Hebrews Chapter 11 (part 1)

Hebrews Chapter 11

vs. 1, 3: FAITH IN THE UNSEEN

- Dictionary.com has the definition of faith as:

1. Confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.

2. Belief that is not based on proof.

3. Belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion.

4. Belief in anything, as a code of ethics standards of merit, etc.

5. A system of religious belief.

- I like the second definition... I think that is an accurate description of the faith that we're going to be talking about in this chapter.

- “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

- We know what this looks like in a Spiritual context... but thinking about practical, everyday instances... I thought of a few things...

- We have faith in gravity. We have a confidence in walking outside and expecting to stay on the ground and not float away into space somewhere. You can't see gravity. You can see it in action... lol but you can't see it. You can feel it moving... when you trip and fall, or take a wrong step on a set of stairs... You know that it exists... and you know that it's working... but you can't SEE it.

- Wind. You can feel it. You can see it's effects. You can figure out how fast it's going... but you can't SEE it. You can't grab hold and hang on to it... and yet you know that it exists...

- I was thinking about some of the science equations we had to work out in science class when I was in high school. There was an equation for momentum, for gravity, for force... and none of those things can you really pin down... but somebody at some point... came up with an equation to figure out how they worked and why they worked...

- Maybe that's why faith in God is so hard sometimes... there's no equation for proving God. There's no scientist or great preacher who has sat out and reasonably argued God with something in math or science that makes sense to the greater population.

- And yet... there's all this proof. The intricacy of our own bodies screams of a creator. The earth and all the things they keep finding in science that are just amazing feats of creation... scream of a creator... a planner... a mastermind. (If you have the opportunity, there's a series of DVD's titled the Truth Project offered by Focus on the Family ministries that is great!)

- “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

- The way so many things just work... and there's no really good explanation as to how or why they all happen to work together at the same time... in just the right way.

- There's too much proof for it to just be coincidence... and yet there are so many people who have decided that unless they SEE God... God doesn't exist. They're not going to believe in something they can't see... and yet they already do! They will believe that gravity exists... because they've experienced it in action... but because God doesn't work out their lives the way they think He should... they deny the actions that they see Him taking. They deny His effects...

- So how can we have confident faith in something that we can't see... and we can't prove?

- Personal experience. Personal walk. And personal relationship.

- That doesn't sound like much when you're looking at it from the point of view of explaining the proofs to an unbeliever...

- But I think for someone who is struggling with what to believe, or should they believe, then sometimes I think that our lives speak volumes. When we actively seek God... and when we are open about trusting God... and then God comes through? What better witness to the power and awesomeness of God?

- If someone is really looking for God... seeking to make a decision... God can and will use our lives to show them proof... if we're willing to possibly go through some trials in the process...

- I think one of the greatest ways we show God is in how we live our lives. It's not the ONLY way... but there is something to be said for the watching of a life.

- I've heard a hundred times... “If you wanna know what kind of husband a man will be... watch how he treats his mother and sister.”

- And the same holds true for our Christian walk... If you wanna know how someone's Spiritual life is going... see how they respond to situations. See how they treat those around them... both close friends or family and acquaintances.

- Now granted... everybody has an off day now and again... but do they realize it and go ask for forgiveness when they lose their temper? Or do they insult or put others down without a thought as to the pain caused?

- Our faith can be an open book if someone's watching us. And if they knew us BEFORE Christ walked into our hearts... and then see the change start to happen... Sometimes THAT is a GREAT witness.

- I heard a pastor call in to KLOVE radio the other day and he said that he had been in jail. And when he became a pastor of this church in his hometown, a lot of the people who started coming, came, because they knew what he'd been before and they figured that something in this Jesus thing must be the real deal.

- How does your book of faith read?

- James 2:14-26

- Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-8:39

- Galatians 3:1-14

vs. 2, 6: REPUTATION

- “Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.”

- Not through their good works. Not through their money. Not through the way they treated their families... through their FAITH.

- We have this guy playing football in the USA right now... Tim Tebow. And this poor guy has been getting some flack from a lot of people. He's very open about his faith. Always has been. And so he uses football as a platform. Not like... every time he's on TV he's preaching a sermon or anything... but he always gives God the praise. Any chance he gets, he gives honor, where honor is due.

