The Power of the New and Living Way

Here is the auto transcript from this week’s sermon on The Power of the New and Living Way

Was it just me or did I almost sensed a little bit of cadence in the Lord's prayer this morning?

I felt I was hearing like a little bit of rhythm going on which that's impressive for a guy that has no rhythm at all to take the Lord's prayer and do it that way so way to go kids.

For those of you who are visiting today my name is Brent Avery I am the preaching elder pastor here.

Chris is our senior pastor our lead pastor and today is going to be the last sermon that I'll be preaching for about seven weeks as we come to the end of a series on the book of Hebrews and I do want to just provide a little bit of clarification.

This week I put it out on Facebook that starting tomorrow morning at the Northside Christian Church I am going to be taking a position with them ostensibly for 10 months as their preaching pastor.

It's a small older congregation that we just want to breathe some life into that we're going to partner with.

I was thinking today Lord I just kind of love this because I'd love to just go plant a flag for Jesus in the north and plant a flag for Jesus in the south and Lord after that maybe send me the west.

I don't care I just like to surround this I'd like to take this city for Jesus.

All right so call me crazy but have pulpit we'll preach.

That's my philosophy and so I do want you to know that doesn't mean anything is going to change in terms of Tanya and I's relationship with you.

We will be here as we are able each Shabbat to worship with you but Chris is going to be leading a series called Taboo talking about the seven deadly sins.

Now I don't know how he's going to do this but I want to suggest to him that he not advertise which sin we're going to talk about each week because we're going to take names and pictures and we're going to know this the week you don't show up is going to be you know we're going to know what's going on in your heart.

So don't plan on being here for all of those and that will give me a little bit of a break for seven weeks as I try to transition and begin in Northside.

So what can you do to help?

Well of course we would love for you guys just to bathe that effort in prayer and every once in a while you know preachers and churches love full houses.

So every once in a while if you're not doing anything on Sunday morning you live up north or whatever pop in and see us at 1030 on Sunday morning just to be an encouragement.

All right it just it just you know when the house of the Lord is full it just stirs the heart.

All right so we're also very thankful for some of the technical help that we're going to be getting from Chris and the team here as we move forward.

Well we have a lot to cover today because I got a text from Chris as you know a couple weeks ago I wasn't able to preach because of my back and so I had Chris do chapter 11 and that still left us with 10, 11, 12, and 13 and I got a text and Chris said you know we need to finish Hebrews this Saturday and I said hold my beer I mean my Bible is full.

My message today is going to have two parts.

The first is going to be focusing on chapter 10 where we're going to where we will put again play very close attention to how the Hebrew writer has been making his point about the new covenant in which and under which we now live.

The second part is going to be a little different and I'm really excited about it.

We're going to let the Hebrew writer be the preacher with minimum assistance from me so in keeping with one of the themes that we've been pointing out in the writer of Hebrews there's going to be a first part and a second part.

Now from the outside of outset of this series I've been committed to helping you see how the writer presents his case not mine.

I really didn't want to be you know try to be creative with too many outlines or clever gimmicks.

I really wanted to show you not only what he said but how he said it because when you see that you see the fingerprint of divine inspiration in the passage.

This is the living Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit.

So today the only remaining question is will we hear, will we receive, will we embrace this new covenant that he is so eloquently by the leading of the Holy Spirit taught us.

Will you pray with me.

