Hebrews – Week 7

Automated Transcript

[00:00:00] I guess I got about nine and after I guess we can go ahead and get started and maybe some others come in. If not, then this is what we’re supposed to have tonight. I’m hoping maybe we’ll finish up this study tonight and then those have missed it. We’ll get it posted. I’ll try to remember the post last week, I forgot all about it and it’s been sort of crazy week but I’ll get that one posted up too.

[00:00:28] But if you don’t know if you need to catch up all these lessons have been recorded and put in the depository under the library under my name. So if you need to catch anybody needs to catch up or something you want to review again or wonder what in the world I sent you can go back and listen to it again.

[00:00:53] So anyway with that we’ll get started and I’ll open us with a word of prayer. Father, we just thank you for the time to come together tonight and to study Your word once again as we go through the book of Hebrews and pray that you just lead and guide us. And all that said, just give us understanding through the Holy Spirit, just to show us the truth of Your word and that you’d be glorified. Just thank you and praise you for all that you’ve done for us. Thank you for this study, thank you for this Word, Jesus name I pray, amen.

[00:01:29] Welcome in, welcome in there’s Chris, I think. Yep, there’s Chris.

[00:01:38] Didn’t know how many might come tonight with all the festivities going on with Labor Day weekend but we’re going to try to get through. You haven’t missed anything. We were just chatting, getting know each other a little bit and waiting for some to come in. The reminder, everybody did see a reminder so I just put something out on the general chat for it. But we’re in chapter twelve tonight.

[00:02:02] I’ve already opened with a word of prayer for those in just coming in and we are going to try to finish the last two chapters, lord willing. We’ll just see how it goes but I think we can do that. And just remember chapters one through ten are all pretty much doctrinal statements.

[00:02:28] Can’t hardly hear me. Can anybody else have any problem hearing me?

[00:02:37] You sound clear on my end. Okay, all right, maybe it’s her. She said she’s going to go out and come back in. So chapters one through ten are pretty much a doctrinal statements of where they’re at. The book of Hebrews was written to the Hebrews, basically telling them not to be Hebrews anymore.

[00:03:00] Stop acting like Hebrews. That Christ has come and fulfilled the law and all those things in it and that we are no longer to do those things you’ve done for thousands of years. Well, I e temple worship and sacrifices and going to the high priest. And if you remember all the study, it just starts out in chapter one explaining who Jesus is, that he’s better than angels, he’s better than he’s. He’s greater than the high priest, but he is our high priest after the order of Melchizedek, that he is better than the law, he was a better sacrifice, and he serves in a better tabernacle or a better temple, which is a heavenly temple.

[00:03:50] And basically all that comes together in what I call the grand finale in chapter ten, he says Jesus is better than all, he’s the fulfillment of all of that. And you go to verse 26, the one that everybody confuses and talks about oh, if you go on sinning willfully, there is no sacrifice for sin. And that is not what it’s talking to a believer, he’s talking to them. If you reject the superiority of Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross, there is no other sacrifice for sin. Jesus is it.

[00:04:30] And if you reject that willfully, there’s nothing left for you. There is no other sacrifice for sin but Jesus Christ. So that to me 1026 is the grand finale from chapter one through chapter ten. As he explains the superiority, you remember that’s the theme of the whole book of Hebrews is that Jesus is enough. He is superior in every way over everything, the law and the eye priest and all they’ve ever known, all their forefathers, Moses, all those things, jesus is superior.

[00:05:05] And so last week we looked at, he told them in chapter ten, don’t forsake the assembling of yourself. In other words, just because Jesus has come and he’s offered this sacrifice for the sins of the world and it’s finished, that doesn’t mean we stop fellowship with one another and edifying one another, don’t stop coming togethering together to encourage one another and to edify one another. And then he goes on to chapter eleven. And we seen last week, took me 2 hours to do it. I was shocked that it took that long, but I just felt like we need to cover that much.

[00:05:43] But now that all the temple worship and the sacrifices and the high priests and all that is done away and fulfilled in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross, he says just live by faith. And so he gives examples through the whole chapter of eleven, is to walk by faith, not by the law. And he gives examples of Abraham and all those who walk by faith even before the law came.

[00:06:15] He’s just explaining to them all. And we went through each one of the individual things, how they live by faith, not by the law. In chapter eleven now, chapter twelve, he says okay, again they’re anticipating their well, there’s no more need to go to church, nothing else for me to do. Jesus has finished it all and he’s not. So we’re to live by faith, and from faith we see after our salvation and our faith we see that because of that a result.

[00:06:45] The fruit of that is we do these things by faith. Abraham did this or did that. And it’s not a requirement for salvation, but a result of salvation. Simply put, an apple tree produces apples, an orange tree produces oranges. So that’s by faith we produce those things, fruits of the Holy Spirit as we walk our Christian lives.

[00:07:14] And now in chapter twelve here, our hope is in Jesus, not in the law. We have this hope that we have and we’ll just start out in verse one. Therefore now I’m reading out the ESV for those of you who are following wrong. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

[00:07:49] So we’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Who are those? Chapter Eleven all the witnesses, all those that were before us. And we see how they walked on earth as we are walking on earth. And they lived by faith.

[00:08:10] As they live by faith. Those that live by faith. Those are the cloud of witnesses, those are the evidence of salvation. And as they walk by faith, we walk by faith. And as an example, they were to us, and they’ll go on to say down here later, that even Jesus walking by faith, example to us.

[00:08:33] Let’s talk about the let us lay aside every weight and sin. King James, which so easily besets us. So this one is which cleans so closely. This weight is anything that would distract us from being or doing what the Lord wants to do or be. Do not get caught up in the cares of this world is basically what he’s saying there.

[00:09:01] Don’t let the things of this world weight you down and bring you to a place where you’re distracted and not doing and being what God wants you to do. Or those sins, those sins that would hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in us or the fellowship we have with them. We’ve seen that in other verses, that our sin can hinder our relationship, but our sin does not take away that relationship. It only can hinder that relationship. And we can hinder the work or grieve the work of the Holy Spirit with sin in our lives, living in sin.

[00:09:40] So he’s saying, put those things off, put those things aside and don’t do those things. I like how he always compares things. When he talked to Timothy, he said, I finished my course, I fought a good fight, comparing it almost to a fighter, a boxer that would be fighting. Now here he compares it as a runner that runs a race of endurance. Once we are saved, there is things that we go through and we should be like a well trained runner that you don’t see a runner running around with a backpack on his back and doing all these things.

[00:10:22] Runners usually wearing shorts and a little skimpy shirt and lightest weight tennis shoes he can get because he wants all the weight off of them. He can get off of him to make him more effective, more wind resistance, and to be able to run that race and do those things necessary to win and to focus on the goal. So he’s given a comparison there of a runner running the race.

[00:10:49] That’s the way we ought to be as Christians. Don’t let those things of the world bog us down. The tears of this world, our home. As we said last week, this is not our home. I may not have said it last week, I may have been said it in my sermon Sandy last week.

[00:11:05] I can’t remember. I get things mixed up anymore. Sorry about that. But I was telling about how we don’t let the chairs of this world weight us down to run this race effectively. And if we bring all this baggage and all these things on us and worry about all these things, then it just weights us down and we get so concerned and bottled up in this world and the cares of this world.

[00:11:36] Our focus is no longer on Jesus. Just like Peter walking on the water. He was walking fine on the water until he took his eyes off of Jesus and he began to look at the waves and the storm. That’s when he began to see. He was weighted down or distracted by the storm and took his eyes off Jesus.

[00:11:59] To us, we verse two looking to Jesus, there was keep our eyes focused on Him. Don’t let the things of this world bring us down that so easily beset us and distract us. We’re to look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. You want to know how to live the Christian life? Look to Jesus.

[00:12:23] Now, will we do it just like he did and exactly like he did? Absolutely not. He was the only one perfect. We’re going to still fall short, as Paul talks about in Romans seven. We still live in this sinful flesh that we’re going to war with every day.

[00:12:41] But at the end of the day, he said, who will deliver me from this bondage of sin? I thank God through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You keep your eyes focused on Him, of what he told us to do, of how he did things and how he endured. So verse two is looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Now, that verse always is sort of like, wow, for the joy he went to the cross and suffered that beating and being hung on the cross and being mocked and spit upon and made fun of and died and separated and paid our sin debt.

[00:13:31] That was joy. That’s what Scripture tells us. He knew the outcome. He told his disciples don’t worry about the one that can destroy the body, but you worry about the one that destroys both the body and soul. And he understood that God would raise him from the dead, he wouldn’t keep his soul in hell, as is mentioned in the Psalms.

