Sermon - November 29, 2015 - Hebrews 12:1-7 - Is This Really Worth It?

Hebrews 12:1-7 – Is This Really Worth It?

When we think of suffering, images of a people after a tragedy, someone being tortured, facing a major illness, or starving may come to mind. If you go to google and start searching for things, it will not take long to find images of people who are truly suffering. Tsunami’s, tornado’s, earthquakes, and hurricanes cause suffering. War and the wickedness of ISIS and how they ‘deal’ with people who do not believe as they believe, cause suffering. Images of the impact of major medical issues has on people, show suffering. There are so many images out there of children suffering from not having the necessary food. Suffering is horrible.

Many times, people claim that suffering is due to a lack of faith. Last week in Mark 9, we saw a father who had enough faith to bring his son to Jesus for healing and asked for enough faith to truly believe that his son would be healed. There are many other passages during Jesus’ earthly life that point to a faith that was instrumental to healing.

Luke 8:42b-48

“While He was going, the crowds were nearly crushing Him. ⁴³ A woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years,who had spent all she had on doctors yet could not be healed by any, ⁴⁴ approached from behind and touched the tassel of His robe. Instantly her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵ “Who touched Me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are hemming You in and pressing against You.” ⁴⁶ “Someone did touch Me,” said Jesus. “I know that power has gone out from Me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she was discovered, she came trembling and fell down before Him. In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched Him and how she was instantly cured. ⁴⁸ “Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

This woman had exhausted all of her options over the last 12 years. She had nowhere else to turn and she touched the hem of Jesus robe. Jesus told her that it was her faith that made her well. We don’t know how or when she developed her faith, but we do know that she suffered for 12 years waiting for that day.

It would be very hard to endure anything for such a long time. There must have been times when she felt she had no hope of finding a cure. Many today struggle with various issues. To some of us, struggle might not be a strong enough word and perhaps suffering fits better. Enduring through suffering is difficult, but is made easier by knowing that hope exists. Knowing that there is hope after the surgery, after we rebuild, whatever it is having hope makes today’s suffering a little easier to endure. In most cases we can do anything if we know there is a reason to endure or an end in sight, if there is hope.

To endure, we must overcome our past.

Hebrews 12:1-2

“12 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”

If someone is questioning about if they have hope or not to endure their current suffering, they need to let go of the weight and sin they are carrying. It hinders our faith and limits our hope for a better future. Sin makes it very hard to endure through our suffering. The heaviness that goes along with our medical problems, disasters, etc… are because we are holding on to it and trying to carry it on our own. The burden is so much easier when we choose to give our suffering to Jesus.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Jesus causes our suffering or that it is easy to get rid of by giving it to him. I am not saying that all of us will be healed by just having faith or saying a prayer. Some will, but most of us will have to battle through the suffering in our lives, but if we truly lay it as Jesus’ feet He will help us through it. He will give us peace and He will give us hope.

Matthew 11:25-30

“²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants. ²⁶ Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure. ²⁷ All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal Him. ²⁸ “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Each of us are carrying a burden of some sort. It may be a burden of suffering, for some it is a burden of sin, and for others it may be the burden of loss. Jesus wants all of us, no matter how lost we feel, no matter if we think there is hope or not, no matter what we have done in the past, we are to go to Jesus and He will give us rest.

Our action here is to take up Jesus’ yoke and to learn from Him. Accept Jesus as your savior, let go of your past, let go of your sin, and let go of your doubt. Pick up His yoke instead of trying to carry yours and anyone else’s you have picked up along the way. We cannot handle it on our own, we were not created to handle it on our own. The yokes we take on ourselves are much bigger and heavier than what God wants us to deal with.

The yoke given by Jesus is much lighter and much easier to endure than the one you are trying to carry today. Pick up His yoke and learn from Him. Study what God’s Word has to tell you about Jesus and how He wants you to live your life. The more you learn the more you will understand that we need to not worry about most of the stuff that bogs us down. We need to let God take care of those things and focus on the things that we were created to do…. Love God and Love Others! Jesus will give you rest if you learn from Him and He will give you Hope if you put down your yoke and take His. With His yoke and His hope we can endure whatever life gives us.

To endure, we must overcome others.

Hebrews 12:3-4

“3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart. 4 In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

Jesus endured so much suffering at no fault of His own. He did nothing wrong, but suffered due to the actions of others and He said it would be the same for us.