Abba Father we come to you b'shem Yeshua ha'mashiach in the name of Jesus the Christ the anointed one the Messiah the one who poured out the Holy Spirit on your Apostles the one who inspired this unknown writer to pen these words so helpful so explanatory so applicable to our lives and father now as we come to the conclusion of this series I pray that you will just hit it with a with a PowerPoint that you will emblazon it upon our hearts and upon our minds that we might leave here today to be the people that would be a delight and a desire for you I pray this in Yeshua's holy name Amen so very quickly as we dive into chapter 10 our writer has just been emphasizing the first and second parts of the parable of the tabernacle remember there's the outer court and there's the inner court and he took time to tell us very detailed what's inside of each that's a very key point because as we move on further when we come back after seven weeks and we're gonna dive into the new covenant or the Holy Spirit series we're gonna pay attention to the very same things what's inside that's really what the gifts of the Spirit are and so learning the tabernacle has helped prepare us for that we're gonna we focused on its layout how it was played laid out its liturgy the service the sacrifices the priest he has repeatedly called us to pay attention to what's inside of each section and he has done it by showing us two parts the first and second now he has repeatedly used what I refer to as the inclusive first some of you when you're reading your New Testament said you're reading your English translations such as like the New American Standard you'll come to passages in Hebrews where the word covenant will be italicized that's the translators code telling you the word covenant isn't there and it's a shame that they put it there because the writer is really talking about the inclusive all things in the first the covenant the tabernacle the priesthood the sacrifices and today we're gonna see what he does with the law with the Word of God it's amazing so as we venture now to chapter 10 he's gonna do the exact same thing with the Word of God that we have seen him do with these other parts so our transition verse into chapter 10 is verse 9 chapter 9 28 the end of the chapter 9 listen to what he says so Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time are you with me first and second he will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin he's not coming to offer himself for the sins of people again instead he's coming to those and for those who eagerly await him so that's kind of our bridge now let's jump into chapter 10 and what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna read sections and we're gonna stop and talk about it for the law since it has and I'm gonna skip the word only because that's one of those italicized words that shouldn't be there there's nothing demeaning about the shadows okay for it has a shadow an image of the good things to come and not the very form of things can never by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year make perfect those who draw near otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered because the worshipers having once been cleansed would no longer have consciousness of sins but in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins now that terminology bulls and goats immediately takes us to the day of atonement or Yom Kippur service because that's when bulls and goats were offered so let's just talk about this for a minute notice that we again we've been talking about the inclusive first and he's talked about all these aspects of the first covenant and now he's going to talk about the Torah now he's going to talk about the law and he we're gonna see him do some things notice in verse 2 that the repetition of the sacrifices is supposed to prove the limitation of their impact the fact that you have to keep doing something over and over and over again means you haven't done something to completely fix the problem amen and so what he's saying is when you see the repetition of those sacrifices that is telling you you need something better I mean if you've ever called the plumber and had him come out to fix your commode you really don't want him coming back tomorrow right there's a weird illustration I probably should have picked something better you don't want to just keep you don't want to keep fixing something you want it fixed amen so the repetition speaks to the limitation look at verse 3 but they do have a legitimate function as a reminder to keep us drawing near to God by reminding us of our sin those sacrifices continued to keep Israel on a trajectory of drawing near to him now notice in verse 1 he really sets a theme that we're going to follow through the rest of the today it is that these things that were a shadow and again sometimes in the New Testament translators they'll put words in front like mere or just these these are pejoratives these demean there's nothing mere about something that bears the image of God you know how I know that I'm looking at a whole bunch of image bearers and I would never use a pejorative to demean or devalue that which God has given and created in his image he's making a statement of fact we don't need to demean it however the shadow is not the form a shadow cannot hold your coat now a man can stand and he can count like I can see my shadow I can see my hand and you can come out and you can try to hand my shadow your coat but it will not hold it just a couple weeks ago just right down here on the front row it was so cute one of our littles was just dancing and worship and got infatuated with their shadow and they're just like I was dying going yes Lord thank you that's gold sometimes like little children we get a little over infatuated with our shadows they're wonderful we actually learn from them but one of the things we learn is they're not the real deal so he starts focusing on this idea of the shadow doesn't have the form now guys I also had one other thought I wanted to share with you about this when do