- And they're trying to make it so that if he does play (more frequently...) for the pro team... that he can't use his standing as a quarterback on the team as a way of expressing his faith... good grief... what happened to freedom of speech? Just saying....

- Mom was talking this morning about it... she said you know... were it not that he was convicting people through the way he speaks and through the way he lives... they wouldn't care. If they could find dirt on him from somewhere that proved he was a hypocrite.... they'd let it go. They wouldn't even worry about it... but because they can't find anything wrong with him... they're trying to shut him up.

- Our faith may not make us popular... but if we live it out... it will definitely make us known in some way, shape, or form. There will be something that stands out to someone... good or bad...

- The people of faith that we're going to talk about in this chapter... sometimes were looked up to... and sometimes... were ridiculed and sometimes WEREN'T perfect. Sometimes were killed... Their faith did not always seem like the most beneficial decision at the moment, for that time... But in the long run... their names were recorded down as faithful people, honored by God as such.

- So when things start looking rough... hang in there... even though life in this world may look desperate... or dim... or just plain rotten... The end reward is greater than a little comfort for a fleeting time... (I know... easier said than done...)

- “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”

- I Peter 1:3-7

- Mark 4:13-20

- II Timothy 3:10-17

- Revelation 2:9-11

vs. 4: ABEL

- “It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel's offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed His approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.”

- In Genesis 4, we have the story of Cain and Abel.

- Both sons grew up to do different things. Abel grew to be a shepherd and Cain a farmer. When the time came to offer gifts to God, Abel brought a lamb... and Cain brought some of his crops.

- Now I know later in Israel's history, there were sacrifices of grain etc. given at the temple... but it was a tithe... not an offering for sin. Only blood covers sin...

- When Abel and Cain brought their gifts... it was an offering to God. Now, it doesn't say anything about setting up a sacrificial system or even telling them that blood was necessary...

- However... when Cain got upset about his offering not being accepted... God said that he would be accepted if he would do what was right. So apparently... he knew what was right... and chose not to do it.

- Now in my mind... Abel brings a lamb... something that he has raised... something that was his... Cain also... brought something that he had raised... something he'd worked on.

- Cain... brought his works before God. He brought something to show off. “Oh God! Look at me! Look what I did! Are you proud of me? I worked so hard for this!”

- So many times... we as Christians do the same thing... “Oh God! Did you see what I did? I gave an extra $50 this week at church!” or “I went on a mission trip to help those less fortunate than me. Does that give me extra points?”

- Cain came... and God said... no... I want the better thing. Do the right thing... and I'll accept your offering... But if you don't... beware! For Satan is waiting... watching at your door... He is eager to control you... but you must subdue it and be its master!

- Cain let his pride get in the way. It never says that Cain went and found a right offering and brought it before God. It never says that he humbled himself and decided to do right...

- Instead... Cain waited. He let bitterness and anger simmer within. He let jealousy boil up. He let sin have control.

- So one day... he had sat and thought long enough... that he landed upon a solution. Kill Abel. Get the one who had shown him up out of the picture. (You know the type, they like to make someone else look bad so they look good—power of life and death are in your words!)

- Instead of following the directive from God... Cain chose to live in rebellion. All this could have been avoided if Cain had simply turned and got a lamb... whether he had one or had to get one from Abel... and offered it in the place of the vegetables or fruit or whatever.

- But Abel... for that one act of obedience. That one moment of righteousness... is listed as a man of great faith.

- In I Samuel there's a verse that says that “obedience is greater than sacrifice.” Cain may have brought something of himself... may have worked hard for this offering... but it wasn't given in obedience... he didn't do what was “right”. So... Abel's gift was accepted... and Cain... was told to take another try at it.

- So for Abel's obedience... he was accepted by God through his faith.

- I Samuel 15:22-23

- II Corinthians 9:10-15

- Romans 6:15-23

vs. 5: ENOCH

- “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.”

- Genesis 5:21-14

- Enoch's story... even though it's only a few verses... is fascinating to me.

- Chapter 5 is basically a genealogy. So and so had so and so who had so and so... and so on and so forth...

