Daily Devotional – Sept. 15, 2020

Faith Baptist Church

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Well, a good Tuesday to you. Hope your week's getting off to a good start and Enjoying I think better weather than what we had last week.

00:10

Someone said to me I think was on Friday He had emptied his rain gauge had hadn't touched it all week long

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But there was six inches of rain water in his rain gauge Well, I guess it was due

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We had what three or three weeks or so with almost no rain and then all of a sudden boom

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Well had to get caught up. Well, anyway nicer weather now. I hope you're doing well It's about four years ago middle late

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October four years ago Went with my mom to her doctor and heard the news that she did have stage four

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Non -curable cancer and it was Already tumors were already found the cancer was found in a couple of different places

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Including her stomach and I think her liver and so that was

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I was a difficult day to hear those words and That was just the beginning

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At that the hearing of those words our family was about to enter into uncharted

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Territory for for us as a family now, I know some of you have gone through that that journey with a loved one and As a pastor through the years,

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I've ministered to people who've suffered and died from cancer tried to give some comfort and encouragement to their loved ones as as They went through the ordeal together

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Did funerals for people who'd passed away from cancer But my ministry in those circumstances was relative relatively weak

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Yes, I could share the truth of the gospel I could share that the truth and the promises and the comforting encouragement from God's Word but there's just something about having gone through an experience that Gives you an empathy with people you can sympathize without going through the experience but as far as empathizing

02:29

Well, you really kind of need to go through that Well the next six months of that journey taught me personally and very powerfully we knew the ups and downs of You know, there's the the hope of the chemo and the treatment that's going to shrink things you get the first report and the tumor has shrunk and and you're you're happy about that and You know, but then there's that ongoing process of the chemo treatments and the weakness the decreasing energy levels and The tiredness and just the yeah the failing of the body and then the second appointment and Not much change and then the third appointment

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It's worse. There's no more we can do and six months later

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I Did my mom's funeral? Hebrews chapter 4 verses 14 through 16 we read this

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Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus the Son of God Let us hold fast our confession

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Now watch for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses

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But one who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin

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Let us then here's the exhortation. Here's the conclusion of the matter Let us then with confidence

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Draw near to the throne of grace That we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need

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Let us then with confidence Draw near to the throne of grace

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How in the world can we draw near to the throne of grace with confidence when we are?

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Such sinful suffering people and Suffering so many times from our own sinfulness.

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How can we draw near to that throne of grace with? confidence

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Well, we can this passage tells us because Jesus our high priest can sympathize with our weaknesses

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He can sympathize with our weaknesses Well, but he was sinless you say yes, yes he was

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Nevertheless in his humanity Jesus experienced the same kinds of testing that that you and I are experiencing day after day the same weaknesses of frail humanity and yet in his weakness

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He was sinlessly weak in his humanity And it's important for us to remember

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That Jesus who was fully God was also fully man

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He can sympathize with us because in the frailty of his humanity

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He experienced the same weaknesses that we do now based upon that text

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Dane Ortlund whose book we've been we're going to hear some quotes from this week his book

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Gentle and lowly the heart of the Savior the heart of Jesus for sinners and sufferers

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Dane Ortlund encourages us in this way. Listen to what he says He says contrary to what we expect to be the case

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The deeper into weakness and suffering and testing we go the deeper

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Christ's Solidarity with us as we go down into pain and anguish

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We are descending deeper into Christ's very heart not away from it

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We're going down into that anguish and that pain He's not pushing us away

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We're going deeper into the very heart of Christ He says look to Christ.

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He deals gently with you. It's the only way he knows how to be He is the high priest to end all high priests

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As long as you fix your attention on your sin Ortlund says you will fail to see how you can be safe But as long as you look to this high priest, you will fail to see how you can be in danger

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Look inside ourselves We can only anticipate harshness from heaven

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Looking out to Christ we can anticipate only gentleness.

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Where are you looking today? You're looking in at yourself Or looking out to Christ.

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I Guarantee if you're looking in to yourself You're discouraged

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Maybe despairing maybe even depressed Maybe you're seeing yourself as in great danger because you're so focused in on yourself

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Look to Christ Look to Christ Go with kind if you're

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Christ if you're one of his children Go with confidence to the throne of grace because there you have a great high priest who can

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Sympathize with you in all of your weaknesses and he deals gently

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That's our Savior our Father in our God. We're thankful for such a

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Savior. We're thankful for this high priest that can deal with our infirmities who can sympathize with our weaknesses and we pray that today instead of Focusing our attention

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Inward and on ourselves We would look unto Christ and this we pray in Jesus name and for his sake.

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Amen All right. Well, I trust that those thoughts from God's Word and from that little book would be an encouragement to you on this second day of the week