shadows disappear when are there no shadows when the brightest light is directly above you have you noticed how many times throughout this book over and over and over again we are being told that Yeshua has ascended to the right hand of God that he is the manifestation and the glory he is the radiance of God's glory that's how this book starts he is no shadow he is not Bethlehem he is Emanuel God with us and so the writer then says it's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats take away sins why because those are shadows not the form now let's read verses 5 through 7 therefore when he comes into the world he says sacrifice an offering you have not desired but a body you have prepared for me in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have taken no pleasure then I said behold I have come in the scroll of the book it is written to do your will Oh God now very quickly the writers quotes from Psalm chapter 40 now you may think wait a minute he starts this chapter saying talking about the law and now he's going to quote from the Psalms guys this is an incredibly Hebraic Jewish thing to do all right you have to expand your understanding of the Torah beyond the five books of Moses because that would be totally normative it's not like he doesn't know that the Torah is Genesis through Deuteronomy but in Judaism you can refer to the whole of the Old Testament as the Torah you can refer to the prophets the Psalms and that's what he's doing here God says two things about the sacrifices that were prescribed in the law now I want you to hear this number one they were not desired well God then why did you ask for them the sacrifices were not for his benefit they never were they were for ours that's not what God wanted number one number two they were not his delight they may have been necessary but it's not what he desired and it's not what he delighted now I want you to think about this because we struggle sometimes with oh but I love the shadows of the Old Testament I love the shadows of the first covenant but but you have to let God say what God said and by the way the Hebrew writer didn't say this he's quoting the Psalms God is speaking to a completely different prophet probably David and he says I didn't desire them and I didn't delight in them that's not that was not my end goal now that speaks to us Church it raises a very interesting question do I want to do what God desires and delights in or do I want to do what I want to do come on cuz I'm gonna be real honest with you ritual is easier than relationship it is ritual is easier than relationship I just make it nice and then I go and relationship is hard if you're not married you'll find out I mean in my relationship it's butter it's just butter I mean you spend the first six months of your marriage finding out how selfish you are it's not about what you discover about the other person it's about what you discover about you what do you mean I have to share the remote okay I'm off track anyway try waiting till you're 41 to get married me want remote anyway what do I really do is my heart to do what he desires and what in what he really likes what what is his delight now notice that all this is framed in the context of when he comes into the world so God started all this but this is a game changer when he comes into the world did you think something wasn't going to change when he came into the world did you think it was going to be status quo when he came into the world do you think when he comes back nothing's going to change how many of you want to change when he comes back what do you think happened when he came the first time and what was that change a better priesthood a better covenant better promises the very things that he did delight in the very things he did desire so let's continue verses 8 through 11 now watch how he uses the Word of God to show first and second parts verses 8 through 11 after saying above sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have not desired nor have you taken pleasure in them which are offered according to law then he said okay you heard the first part now the second part behold I have come to do your will he takes away the first in order to establish the second by this will we have we by this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all for every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices which can never take away sin I just think that's amazing you know he took time you know first and second first and second first and second now he's going to take a verse what he do split it in half first he said this and then he said that you see it you don't you ought to have your Bible on your app or on your lap one of the two notice that these first and second parts show the difference that the difference is when how and why he comes into the world to do the desire the will to the delight of the father who desired a body you see that did God desire sacrifice come on church talk to me no what did God desire a body did God delight in sacrifices no he desired a body look at verse 12 he's gonna do another first and second but he having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time sat down at the right hand of God the place where there is no shadows waiting from that time onward until the enemies be made a footstool for his feet there's another first and second part to that passage there's what he does the first time it's what he does the second time verses 14 through 17 he's gonna do it again for by one offering he is perfected for all time those who are sanctified and the Holy Spirit also testifies for after saying this is the covenant which I will make with them after those days says the Lord I will put my laws upon their heart and on their minds I will write them he then says second part and their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more remember that second coming the first time he comes in reference to sin the second time he comes in reference to salvation not sin he just did it again I'm looking at three different passages of Scripture that he has