- But it pauses at Enoch. There was something important enough about this man, that the historian saw fit to mention it.

- “After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 356 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”

- Enoch had a relationship with God. A close enough relationship... that it made the headlines. :)

- He walked and talked with God... CLOSELY. And then one day... God decided it was time to take their relationship to the next level so to speak... and God took him home.

- I wonder if he was out one day walking and talking with God... by himself... or if he was like... in the middle of a crowd somewhere.

- Elijah was the only other man in the bible to be taken and not die... And he kept trying to get off by himself. The only reason Elisha saw him go up... was because Elisha just wouldn't quit following him. Otherwise... Elijah too would have just disappeared.

- To me... that just sounds like an awesome way to enter the new life... Walking along... talking like always... and then all of a sudden... you're just moving on up to heaven... It's like eloping... LOL

- Enoch was known for his relationship with God. This was a man who spoke about his faith... and LIVED IT OUT. And it made an impact... that lasted for generations.

- This was not a faith that was persecuted. This was not a faith that was tried and accosted. This was a relationship that was founded on love and that grew deeper through knowing and understanding. This was a man who was seeking after God... and who was so in love with God.

- How many of us can say that our lives are reflections of a Love relationship with God that is growing deeper every day? Most of us have a need relationship with God. We walk through life on our own until we desperately need something from God... then we call out for rescue... and then we go back to walking through life on our own.

- Enoch had a daily walk that was intense. I can't imagine what kinds of things this man knew or learned about God. I can't imagine what kind of things they talked about.

- There's an old Wayne Watson song that says “I wanna be the kind of friend that Jesus would call, you know if He had a telephone, at the end of the day, just to talk about nothing...” Would that not be an awesome relationship? That was Enoch's relationship. Just spending time with God almighty... just talking. Hanging out. Best Friend... Wow...

- Verse 5 says that Enoch was known as a man who pleased God... and verse 6 says: It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”

- Enoch... sincerely sought after God... And just a side note... The name Enoch (according to babynames.com) means “Dedicated”. How appropriate is that? :)

- Romans 5:6-11

- Luke 12:16-21

- I John 1:5-10

- Philippians 3:7-11

vs. 7: NOAH

- “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned Him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.”

- Okay, so in Genesis chapter 6, we see God becoming angry with the actions of the world. The first couple of verses talks about “the sons of God” coming to take the “daughters of men”. And the daughters then bearing giants, called Nephilites.

- So I read through a lot of commentaries on the Nephilites. The word originates in Hebrew and the root word means “to fall”.

- One of the commentaries referred me to Jude 1:6. “And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged.”

- These descendents (possibly of these fallen angels) in some of the old writings (not necessarily Hebrew... some Greek, some Arabian...), were said to be men of evil basically. They were big, mean, men. One mentions a city of men who were “men of vast bodies, and of great strength, inventors of arms and music, were cannibals, and exceedingly debauched.” If that was the general trend of these men... whew! No wonder God was getting angry... I mean yeah... there's some good things in there... inventors... musicians... oh wait... cannibals... well that's not so great...

- Jude 1:6 goes on to say that “God has kept them [the fallen angels] securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment.”

- I wonder if that means that they have been chained up after their deaths awaiting the final judgment... or if that would in any way refer back to Romans 1...

- “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!”

- I wonder if God... because of their rebellion... just turned them over to evil... Let them do whatever evil things they wished... And hence... evil abounded... because of rebellion...

- Just a thought...

- But whatever the story was... the people of Noah's time... were exceedingly evil. Enough so that “the Lord was sorry He had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke His heart. And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.”

- BUT! “Noah found favor with the Lord.”

- So God told Noah to build the ark. Because a flood was coming. Now it had never flooded. Actually... up until this time... it hadn't really ever rained even.

- In Genesis 2, it talks about the springs coming up from the ground...

- “For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth.... Instead springs came up from the ground and watered all the land.”

- There had never been a flood. There hadn't been a ton of water. There were rivers... and springs... but... not rain and not floods.

- Now... Noah... starts preaching to the people. “God's going to destroy the land with a flood!” What in the world is a flood Noah? “It's water! The earth will be covered with water!” HAHAHAHAHAHA yeah right! Noah's a crazy old fool!

