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Covenant Reformed Baptist Church September 12, 2021 Tullahoma, TN Pastor Jeff Rice
Our text today is Hebrews chapter 5, 11 through 14, Hebrews chapter 5, verses 11 through 14. Let's pray. Father, Lord, we come to you in the name of your son, Jesus. Lord, we are your people. Lord, we ask you to be with us, to meet with us, to stir the spirit within us up at the teachings of your word.
Lord, we love you. Please, God, use this word to grow us in holiness. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. All right, so for the past two weeks, we looked at our previous section. Our points was the ascension, the sacrifice, and the provision.
And in this, we saw all this was related to Jesus being the high priest, that it was focusing on him being the high priest according to the Melchizedek priesthood. And so we saw that as Jesus enters into heaven, that this was his ascension, but this was also him as the high priest entering the curtain, entering the true and living, the true temple, the temple that the earthly temple was patterned after.
And that as he enters, he presents a sacrifice of himself, Jesus himself being the lamb. John the Baptist seeing Jesus says, there he is, behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. So Jesus goes into the curtain, he goes into the tabernacle, the temple that's in heaven, and he presents that sacrifice, and that sacrifice is what provides for us eternal salvation.
That is our provision. And then last week, we kind of touched on this a little bit in Sunday school today about obeying. And I spoke last week about our text from last week was speaking about obeying.
Verse nine, in being made perfect, speaking of Jesus being made perfect through his suffering, the Greek word telios for perfect, he became the source of eternal life for all who obey him. And so I wanted to open up by reading chapter 16 of Romans.
You don't have to turn there, just listen. Verse 25 through 27, it says this. Now to him who was able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret from long ages, but has now been disclosed through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations according to the command of the eternal God, right here, to bring about the obedience of faith to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ.
And as we were in Sunday school, we saw in chapter 10, and I've already pointed this out in Sunday school, verse 16 talks about to all those who have obeyed the gospel. And we saw that the way to obey the gospel was that someone had to preach the gospel because faith comes by hearing.
In order to obey the gospel, to believe, you have to be given faith. And so last week, Christ being made perfect through his suffering has become the source of eternal salvation to all those who obey him, who rest in what he has done.
Not what you can do, not what you can have, not by you flipping quarters. And so now we move into a different section. And this section, it's a, if you have an ESV Bible, like I do, it says it's a warning against apostasy.
I'm sure most translations will look at this the same way. And I'm not saying that it isn't, but I want to bring to you a different light. I want to focus on who this is written to. We cannot make true application unless we focus on who and what this is really speaking of.
Because the writer of this book is not, he didn't write this letter to Jeff. He didn't write this letter to CRBC. He wrote this letter to the Hebrews of that time. So in order for us to take any real application, we need to figure out what's going on.
Why are these words in the Bible? And once we figure that out, then we can make real application. So that's my, that's what I'm going to be up here laboring to do for us today, is to bring about the interpretation.
And I've been wrestling with this text most of the week. And our theme for this Lord's day is milk versus solid food. Our timeless truth is this, is that we need to listen. That we need to listen and pay attention to what the Bible is teaching us concerning Jesus Christ.
We need to listen, we need to pay attention to what the Bible is teaching us concerning Jesus Christ. Now, why should you listen? Well, you should listen so that you're, so that you do not become dull of hearing.
So that as you're sitting at the table, as you're amongst the teachings of the apostles, as you're sitting under preaching of God's word, you should listen so that your hearing doesn't become dull. Now let's go to the text.
Hebrews chapter five, verses 11 through 14. About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of the oracles of God.
You need milk, not solid food. For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment and are constrained by constant practice to distinguishing good from evil.
So on our outline today we have law versus the gospel. Law versus the gospel. And so I have two points. I was talking to my brother earlier, telling him that usually when I have two points, it's a versus.
So today it's law versus the gospel. So the first point's dealing with the law. The law is, do this. The gospel is, it is finished. So whenever you come to passages concerning the law, it's always do this.
When you come to passages concerning the gospel, it is, it is finished. It's already done. You don't have to do anything. Law, do this. Gospel, it is finished. Now my plan is as we transition from Hebrews to whatever other book we go to next, in between this I kind of do, I always do a little topical series as a transition.