done exactly what he showed us to do with the tabernacle look at the parts understand the timing verse 18 now where there's forgiveness of these things complete forgiveness and folks we're not talking here about it says now that whether it's forgiveness of these things there is no longer any offering percent we're talking about complete forgiveness we're talking about telos forgiveness we're talking not just about the emotional compassion of God to love you and show grace you we're also talking about the emotional compassion of God to do something to fix it atonement that's complete forgiveness the cancellation of a debt and the forgiveness of sins well that's the first part I have tried I have labored as bet I've loved this study I don't know about you I've probably persecuted your poor brains someone was doing this no no wait wait it's a lot it's like drinking from a fire hydrant but I knew coming into this series that we had to do some things because of some of our shared journey we needed to rehabilitate our respect for the inspiration of the book of Hebrews as a revelation from God even though we don't know the specific apostle even though some commentators just get you there we go over there but now I get to do something really cool you see I've been committed to preaching and teaching what the Holy Spirit testing testing Ephraim will expect you to fix that in editing because I want you to know what he said you know a lot of preachers get up in the pulpit and they think they need to make God's Word relevant God's Word is already relevant and many if we would read some of the letters from Paul and Peter and and the letters if we would read them like sermons we would listen to what these men would say if they were standing in a pulpit like I am today and that's what we're gonna do with the rest of the book of Hebrews now before you think oh my goodness there's three chapters most of you have been at tabernacles gatherings where we read the whole Torah so no complaining when we come to verse 19 in chapter 10 there is a transition in the writers method he has laid the framework in the foundation the explanation he has masterfully showed us how God came into this world through Jesus Christ to move us to a better covenant we are now covenant people and he is writing to new covenant believers Jew and Gentile like he is writing hear me church to the body of Christ what did God desire a come on a and so from here to the end of the book I'm gonna step into his shoes and tell you what the writer of Hebrews says to us as the body I will amplify paraphrase and clarify only where I feel it necessary beginning in verse 19 and I want you to open your heart to listen therefore my brothers since you and I have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he inaugurated with us through the veil that is his flesh I got to stop already remember those two parts of the tabernacle the outer and the inner part you know if we were to do a survey and ask you will what was in the first part all the table of showbread the all the menorah you could probably give me really good messianic pictures but did you know that there is a he'da in the temp in the tabernacle you remember I told you this is the tabernacle is a parable but it's also it's a mashal but it's also a he'da was a he'da it's a riddle and a mystery and the mystery of the tabernacle I understand what the ark the covenant is I understand what the altar of incense is I understand all these things but what is the veil that's the mystery and the mystery is it is exactly what God desires and what God delights in God desires a and the veil is his body he gave his body to create the body which was the desire and delight of the father did you hear that you and I are his desire and his delight he goes on and since we have a great priest over the house of God let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful let me stop you remember where all this started he started his book by reminding us how God has spoken in the past and now he has spoken to us in his son and he says you have heard what God said now what are you gonna say he says hold fast to your confession and let us body of Christ consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds because you're part of the body not forsaking our own assembling together as some are in the habit of doing but encouraging one another and even all the more as you see the day drawing near what's he telling us as you are drawing near lift up your eyes because it's drawing near to you I mean that's really different from the New First Covenant the First Covenant said he was going to do that the Second Covenant said he's on his way for if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of truth my friends hear me there's no longer remains a sacrifice for sins but only a terrifying expectation of judgment the fury of fire which will consume the adversaries now hear this anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the witness of two or three witnesses how much severe how much more is the punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God and has regarded as unclean the blood of the Covenant by which he sanctified and has insult was sanctified and has insulted the Spirit of Grace did you understand that in the Torah if you commit certain sins they're not just sins they're crimes and you can be convicted of those crimes on the basis of two or three witnesses you remember what he told us about the angels in chapter 2 they don't get off scot-free either those who abandon their place God has a place waiting for him how much more serious is it for those of us who have tasted not just the first but the second that we should walk away as many of our friends and family have done this is why we had to spend time in this book and this this is why we have to point out this call that home air that's how much more point that he's making guys if you think there is a punishment if you think there is a judgment for violating and walking away from the inclusive first how much more is there a punishment waiting for