Matthew 10:16-17

“16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves. 17 Because people will hand you over to sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues, beware of them.”

A lot of the suffering people will endure in this world will be caused by others. Islamist are killing people because they believe in Jesus. Jobs and businesses are threatened because someone takes a stand on Biblical values. Actions of others caused Jesus to suffer and we will have to endure the same thing.

Matthew 10:21-22

“21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will even rise up against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.”

Some of the suffering we will endure will be due to our faith and some will be just because people are sinful beings. Regardless of the cause Jesus gives us Hope. As we endure through our trials, as we hold on to the Hope found in Jesus, we will be delivered.

That does not mean that God is going to hit the smite button on anyone causing the suffering and we may endure it until the day we die. We will be delivered by truly following Jesus, carrying His yoke, and learning about Him. The more time you spend with Jesus the more that Hope and Peace will prevail in your life. Don’t let others cause you to lose sight of the One True King!

To endure, we must overcome ourselves.

Hebrews 12:5-7

“5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or faint when you are reproved by Him, 6 for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives. 7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?”

So far we have seen that part of our suffering is our fault and some of it is caused by others. But there is a part of the suffering we go through is God’s way of molding us into the image of His son. The Bible does not teach us that God causes us to get sick or to have to choose between our life and our faith in Jesus. Jesus did not die for us so that He could make us suffer. The Holy Spirit is not floating around putting bad things in our path. Suffering is caused by the wickedness of a fallen world, but God does use it to mold us.

One of my favorite images of God is that of a potter who takes the clay and molds it. Starts with a worthless lump and creates a vessel that can be used to fulfil its purpose. That is exactly what God does with us. As we endure suffering, regardless of the cause, God is molding us. He is making us into the person He wants us to be. He is using us to touch people’s lives.

Romans 8:25-28

“25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. 26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 27 And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.”

God is there for us. All we have to do is completely surrender to Him. The Holy Spirt will intercede for us according to the will of our Father who loves us.

And we are left with this promise.

‘all things work together for the good of those who love God’

Does not say we won’t suffer, but loving God and doing what He says will give us hope and will help us to endure whatever obstacle we are faced with.

The author of Hebrews gave many examples of faithful people who were rewarded for their faith, but not all of them in their lifetimes. Many endured suffering while having hope for something better down the road.

Jesus’ death and resurrection provides everyone who believes a hope that one day we will be with Jesus in the flesh for all eternity. His willingness to give up everything and endure the cross for us should give us courage and hope to endure whatever life throws at us. Remembering that His yoke is easier to carry then the one we have made for ourselves.

Is this really worth it? Each of us have a ‘this’ and will probably have several in our lifetimes. I want to encourage you to remember that with Jesus the final outcome of life is eternity with Him. Holding on to that promise gives us Hope for the future and the strength we need to endure. If you feel that your ‘this’ is too much to bear, you may be ready to give up hope. Remember the father who asked for more faith? Do as he did and ask Jesus to help you believe, ask Him to give you more faith. Look to the cross and ask Jesus to give you hope. 

Jesus is Worth It! I pray that if you do not know Him you take the time to begin the most amazing journey you will ever take. Knowing Jesus and living your life sold out for Him will change you! Make that choice today accept Him as Lord and Savior!

God Bless,

Robert

Sermon - November 22, 2015 - Hebrews 11:1-7 - Help My Unbelief

I hope you have been keeping up with us in your daily Bible reading! If not, it is not too late to start. It is only a handful of verses each day. The reading plan is on the back table and you can grab one on your way out.

Hebrews 11:1-7

“11 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. ² For our ancestors won God’s approval by it. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible. ⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith. ⁵ By faith Enoch was taken away so he did not experience death, and he was not to be found because God took him away. For prior to his removal he was approved, since he had pleased God. ⁶ Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him. ⁷ By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

Hebrews 11 speaks of the benefit that comes from faith. As can be seen by some of these examples that benefit may not be seen by the one acting on their faith. Abel acted in faith and teaches us so much these thousands of years later. It did not work out to well for him in the short run, but the impact he has had on humanity is more than anyone could ever imagine. Noah acted on his faith and was the instrument that God used to re-populate the earth. Did he see the benefit in his life time, no but we would not be here without him. I am thankful for the faith of Abel and Noah, and even more thankful that they ACTED on it.

As it tells us in Titus 2:13

“while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Hope is having faith in something certain, such as our blessed hope in Jesus Christ. 