So my plan for my next transition is going to be on reformed theology. And we're gonna look at the six points of reformed theology. Confessionalism, covenantalism, Calvinism, law and gospel distinction, and the means of grace.
And when we cover the law and gospel distinction, I will definitely go deeper into what I am highlighting for you today. Now, as we transition, we're gonna, as we transition, I want to bring before you the threefold use of the law.
Now, if you've been here for any time, you've heard me speak about the three distinctions of the law. The three distinctions of the law are ceremonial, civil, and moral. The threefold use of the law is what I want to focus on today.
The first use of the law is gospel. I want to bring it to you where it's easy to remember. The first use of the law is gospel. Now, depending on whether you're reformed or you're Lutheran, the first use of the law and the second use of the law can be transitioned.
So the Lutherans would see what we see as the first use of the law as the second use of the law. So if you look up these, if you go home and you Google this, depending on who's speaking, the first two can be in reverse order.
But as the reformed, we see the first use of the law as being gospel, meaning from Adam to Christ. That we use the law as a mirror to show the need for the Savior. So we use the law when witnessing to someone to show them their need for the Savior.
You might see a famous evangelist that does this quite often and I'm not up here saying that I agree with his whole method but it's done quite often is, you know, have you ever told a lie? So he's using the law as a mirror to show him that he is a sinner before God in order to present to him the gospel.
The second use of the law is civil, is for civil use. Picture it as a guide or picture it as a bridle of a horse. So you put the bridle on the horse's head and when you ride the horse, you're able to maneuver, you're able to move the horse where you want to go.
The second use of the law is used in that way. In this way, it's used to restrain us from doing evil. So we can look to God's law and when we do, it's used to restrain us, it's used as a bridle to restrain us, to gear us away from doing evil.
The third use of the law is for obedience. The third use is obedience. Now, I know that might scare you at first, obedience, but listen, it's as Christ being a flashlight, if you will. So we look at the law in light of what Christ has done.
With Christ being our flashlight, the law in this way can be used for Christian living. So we have the law of God is being used to bring us to Christ, it restrains us from evil, and it can be used for Christian living.
This is the threefold use of the law. So now to our first point, the law is do this. And instead of reading chapter five, verses 11 through 14, all at once, we're gonna read it as we go this time. So just look at verse 11.
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. So the question is, is what is the this and the about this? We have much to say. So I believe the this, so it says about this, this speaking of Jesus being the high priest, Jesus being the one who lived the life, we could not live the gospel, right?
The one who died the death that we should die, the one who has entered that curtain with the sacrifice of himself to make atonement, the atonement to the one who makes provision for us, the one who brings us eternal salvation.
About this, we have much to say. It's a speaking of the gospel. The Hebrew, the Hebrew church at this time, they have become dull of hearing. Listen, it says about this, we have much to say, and it is hard to explain.
You ever try to explain something to someone who isn't listening? I get this all the time with my kids. Oh, they're hearing me, but they're not listening, right? Hallelujah, hallelujah back parents. They hear, Trinity, you hear me, you're in the room with me, you hear my voice speaking, but you are not listening.
That's what the writer is saying here. About this, about the gospel, about what Christ has done for us, we have much to say, and it is hard to explain. Why? Since you have become dull of hearing. The Hebrew church at this time had become dull of hearing.
Hearing what? The message about Jesus being the high priest, and that they were to rest in him by faith. This message was no longer doing anything for them. Did you hear that? This message was no longer doing anything for them.
They were hearing, but they were not listening. Their hearing had become dull. And so I want to kind of point to you how this is, you might not have noticed this too much, but this is what all of Hebrews has been dealing with.
Hebrews chapter one, verses one and two. Long ago and at many times and in many ways, God spoke. Listen, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. You've read the Old Testament. They heard, but were they listening?
But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son. Chapter two, verse one. And therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away. So it's telling us that he spoke to the prophets, he's now speaking through his son, and we must pay close attention, lest we drift away from what we have heard.
Chapter three, verse six. Is it chapter? Yeah. But Christ is faithful over God's house as a son, and we are his house, if indeed we hold fast to our confession and our boasting and hope, that we are to hold fast.