[00:13:58] He understood that. He knew that that he was doing this for the will of the Father, bringing glory to the Father, as he brought salvation to you and me. So that even gave joy to Jesus, even on the cross. I love the old song when he was on the cross, I was on his mind. Great song.

[00:14:20] But for the joy that was set before Him. And he endured such pain and affliction and suffering for us and as a result is now seated at the right hand of the Father. That seated again, as we’ve seen two or three times throughout the book of Hebrews, would have been very important to these Hebrew listeners is they understood there was no seats in the tabernacle at all. And that was because the work of the High Priest was never complete. He may have sacrificed all day long, but he had to get up and do it all day long.

[00:14:56] The next day and the next day and the next day, every day, because the job was never finished. But when Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin, he cried it is finished. And he sat down at the right hand of the Father. This would have really just pricked the hearts of these Jewish readers as they would understand. He seated and signifying it is finished, there is nothing else to be done.

[00:15:22] We can’t do anything to add to that salvation. Jesus did it all for us on the cross and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is our example of not being distracted or caught up in the cares of this world. He wasn’t worried that foxes have holes to nest, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head. The cares of this world didn’t bother Him.

[00:15:49] He was here to do the will of the Father because he understood how important it was and what it meant for the whole world. Talking about carrying the whole world on his shoulder, jesus was doing that. So he kept his goal. He did the will of the Father to bring salvation to the world and obtain the highest price, to be seated at the right hand of the Father and to have all things put into subjection to Him.

[00:16:26] He endured and run that race. I need to hit me, my dog is wanting to bark or something. I don’t need that right now. Sorry guys.

[00:16:40] And also there on the cross I just had a thing thought or something that when he was on the cross. Have you ever been through difficult times? And you just think, wow, this is just so hard. And God will just send you a little glimpse of hope or a little ray of sunshine. Just say, hey, I got you.

[00:17:00] You’re going to be okay. We’re doing this for a reason. It’s going to be all right. And here’s just a little tidbit as you go through your difficult time. I don’t know if you’ve ever had those times, but I certainly have.

[00:17:12] And I think of the thief on the cross when he cried out to Jesus, remember me today. And Jesus said, today that will be with me in paradise. I think that was almost like a little tidbit maybe from the Father, or that he showed that thief that he’s a sinner and that he needed a Savior, and that Jesus and his humanity got a little ray of sunshine and all that suffering. This is why I’m doing this. This is so I can bring all mankind to my Father, to restore that relationship, to restore all that sin had destroyed.

[00:17:54] I’m bringing this one to the Father today. And so it was almost like a ray of hope. In the midst of all that pain and suffering and anguish that he suffered on the cross, this thief was saved and lived eternity in Heaven with Him. So just a little thought for that and maybe chased a little rabbit there, but I think it just looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, before that joy was set before Him, set down at the right hand of the Father, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. So now we go on.

[00:18:33] And it goes on to explain to Him even more in this chapter, our hope is in Jesus, so don’t grow weary. Verse three. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted. Consider Jesus the Author and the finish of our faith. All that he went through, it he endured, these ones that God could have just sent 10,000 angels and destroyed, but he says, no, I love them, and I will stay the core course and I will finish my fight.

[00:19:15] I will do what the Father has called me to do. I will bring salvation to the world. If Jesus can do that and he says, you can do without me, you can do nothing. But with Christ, I can do everything. Paul says through Him, I can do all things.

[00:19:33] So if Jesus could endure all that because he loves us so much, because of the hope that he gives us, certainly we can endure the little bit of trials and temptations that we go through. So consider Him who endured so much that we don’t grow weary or faint hearted as he tells these Hebrew listeners this, that we’re surrounded by such a great cloud of witness and those who kept the faith even though they suffered hardship. They’re all examples to us. And even more, Jesus, fix your eyes on Him who endured these great difficulties and was glorified above every name and set down at the right hand of the Father. He said, consider these things and don’t grow weary.

[00:20:22] When you’re persecuted, you go through difficulties and these strains and those things that want to bring you down and so easily beset you and be tempted by sin. Satan wants to distract us, satan wants to destroy us. And that’s why Jesus said in John 1518, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. So if we go through hardships and difficulties and temptations, they hated Jesus, and he says they’re going to hate you too. But he also told us in John 1633, be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

[00:21:03] That is such a precious verse to me that if Jesus did the Author and the finisher of my faith, how much more can I do? When he gives me to take heart, I’ve overcome the world. Don’t lose heart. I’m the winner. I won and you can do all things through me.

[00:21:23] So don’t grow weary. Don’t lose faith when these things happen. And then he goes on to something interesting. Even so, the world hates you and they’ll bring you down and you look into Jesus and all these great cloud of witnesses. What about when it seems like God’s getting on your case?

[00:21:44] What about when you do something wrong and you just feel like the Lord is really chastising you way sort of hard, then you can grow weary at all. I’ve messed up so bad and I’ve struggled. This next set of verses is for you. It is for me. When we go through things and the Lord seems to be working in us and allowing things in us that we know we probably messed up, to me, this is great encouraging encouragement here is this when we do sin, he knows before you sin that you are going to ever sin.

[00:22:18] God’s never surprised at anything you do, but as a loving father, he has to correct you because he is a just father. He says, in your struggle against sin, you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood. In other words, the writer is saying, I know sin is tough. And as Jesus went through these great sufferings and in the Garden of Eden, I think it’s our Garden of Gethsemane, not even excuse me, I think is maybe what he’s pointing to here. When Jesus remember he was in the garden of Gethsemane and in such anguish and troubled in the heart over what was about to take place because of the sins of the world, and he would die and remember as he prayed, he shed drops of blood.

[00:23:10] That means that his body was near shutting down. He was in such pressure and tormental over what sin had caused in the world, that his sweat became the drops of blood. Somebody that’s more educated me can tell you what’s going on, and I’ve heard before what’s going on in the body, but they say you’re getting pretty close to just shutting down when your sweat becomes blood. And I’ve sweat a lot in my life, but I’ve never sweat blood, thankfully. But I think Jesus even did that when he was about to go to the cross for us.

[00:23:47] So in your struggle against sin, you have not resisted to the point of shedding of your blood. I think he was remembering of that time thank you for putting that up, that HED great drops of blood falling down to the ground. So again, looking to Jesus, the author of the finish of our faith in this struggle of this, not that he was struggling with his sin, but he was struggling over the effects of sin on the world that God created. Verse five. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

[00:24:25] My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the ones he loves and chastens every son whom he receives. I think this is very important for us to understand. I don’t know how many of you are on TikTok all the time, but you see people talking about you’re saved and you better act like XYZ. And we just get so caught up in the works and the things that we ought to be doing with Christians, and rightfully so.

[00:25:02] I mean, as Christians, we ought to act different from the world, we ought to look different from the world. But as a pastor, as a Christian, it’s not my job. I am not the sin sheriff. And I’m not supposed to go around pointing out everybody’s sins and tell them, you better get back in the right path. Now, obviously, if the Holy Spirit leads me to confront somebody and help them, as in Galatians six, it talks about to restore that person.

[00:25:29] Now, if I’m led by the Holy Spirit do it, I should lovingly go to that person and help restore them back into the fellowship, get them back on the right. Also by always keeping in mind that I’m just as capable of doing the same thing they’re doing. You don’t do it out of pride or anything. You do it lovingly and humbly, considering yourself. It says in Galatians, chapter six, so we can go and correct someone, but ultimately we’re not the sin sheriff.

[00:26:02] But Sid sheriff, I don’t know where I got that from, but I might be pretty good. But we need to remember, if this person that you look at and say, oh, they’re not living right and they’re not saved and they’re not, this God will strike you. If they are a Christian, god promises in the Word, and right here he promises in his word, I will correct my children.

[00:26:30] Just like me as a father with my kids, I wanted my kids to live a certain way, and I wanted them to do what was right. And I corrected my children. I made sure they straight on, the straight and narrow, best I knew. How much more would your Heavenly Father do to his children? So I don’t know how I got off on that.

[00:26:51] But what he’s addressing here is that if you are his children, the Lord will discipline you. My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord. Don’t take that lightly. When the Lord discipline you, you need to pay attention.

[00:27:11] He disciplines those that he finds worth in those who are his. Our worth is not in anything that we have done, but because he sees Jesus in us, there’s the worth. And if we’re lost, if we’re a lost person, god just turns us over to a reprobate minded, as we see in Romans 128. So God corrects his children, but those who aren’t his children, the Holy Spirit was, hey, you need to be saved. You need a savior.