Faith is having conviction to something or someone. This should be having complete trust in the work of our Savior Jesus.

So, to believe is to have faith in something or someone. Sometimes we do not know how strong our convictions, or faith is, until they have been tested.

Our faith is developed by putting our faith to the test. Now I am not talking about testing God or laying out a fleece. We test our faith by stepping out and doing things that are beyond our comfort zone. We may question if we have the Bible knowledge to witness to someone, but when we do witness to someone we are stepping out in faith. Inviting someone to church, stepping out in faith. Giving to missions, stepping out in faith. Reaching out to someone in need, stepping out in faith. Going on a missions trip, stepping out in faith. Some would say when you step out in faith, you are faith-ing. You are putting your faith into action.

This morning we will be looking at a passage that tells us about one who acts on his faith, yet knows it needs to be stretched, and others who think their faith is already fully developed.

The faith of a man made him seek Jesus for help.

Mark 9:14-18

“¹⁴ When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing with them.¹⁵ All of a sudden, when the whole crowd saw Him, they were amazed and ran to greet Him. ¹⁶ Then He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?” ¹⁷ Out of the crowd, one man answered Him, “Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. ¹⁸ Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”

Here we find a father who was trying to get help for his son and he went looking for Jesus. He had heard that Jesus was healing the masses. He was confident enough in his faith to speak up when asked. He was not shy, he was not afraid, he was confident and bold. He did not hold back and made an appeal for Jesus to heal his son.

In many ways this is the early faith that brings someone to the cross. This father like many seeking a savior are lost and don’t know what to do. The father had heard that Jesus had been healing people so he had enough faith to seek him out. Many people who are lost have heard that Jesus brings peace, joy, and love. Things that might be missing from their lives and things they really could use. So like the father they seek out a way to learn about Jesus. They talk to a believer or walk into a church. The first steps of faith.

Scripture does not tell us how far this man traveled or how many days he was searching, but his faith drove him to seek Jesus. How about those of you who are believers, are you confident enough that Jesus can work in your lives that you are still seeking him? It is not enough to find a group of believers and make that initial commitment, seeking Jesus needs to be a life long journey. Are you stepping out in faith doing something for God? What are you trusting that God will do in your life? In what ways are you stepping out in faith and letting God work in your life?

The father sought Jesus but did not stop there.

The faith of the disciples, or lack of faith in this case, was not enough to help the man’s son.

Mark 9:18, 28-29

“¹⁸ Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”

²⁸ After He went into a house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” ²⁹ And He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer [and fasting].”

The disciples had been given the power to do various kinds of miracles.

Luke 10:17

“The Seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”

They had performed miracles and cast out demons, so this should not be an issue for them. But in this case, they could not do it. Jesus let them know that they had not prayed enough. Sounds like they had put their faith in themselves not Jesus. After all they had cast out demons before, they could do it again. They forgot that it was through God that these things were possible, not through the power of the disciples.

How often do we try to accomplish things only to fail. Sometimes it is something new, but other times it may be something we have done many times. Sharing your faith with a friend is a good example. Sometimes we seem to say the right things and other times we do not get the results we would like. I know from personal experience that this is the case. I have shared the gospel with people and they have accepted Jesus and I have done it and it makes them angry. To often we try to force it. If we pray about it and let the Holy Spirit guide us, He will let us know when the time is right and give us the words to share. On our power we will fail, on His power we will succeed.

God wants to do amazing things through every single one of us.

Philippians 2:13

“For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.”   

The point we need to remember is that it is God doing the work not us. We need to be as close to God as possible. We need to be spending time in God’s Word and we need to be talking to Him. Having that close relationship allows God to work in and through us, without being close to God we will fail trying to do it on our own.

The faith of the man grew because he asked Jesus for help.

Mark 9:22-27

“²² “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” ²³ Then Jesus said to him, “‘If You can’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.” ²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly coming together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it,“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” ²⁶ Then it came out, shrieking and convulsing him violently. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.”

At that moment when Jesus questioned the man’s faith the man cried out. He wanted to know if his belief in Jesus and what He could do was real. Not knowing for sure, he appealed to Jesus to help him believe. The crowd obviously did not have faith since they thought the boy was dead, but Jesus showed the crowd and the father that his belief was sincere. It was through the father’s faith that Jesus worked.

A couple of minutes ago I mentioned we need to be talking to God. One of the things we should be asking Him is to help us have more faith. More faith means believing and acting on those beliefs, more today than we did yesterday. Faith-ing, actively stretching our faith, allows us to have greater kingdom impact.