We are to listen, we are to pay attention, we are to hold fast, verse seven. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit says, today, immediately, right now, in this moment, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellions.
What does it mean to harden your hearts? You have become dull of hearing. You hear him, you hear the Lord, he's speaking to you, he's got the prophets, he's speaking, but you're not listening, you're not listening.
This is the quotation that's given to us from Psalm 95, what he's hinting at here. Chapter four, verses one and two. Therefore, while the promise remains to enter his rest, stand firm, still stands, let us fearless, any of you should seem to fail to reach it.
For the good news, gospel, for the good news came to us, just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened. They heard the message, same message preached, they heard it, they were in company with those who listened, but their hearts were hard and their ears were dull.
All pointing to Psalm 95, who's speaking to the church in the wilderness, excuse me, Israelite in the wilderness, it's all pointing to them, and he's making it clear that they did not enter that rest because of unbelief.
Why did they have unbelief? Because they did not hear, I mean, they did not listen, their hearing had become dull. Again, chapter 12, I mean, chapter four, verses 12 and 13. For the word of God is living, it is active, it's sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joint and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and the attentions of the heart.
And no creature is hidden from its sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. You are, they were under the word of God, you are under the word of God. Though they were under the word of God, their ears became, their hearing became dull, they stopped their ears up, the message was no longer doing it for them.
And the writer's pointing back to the church in the wilderness, and he's saying, you're just like them, you're just like them, you're not listening. We're giving you this message, this gospel, and we have much more to say, but it's hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing.
Verse 12 says, for by this time, you ought to be teachers. You need someone to teach you, again, the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food. Instead of them progressing in their understanding so that they could be teachers, the writer is telling them that you need someone to teach you, you need to go back and someone to teach you.
They need now, once again, to be under a teacher. And you ask, well, to teach them what? The text answers, the basic principles of the oracles of God. So the question is, what are the oracles of God? The Greek word here is logion theos, logion theos, which means words of God.
Logion theos, words of God. So if you turn your attention with me, we're gonna go through the text and figure out what is the oracles of God. Romans chapter three, Romans chapter three, verses one and two.
Paul's speaking, then what advantage has the Jew? This is coming off of the, well, excuse me, it's about to go into the fact where he's about to bring the law to bear. Show them that none is good. What advantage has the Jew?
Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. So right here, it tells us that the Jews, not anybody else, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
Now turn to chapter nine. Chapter nine, beginning in verse three. Just for a little context. Paul says, for I could wish that I myself were a curse cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kingsmen, according to the flesh.
They are Israelites, and to them belongs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever, amen.
So right here, I believe, it's telling us what the oracles of God are. And so we have the adoption. Abraham was adopted, he was chosen by God. You and I today are adopted, we're chosen by God. The glory.
In the Old Testament, we have the glory, they followed, you had the glory that was in the temple, but also this cloud by day and this fire by night was the glory of God. Moses came down from the mountain with the glory on his face.
The covenants. He had all the covenants of works. The Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, the Davidic covenant, the Noahic covenant was given to them. Was given to them the law, the worship, the promises, the promises, the new covenant, the promise of the Messiah that would come.
They were given the patriarchs. The patriarchs are the one who gave us the Hebrew Bible, and to them belonged the Christ. The oracles of God translated in the Hebrew, in the Old Testament, was the Hebrew word Tanakh.
The oracles of God translated in the Hebrew, the Old Testament, was the words Tanakh, which means Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible. Now I want to do a walkthrough real quick of Galatians chapter three, beginning in verse 15.
I want to lay some things out for you real quick. Galatians chapter three, verses 15 to 22, and then this, I'm bringing to you right now that the covenant equals old covenant. The promise equals the new covenant.
The law equals the Ten Commandments and so forth. And as I read, I will give brief commentary. Beginning in verse 15, it says, to give a human example, brothers, even with a man-made covenant, speaking of the old covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.
Now the promises were made to Abraham, speaking of the new covenant, the promise of Jesus Christ, were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say into offsprings, referring to many, but to one, and to your offspring, who is Christ.
So Christ is the antecedent to this, the antecedent to Christ is the promises. This is what I mean. The law, which came 430 years afterwards, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God so as to make the promise void.
