
And so we have 40,000 people who are experts from analysis. 01:06:57.620 |
We shouldn't be experts of the gospel because we read, because we exposited a text. 01:07:05.940 |
We should become experts of the gospel because we labored and strived to share the gospel, 01:07:11.420 |
because we were on our knees begging for their souls with the cuts and bruises that come 01:07:22.340 |
If we're not careful, we can be a church filled with people who become experts in all these 01:07:26.500 |
fields from analysis because we read someone else's testimony. 01:07:31.760 |
We read what someone else did, but it's not from personal experience. 01:07:38.300 |
We're all armchair experts if we're not careful. 01:07:43.700 |
If Christ truly is what we profess that he is, he says, "Let us be diligent to enter 01:07:52.980 |
Verse 14, chapter 4, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through 01:07:56.460 |
the heavens, Jesus, Son of God, let us hold fast our confession." 01:08:05.100 |
Apostle Paul, I think, explains it the best in Philippians 3, 12 through 15. 01:08:09.540 |
This is an apostle who probably preached the gospel to more people and has suffered more 01:08:17.980 |
Sitting in prison, possibly awaiting his death, and this is what he says, "Not that 01:08:23.540 |
I've already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay 01:08:28.060 |
hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus." 01:08:33.540 |
Sitting in prison, you think there's an opportunity. 01:08:42.980 |
Verse 13, "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing 01:08:46.900 |
I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward 01:08:51.660 |
the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." 01:08:54.380 |
He's sitting in prison and he's writing this letter because he's concerned about the Christians 01:09:01.280 |
If you've never studied the book of Philippians, you would never know that this is a man sitting 01:09:07.500 |
Because when you think of Philippians, you think of rejoice always. 01:09:17.540 |
But he's sitting in prison, possibly awaiting his death writing this letter. 01:09:21.660 |
And he says, "I have not laid hold of it yet. 01:09:28.580 |
Which is, again, one of the temptations when we get older is we think that passion and 01:09:38.300 |
And we always get excited when young people come to faith. 01:09:46.980 |
When's the last time you met somebody in their 60s, passionate for their faith? 01:09:55.420 |
Because we have a tendency to kind of take the back seat as we get older, as if we've 01:10:01.140 |
We haven't retired at work yet, but we've retired spiritually. 01:10:05.060 |
We just kind of let the young guys do the work. 01:10:07.980 |
You know what's interesting is I hear that kind of sentiment earlier and earlier. 01:10:13.540 |
I hear that from sometimes, like, I don't know why, it's getting early. 01:10:17.460 |
I hear 25-year-olds saying, "Oh, man, my back." 01:10:20.740 |
And they look at the 19-year-olds, "When I was your age." 01:10:28.140 |
And then you know there's going to be a 30-year-old that's like, "Oh, you young punk. 01:10:38.500 |
And you know there's going to be a guy in his late 30s, like, "What, at 30, you infant? 01:10:48.180 |
Then 40-years-old is going to step in, it's like, "30? 01:10:52.740 |
You wait till you get 40, you can't see anymore." 01:10:58.620 |
And for whatever the reason, we hit that retirement early. 01:11:03.060 |
And we think this passionate pursuit of Christ is something that you do when you're young, 01:11:07.520 |
and then you just kind of retire at 25, 30, 40, 50, 60. 01:11:15.820 |
You know, I have all my roommates back in college, they're all 10, 11 years older than 01:11:24.020 |
And so last time I went to have lunch with them, you know, they're missionaries in different 01:11:29.180 |
countries and pastors, and you know, and I sit down and I'm very curious because they're 01:11:33.820 |
hitting their mid-60s, like, "What's your plan? 01:11:38.740 |
Thinking that I'm going to get some pointers, like, "What's coming? 01:11:42.740 |
And every single one of them, it's like, they have plans for their 70s. 01:11:59.460 |
If it was labor, if it was just work, yeah, I mean, you've done it, if you have enough 01:12:16.660 |
Because the seriousness of what He has called us to does not end at 30 or 50 or 80 until 01:12:28.060 |
He says, "Let us diligently hold fast," and then verse 16, "Let us draw near with the 01:12:33.340 |
confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help 01:12:45.300 |
You know, I'm very encouraged that so many of our families are trying to adopt, who've 01:12:50.980 |
already adopted and adopting, in the process of adopting, and even the embryo adoption 01:12:56.100 |
is happening now, so we're encouraged to see that. 01:13:00.140 |
But what if you adopted a child and that child is living in your home, benefiting from everything 01:13:06.060 |