Here was a father who was unsure if Jesus could help him and he asked for more faith. As believers we need to be doing the same thing, asking for more faith, asking for more opportunities to stretch our faith, and then putting our faith in action as the Holy Spirit guides us.

The challenge in a passage like this is that it may lead people to believe that faith brings instant gratification. There are many who proclaim that exact message, but the author of Hebrews pointed out several examples to tell us otherwise. God’s response to our faith is not always immediate. In fact, the outcome might not be known for hundreds of years.

As Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “Everything is possible to the one who believes.” Jesus believed. His faith was larger than a mustard seed. Whenever Jesus spoke miracles happened. He healed the lame, cured the sick, and even raised the dead. Jesus didn’t perform miracles for His own glory.

John 11:40-42

“⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

⁴¹ So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You heard Me.⁴² I know that You always hear Me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so they may believe You sent Me.””

Jesus performed miracles so that others might truly see the Glory of God. His ministry was to point people to the Father as our ministry is to point people to Jesus.

The man in this passage saw God’s glory because he had faith. His son was restored. Like this father, our faith must lead us to Jesus. Letting Him be our focus. Letting Him drown out the noise. Letting Him remove the distractions. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus at all times.

Unlike the disciples, we must not allow our past experiences, or faith in our own abilities make us overconfident. The last thing we should do is to think we can take care of it on our own since we have done it before. What we must remember is that if Jesus gave us the power to do it in the past, you need to trust Him again! It is by His power, not yours.

Like the father in the passage when you find yourself challenged by everything going on, the turmoil of life, and you find your faith is weak, pray to Jesus asking Him to ‘Help Your Unbelief.” Ask Him to give you the faith you need to know that He will provide what is needed in His way and in His time.

Thank You for reading and God Bless!

Robert

Sermon - November 15, 2015 - Hebrews 9:11-15 - Jesus is The Life

Over the last two weeks of our journey through the Book of Hebrews we have been looking at how Jesus is The Way, He has not only given us the road map but He paved the way and paid the price. We looked at how Jesus is The Truth, as we become aware of Him, understand Him, The Truth will change us. Since we are using John 14:6 as our guide today we are going to look at Jesus being The Life.

Many of us are captivated by stories involving sacrifice. We are mesmerized by stories of parents who sacrifice their life for their children or a person who risks everything for someone they don’t even know. I don’t cry at movies often, but when someone dies in sacrifice to save others. Sometimes it triggers a tear and sometimes it doesn’t.

Saving Private Ryan, a group of solders give their lives so that a family does not lose the last of their sons. Not tear jerking, but an amazing sacrifice.

Armageddon, Bruce Willis character sacrifices his live to not only save his daughter’s love interest but the entire planet, this one moves me most of the time.

Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan, Spock sacrifices his life saying ‘the needs of many out weight the needs of the few.’ No tears but a memorable scene.

Stories of sacrifice tend to be very moving. Police and Firemen climbing into the towers on September 11^th before they collapsed, an amazing sacrifice. Someone giving a kidney or bone marrow, very moving. Just this week a man in Beirut tackled a suicide bomber and kept him from entering a crowded area. He sacrificed himself and minimized the bloodshed.

A major reason this idea of sacrifice impacts us so much is that they are examples of what humans are capable of doing. Humans can give fully without thought of themselves, they can act as Jesus has done. To me it is a reminder of what Jesus has done, but anyone with a heart is touched by a sacrificial act. Believing in Jesus is not required to applaud sacrificial living, but believing in Him provides an opportunity for life, when there is little hope left.

The Life, Jesus Christ, gave His life as the Author of life.

All of creation was spoken into existence, except for humankind.

Genesis 2:7

“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.”

The first man was formed by God and given life by the very breath of God. As close and personal as it could be. God poured Himself into the creation of humankind.

Acts 3:15

“You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witness of this”

God gave humankind everything, but it was humankind that was responsible for the killing the very source that gave it life. Humankind killed what gave it, and everything else life.

Acts 2:36

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”

The Life gave His life, He was crucified on the cross and restored to His rightful place as Lord and Messiah.

The Life gave His life to conquer sin and death once and for all.

Hebrews 9:11-14

“¹¹ But the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), ¹² He entered the most holy place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?”

Jesus died on that cross for the complete redemption and restoration of all creation.