those who have received everything from God in Jesus Christ and said no thanks I pray for your family and friends I pray for mine hoping against hope that some of them can come home verse 30 for we know him who said vengeance is mine I will repay and again the Lord will judge his people he's quoting the scripture it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God now folks this isn't he's not trying to scare us he's trying to help us understand the magnitude of apostasy the danger of giving up oh I want to preach but I'm gonna let him I'm gonna let him keep doing it he says listen don't forget the former days remember when you were first enlightened remember how difficult it was when you endured great conflict and sufferings I mean he's talking to a people this Hebrew writers writing to Jewish people who were kicked out of the synagogues and stoned in the streets and flogged and and dis fellowship by their synagogues and their families he says why would you why would you walk away now if you went through all of that partly being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations and partly by becoming shares with those who were so treated for you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property what you accepted joyfully the seizure of your property and I get mad when they get my order wrong therefore do not throw away your confidence Church which has great reward for you need to have endurance so that you when you have done the will of God what is the will of God to be the body you may receive what is promised for the body for yet in a little while he who is coming will come and will not delay but my righteous one shall live by faith and if he shrinks back oh here these words my soul has no pleasure in him I don't want to be that guy but if I want to be the desire and the delight of the father I have to be a part of the body because that was his delight and desire and that was formed by a better covenant a better sacrifice a better priesthood with better promises amen don't throw away your confidence but we are not of those who shrink back to destruction amen that's him talking not me but we are not of those who shrink back to destruction but are those who have faith to the preserving of the soul that last line is his bridge to chapter 11 we are those who have the faith the continuing trust in God that preserves the soul God desired a body and that body is his delight now the writer of calls us to remember the faithful those in whom God found delight because they desired not just to do the will of the father because they trust but because they trusted the heart of the father to fulfill his promises these were those chapter 11 and we're not going to read all of it these were those who had the faith to the preserving of the soul now what's amazing about that is they had to be preserved because what we're going to end in chapter 11 with they don't get the fullness till we get it with them but their faith saw them through Chris has already handled chapter 11 so what I'm going to do in chapter 11 is I'm just going to show I'm going to pull together what the rabbis call a string of pearls the high I'm just going to read just the passages that talk specifically about the definition and application and importance of faith verses 1 through 3 now faith is the assurance the absolute conviction of things hoped for and the conviction of things not even seen for by at the men of old gained approval by faith we understand that the world's were prepared by the Word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible why is that important to faith because I know it's coming and quite honestly Tanya and I were talking about this in the car last night coming home I know what the scripture tells me is coming I still can't wrap my brain around it amen no I has seen no ear has none of us have really I mean I can't even get the right order of it and quite honestly I don't care it all looks good to me you know why it's better and it's drawing ever closer faith sees what will be even though it's not yet in our vision verse 6 listen to the importance of this faith to preserve us and without faith it is impossible to please him for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him let me ask you a question are you a descendant of Abraham Paul says if you have been baptized in the Lord Jesus Christ you are now fellow heirs and descendants of Abraham which means when it's time to divvy up the inheritance when he draws near guess who's going to be in line this guy why because of my righteousness no because he has made me to stand in his presence are you with me but if you lose hold of the truth that our God never fails he never lies he will always bring about everything he promised to fulfill and what we are remember he I have to believe he came in reference to my sin but I must also believe he is coming in reference to my eternal salvation and I've got a cling to that I was just watching a service message this morning it's Francis Chan and he was talking about the underground church in China what do you think drives them I mean these people know what it means to have their their property and their lives confiscated I'll tell you what drives them hope in the faithfulness of God's Word verse 13 here's the irony of this all these died without having received the promises but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth and all these verse 39 having gained approval through their faith did not receive what was promised because God had provided something better for us so that apart from us they would not be made perfect what's Brent's favorite Greek word tell us I will tell you perfect now he's going to remind us that all those faithful people who died without the promise have now become a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on waiting for us probably a little impatiently probably like come on pick it up listen as the Hebrew writer preaches to the body therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which is so easily entangling us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us