that you've done, but they always keep you at an arm's length? 01:13:12.180 |
They will only hold your hand if you grab their hand, but they never come and sit on 01:13:18.940 |
Now, you're all, your biological children are jumping on you, but that child is always 01:13:23.540 |
sitting in the back just watching them, you know, because I'm adopted. 01:13:32.180 |
You know, when we're told in the Bible, "Let us draw near to the throne of grace," this 01:13:44.300 |
There's reason why he adopted us as his children. 01:13:46.460 |
He didn't just say, "I forgive you, and you're no longer going to be judged," and then he 01:13:54.760 |
There's a reason why he says, "Abba, Father, Daddy," because he has adopted us. 01:14:05.140 |
Just like if you were to adopt a child, you want that child to embrace you and love you 01:14:14.300 |
So this invitation to draw near to him is our Abba, Father, telling his children to 01:14:22.300 |
That's why I sent my only son, so you can also be co-heirs with Christ. 01:14:27.600 |
You're not a second citizen in the kingdom of God. 01:14:31.960 |
So when he invites us to come into the throne of grace, it is not a legal invitation that 01:14:41.080 |
It's a loving father who wants to commune with his son, with his daughter. 01:14:56.440 |
Let us draw near to the throne of grace with confidence. 01:15:03.600 |
Chapter 6, verse 1, "Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us press 01:15:12.200 |
Philippians 1, 6, "He who began a good work anew will carry it on to completion, unto 01:15:18.740 |
Our pursuit of him to maturity does not end at 30, 50, 80, until the day of Christ." 01:15:25.240 |
Chapter 10, 24, "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good 01:15:30.940 |
To as I am pursuing Christ, help other people as well. 01:15:40.100 |
12, 1, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us 01:15:43.020 |
also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles." 01:15:50.460 |
What has captivated your heart that is preventing you from running this race passionately? 01:15:58.900 |
What anxiousness, what fear, what concern is causing you to run this race with hindrance? 01:16:04.860 |
12, 1, "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, this marathon." 01:16:10.820 |
You know, whenever you see a marathon, the largest number of people is in the beginning, 01:16:21.900 |
You get together with a bunch of your friends, and say, "Yeah, we're going to run this 01:16:24.980 |
By the time they're halfway through, they're not together, right? 01:16:28.180 |
By the halfway through, some of them are going to quit, have already quit. 01:16:31.980 |
And then you could see who's going to quit by the time they're halfway through. 01:16:36.460 |
And by the time they're at the end of the race, nobody comes in holding hands. 01:16:49.940 |
But the crowd is always largest in the beginning. 01:16:59.220 |
We should not be satisfied that we started the race. 01:17:08.460 |
To make sure that we commit and we get to the end. 01:17:12.260 |
Not just be satisfied that we have the number we've registered. 01:17:23.460 |
Don't wait until deathbed to be concerned about your loved ones. 01:17:30.580 |
Don't wait until you get an emergency call and then say, "Shoot, I only have a few days." 01:17:44.880 |
Run with fear, knowing that there are serious consequences. 01:17:49.840 |
Run as if we really believe what we're seeing and we're professing. 01:17:57.180 |
1228, "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude." 01:18:02.640 |
Let us be thankful for all that God has given us. 01:18:04.820 |
And then chapter 13, verse 3, "So let us go out to him outside the camp, bearing his 01:18:12.920 |
Part of the frustration for many Christians is they want to try to meet Christ inside 01:18:20.260 |
They want to be inside the camp, accepted by the world, have what the world offers, 01:18:31.640 |
We want to enjoy all that the world has to offer inside the camp, wondering why it's 01:18:36.340 |
so difficult to connect with Christ when Christ keeps telling us, "Come outside the camp." 01:18:49.260 |
It doesn't mean that you shouldn't take care of your children. 01:18:51.100 |
All these things are what good Christians do. 01:18:55.740 |
But if that's our primary pursuit, and you're trying to fight and connect with Christ inside 01:19:01.220 |
the camp, he made it very clear, you cannot serve mammon and God at the same time. 01:19:07.260 |
So the invitation is, if Christ truly is better than anything that tempts us, he says, "Come 01:19:20.440 |
The greatest commandment in the scripture is to love the Lord your God with all your 01:19:27.340 |
And I remember early on as a Christian, this was such a stumbling block to me because I 01:19:37.380 |
I mean, there's nobody or nothing like Jesus. 01:19:45.340 |
But I'm not sure if I could say I love Jesus. 01:19:50.020 |