- And then Noah starts building a boat. A big one. Okay seriously Noah? There's no water around... and definitely not any body of water that's big enough for THAT thing...

- Here was a faith tested by ridicule. This was a faith persecuted. And yet Noah just kept plugging along. He preached every chance he got. For YEARS.

- We don't have an exact date on how long Noah had been building the ark or how long he'd been preaching... however... It does specifically mention that Noah was 500 years old when he was the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In Genesis 5:32. Then when God tells Noah to build the ark in chapter 6, it reiterates that he was the father of the three sons.

- In Genesis 11:10, it says that 2 years after the flood, when Shem was 100, he became a father...

- So if Noah was the father of all three of his sons at the time that God told him the flood was coming, then at the very minimum. VERY minimum... if Shem had JUST been born... the people were given 98 years before the flood.

- But regardless... there was definitely time given. Noah preached right up until the day God closed the doors.

- Now mom brought up a good point when we were talking about this. I always wondered about Noah's sons... if they ever wondered if their dad had lost it... If they ever thought he was an embarrassment. If they ever tried to convince him to give it up...

- But you know... if they were little kids when the building of the ark started... it was normal. They hadn't had time to be corrupted by the world. They didn't have friends who were telling them how crazy their dad was. They had probably been helping to build the thing from the time that they could hold a hammer...

- In addition... I wonder what kind of wives they found... if the wives were of the world and thought they'd married into a bunch of crazies... Or if they married young... like... age 12... as was at least normal later... and they just... fell right into the work along with the sons.

- So that's just a side thought... Just wonder what kind of people ended up in the ark... :)

- Anyway... Noah... had faith enough in God that he preached regardless of what kind of response he got. And because of this... he received “the righteousness that comes by faith.” Noah was counted as righteous because of his obedience... just like Enoch. And Abel.

- It wasn't because he sacrificed the right kind of lamb. Or because he wore the right kind of clothes. Or because he said the right kind of things. Or because he built a massively huge boat and saved his family from a flood... It was because he heard the voice of God... and obeyed... without question. Without hesitation. He just did it. And God honored that.

- I Peter 3:13-4:19

- John 15:9-16:15

- Matthew 5:3-12

- Romans 12:14-21

- Psalm 119:153-176

Hebrews Chapter 10 (part 2)

Hebrews Chapter 10:19-39

vs. 19-22

- The veil in the temple represented the separation of God from man. From the time of the fall of Adam, we have been unable to come before the throne of God on our own. We are now sin-covered. Our sin prevents us from having open communion with God.

- The veil was set up to protect us from the wrath of God at our sin. For our Holy God to come into contact with our filthiness... would demand that He destroy us.

- He threw Adam and Eve out of communion with Him because of their sin... and then subsequently set up a system that would allow that communion to be reestablished... at least to an extent.

- That system required a third party. There wasn't direct communication with God. You had to go to the temple and make a sacrifice and talk to a priest... Most of the time... the priests talked to God... I don't know how many people in Israel took the initiative to brave the wrath of God to form relationships with Him. We see that David did. And Solomon. And Joshua. The prophets. But... they seemed to have been an exception. Most of the people just let the priest do the talking for them...

- When Christ died and the veil ripped in two, it was no small task... It wasn't a little sheer veil. It was about 60 feet high, 30 feet wide, and 4 inches thick. That's no child's play. It has many times been noted, that when the veil split, it was split from the top to the bottom... or from heaven... to earth. Man wasn't going to be able to rip that veil apart and survive the task... God on the other hand... could.

- Because of the death of Christ, we now have access to the Father. The separation has been done away with. Open communication has been reestablished. The blood of Christ... has bridged the gap.

- “By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.”

- Because of His death, Christ became our High Priest. He is our advocate before the throne. He is our mediator.

- “And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

- Not only have our sins been washed away... but our consciences have been cleared. Something the animal blood never did. We have been washed clean... inside... and out. We have been given a second chance... a new start. A clean slate, so to speak.

- I mean how awesome is that!?