Romans 8:1-4

“8 Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, ² because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering, ⁴ in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

The blood of animals through the sacrificial system was offered to purify the flesh, but the blood of Jesus, as God’s perfect lamb, was given as an eternal sacrifice to cleanse us completely for all time. The Old Covenant was imperfect, the sacrifices had to be given over and over, every time you sinned more blood had to be shed.

The New Covenant is in place. If Jesus is your Lord, you don’t need anything else to spend eternity with God. There is nothing that can pay your way like Jesus did. You are sitting here today saved and ready to go, even when you mess up and sin later today. Jesus does not need to climb up on that cross and die again for you, another lamb is not needed, His sacrifice is all that is needed. If you are His, you no longer need to fear sin, you no longer need to fear death. He has once and for all paid the price for your sin and for you to have eternal life with the Father. 

Now if you are ‘IN’ Jesus, His sacrifice has also paved the way for you to let go of your old ways. You have been cleansed, the old stuff, the sin, the garbage that is holding you back, has been washed away. Jesus took care of it for you, it no longer exists! You need to turn away from it and embrace the new live you have been given, by The Life. Do not let your ‘old’ self hold you back. You are a new creation living under the new covenant, no reason to ever look back.

The Life gave His life so that we might truly live.

Hebrews 9:14-15

“¹⁴ how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God? ¹⁵ Therefore, He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

We have been cleansed so that we can serve God. We have been created and saved for a purpose.

2 Timothy 1:9

“He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

We have been restored to our rightful place with the father and given a holy calling. The things we have done in the past being a ‘good person’ have done nothing for us. That stuff is gone, and we have been given a new purpose. One that we have been uniquely gifted to do. Some of us are gifted with a listening ear, some are gifted with wanting to serve, some are gifted in preaching, some are gifted with money to give, and some have plenty of time to help others. No matter where we started each one of us have a holy calling to serve God’s Church and His people. The Life gave His life so that you could carry out what you were called to do.

He also gave it so that in being members of God’s house we would not be timid and reserved, but live our lives for Him because He died for us.

Galatians 2:20

“and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Don’t be afraid of the challenges before you. Don’t worry about having the right words to say. Don’t worry about if you know enough to share the gospel with your friend. We are not to be timid or reserved, we are supposed to put ourselves out there living for Jesus. He was not afraid to climb on the cross to pay your way, don’t be afraid of anything you have been called to do.

Acts 4:31

“When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.”

The Father has sent the Holy Spirit to work in us. He is not a shy and timid, but Bold and Daring. Let God work in you so that you may reach the lost. We are created and called to share God’s love with others and that is exactly what we need to do. After all, it is the least we can do for The Life, Jesus, who died to pay our way into eternity.

In Genesis 9:3-5, God allowed Noah to eat of any living thing with the restriction that it must not be living. Later, the Lord, commanded Moses that the blood is not to be eaten with the flesh because the life of every creature is in its blood. Instead the blood was to be used as atonement for our sin on the altar.

As the High Priest, Jesus, makes the sacrifice for others. As the Lamb, He was the sacrifice.

Romans 5:8

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!”

His life was not taken from Him, He freely offered it. He knew sin needed a sacrifice and freely gave His life.

I mentioned earlier that most people love a good story about sacrifice. Think of how many movies you have watched that someone had to give up something. Sadly, many reject the story of the greatest sacrifice ever made. It is not a story about a sacrifice made for someone else, it is the story of Jesus’ sacrifice for you, for your loved ones, for your friends, and for the people you have yet to meet.

If you are a child of God this morning this is a wake up call, Jesus is The Life and He gave up His life to conquer sin and so that you can truly live. All He wants in return is for you to do what you were created to do. Serve Him, Love others, and Reach the lost. 

May the Lord Bless You!

Robert

Sermon - November 8, 2015 - Hebrews 8:1-13 - Jesus is The Truth!

We have passed the half way point in our series through the book of Hebrews. We might not spend most of our time each Sunday in the book of Hebrews, but each message ties to the verses you should be reading each week. If you don’t have a copy of the reading plan, grab one on your way out.

John 14:6

“⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Last week we reviewed how Jesus is The Way, this week we will see how He is The Truth.

One of my favorite movies is ‘A Few Good Men’ with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. Tom is the young attorney and Jack Nicholson is the seasoned Colonel who runs Gitmo in Cuba. Toward the end of the movie there is a fiery exchange between the two when Nicholson is on the stand testifying in court. Tom yells ‘I want the truth!’ and Jack fires back ‘You can’t handle the truth!’ Probably one of the better movie moments from the 90’s. Their understanding of the truth were not the same thing.