For the inheritance comes, for if the inheritance comes by law, it no longer comes by promise. But God gave it to Abraham by a promise. Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions. Until the offspring, listen, the law was added by transgression until, we can't forget that word, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made.
And was put into place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies that there's more than, implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then contrary to the promise of God? Certainly not.
For if the law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law, verse 22. But the scriptures imprison everything under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
So the covenant equals old covenant, the promise equals new covenant that would be brought through by Jesus Christ. And the law is in this portion right here, the 10 commandments. Now go to Acts, we'll read one verse in Acts.
Acts chapter seven, verse 38. Now this is Stephen, this is before he was stoned. He's given this message to the Pharisees. He says this, this is the one, speaking about Moses, this is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai and with his fathers, he received the living oracles, he received living oracles to give us.
So in chapter three, it talks about that the law was given to them through an intermediary, speaking of angels. Right here, we see that it was an angel given to Moses the law. So this oracles of God, as we've come to it so far, seems to be right here, speaking of the law.
Also, look at Luke chapter 16, very, very familiar passage. Luke chapter 16, the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Listen to this. And as I get to the end, you'll see why I brought this story to bear.
There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, who feasted summoniously every day. At his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table.
Moreover, even the dogs came to lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, being tormented, he lifted his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. But Abraham said, child, remember that you are in the, you, remember that in your lifetime, received good things and Lazarus in like manner, bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.
And besides all this, between us and you, a great chasm has been fixed in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able and none may cross from there to us. And he said, I beg you, father, speaking about Abraham, send to me, I mean, send him, speaking of Lazarus, to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest also, lest they also come to this place of torment.
Now listen, right here, Abraham said to, and Abraham said, they have Moses and the prophets. What do they have? The Tanakh, the oracles of God. They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. And he said, no, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said to them, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, the Tanakh, the oracles of God, they do not hear, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. So right here, Jesus is explaining that they have Moses and the prophets.
This is the Tanakh, the oracles of God. The problem is, at this time, they have become dull of hearing. It's always, they're always become, they always have become dull of hearing. They have the prophets, they have the book, they have the oracles of God, but they will not listen.
And Jesus goes so far as to say they will not listen, even if someone was to rise from the dead. Notice, he rose from the dead after they killed him, and they still did not listen. They have become dull of hearing.
For the basic principles of the oracles of God, I'm taken to be the law of God. And by this, I believe it's speaking of the threefold use of the law. So back to our hearers in Hebrews, I believe the writer is saying that they need to go back to the law, that they need to see that they are unable to keep the standard.
They need to see that they are unable to keep the standard of the law. A standard that is no longer, I mean, a standard that is now put into place to restrain them from evil, not for them to keep in order to live in the land.
They need to see that they cannot keep it. They need to understand that this law is put into place to keep them from evil, not to keep in order to live in the land. And by believing in Jesus, by using Christ as his flashlight, by believing in Jesus, that he has freed them from everything in which the law of Moses could not free them from.
I believe he's bringing to bear, Psalm 95, he's bringing to bear the law to show them this. 1 Timothy 1 .8 says this. Now we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. Psalm 19 .7 says this. The law of the Lord is perfect reviling the soul.
The word here for reviling can also be interpreted converting for converting the soul. The law of the Lord is perfect for converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple.
Verse 12 here closes with this. You need milk, law, not solid food. Jesus being the high priest. You need the law right now in this moment, not Jesus being the high priest. You need to see that you can't keep this law.
You need to understand why we need to go back to the first one. We need to go gospel with you to show you that this law you have not kept nor can you keep in order to introduce you to Christ, to show you your need for a savior.
Verse 13, it says for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness since he is a child. So lives on milk here, I believe equals lives by the law. If you live by the law, you are unskilled in the word of righteousness, meaning you cannot teach the righteousness that comes by faith.
He's telling the Jews that you cannot teach about Abraham, their forefather. It's through Abraham that we see that the righteousness that comes by faith, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.
The writer of Hebrews saying that you are unskilled in the word of righteousness. You can't even teach righteousness that comes by faith. Now understand here that we have a people who have professed faith in Christ and yet some of them are going back to the temple and sacrificing.