Because I would compare, because what I know of love is, at that time, I loved my mom and 01:20:02.380 |
You know, the way I think about this is, you know, those of you who love your mom or 01:20:06.780 |
love your wife, and I hope you love your wife and your husband, right? 01:20:10.380 |
As soon as somebody says something or sounds like they're going to say something about 01:20:17.500 |
You think they're going to say it, then you get offended. 01:20:24.260 |
Like, what are you going to say about my son? 01:20:45.500 |
How do you react when people blaspheme our God? 01:20:50.500 |
When they drag His name through the mud, saying that maybe He had a child out of wedlock, 01:21:18.940 |
I think if we love Jesus, it would bother us more, right? 01:21:24.940 |
Because our natural tendency is whatever we love, we want to share. 01:21:52.940 |
I know if I take a vacation, where I should go. 01:21:58.940 |
Because whatever you love, you end up sharing. 01:22:02.940 |
Because you want other people to love what you love. 01:22:06.940 |
If you're a Dodgers fan, you are a Dodgers apologist. 01:22:21.940 |
And because we want other people to love what we love. 01:22:25.940 |
You see, loving Christ is the backbone of everything that we do. 01:22:35.940 |
If you don't love Christ, you're just regurgitating information when you're sharing the gospel. 01:22:42.940 |
If you don't love Christ, you're just singing songs. 01:22:47.940 |
If you don't love Christ, you're just studying words. 01:22:52.940 |
If you don't love Christ, you're just building friendships. 01:23:01.940 |
That's why he says the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. 01:23:07.940 |
Because until you have love for Christ, until Christ becomes more precious than anything else, 01:23:23.940 |
But at the end, it means nothing if we don't love Christ. 01:23:27.940 |
So in conclusion, as we wrap up this letter, it doesn't matter whether our church is a thousand or ten thousand. 01:23:36.940 |
A church of ten that loves Christ with all their hearts has more power than ten thousand people just nonchalantly coming in and out of church. 01:23:47.940 |
I pray that that would be you and I. Let's pray. 01:23:59.940 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your constant grace and provision you give us. 01:24:05.940 |
We are truly unworthy of all that you've given. 01:24:13.940 |
We get so tempted with trivial things that we know it's trivial. 01:24:21.940 |
I pray, Father God, that you would help us remember the height from which we had fallen, 01:24:27.940 |
to repent and redo the things that we did at first, 01:24:31.940 |
so that above everything that we are pursuing, that the love of Christ would take center stage. 01:24:41.940 |
Give us strength, Lord God, to persevere, to be anchored in Christ and Christ alone. 01:25:18.940 |
I will glory in my Redeemer, whose priceless blood has ransomed me. 01:25:28.940 |
Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails and hung Him on that judgment tree. 01:25:39.940 |
I will glory in my Redeemer, who crushed the power of sin and death. 01:26:14.940 |
I will glory in my Redeemer, my life He bought, my love He owns. 01:26:24.940 |
I have no longings for another. I'm satisfied in Him alone. 01:26:34.940 |
I will glory in my Redeemer, His faithfulness my standing place. 01:27:09.940 |
I will glory in my Redeemer, who carries me on eagles' wings. 01:27:31.940 |
I will glory in my Redeemer, who waits for me at gates of gold. 01:27:47.940 |
His face forever to behold. His face forever to behold. 01:27:56.940 |
I will glory in my Redeemer, who waits for me at gates of gold. 01:28:14.940 |
His face forever to behold. His face forever to behold. 01:28:39.940 |
Now the grace that you give us through Christ, 01:28:46.940 |
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit that has been deposited in us, 01:28:51.940 |
that we may have fellowship with one another and with you, 01:28:55.940 |
with a tremendous love, Lord God, that we only comprehend as a child, 01:29:02.940 |
that surrounds us, compels us, and moves us to worship you, to honor you, to love you. 01:29:09.940 |
I pray, would gather us, empower us, strengthen us, 01:29:16.940 |
that you would be our greatest pursuit, that you would be our greatest love, 01:29:22.940 |
that you would be our greatest hope, and that you would be our greatest proclamation. 01:29:28.940 |
I pray that as you have placed us in this dark world, 01:29:32.940 |
help us, Lord God, to be the brightest light that we can be, 01:29:36.940 |
that the world would know that in the midst of chaos, turmoil, and war, 01:29:43.940 |
that they would know, Father God, that there is hope in the name of Jesus Christ. 01:29:48.940 |
Help us to be that light in our generation. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 01:31:44.940 |
and in love with all you laid the world's foundation