[00:27:45] You’re living in sin, and you need salvation. But if they reject, that enough. I believe there comes a time when God says, okay, you have your way. You do your thing, as it talks about in the first chapter of Romans. And I believe that every person has the chance, the opportunity to be saved until death.

[00:28:08] And once death comes, it is appointed unto. Man wants to die, and after that the judgment. But there comes a point where God just says, okay, I’ll let you do your thing for the unsafe, but I don’t think so for the Christian. I believe he disciplines his children. Verse seven if it is for discipline that you have endured, god is treating you as sons.

[00:28:34] For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not son. If God doesn’t discipline you, you’re not his child. And you think, wow, that’s pretty hard, that God disciplines his children. And if you’re out of line, that child that’s out of line is no concern to a man that’s not his father.

[00:29:07] Obviously, Jesus or God wants all men to come to Him, doesn’t want anybody to live in sin.

[00:29:17] But just like me, as a father, I never felt like it was my job to go discipline somebody else’s child. But God disciplines his children and you say, wow, this is tough. That’s not real encouraging. It is absolutely encouraging. Let me finish.

[00:29:33] Let me get through this and show you where. Even if God disciplines you, it ought to encourage you. He says verse nine. Besides this, we have earthly fathers who discipline us, and we respect them shall not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live. If God disciplines us, that gives us assurance that we are his and we want to please Him.

[00:30:02] I know with my father, yeah, I did my things and I was a little boy and I did a lot of crazy things. But for the most part, I love to please my father. Why? Because I know my father loved me enough to discipline me. I know my father loved me enough to do all these things that I loved Him and wanted to please Him.

[00:30:24] This is what is saying here. If the Father disciplines you, don’t let Satan go. Yeah. See, you messed up. You’ll never amount to nothing.

[00:30:33] Now. You did all this wrong. You did all that wrong. God could never use you. But actually, if our Heavenly Father corrects us, it’s evidence of our salvation.

[00:30:45] If the Holy Spirit doesn’t convict us of our sin, then are we really his? You see how that works? A lot of it’s. Oh, no, I don’t want to be disciplined. Well, I don’t either, really.

[00:30:56] But when I hit Him, that gives me assurance that I’m His child and that ought to give us comfort there even. And when I fall, even when I sin, god has promised me he’s going to correct me. He’s going to get me back in the right path to doing the things that I should be doing. And I ought to take heart in knowing, just like I did my Heavenly Father. I know he loved me and I know he wanted what best for me.

[00:31:23] That’s why he disciplined me. I didn’t learn that till an older age, but at a younger age, I thought he hated my guts. But the older I got, the more I understood. My Father did that because he loved me so much. Your heavenly Father loved you so much.

[00:31:40] You’re his child, and if he disciplines you, though it may not be fun for a while, you can take heart in knowing you’re his child and he loves you that much to do that. So even discipline from God can be encouraging for us for the moment.

[00:32:02] Let’s see, I missed verse ten then for they discipline a short while. I think I got that. Now let me go back to verse ten. For they discipline us for a short time as it seems best to them talking about earthly fathers. But he disciplines us for our good, that we may be shared, that we may share in his holiness.

[00:32:26] God never disciplines us because he’s mad at us. God never disciplines us because he’s disappointed in us. God is not disappointed in us. Like I said, God knew you were going to sin before you ever sinned. There’s no surprises with God.

[00:32:43] What he wants when we do sin, to come to Him with a broken and contrite heart and confessing our sin, which means just agreeing with God, that was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have acted that way. I shouldn’t have done those. Things.

[00:32:59] So he never disciplines us because he’s mad or disappointed. God’s discipline us to conform us into the image of His Son. He wants what’s good for us, what’s best for us, what will help us to be more like His Son. And then verse eleven. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

[00:33:31] Once again, I’m thank God that I have a Godly Father that raised me in a good Christian home. And I know many didn’t have that and haven’t experienced that, but God blessed me with that and I’m very thankful that because I know I could have been just like many people that didn’t have a good Godly Father. But for the time when my dad was banking my behind, I thought, how could he hate me so much? But after I understood why he did what he did and that what I did was wrong, then he was looking out for my best interest and because he loved me. And I would go back to Him at that and apologize or make it right with Him and I could crawl up in his lap and he just love on me.

[00:34:25] That’s the peaceful fruit of righteousness. This talking about when God disciplines us, it’s because he loves us and we’re his child and he does those things and it’s not fun, it’s not easy, it’s not good. But when we come to that place of understanding exactly why he did that, why he brought it, boy, you could just crawl up in the lap of Father God and cry, abba Father, and just have that sweet fellowship with Him.

[00:34:58] Yes, we will spend eternity with our Heavenly Father who loves us so much. So therefore, because you understand that you’re his child and he loves you and he’s disciplined you to be in the image of His Son, wants what’s best for you. Therefore, lift up drooping hands and strengthen weak knees, make straight the path for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joy, but rather healed. In other words, what is broken will be mended. Those broken fellowship, not relationship, but fellowship would be healed.

[00:35:42] That we would get right back into the full fellowship and love of our Heavenly Father. And knowing that you just lift your hands to Heaven and praise God that you have a Heavenly Father, you may never experience an earthly Father that loved you that much, that would care for you that much, but you have a Heavenly Father that does. And because if you understand that rather than going out defeated, messed up again, I’ll never amount it no, just praise God that he loves you enough to do those things to bring you back in the right path, and that ought to make you just raise your hands to Heaven and praise his holy Name. It had to strengthen us to know that when I fall, he’s there to pick me up. When I get out of line, he’ll straighten.

[00:36:33] He’ll get me back on the path. He’ll fix those things that are broken and make them right again. Now, I want you to understand something here, that our discipline is what makes us stronger. And sure of our calling is sure of that. We’re assurance of our salvation when we’re disciplined by our Heavenly Father.

[00:36:56] Like I said, if you’re not his child, there’s a good chance he’s not going to discipline you. But if you are, he will. Now you understand the difference between discipline and punishment. A lot of people think when we mess up, oh, God’s punished me. No, God’s not punishing you.

[00:37:13] God punished His Son on the cross on your behalf. That punishment means that someone had to pay for this sin. Punishment is having to pay for a wrongdoing. Discipline wants to make you better. I used to go out west a lot and go elk hunting in the Rocky Mountains.

[00:37:37] And being what they call a flatlander here in Georgia, those high altitudes and steep mountains used to get to me big time. And I would spend months before that running and had a backpack on my back. I didn’t throw off that weight. That easily dissents me, but I carried a backpack to get used to it. And I was disciplining my body because I knew of the high altitude and the mountains to come.

[00:38:05] I knew what my body was going to have to go through, and I had to prepare for that. And if I didn’t, I wasn’t going to do well. So that’s discipline. My body at the time thought I was trying to kill it, running around and doing all the exercises and trying to lose weight. And it wasn’t fun, but I was preparing for something bigger and better down the road.

[00:38:26] It’s the same with us. When God disciplines us, he’s preparing us for something better. Punishment is to pay for something wrong, and Jesus paid it all on the cross. It is finished. There’s no other payment to be made, unless you reject Jesus Christ and he’s free guilt of salvation.

[00:38:47] Then there’s punishment for eternity in hell. So difference between discipline, punishment, discipline makes us better. Punishment says you have to pay for wrongdoing. God always disciplines his children, not punished. So we ought to take comfort in the Father’s discipline.

[00:39:06] Whom the Lord loves. Verse six he disciplines. So that verse in Matthew seven. I can’t remember the verse exactly, but art for me. You worked in one of niquity I ever knew you.

[00:39:21] I feel pretty sure he knows me because he has taken me to the woodshed a lot of times. So it was assurance of my salvation that I’m His child and that he loves me. So whom the Lord loves, he disciplines. Therefore, we have hope in this discipline. I hope that’s clear to everybody in understanding.

[00:39:42] Sometimes I like to just pause here for a minute. Is there any questions or everybody good to this point if I was in a real classroom setting, but we’ll keep going on unless somebody has something. If you do have any questions, just put them in the chat and I’ll try to answer them as we go as pertaining to our study tonight. So verse 14 strive for peace.

[00:40:09] Strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Strive for peace. As Christians, that’s what we ought to be doing, striving for peace. You see all this bickering and fussing and arguing back and forth in all the world and people just getting mad at each other sometimes. I just look at that and it’s not my place and I’ll never judge anybody if they’re saved or not.

[00:40:38] But boy, you just got to wonder sometimes that some people just seem everywhere they go, all they do is called strife and frustration. This verse here says, Strive for peace. That’s what, as Christians, we should be doing with everyone saved, unsaved brothers and sisters in Christ especially. These are fruits of the Spirit. One of the fruits of the Spirit is peace.