- Matthew 27:50-52

- Luke 23:44-46

- I John 2:1-6

- John 14:23-29; 16:5-15

vs. 23-25

- “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”

- What kind of promises? “I am with you always.” “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Those are good right? How about... “In this life you will have trouble”? “They will hate you for my namesake”? Not all of God's promises were the happy kind. There were some that were... less than happy sounding...

- Which is why those verses above are so important. We HAVE to hold fast. We HAVE to cling to God with all that we have... with all that we are...

- Otherwise... when those troubles and trials come... as He promised they would... well... we'll fall. Just like the man who built his house on the sand... our foundation will be swept away...

- In order to hold fast though... we need encouragement. We can't do it on our own. One lone stone can't hold up a house...

- When it speaks of not avoiding or neglecting to meet together... that's because... like it or not... we need each other. We need contact with other believers.

- If for no other reason than sharing our stories. Our story may help someone else... and their stories... may help us. But you don't know that if you keep yourself away from one another.

- And when the world is screaming at you that you're the only one. (Elijah thought he was the only one still serving the true God until God told him there were 7000 more! He didn't know this because he had been hiding out from Ahab.) That there's nobody else in the world who thinks like you do. Or believes like you do. Or that you've just gone and lost your mind... religious fanatic... you just need some professional help to get over the sickness... you have a group of people to fall back on, who can remind you of who God is... what He is... and why He is...

- As believers, our job is to build one another up.

- This walk doesn't get any easier...

- I was talking to a friend today about comfort zones...

- I don't think God has such a thing as a comfort zone in mind for us. Comfort zones... mean apathy... and He doesn't like apathy... If we are walking with God and letting God do a work in our lives and hearts... there's no way we're going to settle in to a comfort zone.

- Most of the time that means that He allows things in our lives that seem really hard. Forget seems... They ARE hard. But it's a growing process. There IS a reason behind it...

- As we wind down to the end of time... things aren't going to get any easier... in fact... they're probably going to get even harder... and the harder they get... the more desperately we need one another to help us along.

- A stone alone... may stand okay on it's own... but it erodes more quickly in the elements...

- Deuteronomy 30

- I Thessalonians 5:12-22

- II Thessalonians 2:13-17

vs. 26-31, 37-38

- “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God's judgment and the raging fire that will consume His enemies.”

- Now this verse has been looked at as very harsh by many people... And it sounds harsh. I mean... once we become Christians we can never sin again? No mistakes? Or we're going to be forever thrown out? I mean that sounds impossible!

- Because it is...

- The point in this verse is this: Once we come to a knowledge of who God is... once we take the step to accept God as savior... we should not go out into life with the intent to sin... because if we go into life after having that life-changing experience... there is no sacrifice that will cover those sins... because we are in effect, turning our backs on what we know to be the ONLY truth... and going back to our sin-filled life... with intent.

- Now I know everybody makes mistakes. Everybody sins probably every day... multiple times a day... there's no perfect life.

- okay... example. I am a sinner. Maybe I'm an alcoholic. Maybe I have a problem with sex. Maybe I am a drug addict. Whatever my sin is... I find Christ. I see Him as the Truth. I accept Christ into my life. I invite Him into my heart. And I change. My life is so great! I put away those things that were sin in my life. I have no desire to do them again!

- But about a month... or 4 months... or a year... or 5 years down the road... I start to think... man... I used to have so much fun when I was doing that thing. Or maybe... it was just habit when life got rough... and life starts getting rough... and instead of facing the challenge... I start... looking back at that thing that helped me get through before...

- And I turn... knowing that I'm not supposed to go back... and go back to my sin. Not just... a mistake. Not a slip-up. Not a word spoken at a wrong time... but I turn... and put myself back in a situation, or a lifestyle... that is contrary to what I know to be truth.

- That kind of sin... is rebellion. It is a turning away from God. It's idolatry. It's going back to those idols that I had set up in my life. We actually say to ourselves, “I know this is not what God would want me to do, BUT I'm going to do it anyway. We just turned our backs on the sacrifice Christ made for us. The ONLY sacrifice that can save us from our sins. There is no other sacrifice to be made.

- In that case... we are the goats... “Depart from me ye workers of iniquity... for I never knew you...”