fixing our eyes on Yeshua Jesus the author the perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God for consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself so that you will not grow weary and lose heart consider Jesus the next time you're frustrated with life take yourself back to the cross stand at the foot of the cross and tell him how bad you have it never mind now he's going to do another juxtaposition verse 18 for you have not come to a mountain that can be touched into a blazing fire and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind and the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken them what's he talking about Mount Sinai for they could not bear the command even if even a beast touches the mountain it will be stoned and so terrible was the sight that Moses said I am full of fear and trembling juxtaposition but you everybody say but you it's not nice to talk about you say but me but you but I have come to Mount Zion to the city of the Living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to the myriads of angels the ones who didn't fall to the general assembly of the Church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made tell us and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than able see to it that you don't refuse him who is speaking for if those who did not escape when they refused him were warned on the earth much less will we escape who turn away from him who warns us from heaven do you hear the passion of the Hebrew preacher speaking to the body don't give up and his voice shook the earth but now he has promised saying yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven this expression yet once more denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken as of created things so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain the first will not remain the second even the beauty of the intrinsic first will not remain why it could not bring tell us instead we look to the eternal therefore since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken he's talking to us church I mean therefore I mean how are we the body of Christ what are we going to do with this information since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service a liturgy with reference and all for our God is a consuming fire don't cling to the world it's gonna go away and you got to choose your desire you know I mean I'm guilty of this I mean my you know my wife knows me well enough to know honey listen to that preacher he's really good I get consumed I get distracted by the things of the world it's just bait it's just bait Oh body of Christ what does the writer of Hebrews say to us chapter 13 he says love the body of Christ let love of the brethren the family continue man if we would just do these things do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it yikes what do you feed an angel doesn't matter but you best be showing hospitality be the body remember the prisoners as though in prison with them and those who are ill-treated Wow our culture that just defines American culture wounded people burdened and baggaged since you yourselves are in the body meaning we understand that the suffering that happens in this body make sure that your character is free from the love of money being content with what you have for he himself has said I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you so why do you run around worrying about money so that we may confidently say the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid for what will man do to me do you see he did it again man he's nothing if not consistent the first part is what God said I will never desert you nor will I ever leave you or forsake you so that second part what we can say is the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid I'm not going anywhere not today Satan because of what he said what he said becomes what I say and where I stand verse 7 how we're getting close remember those who led you who spoke the Word of God to you and consider the result of their conduct imitate their faith and I'm going to throw something in here even the ones who led you when you were young who also some sadly went astray some of you may have been ministered to men and women of God who served you but that had a rough patch in their life and they did something wrong do what my dad said this is not in Hebrews this is from my dad eat the meat and leave the bones don't despise what you were taught don't despise what you've received build on it and move forward Jesus Christ is the imitate their faith Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and day and forever do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace not foods through which those who are so occupied were not benefited we have an altar from which those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat wow that's a pretty cool privilege for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp therefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people sanctify us through his own blood suffered outside the gate so hey guys here's what the writer Hebrews says let's go outside to the gate outside to the camp to him bearing his reproach proudly well you're a Jesus freak thank you very much you're a hater no actually I'm not I'm a lover of people because my Jesus was a lover of people you see it doesn't matter what they say about you that doesn't make it true their reproach doesn't change who you are you stay strong verse 14 for here we do not have a lasting city but we are seeking the city which is to come you can almost hear it through him let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of the lips that give thanks to his name this is our liturgy and do not neglect doing good and sharing let me define that righteousness doing righteousness oh verse 16 you gotta underline this for with such sacrifices God is pleased did you hear that he's already told us the sacrifices he didn't even desire and he found no delight in now he's telling us what does he delight in share with