Truth, can be an interesting thing. People will say they want it but when they hear it they may wish to ignore it or simply not believe it. More often than not people want to believe ‘their’ truth, what they feel is right.

I remember back in grade school reading about a great scientist who met extreme opposition from other scientist, even to the point where he was tried by the Roman Catholic Church and found guilty of heresy. Galileo Galilei was ostracized because he shared with the world that the earth and the rest of the planets revolved around the sun. He was sharing true scientific facts and those around him wanted to believe ‘their’ truth instead.

We saw beyond a doubt last week that Jesus is The Way, following Him will get you to heaven while following others will not. Jesus has provided the path and the means to spend eternity with God. Jesus is The Way, and He is also The Truth.

True Truth comes from God. While we may never have the mind of God, we are told to have a mind like Christ. We must continually set our minds on things above and let our minds be transformed by God. Only then will our understanding of truth conform to His.

Romans 11:33

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His way!”

The Truth doesn’t change, but our awareness of it will!

The depth of God’s riches, His wisdom, and His knowledge is truly beyond our comprehension. No matter how smart we are, we cannot truly understand God. Yet, we can see through His Word, the Holy Spirit, and the way He works in our lives small slivers of what is going on in the perfect mind of God.

Hebrews 8:1-6

“8 Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ² a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. ⁴ Now if He were on earth, He wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts prescribed by the law. ⁵ These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. ⁶ But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been legally enacted on better promises.”

We may not understand why God had both the original way of handling sin and the new superior way through Jesus Christ, but He did. We see through God given verses such as these that there is a reason Jesus had to come offer Himself. The statutes given Moses were copies and shadows of the real thing, they were inferior to what was really needed. Jesus on the other hand is the real thing.

Jesus has not changed, The Truth does not change, what changes is our awareness of it. Most people have heard of the name Jesus but it does not mean anything to them, it is just a name. When God works in them they begin to be aware that Jesus is so much more than just a name, they begin to be aware that they are in need of a savior. They have become aware that they are lost without Jesus. Has The Truth, changed? No their awareness has.

Romans 11:34-36

“³⁴ For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? ³⁵ Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid? ³⁶ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

The Truth doesn’t change, but our understanding of it can!

Awareness of The Truth will open people’s eyes, but true understanding can only begin when someone is ready to accept The Truth.

Genesis 3:15

“I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

In this verse God points out that he always planned on their needing to be more than the Old Testament Law. The Son of Man was going to crush the serpent, AKA Satan, under His heel.

Hebrews 8:7-12

⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. ⁸ But finding fault with His people, He says: Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—⁹ not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by their hands to lead them out of the land of Egypt. I disregarded them, says the Lord, because they did not continue in My covenant. ¹⁰ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. ¹¹ And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. ¹² For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins.”

This is a hard one for Jewish people to accept. They believe that the first covenant is still valid and that they will spend eternity with God by following it. They do not understand that it is faulty and that Jesus is needed.

As someone’s awareness of God changes they begin to question more and more. They begin to understand that there is more to life than keeping up with the Joneses, chasing the might dollar, or hanging out at the bar. They slowly begin to understand that Jesus is real and that life can have real meaning. They being to understand that they are lost in sin and are headed down a path they do not want to go down. Only then through the power of the Holy Spirit do they realize that only Jesus can save them. Has The Truth changed? No, their awareness and understanding has changed. They are aware of Jesus and understand that they need Him.

Romans 12:1-3

“12 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. ³ For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.”

The Truth does not change, but our acceptance of it will change us!

As we begin to understand The Truth we must let it change us. I am not talking about a superficial change like going to church on Sunday. The Truth should change us in ways that have drastic and lasting effect on our lives. We are to be ‘transformed by the renewing of your mind.’

Colossians 3:2

“Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.”

Letting our minds be renewed and setting them on the things of above, will alter our behavior. It will help us to better understand God’s will.

Hebrews 8:13

“By saying, a new covenant, He has declared that the first is old. And what is old and aging is about to disappear.”

We are to forsake trying to live the old way and live by the New Covenant, the covenant put in place by the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

When people are not aware of The Truth, their box holds whatever they think will take care of them. As they become aware of The Truth they begin to realize their box is holding the wrong thing and when they finally come to the understanding of needing The Truth, they put Jesus in their box. As time goes on and their faith grows and they begin to accept The Truth more and more. They begin to realize that Jesus is not something to be put in a small box and pull Him out only when they want to.