Let's understand here that they are a church that's mixed with true believers, intellectual believers and baptized members of the church. They have been baptized so they are a part of the church but they are not true believers because if they were, they would not be going back to the temple sacrificing, they would be resting in Christ.
So the answer is why? It tells you since he is a child, he is a child. Now I'll call your attention to Galatians one more time. Galatians will explain to us the child. Galatians 4 1 -7 and in this I have the child, the heir equals Jews, a slave equals Gentiles and guardians and managers equals the law and I will give some commentary as I read.
Just have that in mind when it speaks of a child or the heir, it equals Jews. When it speaks of a slave, it equals Gentiles and guardians and managers in this text is speaking about the law, the old covenant mosaic law.
It says, I mean that the heir which is the Jew as long as he is a child is no different from a slave, the Gentile, though he is the owner of everything but he is under the law, guardians and managers until the date set by the father and in the same way also when we were children, we were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world but when the fullness of time had come, this was Jesus receiving his baptism, starting his earthly ministry, God sent forth his son born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law so that they might receive adoption as sons and because you are sons, God has sent his spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
So you are no longer a slave, speaking to the Gentile, you are no longer a slave if you have the spirit of God but you are a son and if a son, then you are an heir through God. So here we have the heir which was the Jew and you had the heir and the Jew and you had the Gentile which was the slave and it was the fullness of time had come, Christ had been born, he had been born under the law under a woman, he had been baptized, this is the fullness of time, they are to leave the old covenant system, they're guardians and they are to follow Jesus Christ but what we see that actually took place instead of them leaving the old covenant system, instead of them following after Christ, the old covenant system became the goading calf that they danced around and we have this Hebrew church, these supposed believers who had been baptized, they're at the church but they're dreaming about the temple and some of them are even going back and sacrificing, they're dancing around the calf and why are they doing this?
Because they are a child, they are a child, they need to be taught, they need the oracles of God, they need the law of God to be brought to them in such a way that they really see their need for Christ, they do not have faith, they are not resting, they're hearing but they are not listening and as we transition, although the law is do this, the gospel is, it is finished.
Now, I've been reading this for the last couple of weeks but I wanna highlight something else from it, chapter nine, verse six, speaking of the high priest, the work of the high priest, it says, these preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section performing their ritual duties but into the second, only the high priest goes, now I want you to notice that only the high priest goes and he but once a year and not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.
Now, when you study this, this is Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, when you study this, the people of Israel did not have to go to the temple while he performed this act all throughout the year, there were different seasons, there was different holidays for them to go and to make sacrifices, to bring a sacrifice to the priest for themselves, not this day, not Yom Kippur, not when the high priest goes into the Holy of Holies, this was done by the priest alone and you can be a Jew and forget it was Yom Kippur and it was still counted for you, the priest alone goes into the Holy of Holies whilst after sacrificing for his own sins, then he would sacrifice for the sins of the people, this was the work of the high priest and that's why Jesus is our high priest, all right?
I wasn't born, you wasn't born when Jesus made that sacrifice, we had no knowledge of it, when he died for our sins according to the scriptures, was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, we had no knowledge of it, but him being the high priest, he made the atonement for our sins, we had nothing at all to do with it, we didn't come and bring a lamb for ourselves, Jesus, I know that you're gonna be crucified, but I wanna do my part, I wanna flip my quarter, I wanna have something to do with my own salvation so I can pat myself on the back, I wanna say, yeah, Jesus did 90 but I did 10%, I wanna say that I believe faith wasn't given to me, I conjured faith up for myself and I believed, like all these terms that we see taking place in the evangelical church, the writer here is pointing out that Jesus is our high priest, meaning he went into the holy of holies, that he himself done this by himself without the help of anyone, you do nothing for your salvation, it's through the preaching of the gospel, and this people had become dull of hearing the gospel, it wasn't doing anything for them, they didn't wanna hear it's finished, they wanted to take a lamb and have it sacrificed so they would know it was for them, they could not live by faith, now this takes us to our second point, and this point is gonna go real quick, the gospel is it's finished, verse 14, but solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers and discernments trained by constant practice and distinguishing good from evil, again in here solid food