- “For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to us. For we know the One who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The Lord will judge His own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

- I mean think about it... if this is a better covenant. A higher covenant. A covenant with deeper relationship... and men were killed for disobeying the first one? They died an earthly death for breaking the law... We will die an eternal death for turning away from God...

- It said that we would have “insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit.” I mean that's harsh. We just turned up our nose at the Almighty, Living, Holy God. YIKES!

- Down in verses 37 and 38, it says, “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

- God is a faithful God. And in answer to HIS faithfulness... He desires that we are faithful to Him as well.

- Romans 5:12-6:23

- II Peter 2:1-3:14

- II Corinthians 5:11-7:4

vs. 32-39

- “Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.”

- Again... to point out... we were not promised an easy life on this earth. The author precursors “you will receive all that He has promised”, with all the problems and sufferings that they've already had. Just because God promises us a paradise in the after life... does not mean that this life is going to even remotely resemble a paradise here...

- The author is talking about early zeal. When people first become Christians... they have this fire. This zeal. This burning to go shout it from the mountaintops that Christ is Lord and that their lives have been changed.

- In following Christ... sometimes that beginning fire... dies out pretty quick. We continue to live life. We go back to our jobs, or our school... our daily lives... and we settle into a routine... again. And then apathy starts to set in. Where in the beginning we would have died to fight our battles... now we stand and watch the battle from afar... hoping it doesn't effect us personally.

- God doesn't want apathetic followers. He wants sold out, on fire, ready to head into the heat of the battle followers.

- There's a saying that says something like “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And that can be taken two ways... 1. We pick up and fight back... or 2. we run away.

- What kind of Christian are you? Are the fighter who fights to the bitter end? Or are you the kind who stands back hoping that the people in front of you can finish the battle before you ever have to enter into any real combat? (Sometimes this means spending hours on our knees in spiritual warfare for our loved ones or the temptations we are going through. A literal fight or a rash word spoken in anger is not the way Jesus responded to his accusers).

- Hopefully... “We are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.”

- I John 2:7-17

- John 15:18-16:4

- Revelation 2:24-29

- I Corinthians 1:5-9

Hebrews Chapter 10 (part 1)

Hebrews Chapter 10:1-18

vs. 1-4

- “The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves.”

- The Mosaic law demanded a sacrifice every year. Never did the sacrifices provide a real cleansing or purification... it was only good for a year... then they had to come and do it all over again. “If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

- The main idea I want to point out here is about our guilt.

- There was a time in my life when I hit rock bottom in my faith. I had walked away from God... and He let me go... and life got miserable real fast...

- But when I finally broke down and cried out to God... He came running... and the great thing was grace...

- Now I know me. I sit and think about all my mistakes and go over them and over them time and again trying to figure out how I could have fixed them. It's just how my brain works. In my teaching, it comes in handy when I'm trying to find a better way to teach a lesson or something. In my music, it comes in handy when I have a short time to practice something.

- However, in general life... it can make life miserable. And I try my hardest not to sit and pick my life apart... it doesn't do any good... and usually just makes me more miserable.

- So... knowing that about myself... when I broke down and cried out to God... I was feeling the guilt. And even in the middle of turning to God... I was walking into this place of self-condemnation. “Oh God... You could never want me... there's no reason for me to turn to You because I've done all these things against You. I walked away and pushed You away and did all these things... I don't deserve to be able to come back. I don't deserve to be held like this...”

- And in the middle of all that... Grace took over... and you know... all those things that I would normally beat myself up about? I don't remember them. Not really. I remember that they happened. I remember that I did them. I remember walking away and telling God I didn't want Him in my life... but I don't remember it like I lived it. It's like watching a movie about somebody else's life. I have no REAL connection to the story. It's like I never lived it. Just know about it.

- So... the sacrifices. Yearly offerings to stave off God's anger... but they didn't relieve guilt. Man! I don't think I could have lived with that!

- It's like a murderer who feels guilty for what he has done and so he sends money or something to the family anonymously every year... hoping that giving something up will make him feel better. However... he's still as guilty as ever. He's still responsible for taking a life. He's not any less guilty. He might feel a little better for a little while... but I guarantee that there are times when it feels almost stifling because he can't escape the guilt.