Bit by bit as they are changed by The Truth their box begins to grow. More of their life is impacted by their box and step by step they exercise their faith. They are saying ‘More of God and less of me.’ They are letting Jesus take control. Has The Truth changed? No, they are aware of Jesus, they understand who Jesus is, and they have accepted The Truth and are letting Him change them.

Where are you on this journey? Are you aware of Jesus? Do you understand you need Jesus? Are you letting The Truth change you? How big is your box? Do you pull it out when you need it or has it expanded to encompass your entire life?

Philippians 2:9-11

“⁹ For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth— ¹¹ and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The Bible is clear, we can be humble before Jesus now and accept His gift of salvation, or we will bow before Him at judgment day, pleading for a second change. Let The Truth lead your life. 

Thanks for reading!

God Bless You!

Robert

Sermon - November 1, 2015 - Hebrews 7:23-28 - Jesus is The Way!

Back in the sixth grade we made maps of the state of California. We started out with a piece of cardboard and then used some sort of paste and made our own individual 3D interpretation of what California looked like. The curves of the coast line, the changing height of the mountains, and even which areas were green to represent vegetation and which areas were more or a desert.

We all started with the same reference picture, but at the end of the project we had 30+ different versions of what California looked like. If you think about all the maps you have used over the years, they have definitely changed. I remember using the Rand McNally Road Atlas and having to verify which version I pulled out of the cupboard to make sure I was using the latest. In the city the changes from one revision to the next would have been minor, but as you looked outside the city the changes could have been significant.

After the big Rand McNally books came MapQuest. We would go on-line enter our starting position and our destination and print out the step by step directions. From my experience I would say about 25% of the time, even in Southern California, they were wrong. Once I was going on a job interview and it told me to turn right when I was supposed to turn left. It was in an area I was unfamiliar with and it almost made me late for the interview.

When we moved to Michigan we bought our first car GPS, the sad thing was you had to buy maps to go with it. I downloaded the one for Michigan but it was already outdated. They really needed to do a better job of updating the maps and making them available for people. It did work on the drive from Michigan to Iowa, but I don’t think we used it much after that. We have tried selling it but no one wants it. It is outdated.

Nowadays all you have to do is have a smart phone and you get up to date maps and GPS. Are they perfect? No, Apple showed us earlier this year that they are not always accurate. The nice thing is though, you don’t need to buy a new book or make sure you print out your directions before you leave. You turn on your location tracker, enter your destination, and off you go. I talk like it is easy, but when we were on vacation this past July the new sub-division we were staying at was not on the map. So even today, maps are not perfect. They are a man made model of something much larger that really needs to be updated more than they are.

John 14:6

“⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus tells us He is the way. He not only points the way to salvation, He is the way of salvation. Jesus’ way is not something that needs to be updated, it is not something that is manmade, and it is not something that is scaled down to fit what we can understand.

Hebrews 7:23-25

“²³ Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office.²⁴ But because He remains forever, He holds His priesthood permanently. ²⁵ Therefore, He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.”

There have been a whole lot of Levites become priests since the Israelites left Egypt, simply because death prevents them from continuing to serve. Not one of the men who became the high priest has ever been able to hold onto his job once he died. That changed with Jesus.

Back when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, God said ‘I AM WHO I AM’, in other words He is the eternal God. His essence is eternal. Jesus is THE Way and since He is the connection to the Father, He is the eternal way.

The difference between the Levitical High Priests and our True High Priest, is that Jesus died and came back. The resurrected and ascended Jesus lives forever. He is our permanent priest; He does not change.

Hebrews 13:8

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Nothing can change Him or the work He has accomplished. Jesus completely saves anyone who comes to him. Where the old sacrificial system attempted to provide a relationship with God, Jesus does not just try, He does it. The old way was incomplete, Jesus’ way is perfect.

God has always taken care of His people. When they were being judged, God would provide a way out. When the challenges were overwhelming, God provided help. With Jesus all who seek Him are provided salvation. Where the high priest of old would offer sacrifices for his people, our permanent High Priest has already paid the sacrifice for us and always intercedes for His people.

Romans 8:34

“Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.”

If you belong to Jesus, He is right there interceding on your behalf and He will do so until He comes again. The Way of God is permanent.