equals Jesus being the high priest, the mature equals not being under the law but grace, good and evil equals the use of the law lawfully, the use of the law lawfully, the law is good if, remember isn't that what it says, the law is good if one uses it lawfully, so solid food equals Jesus being the high priest, the mature in this text equals not being under the law but under grace, and good and evil equals using the law lawfully, I'm gonna read it one more time, keep that in mind, but solid food, Jesus being the high priest is for the mature, those who are not under the law but under grace, for those who have their powers, and for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice distinguishing good from evil, now how do you train this, we talked about earlier it's the means of grace, it's being under the teaching of the word, it's being around the believers, it's those who have been baptized, taking part in the Lord's Supper, it's the fellowship, the community of the saints praying one another, singing and speaking one another a psalm, hymn and spiritual songs that we're together and we're doing these one another's, that we're saying if you go I go, that we as parents need to be, I don't know about you, listen, I'm sorry I was speaking to Mary yesterday, and I was telling her that I was, that I have been at the throne of God's grace, praying for her as if she was my child, listen I pray for my children's salvation constantly, I beg God, I plead with him to save my children constantly, I'm trusting that God is gonna save them, I'm living in that moment that God is gonna save my children, I'm preaching to them the gospel, I was speaking to Mary and I was like, Mary I was doing the same thing for your healing, I'm begging God to heal you, and as parents that's what we need to be doing, we need to be begging God to save our children, and not only that, but our children are a part of this congregation, they're not baptized members of the church, but they are a part of this congregation, they are under the preaching of the gospel, they are experiencing the one anothering's, us coming together and loving each other, that's why it's so important for us to be forgiving, that Robert if I was to do something against you, I would need you to tell me so I can repent, and ask for forgiveness, I wouldn't want you to just walk out this church and leave, and it's the same thing as if you offended me brother, I want to come to you and tell you, but I want to come to you trusting that you have a tender heart, and that you will be open to here, where you can repent and turn from that sin, these children need to see that stuff, when I get on the Trinity, or I blow up for some reason that I shouldn't have blow up for, and I'm about 30 minutes later I realized I was wrong, what do I need to do?
I need to humble myself, and walk into a room and apologize, she needs to see that stuff, and right here we have the writer of Hebrews, he's pleading with these people, he's begging them, chapter four again, therefore while the promise still remains to enter, let us fear, least any of you should fail to enter that rest, that sounds like a parent, praying over their child, let us fear, and so my hope, listen, I'll close with this, my hope for today, and every Lord's day, and listen it's the same, my hope for today and every Lord's day, is that you are listening in such a way, that you are not becoming dull of hearing, hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, that with this Christocentric preaching, that it's not pushing you away from Christ, but that it is causing you to abide in God, by believing in the name of his son, and in his promises, because I know something that I do every week, and it's something I do intentionally, is I preach the gospel, I do it every week intentionally, that Christ died for our sins, that he lived a life that we could not live, and he died the death that we deserve to die, that when he was on that cross, the wrath of God, and the mercy of God met for the first time, the wrath of God that my children deserve, fell on Christ, and the mercy of God that they don't deserve, can come to them by trusting in Christ, I preach that every week, and I pray that by doing so, you don't become dull of hearing, and that this message is just not doing it for you anymore, because that is the message, the only message that carries the power of salvation, I'm available if anyone needs to talk, Pastor Cal is available if anyone needs to talk, if you have any questions, if you need prayer, we'd love nothing more than to pray for you, whether you're sick in body, or something going on in your personal life, please know that you can come to us, let's pray, Father thank you, Lord we thank you Lord for this church, Lord I thank you for these people, that patiently gather with me Lord, and as we worship you God, knowing that you are the only true God, Lord we have our kids under the preaching of the word, Lord trusting that you are going to save our babies, oh Lord please have mercy on us, let us be a church that shines like lights Lord, into our community, Lord I thank you for Jesus, I thank you for your spirit, I thank you for the work that you have worked in my life, thank you for my wife, thank you for everyone in here Lord, and God I thank you for your supper, and Lord I ask that you bless it, that you bless the wine, that you bless this bread, the bread that represents the body broken for us, the body of Christ, this is a picture of the gospel, and the blood that was shed for us, Lord that you bless it, and just like in the teaching of the word Lord, that you will use this supper to grow us closer to you, to be conformed to the image of your son, Lord I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.