[00:41:04] Christians want peace with others more than conflict or to be right. I don’t see a person with a good Christlike attitude that just wants to go around being right all the time. They just always got to be right.

[00:41:22] There’s been so much stuff that I just absolutely know was wrong and against the word of God, and I just have to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. And a lot of times he’s judging, shut up. It’s not going to change anything, not going to make anything right. You don’t have to prove you’re right or what the Bible says is right. I’ll make it right in my time.

[00:41:42] Sometimes I do chime in and try to help them to understand and see the truth. But if they won’t see it, I kindly back out and say, okay, you have it your way. If the Holy Spirit can’t convince you, I can’t convince you. I would rather live in peace than conflict. I would rather have that peace than to just point out a point that I write all the time.

[00:42:09] This is evidence of true salvation. That God disciplines us and that he loves us and they loves us and therefore disciplines us is evidence of our salvation. And the very act of just wanting to live in peace with all people is more evidence of true salvation.

[00:42:31] So verse 15. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God, that no root of bitterness brings up and causes trouble, and by it may become defiled.

[00:42:47] Fails to obtain the grace of God.

[00:42:51] This isn’t losing your salvation. The Bible tells us we are to forgive others. As Christ has forgiven us, he’s forgiven us. Don’t fail to understand God’s grace in this area. Don’t let a root of bitterness and unforgiveness and resentment and hatred and hurt.

[00:43:15] Don’t let those come up that they would take away your joy, that they would cause you to live a life miserable, unforgiveness, doesn’t hurt anybody but you. I’ve known many people just mad, mad, mad, mad at somebody unforgiveness. And the person they were so angry with had no idea. But that person lived their life in unforgiveness and misery over something they did years ago. And the other person didn’t even have any idea about it.

[00:43:48] But that’s just I’ll digress from that. But another example of that, if you all go all the way back to Cain and Abel, god told Cain pretty much the same thing. Don’t fail to obtain the grace of God through a root of bitterness that will spring up. See Abel in Genesis four, verses four through eight, it says, And Abel, he also brought a Firstling of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering.

[00:44:21] And we talked about this last week that Abel offered his offering by faith where Cain offered his by the fruits of his labor. But it’s interesting to me even from that the conversation between God and Cain will go on down. Verse five, Genesis four. But unto Cain and his offering, he had no respect. And Cain was very wrought and his countenance fell, bitterness began to grow.

[00:44:51] He was angry about how God had accepted Abel’s and not his, and pride was swelling up. I can see him saying, I’ve worked my hands off to grow these fruits and these vegetables that I’ve offered to you and you like his. But he just went out and killed the lamb and shed his blood. And you like that better than mine. He didn’t do any labor for that.

[00:45:14] It didn’t take anything for Abel to do that. But I worked so hard to get there and you’re happier with his than mine. And that caused bitterness to grow within Cain. And then the Lord said in verse six of Genesis four and the Lord said to Cain, why art thou wroth and why is thy countenance falling? If thou doest well, shall thou not be accepted?

[00:45:39] In other words, I think the verse where there is first a willing mind, it is accepted. I almost wonder sometimes would Cain’s offering, though not as good as Abel’s because it wasn’t through blood, would he have God met Cain where he was? Had his heart been right? It was a heart condition that Cain had a heart issue and it was just manifest in this problem. But he said, Why are you so wroth?

[00:46:11] And if you would have done well, if you’d lose this bitterness, would it not be accepted? And if thou doest well, if thou doest not well, sin lith at the door. In other words, if you don’t take care of this bitterness and this resentment that you have toward your brother and me about this issue. It’s going to get worse. And that’s true with us.

[00:46:33] That’s why it’s so important for us to deal with our sins and our frustrations because it’ll manifest and it’ll grow and one sin causes another sin until we’re in a big mess. We see that here in this illustration, this conversation between God and Cain. And unto thee, going back to Genesis one and unto thee shall be his desire and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel, his brother and it came to pass when they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him. This all started with act of bitterness and resentment toward his brother till it manifests so much to well, he killed his own brother.

[00:47:20] Now he’s committed murder.

[00:47:25] He’s committed murder and it all began with bitterness. So he said, don’t let a root of bitterness spring up in you and to take away your joy and all those things that God has for you. Verse 16 that no one immoral or unholy like Esau. He sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterwards when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected for he found no chance to repent though he sought it with tears.

[00:48:05] Now, we all know the story of Esau and how he sold his birthright for a morsel or a bowl of potted or stew or whatever soup he was so hungry and he offered him this and he sold his birthright for a bowl of soup, basically. And as he grew older and he understood what he did and the importance of this birthright, when he grew to maturity, he understood what he’d done and what he was given up. We read this story in Genesis 27 where Esau did that what Esau didn’t have was a change of heart. The ESB says no chance to repent. Again, I like the King James, no place of repentance.

[00:48:55] In other words, there was no true repentance in the art of Esau over what he had done. He just wanted the blessing. He just wanted the blessing from the part. Right? But he wasn’t sorry for what he did at the time.

[00:49:09] It was no Godly sorrow, as we see and explained in two Corinthians seven nine through ten that there’s a Godly sorrow and there’s a worldly sorrow. Worldly sorrow is basically sorrow. They got caught. But a Godly sorrow brings repentance, brings a change of heart toward sin and toward God and makes us turn from one direction to the other where worldly sorrow is just yeah, I just kind of wish I hadn’t done know, I’ve straightened this out kind of thing. It’s more of a they sorry they got caught.

[00:49:46] This was where Esau was at. He was sorry that he did it but it didn’t change his heart about it at all. See, the unsaved just want to satisfy their desires, wanting to do nothing with Jesus and the salvation he gives. But when eternity comes, when their time comes once, the diet after that the judgment, oh boy, everybody wants heaven. It’s interesting to me that just about every funeral I go to, all this was a great person, and they did this and they did that, and they’re in heaven with the angels now.

[00:50:21] And another angel gained his wings. By the way, angels don’t have wings that I know of. Now, there are some creatures around the throne of God that have six wings, but I don’t believe the ministering angels even have wings. But that’s a whole nother story. But you hear that a lot.

[00:50:39] They gain their way and that’s comforting to them at the time. But the truth is, not everyone that dies goes to heaven, not everyone that reject the birthright. What’s the birthright nowadays? It’s being a new creation to be born again. You reject Jesus Christ and live your life any old way you want to with no repentance and no change of heart toward him.

[00:51:09] And then when you get on your deathbed, you go to heaven. Then everybody wants to say, oh, but I want the blessings of heaven. Well, that’s not the way it’s going to be. And we see this in the example of Esau, that there was no true repentance in him for what he had done. His heart was still hard.

[00:51:28] So there’s no blessing unless there’s a new birth or a birthright. And this is the example that I believe he’s giving here. So everybody good at this point. I feel like I’ve been talking and talking and talking, and we’ll get through this in here. Verse 18, he gives another example of where we’re at today, giving it to these Hebrew listeners as they go through this.

[00:51:56] This is another story, an example they would very much understand and they would very much grasp. The old to see you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and Timbus. Now, I like the other versions a little better, that you have not come to the mount. It says in the King James, I’m trying to get that up here. For you have not come into the mount that might not be touched.

[00:52:33] The NASB says, you have not come to a mountain. What is he referring to? He’s talking about Mount Sinai. And understand this, mount Sinai is the place of the law. You remember, that’s where Moses went up and got the Ten Commandments.

[00:52:48] That’s where he received the law. And no one was to touch the mountain. No one was supposed to go up on the mountain. Sinai was a place of the law. He says, you haven’t come to that mountain.

[00:53:02] We have not come to that mount that can’t be placed. And he goes all the way back to Exodus 19, verses ten. Well, 19 through chapter 20 through 21, we see all this that he’s talking about here, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of whose words made the hearers beg for no further message to be spoken. So when Moses went up on the mountain, then he come back and he was given instructions of you can’t do this, you can’t do that. Don’t touch the mountain, don’t that they’ll surely die and they’ll be stoned and they hurt so much.

[00:53:38] That all we can’t take anymore. This is too hard for us, he says, for they could not endure the order that was given. Verse 20 if even a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned indeed. So terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I tremble and fear. Again.

[00:54:00] You can go back to Exodus 19, verse starting around verse ten, and go all the way through 20, chapter 20, verse 21, and read this account. But I want to point out chapter 20, verses 18 and 19. It just really brings out what he’s talking about in Exodus 2018. Now, when all the people saw the thunder and flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood afar off and Moses and said unto Moses, speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us lest we die. They were terrified at this place.