Hebrews 7:26-28

“²⁶ For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. ²⁷ He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever.”

The Way of God is perfect. Jesus is the way and absolutely nothing else is ever needed. Jesus is Holy, Blameless, and Pure. He remained obedient to God through a life time of testing. He was 100% faultless when He climbed on that cross to die for all of humanities sins. The Way of God, aka Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, is absolutely, and undeniably perfect.

We do not need anything other than Jesus, and if we are following Him and living for Him, when our address change happens we will end up in the right place. Some say there are other ways to get there, but we know that those are detours or wrong turns that will never get us where we are trying to go. Mohamed is a liar, Allah is not real, Buddha does not lead you were you want to go, and the world will obviously cause a detour. There is only one perfect Way, and that is Jesus.

There was a generation of Israelites that spent 40 years wandering around the wilderness simply because they did not follow God’s way. They wasted their lives, but God never turned His back on them. He still cared for them, provided for them, and took care of them. That generation did not make it to the promised land, but God saved them so that the future generations would receive what He had promised them.

When you look at your life you need to decide if you are going to follow God or follow something else. If you follow those in the world who think there are many paths to Heaven, or those that think all that matters is being ‘good’ you will find that you will not reach your desired destination. It is like following a map that is 20 years old in a growing community. The map will not get you were you want to go since it does not show the new roads that have been added, or closed off.

Jesus is the only map we should follow. He is our perfect, permanent High Priest. If we follow Him, even if we have started going in the wrong direction, He will guide us to our rightful destination. Jesus is the perfect Way.

Hebrews 7:28

“²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever.”

The Way of God is personal.

When Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” it was not simply directional, it was personal. Directions may change due to detours or circumstances, but the way to the Father, through Jesus, does not change.

Most of us have given directions that would be unclear to some people, such as ‘take a left at the old oak tree’, ‘turn right at the old Johnson barn’, or ‘turn at the school district building.’ If you do not know the area or the history you will not find your way, the directions are personal. They might work for the person giving them, but not necessarily help those needing them.

Jesus did not just leave us just a set of directions to follow, instead it was much more personal, He said ‘Follow Me’.

John 14:7a

“If you know Me, you will also know My Father.”

Knowing someone is not memorizing a list of things they like, it is much more personal. Instead of directions, Jesus wants to show you the Way, His Way. Following Him, is like following someone to your destination. There is no guessing what is meant by the ‘old oak tree’, instead when they turn you turn. There is a personal connection, like the personal connection each person has with Jesus once they choose to follow Him.

Following someone is much better than using a map, directions, or GPS. A map may or may not get you there, but when you follow someone who knows where they are going you will reach your destination. If you follow us after church, more often than now you will end up at Dos Arcos in Centralia, we know how to get there. If you follow Jesus, you will end up spending Eternity with Him.

Whether you are using a Rand McNally, a GPS, or your smartphone they all depend on maps that need to be updated. Without regular updates, it will never be completely accurate. Even with updates you never know when you are going to hit a road closure, some unexpected detour, or who knows what else. With a map, you may or may not make it to your destination. The Way to the Father has not changed and will never change. There are no shortcuts, roadblocks, detours, there is simply Jesus. With Jesus you will reach your destination.

Like the maps of California that my sixth grade class made, all maps paper or electronic are scaled down models of something much larger. They are not perfect representations. The salvation that God gave to the Israelites points the way towards eternal salvation. Just as the Israelites followed the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night in hopes of one day reaching the promised land, we are to follow the Way to our eternal destination.

Maps are man made as are many of the things people believe. There are many false religions created by man and people dream up many different ways to earn their spot in heaven. Some may use the ‘map of good works’ or the ‘map of all beliefs.’ These so-called maps will lead you down a road, but not the road you want to go down. These man made maps do not correctly represent the map designed by God, the map that has Jesus as The Way to the Father.

During our journey through life, we will take more detours than we care to. Those detours are caused by us following a map we designed, or making choices according to our desires, instead of God’s desires for us. If we know The Way, Jesus Christ, any time we make a wrong turn, there will be a place for us to turn around and get back on the right path. And the great thing about it, is the toll has already been paid.

Follow Jesus, He Is The Way!

Are you following Jesus? If not I encourage you to go to church, talk to a believer you know, or check out the many resources online on that very important first step of becoming a member of God's family. You can reach out to me, I would love to walk you through it!

God Bless,

Robert