people because God takes notice remember Cornelius remember of all the Gentiles that the Lord could have first revealed himself to after the the the days of Pentecost remember what it says in Acts 10 your almsgiving your generosity your said the Chi your charity has ascended to God like an offering obey your leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account let them do this with joy and not grief for this for this would be unprofitable for you I saw a picture a meme this week of Jesus overturning the tables and it had the idea of you know when you want to love people but you want to overturn tables it's kind of a picture of sometimes the the hot seat that men and spirit men and women in spiritual leadership find themselves in don't make their job more difficult don't be baggage be blessings buoy them up in prayer well I don't understand what he's doing you know what before you go ask him what he's doing why don't you go ask God what he's doing before you open your mouth to him open your mouth to the heart of God and let God open his heart to you pray for us worship team you can come up for we are sure for we are sure that we have a good conscience desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things and I urge you all the more to do this so that I may be restored to you the sooner so whoever he was he was from Oklahoma so bad now we're gonna flip the script here as we close literally because it's obvious this guy wasn't just a writer he was a speaker have you ever heard a preacher saying in conclusion liar the writer of Hebrews goes into a beautiful benediction in verses 20 and 21 and then he has a PS the postscript I'm gonna read the postscript and leave the actual final benediction of Hebrews for Chris at the conclusion of our service the writer of Hebrews says but I urge you brothers bear with this word of exhortation where I have written you briefly you know what that means we've barely scratched the surface of the goodness of God revealed in the first and fulfilled and brought to us in the second take notice of our brother Timothy has been released with whom if he comes soon I will see you greet all the leaders and all the Saints and 2,000 years later those from Italy greet you grace and peace be with you all my friends I just want to close with a couple comments before we go into our time of response and celebrate what God has done for us I want to say some things that are be very bold and I need you to understand I'm saying them based on the authority of God's Word you don't know who we are you need to hear this HFF is a new covenant assembly we are a new covenant Church we are the Church of Christ we are the Christian Church we are the assembly of God we are the Church of the firstborn we are the Kala of Jesus we are the ecclesia of God we are the called of God we are those who have moved unto a new covenant so that he can fill us just like he filled the first he has a whole lot of things he wants to do to fill in us and as we have been passionate people about the first we are going to become passionate people about the second I've thrilled in my life for the time I spent in the Hebrew roots studying and understanding the tabernacle and the Torah and the times of Lord and all these things all these things in which he put so much inside but the new covenant he wants to make you and I the tabernacle he wants to pour all of this in us that's why in seven weeks we're going to come back and we're going to study the gifts of the Holy Spirit we're going to study the layout the order of what he does in us we're going to study the liturgy what it means to offer yourself as a living sacrifice what he does when his ruach ha-kodesh the Holy Spirit dwells within us why because it's better and we're going to be as passionate about that being thankful for what we were taught being thankful for what we're because quite honestly I am more ready and more willing to accept what the Holy Spirit wants to do in me now than I ever have been because of what he taught me in the first I now understand what he wants to do with me in the second and I'm ready to receive it all of it to be the body of Christ all of this as we move forward we're expecting him to do great things at HFF we're expecting him to do great things with our sister family the Westmore Community Church Lord just plant your flag right here we are one family we are one body we serve one more come on church one body one Lord one faith and we're gonna move forward as those who eagerly await him to those who faithfully persevere for him to those whose desire and delight is to be the body that he always wanted us to be and has given us everything we need to become is that your desire I'm salivating I want to know more and we'll do all this evermore ever faithful as we see that day drawing closer and closer closer we're gonna draw near to one another as the Bible calls us to we're gonna draw near and open our hearts to the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and we're gonna wait expectantly patiently with perseverance until that day until that cloud that's been watching becomes that cloud that's returning when all the Saints will come to be perfected in Telos in Jesus I don't know where you're at today in your walk with the Lord but I can tell you there is nothing more exciting than a journey with Jesus and whether you're watching online or you're in this room if you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus it's very simple he says call on the name of the Lord and then Peter stands up and defines what that is you repent you turn your life over him you be baptized in into Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit all this covenant that's all part of calling on the name of the Lord and then you rise and you walk in the newness of life if you haven't had that new covenant moment when this service is over find me find Chris find somebody because we want to help you start your journey with Jesus but for the rest of you who are already on that journey buckle up because we're diving in amen let's stand