[00:54:46] They were terrified at Sinai. And he says, you’re not come to that kind of mountain. That’s not where we’re at today. God gave the Law showing us his holiness and what he demands from us as far as holiness, or what he demands for holiness of which none of us could ever do, none of us could ever keep the Ten Commandments as God or the Law as God had demanded it. It was impossible.

[00:55:20] God gave that Law to tell us that I am a sinner. There’s no way I can meet your standard of perfection or holiness. I need a savior. And the Law always just points us to Jesus Christ, the One who did accomplish that, who did fulfill all the Law, who did it all perfectly in My behalf and went and hung on a cross and shed his blood as the perfect Lamb of God, the sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world. He says in verse 22, but you have come to Mount Zion.

[00:55:54] Where is that? That’s where Jesus was crucified on the cross. You come not to a place of the law, but a place of grace. You come to a place of mercy, into the city of a living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. And two inaugural are the angels in festival gathering.

[00:56:13] This place where salvation was brought and complete, where God’s grace and love was poured out on all men and all women for all eternity on Mount Zion, he said, that’s where we’re at. That’s where we came. And to the assembling of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God and to the Judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect. This is Mount Zion. Mount Sinai is where we’re told we’ll never meet the standard of God holiness.

[00:56:47] Mount Zion, and says, come unto you all that labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I give salvation, I give pour out my love and my grace and my mercy at Mount Zion, because of Jesus Christ and what his finished work on the cross, this is where we’re at today. We’ve come to that place, we’re no longer under the law in verse 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant and of the sprinkling of blood that speaks a better word than of Abel. Again. Going back to Abel.

[00:57:25] Remember when Cain killed Abel? And what did God tell? Blood? His blood cries out for revenge, for justice. Abel’s blood cries out for revenge, for justice to be done because of what Cain did.

[00:57:45] But at the cross, at Mount Zion, at the cross, Jesus blood cries out for God’s mercy and forgiveness. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Man, that’s awesome stuff right there. When Cain cried out for revenge, Jesus cries out for mercy and forgiveness. Verse 25.

[00:58:07] I’m trying to not get too excited here. You all not preach at you. But this Hebrews, as I’ve said, is just goes deeper and deeper and deeper in so many things to grasp a hold of than our understanding of who Jesus was and what he did for us on the cross. Verse 25 see that you did not refuse him who speaks. Who is this for if they did not escape when they refused him?

[00:58:37] Who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if reject him who warns us from heaven. What in the world is he talking about? We’re not come to Mount Zion as the law. We’re come to grace at Mount Zion and mercy. And he says, don’t refuse the Holy Spirit to lead you to that.

[00:58:57] Don’t refuse Jesus who cries out, I love you, I died for you and the Holy Spirit’s working in you, the calling of the Holy Spirit. Don’t refuse those things. And then he goes back, says if they refused Moses, the one who walked on earth, it told him to stay away from the mountain lest you die. And if they touched the mountain, even an animal, if it touched the mountain, would die. And they suffered great judgment because of their disobedience.

[00:59:31] Well, by Moses, he says, how much more would we judgment would there be if we reject him who warns us from heaven? The Holy Spirit. Matthew 1231 through 32, wherefore I got too fast on that. Matthew 1231 through 32 wherefore I say unto you all matter of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaks against the Son of man, that’s Jesus, it shall be forgiven him.

[01:00:10] But whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. So the rejection of the Holy Spirit, of his calling, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, that’s the only one we can do today is to reject the Holy Spirit. To say, you’re a sinner, you need a savior. Jesus. Is that savior?

[01:00:37] He died for your sins on the cross. Do you accept that free gift of salvation? You say no, that’s blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. And if you reject that to the point of dying, rejecting that, there will be no forgiveness for you in this world, knowing the world to come.

[01:01:03] So he’s making a strong statement here, there, that we’re not at Sinai, we’re at Zion, where grace and love pours out. Please don’t reject that. Don’t reject him who calls you. Don’t reject those things that the Holy Spirit is convicting you of and showing you of. Verse 25 26 and at that time his voice shook the earth, but now has promised, yes, once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.

[01:01:41] So we see it on Sinai, where the earth shook and all that. And I think, too, a lot of the judgment of God upon disobedient people, and it shakes the earth. He’s promising here that one day not only will the earth be shaken, but the heavens also. We kind of see this in Hebrews one. In the very beginning, he says hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son.

[01:02:11] That’s the one that warns from heaven the Holy Spirit. And his Son that warns us from heaven who hath appointed heirs of all things by whom also he made the world, who being in the brightness of his glory and the expressed image of his person, the expressed image of God the Father and upholds all things by the word of his power. His word is powerful. When he hath by Himself first our sins set down at the right hand of the Father, you reject that his Word is powerful. Remember that phrase there?

[01:02:48] Because he goes on to say and then sort of reiterates and brings out what he’s talking about yet once more indicates the removal of things that are shaken, that is, things that have been made in order, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

[01:03:09] I believe that’s a promise, a future promise of coming yet once more while I shake the earth, and not just the earth, but the heavens. So if he’s talking about once more what was the first time in my mind and where I go back to the days of Noah, jesus talked about this. As it was in the days of Noah, so will man be eaten and drinking and be merry. And destruction comes quickly, as in the days of Noah, god destroyed all evil from the earth. The next time this just happened on earth, but the next time he’ll not only shake earth, but he will shake the heavens to remove all evil.

[01:03:54] And we see that in Revelation 613. It says the stars of heaven fell upon the earth even as the fig tree cast her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. We see heaven and earth being shaken. We see Satan being cast down and into the bottomless pit or bound for 1000 years at this time. But in Revelation 1919 through 21, they said I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse that’s Jesus, and against his army and the beast was taken.

[01:04:34] And with him the false prophet that was wrought miracles before him, and which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image, they were both cast alive in the lake, the fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain by the sword of him that set upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth. You see the power of his word, the power of the word of God, the power of Jesus words to bring judgment, to shape not only the heavens, the earth, but the heavens also. We see this I believe he’s talking about yet once more I’ll do this. And I think that’s what he’s referring to here.

[01:05:21] When Jesus comes on the white horse with his armies and he defeats Antichrist and the false prophets and all those who took the mark of the beast and he casts them in the lake of the fire and Satan is bound for a thousand years, we see heaven and earth being shaken. I believe that’s what he’s referring to. There a shaking to take away those things. We can also compare this to know in going back to our discipline, sometimes God shakes us up a little bit, doesn’t he? He takes away those things that we put our faith in, those earthly things that we put our faith in.

[01:06:04] So we look to the heavens. So we’ll have a faith in him that remains forever. So maybe a little extra sermon in that message too. But I think primarily he’s talking to what I was telling you, the first part. But we can apply this also to us.

[01:06:21] Sometimes we’re shook up a little bit, but it’s for our good because he loves us to take those things that we prop up against here on earth and put our faith in him alone. Let me go on to verse 28. And therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, a heavenly kingdom that lasts forever. And thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence at all looking unto Jesus alone. He’s the author and the finisher of our faith.

[01:06:58] Not the church, not. A preacher, not a Sunday school teacher, not a great TikTok guy. I love how Mike always said, don’t put your faith in me. I’m just a man preaching the gospel. Though true or word, him and JD.

[01:07:13] Both are the same way. Don’t put your faith in me as a pastor. I tell my church, I got you for 30 minutes. There’s no way in this world I can convince you much of it. All I can sort, I say wet your whistle on Sunday morning.

[01:07:27] I can wet your whistles. About all I can do and hope that you go home and study and dig and learn more. Even in these studies, as deep as I’m trying to go, all I can do is give you a glimpse. But the Holy Spirit, I pray, will take this and impress it upon your heart. And you want to grow in a deeper relationship and understanding with Jesus Christ and to have that fellowship that I keep telling you about.

[01:07:54] But don’t put your faith in things that can be shaken. Put your faith in the word of God that remains forever in God’s promises, that remains forever in Jesus, who says, I am the same yesterday, today and forever. Put your faith and trust in Him. He is our example.

[01:08:17] Our hope is in Jesus, not in the law is what he’s telling them there. Not in temporary things and material things, but in Jesus our Savior. And then in verse 29, he says, for God is a consuming fire. Revelation 20, verse nine, verse comes to mind when I read that. And when they went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the saints about and of loved city.

[01:08:46] Now this is after the thousand year reign at the end of that and they came up against satan is released and he comes against all the saints to come up one last revolt. Satan takes one last stab at trying to defeat Jesus and this is what he’s talking about here. And fire came down from out of heaven and defied them all. Now the first time Jesus comes and defeats the Antichrist on a horse with a sword of the word of his mouth and defeats all them. And this time when the revolt comes, god just fire comes down from heaven and devours them all.