- Sacrifices were a band-aid on a gashing, gaping wound. It may have covered up the problem... it may have even looked like it fixed it... but underneath... the same problem sat and bled...

- So what is the cure? What fixes the problem? Is there a solution?

- II Corinthians 3:4-18

- Luke 22:14-20

- Colossians 2:6-3:17

- Galatians 3; 4; 5

vs. 5-10

- vs 5-7 are quoted from Psalm 40.

- “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do Your will, O God—as is written about me in the Scriptures.'”

- Christ came to be the ultimate sacrifice. He came to end our suffering. To end our guilt.

- “First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were You pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then He said, “Look, I have come to do You will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”

- Now why would God set up a sacrificial system and then say that He wasn't pleased with it. Why do something like that and then decide it's not good enough?

- Throughout the Old Testament... there can be found a theme. “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” The sacrificial system was a shadow of what was to come. It was a pattern. It was to get the people used to the fact that something else had to die for their sins in order for there to be forgiveness. It was so they would learn that in all things... even down to the small things, they were to be obedient. And it was to definitely learn... that people are not perfect. They can't do anything perfect. And they are most definitely not holy. They have no right (outside of Christ) to enter into the Most Holy Place or speak before God. They have no right to ask anything from God.

- God set up the system so that when Christ came... they would look back through history and go “OH! It all makes sense now! I understand! Yes! The Messiah has come to set us free from our sins! He has come to be the ultimate sacrifice! He has come not for our earthly freedom, but for our SPIRITUAL freedom! Hallelujah!”

- But that's... not what they did. There were a few. Sure. But the majority had let the religion, get in the way of faith.

- I Samuel 15:22-23

- Psalm 40; 51

- Jeremiah 7:21-29

- Hosea 6:4-11

- Amos 5:18-27

- Micah 6:3-8

- Matthew 9:9-13

- The Hosea reference above said something about Israel betraying God's trust just as Adam did. God wanted the people to know Him. To understand Him. But instead... they turned back to their own idols... again... and again... and again... They broke the covenant so many times... and God would renew the covenant... and they would break it. A never-ending cycle.

vs.11-18

- In Leviticus 20:26, God said “You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.”

- A couple places in Leviticus when He's talking about things that were ceremonially unclean and things that they needed to stay away from, God made that statement.

- Now... as many times as God renewed the covenant and the temple was in good working order and there was a priest there who loved God and longed to serve God... the people were never holy. They always turned back to their sin... and many times... they tried to appease God, while still worshiping their idols. Not the way of a holy life...

- The people could never reach that goal. As humans... we are not holy creatures. We are born into sin... there's no way out of it...

- Except... through Christ. Through the blood of Christ... we can be made holy.

- “Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet. For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy.”

- Who's being made holy? Us. Through Christ living and dwelling and working in us.

- Last night we had a youth meeting at our house, and dad's lesson was on the clay and the potter. And my brother brought up a different point...

- My brother is an art major... so he's had to do a little bit of everything... pottery being one thing... He's not good at it. Lol He has a horrible time getting the shapes that he wants...

- But one thing that he learned while doing that class, was that you could keep both hands on the outside of the clay. If you keep both hands outside... then the vessel you're trying to make, just makes a round ball... and when you put something like that in the kiln to fire it... as soon as it gets hot... it explodes...

- So a potter... in order to get the vessel to shape the way they want it to... has to keep one hand on the outside working... and one hand on the inside working...

- God is making a holy people... but the old covenant... dealt mostly with the outward man... The new covenant, changes us from the inside out. Making us holy... starting with our hearts and spirits... not our bodies...

- “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, Says the Lord: I will put my laws int their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.... I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”

- “And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.”

- Okay think about that last statement for a second... the old covenant didn't forgive sins completely. It just held off judgment. The new covenant however... FORGIVES. Completely.

- Wow... what a thought.

- footnote- “The costly sacrifice of an animal's life impressed upon the sinner the seriousness of his or her own sin before God. Because Jesus shed His own blood for us, His sacrifice is infinitely greater than any Old Testament offering. Considering the immeasurable gift He gave us, we should respond by giving Him our devotion and service.”

- Romans 2:12-11:36

- Jeremiah 31:31-34

- Ephesians 4:17-5:20