[01:09:26] So our God is a consuming fire. He makes all things right. He will make things just and right in his way and in his time. No longer how long he carries. So in this and our hope is in Jesus Christ and not in law.

[01:09:47] Anything other than the furnished work of Jesus Christ will be consumed by fire. So put your faith in Him, never wavering from it. Don’t let those things that so easily beset you, those sins so easily beset you, don’t let those things distract you. Keep your eyes on Jesus, the Author and the finisher of our faith, so that is verse or chapter twelve. Let me change gears here a minute and go to 13.

[01:10:17] We’ll try to fit that here in the next 40 minutes, if that’s all right with you all. You can keep going. Any questions or anything at this point while I’m getting drink water and getting this new page up, everybody understanding that and it’s clear. I think we might finish this tonight, guys. It’s about 14 hours, 15 hours of studying, so if there’s nothing else, we’ll go on to chapter 13.

[01:10:53] So he starts out chapter 13 let me go. I’m sorry, I got out of that too quick.

[01:11:05] Oh. So chapter eleven after after he tells them that the law is complete in all the temple worship and all the faith. Now as Christians chapter eleven, we walk by faith, not by the law. Chapter twelve, our hope is in Jesus Christ, not the law. Now chapter 13, let the love of Christ flow, not the works of the law.

[01:11:27] That is his emphasis here. He starts out in the very first verse. Let brotherly love continue. Keep on in these things by faith and our hope, but above all that, let love be preeminent in all that we do. Isn’t that what’s taught in just about all the New Testament, one Corinthians 13?

[01:11:53] You can do all these things and all of that, but if you don’t have love, you might as well just have an old wood and spoon beaten on the bottom of a trash can, which some people do that pretty good, but you’re tinkering, so you’re not making anything worth doing. You’re nothing without love. Here again in chapter 13 of Hebrews. Let love continue. Let brotherly love continue as Christ loved us.

[01:12:23] Let that love flow through us to others. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware. That’s interesting there to me, I don’t know, I feel like there might have been a couple of times in my life I just, wow, was that an angel? Because somebody just came out of nowhere, made a big impression on me and I really just had this feeling of love and warmth and encouragement and just wanted to hear what they had to say. And I don’t know if that’s it or not, but it just is almost a feeling of reverence kind of thing.

[01:13:05] Almost know. I know we’re not supposed to worship anything but God, but I hope you understand what I’m saying. I’m in the presence of an angel. John even did it, he wanted to go bow down and worship the angel. Oh no, don’t you worship me, worship God.

[01:13:21] But even in the presence of an angel, I think we sense a presence of goodness and of love. And maybe I’ve experienced that a couple of times in my life, I don’t know for sure. I know JD. Or not JD. But Mike and Justin have talking about the guy that was sitting across the street as they did street preaching.

[01:13:49] And they wondered was that an angel unaware? I don’t know. Could have been. But I do believe that angels are among us kind of thing. I believe sometimes God sends angels on our path for as ministering angels to direct us, to guide us, to give us encouragement.

[01:14:08] And they could be angels unaware, I don’t know. I do know that we shouldn’t worship them. They’re God’s messengers there to help us, to encourage us, to give us direction. So just remember that those you come across, you don’t know who they may be, it could be homeless person, it could be whoever, but it may be a messenger of God. Keep your eyes and ears open to the message of God’s words.

[01:14:37] That’s what angels are, are ministering spirits that bring encouragement and messages from God. And when he sends those, I believe he really wants to get our attention. So I’ll go on from that. Remember those who are in prison as though in prison with them. And those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body, those who are being persecuted, maybe good in prison for their faith.

[01:15:04] Remember those, love those. Love those people as if you’re in prison too with them, that you could be there too. They’ve been mistreated. You could been mistreated. Pray for those because you are the body of Christ.

[01:15:23] When one member of the body, he says suffers, all the members suffer. Love those. Pray for those not only the household of God, but to all you come in contact, who knows who you’re going to come across?

[01:15:41] I don’t know. It could have been an angel. Could be someone that’s unsaved, that just needs to see the love of Jesus. They’re kind of in prison, they’re in bondage to sin. As Christians we should show them love and kindness.

[01:15:59] I’ve always said that when someone comes across your mind and I don’t know if you’ve ever done that, I’m sure you have. I think most people do. And I tell my people at my church that when you think of me now, I don’t mean this egotistical at all, but if I ever cross your mind, would you just stop and say a prayer for me? Because I firm believer that God puts people in our mind. He’s done it with me and JD and done it with me and Mike and some of you and Chris.

[01:16:30] And I know he’s going through some things and I’ll be just in the morning drinking my coffee or something and somebody will come to mind and I just feel like it’s very important at that time. Lord, I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know where they’re at. They’re being tempted, they’re going through a struggle, they’re going through a trial. But you placed them on my heart and I want to lift them up to you. I want you to encourage them, to strengthen them, to help them in whatever they’re doing.

[01:16:58] And I think that’s very important to us as Christians as you think of those who are fighting the fight every day and going through struggles and if God places them on your heart, just stop it. It’ll have to be a long, drawn out prayer, but just a prayer that God help them, encourage them. He puts people on our hearts for a reason. Absolutely. So don’t forget that when you think of somebody, don’t just yeah, Brother Kenny, he’s all right.

[01:17:27] That Hebrew study, I wish he’d done this or wish he’d done that. Maybe he talks too much, he’s got his old country accent. No, I don’t think about all that stuff. Just say, Lord, I don’t know what Brother Kenny’s going through today, but I lift him up to you. He may need encouragement, he may be struggling with a sin, he may be this, he may be that.

[01:17:49] But will you just have your perfect would you show him your perfect will and way and help him to do it today? I would. Thank you for it and I will do the same for you. That’s how we show that we love one another in the body of Christ. We love one another.

[01:18:05] The best thing you could ever do for a person is pray for I firmly believe that. Anyway, I’ll keep going. I’m running out of time. Verse four. Let marriage be held in honor among all and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexuality, immoral and adulteress.

[01:18:32] This era is talking about the ultimate act of love in a marriage. If you understand marriage, it is a perfect picture of Christ and his bride, of how Christ gave Himself for the Church, for his body, and as a husband and wife, come together as one and love one another. And they have this intimacy with one another. That’s why marriage is so important to God. That’s why he puts such emphasis on the marriage, but those outside the marriage.

[01:19:12] That’s why he doesn’t want you going outside the marriage and doing immoral things and being adulterous because it’s a picture of Christ and his bride of Christ and his church. And he wants that as Christians especially, to be a good example to the world of who he is to us. So keep your life free from the love of money and be content with all that you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Here. I think this goes back to chapter twelve.

[01:19:50] And he says, put away all those weights that so easily beset us.

[01:19:57] The love of money can be a weight that so easily if you get so tied up. And I want more. And I want more. And I want this promotion. I want to make more money.

[01:20:06] I want a bigger house. I want a better car. I want a boathouse. I want a boat. I want this, I want that.

[01:20:12] You’re all wrapped up in I want and trying to get more, and there’s no contentment. See, I preached on this lesson, learning to be content with what God’s given you. God will never leave us or forsake us. He will supply all of our needs. Not wants, but needs according to his riches and glory.

[01:20:40] He promises us that. And if my Heavenly Father thinks that I need it, I can be rest assured he will supply it. But if I don’t need it, he won’t supply it. And I should be content with that. I told him that.

[01:20:54] There’s a lot of people out there wanting to win this lottery and win all these things. Oh, if I just had the lottery, I would be sick for life and I would be okay. That’s not contentment. God’s probably trying to spare you from a lifetime of struggle and misery by not letting you win that lottery. To be honest with you, if you’ve ever studied those who win it, five or ten years down the road, they’re more broke than they were before they won the lottery, and they get in a world of mess.

[01:21:22] And he’s saying, don’t love money. Be content where you have which what you have, because your Heavenly Father will supply all you need. He’ll never leave you. So our goal is not materials or riches. If it is, then our focus is not on the Lord.

[01:21:42] He’s quoting here, I’ll never leave you, nor forsake you, just so you know. Deuteronomy 31 eight. So he says in verse six, we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?

[01:22:00] Goes back again, reminding the verse of Jesus says, don’t worry about the one that can destroy the body, worry about the one that can destroy both the soul and body. So whatever man can, even if I die, I have heaven. Paul says in Corinthians, I know all things will work tonight, even if I die, but my helper is the Lord. I don’t have any fear of death, because after death, I have eternity with God, my Savior. And he’s quoting here, psalms 118, verses six through seven, the Lord is on my side.

[01:22:37] I will not fear. What can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my part with them that help me, therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. So now, verse seven, remember your leader in this last chapter. He’s just going through all those we should love and be kind to and respectful to and give honor to, as examples of our Christian walk, those we’re living by faith in Jesus Christ, then we don’t have the love of money.

[01:23:10] We’re content with what God supplies for us. We love the brethren. We love those we come across. And he’s saying, Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you, the word of God, in particular, those who share the word of God with you. Love them because why consider the outcome of their lifetime and intimidate their faith.

[01:23:34] Those guys are concerned for your soul enough to share the good news of the gospel with you. Remember those love, those that put much time into that and that care for that. That’s their objective.

[01:23:52] I think this verse, honestly, as a pastor, just doesn’t terrify me. But just boy gives me a sense of, wow, a burden almost that irresponsibility that God puts on me because he just thank goodness he helps me every day do this. But I don’t take being a pastor lightly at all. I don’t take these Bible lessons that we’re having here on this lightly at all, because a verse like this right here consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Oh, man.

[01:24:37] That to me, just a leader or pastor ought to live a life acceptable to others because they’re watching. They’re watching how I respond. They’re watching how much I love. They’re watching how much long suffering I have, the life that I live. Wow.

[01:25:02] That humbles me. But I honestly, wow. I don’t feel I can even measure up to that. But it also yeah, the way I do my tongue. My brother, like many of you, become teachers knowing that you should receive a stricter judgment.

[01:25:23] Absolutely. That’s why I say I don’t take this lightly at all because I don’t answer to you. I have to answer to God. And I know my God is a consuming fire, but thank God I’m covered under the blood of Jesus. But I don’t know how to explain the burden that I feel is on me sometime as a pastor or just teaching here.

[01:25:51] Boy. Lord, I pray often. Don’t let me lead anybody astray. Don’t let me say something that’s not true. Don’t let me confuse somebody with the truth of your Word.

[01:26:02] Let it be clear. Let the Holy Spirit speak and not me, because if it’s me talking, I’m going to mess up the Holy Spirit’s talking. I can rest assured and be confident in him. But I think we could apply this also to our parents. Parents, you have little children watching you.

[01:26:21] You’re leaders. You’re to show them the way of the Lord. You’re to raise them in the nurture and admission of the Lord. You’re their spiritual leaders. They’re watching your way of life and they’ll imitate your faith.

[01:26:36] I had a great blessing day. My boys love to ride these side by side. I have to tell you this story because I had a proud daddy moment today. My son was out with his little seven year old son riding these razors, and he’d got him a little one, and they were going through some pretty difficult time. They came up to one place and the seven year old and his little small razor thing, little 200 or something, he’s like, Daddy, I don’t know if I can do it.

[01:27:03] I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared. I’m scared. And my son, this is my proud daddy moment. My son just encouraged and said, you can do it, my son. I got all the confidence in the world of you.

[01:27:19] And he said, let’s pray and ask Jesus to help you get through this little area. And my little seven year old grandson prayed and asked God to help him. Or six year old grandson asked God to help you go through it. That about didn’t mean much to you, but oh, my goodness, what it meant to me as a daddy that I had taught my children to depend on the Lord, to trust Him no matter what he does, no matter where, even if he’s driving a razor through a difficult train. Now he’s showing my little grandson, oh, it’s awesome to me.

[01:27:55] We’re leaders to our children. We’re leaders to our congregation. Some of you are leaders on here. People are watching. And when they do things like that, what a blessing, what a joy to see them to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, to trust Him and depend on Him and put their faith in Him no matter what.

[01:28:16] Because of verse eight, jesus is the same yesterday and the day forever. That’s what I told y’all. My job is to point you to Jesus Christ, not to me, because Kenny’s going to fail you. Mike’s going to fail you. JD’s going to fail you.

[01:28:31] All these big name people, their preachers are going to fail you. But if we all point you to Jesus, he will never fail you, because he is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will never fail you. You’ll never come away from Jesus disappointed if you put your faith and trust in Him, being content in Him.

[01:28:56] All this is good stuff here. Let me move on. Do not be led away with divers and strange teachings. For is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods which have not benefited those devoted to them. What’s he talking about here?

[01:29:14] Focus on the grace of your salvation, not on religious rituals, not on legalism. You see so much of that on TikTok. All this legalism legalism. You’re saved by grace, lived by grace, people. And if you can get that in your heart and in your mind, what joy is in your heart from that?

[01:29:35] Knowing that the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, and his grace and his grace alone each me, day in and day out. And I know that I’m his child and he loves me. And if I get off the path, he’s going to lead me gently back and he’s going to restore me into that fellowship. It’s not about religious rituals of what I can do and how I can try to please God. The only thing I ever did to please God was to believe on His Son and accept Him as my personal savior.

[01:30:08] That’s the only thing you’ll ever do to please God. And I put my faith and trust in Him. I got to keep going. I got to stop preaching and keep going. I’m telling you, Hebrews, those who say, oh, it’s not written to us.

[01:30:22] There’s no gift. Well, you are missing some great rich stuff in the Word of God. Verse ten, we have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. He’s talking about the tabernacle, the tent of Moses. Those who serve day in and day out and doing all these tabernacle.

[01:30:45] He says, stop being Hebrews. Stop all those sacrificial things. Those who do that, they’re not even in the family of God. If that’s what they’re dependent on for salvation. They don’t even have the right to sit at Jesus table.

[01:31:03] I got to keep moving for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest, whose sacrifices were sin are burned up outside the camp. They would take these sacrifices and burn them up outside the camp. So Jesus suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. You know, when they would take that sacrifice all the way back in the tabernacle of Moses, all the way back in the Old Testament, and they would take that sacrifice after they got the blood, and they would finish consuming it. Outside the camp was a picture of Jesus being taken outside the city, all the way outside the city on a hill called Galgotha, where he hung and died and bled for the sins of the world.

[01:31:54] Outside the city was a picture of Jesus, even in that. So Jesus suffered outside the gate, this time about outside the gates of the city of Jerusalem, where he went out on Mount, on Zion and died for the sins of the world, to sanctify the world or the people through his own blood. Therefore, let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. Let us go out to be with Jesus, to identify with Him. Don’t be led away with these false teachings and these doctrines of legalism and the law and the sacrifices.

[01:32:38] He says, stop doing all that and identify with Jesus Christ. So therefore, let us go to Him outside the Cab. Verse 14 for here we have no lasting city, but we seek a city that is to come. This is what we talked about a week or so ago that Abraham looked for a city, a heavenly city, a heavenly home. We know this place is not our home.

[01:33:09] Heaven is our home. That’s why we never find real contentment here, because we have a home in heaven eternal. We’ll never find true satisfaction or peace here on earth, but we find it in heaven, in our heavenly own. Verse 15 through Him, then, let us continually offer up sacrifices of what? Praise to God.

[01:33:32] Not sacrifices of blood and bulls and goats, but of praise to God that is the fruit of the lips that acknowledges his name. Praise the Lord our God, for his goodness, for his mercy and his grace, for this offering of sin in our place. Stop being Hebrew, stop doing these sacrifices and look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. What sacrifices?

[01:34:05] Blood? Bulls and goats? No, to do good to those, to love one another, to care for one another, to present it, as in Romans twelve one, to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God, not blood of bulls and goats, a life that says, father, your will, not mine. I put my full trust and faith in you, Lord, as Isaiah said in Isaiah, chapter six, here am I, send me that’s, presenting your body a living sacrifice. And by the way, if I haven’t told you I believe Hebrews twelve, one and two people look at that as a command that you present your bodies a living sacrifice unto the Lord, unto God, only acceptable, and they go as a command.

[01:34:55] I say it’s a way of living the Christian life. That’s the only way you can do it. You get up every morning and say, like Isaiah said, Lord, here am I, send me that’s, presenting your body a living sacrifice. And if you go on down through that, when you have that kind of attitude of here am I, Lord, you deal with me today what you would have me do. Then he gives you the gifts, then he gives you the faith, then he gives you, as you read on down through Romans twelve, those things to equip you and to do, those things he wants you to do.

[01:35:29] For Philippians 213 for it is God who wills, and to do his good pleasure. It is God. All he wants us to do is say, here am I, Lord, send me oh boy, let me keep going, I’m about out of time. Verse 17 obey your leader, submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your soul. And as those who have to give an account this is what Chris put up while ago in James, what he was talking about, the more severe punishment or judgment, I guess you could say, for those who want to be leaders.

[01:36:11] Where those have to give an account, I have to answer to God. Those pastors have to answer to God. You don’t feel like you have to get a pastor on the right path. And I know sometimes you have to take care of business and things that ought to be taken care of. But if a pastor or Sunday school teacher, deacon, just a Bible teacher, Mike, JD, me, anybody gets out of line, you can rest assured God will take care of us and will put us back on the right path.

[01:36:39] He will take care of his children, and he especially takes care of those that call themselves preachers and teachers. We give an account to God. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you guys. There’s a lot of times I’ll tell my wife, get up on Sunday morning, I don’t want to go. That preacher is boring.

[01:37:02] And she has to remind me I’m the preacher.

[01:37:07] There are times that I’m just being just transparent, as they say, and openly I struggle. Sometimes I’m not sure if I can do this right, and I just don’t know. And there’s just times that I just like to go and listen to a good preacher preach, but I got to do it. And those times that I feel that way, it’s usually the times God really wants to speak through me the most, and I have no idea what he’s going to do. Those are often the sweetest times of fellowship and the sweetest times of worship that we have in our church.

[01:37:43] When Satan is working so hard to distract me and I find that those are the greatest blessings to me, when I can just with joy say, I’m going, no matter what, to serve my king. And no matter what happens, I hope that the Lord lets me point people to Jesus. That’s what he says in verse 18. Pray for us. We go through these struggles too.

[01:38:10] We have these pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience. Desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you to more earnestly do this in order that I may be restored to you sooner. Pray for us. I want to come and have fellowship with you and commune with you and just have these wonderful times of worship together.

[01:38:36] I want to do those things, and I’m doing it with a clear conscience. A lot of people think this is why Paul wrote it, because this sounds very much like Paul and what he talked about in two corinthians to those for it, that I’ve got a clear couch, that I’m doing this out of a pure heart. I’ve accepted no money from you, but it’s because I love you that I’m coming to do this. Paul loved the Jews. He loved them so much he wished that he could die and go to hell if they could be saved.

[01:39:09] That’s pretty bold. But he was expressing his love for the Jews. And a lot of people think just some statements like, this is exactly why Paul wrote this book. We don’t know. It doesn’t say.

[01:39:21] But he’s a very strong pin. Let me keep going. I’m about out of time. I urge you more earnestly do this in order that I may be restored to you soon. Again, very familiar to the kind of language that Paul would write as he’d write to the letters to.

[01:39:39] The churches that I want to come be with you, be with you soon. He says. Now may the God this is his closing statements that he’s making now. Verse 20 of Hebrews 13. Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, he’s closing in a prayer for them.

[01:40:05] Equip you with every good, everything good that you may do his will. Do his will. What’s that? Love one another. Love Him.

[01:40:18] The fruits of the spirit. Obey. Trust Jesus Christ, your personal savior, and obey him. Love one. We obey him by loving one another and loving God working in us that you may obey to do his will.

[01:40:35] Working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, doing God’s will through how do we do those things? Through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. So he starts out verse 20. And then it’s almost just like a peace, a prayer for them that this is the way you live.

[01:40:59] Not through temple worship and sacrifices and eye priest and all that legalistic system, but you’re out of a heart of love, a broken and contrite heart and a heart of love, because you love God, you love His Son, and you love one another. You want to do his will and you can do his will because he is working in us to do what’s pleasing in his sight. Again, I told you one of my favorite verses that gives me so much liberty is Philippians 212 through 13. Wherefore beloved, as many as obeyed, not as in my presence only how much more in my absence? Work out your own salvation.

[01:41:46] Not work for, but work out. Learn to trust him. Learn to live in faith, learn to love Him. Learn to put your hope in Him with fear and trembling for God, which worketh in you both to will. So God even gives me the will to want to do, and he gives me the do to do his good pleasure.

[01:42:11] He gives me both. If I just say, here am I, Lord. Send me. God’s not through with you yet. No matter how far Satan may take you, just keep trusting Him, keep looking to Him.

[01:42:30] Let me do the final verses here. I appeal to you, brothers. Bear with my word of exhortation for I have written to you briefly this is 13 chapters or this letter that he felt that he had written briefly to them but was so rich and so probably took us what? 14, 15 hours of studying well, of just going through it. And I had countless hours of studying to bring this out.

[01:43:01] But he calls it briefly that you should know that our brother Timothy has set release at whom I shall see you if he comes soon. Now, a lot of your translations, I think, the ESV and some of my things Will Say written by Timothy because it mentions this is about the only name here of the New Testament that’s mentioned, I guess, is Timothy. So some think Timothy wrote it, but he’s actually making a reference. You should know that our brother Timothy has been released and with whom I shall see if he comes soon. So he’s talking about Timothy?

[01:43:50] I don’t know. I guess Timothy could it doesn’t say, but this sort of seems OD to me that it was written by Timothy when the writer of this is talking about Timothy. So there could have been dual. Maybe this part was part that was sort of touched in here as a final greeting. I’m not for sure, but this is the final greeting.

[01:44:12] Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. We know Paul was in Rome and Italy, so it could have been Paul. Grace be with you all. So the old thing is to know the superiority of the person of Jesus Christ, to put our trust in his superior priesthood, to live in the superior principle of faith, to build your life on the things of heaven that will never be shaken.

[01:44:46] Be confident. Jesus saves to the uttermost. Jesus is enough. You Hebrews. Stop acting like Hebrews and trust him.

[01:44:59] Amen. Amen. And we got six minutes to spare. That concludes our study in Hebrews. Any questions, thoughts, comments?

[01:45:13] With our few minutes, we have I’ll stay as long as you want to stay. I hope this has been helpful to you, but most of all, I hope this has pointed you closer to Jesus Christ, to your walk with Him, to understand all that he’s done for us, that we are complete in Him, in his finished work on the cross.

[01:45:42] Amen. I needed this, too. You all don’t understand a lot of times preachers, teachers and all that, we often get way more out of it than you do. And a lot of times, when I’m standing and preaching and everybody thinks I’m preaching to them, I’m actually preaching to me. God speaks to me just as much as he does you.

[01:46:04] Thank you, Chris. I hope you’re doing good again. We’ll have all of them on audio recording.

[01:46:17] Why can I never think of that word? It’s in the library, in the depository. I got it that time.

[01:46:29] Thank you. Praise the Lord for that. Tammy, thank you very much. All glory to God.

[01:46:37] I will if people want me to do some more, I don’t mind doing studies. I love it. I love trying to help people to understand and me trying to help people understand, I get more understanding, too.

[01:46:58] Ashley, I’m glad you’re here. Thank you for helping all those kept putting up verses and all those things. Awesome job. Thank you so much for doing that and keeping up with all my I know I throw out a lot of verses sometimes, but like I said, I like for you to see God’s word, not what’s getting.

[01:47:19] Yeah, I think that JFK depository. Okay, I got it. But as I said, if you want to go back and catch up, hebrews is a book that you have to not only take in context of the chapter or certain set of verse, but I think you have to understand in the whole context of Hebrews because he begins at ground level and he keeps building and building and building and building and building until chapter ten, verse 26, it says, guys, if you don’t do all that, if you reject that, there’s nothing else left. And you got to accept the sacrifice that Jesus made and his finished work. If you don’t do that, there’s nothing else left.

[01:48:06] And then he goes on to tell them how to live that Christian life now that it’s all gone.

[01:48:16] Thank you, Maris. Good to have you here tonight. We’re all the chain. What is this? A little screen pop up on my phone.

[01:48:27] I don’t know what that was. Any more comments?

[01:48:35] Thank you, Chris. Hope you’re doing well. It’s been very hectic for me for the last couple of weeks and I’ve missed your studies on job. But now that I got this done, maybe I can get more in with chris is doing a study on job and some other studies get involved with those things. They’re good studies as well.

[01:49:03] Let’s close the word of prayer real quick and wouldn’t hang out long as you want to, but I’ll just close the word prayer. Father. We just thank you again for your word. We thank you for Jesus in those precious blood, his finished work on the cross that in Him and through Him we can do all things. We are complete in him.

[01:49:21] We just help you pray, Father. Just help us to live by that faith that you want us to have, to know that you love us unconditionally and to love one another. We just thank you and praise you for that. Thank you for all that have joined in the study. Lord, I pray now that the Holy Spirit would just impress upon them Your Word, to see the truth of Your Word, to know those and impress upon their heart in their mind that they see and hear the truth of Your Word and to be doers of that Word.

[01:49:51] Thank you and praise. Unite for all Your goodness to us in Jesus’name I pray. Amen.