WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.480 You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama. 00:00:06.980 --> 00:00:10.640 Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us. 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:19.260 Man, I'm so excited to be here. Let me preempt a question that I know is coming, and that is, 00:00:19.780 --> 00:00:25.839 no, my wife and children are not here as well. I told Will, I said, I can come, but my kids can't 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:30.980 come. He still said he wanted me to come. So for the crowd that's gathering with pitchforks back in 00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:36.960 the back, he'll just disperse. No riots. I will bring them back soon, and you all can see them soon. 00:00:37.619 --> 00:00:43.019 They were sad to not get to be here. People are asking about Florida, and I can tell you two 00:00:43.019 --> 00:00:48.780 things about Florida. One, you know, the people who come from the Northeast tell us you never have to 00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:56.480 shovel sunshine. You know, every day you wake up, and it's sunny again, and it's hot. And then the 00:00:56.480 --> 00:01:01.200 hardest decision you have to make is what color shorts am I going to wear today? Life in Florida 00:01:01.200 --> 00:01:08.159 really is good. We are blessed to be there, but I'm excited to get to be with you all this morning. 00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:15.460 If you have a Bible and you want to open it up to Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 10, we'll be looking at 00:01:15.459 --> 00:01:22.919 verses 19 through 39. You know, the Hebrews, like the song we just heard James sing, they were 00:01:22.919 --> 00:01:29.259 desperate people. They were desperate people who needed to be reminded of the gospel just like we 00:01:29.259 --> 00:01:35.879 need to be reminded of the gospel. They were considered to be historically faithful followers 00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:40.459 of Christ. They were Jewish people who were living in a really difficult time to be a Christian. 00:01:40.459 --> 00:01:48.459 The book of Hebrews was written around the year 70 AD, and if you know your church history, what was 00:01:48.459 --> 00:01:53.939 happening during the year 70 AD, it was persecution, right? Persecution was the order of the day, 00:01:54.399 --> 00:02:03.500 and Christians were being abused, tortured, tormented, and many of them killed for their faith. 00:02:04.019 --> 00:02:08.719 And so the call of the writer of Hebrews is stay faithful. If there was one theme to the book of 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:16.460 Hebrews, that would be it. Stay faithful to your heavenly Father. So look with me then at Hebrews 00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:20.680 chapter 10, verses 19 through 39. 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:28.120 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:33.639 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is through his flesh, 00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:41.079 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full 00:02:41.079 --> 00:02:48.339 assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from all evil conscience, and our bodies washed pure 00:02:48.339 --> 00:02:55.659 with water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is 00:02:55.659 --> 00:03:02.399 faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:08.060 together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day 00:03:08.060 --> 00:03:14.599 drawing near. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:20.680 there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire 00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:26.719 that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses died without mercy on the 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:33.099 evidence of two or three witnesses, how much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the 00:03:33.099 --> 00:03:38.120 one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he 00:03:38.120 --> 00:03:45.699 was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, vengeance is mine, 00:03:45.780 --> 00:03:52.620 I will repay. And again, the Lord will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands 00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:59.060 of the living God. But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured 00:03:59.060 --> 00:04:05.080 a hard struggling with suffering, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:11.560 sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:16.840 joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:23.639 possession, and an abiding one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 00:04:24.239 --> 00:04:29.939 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is 00:04:29.939 --> 00:04:37.039 promised. For yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay. But my righteous 00:04:37.039 --> 00:04:45.500 one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:53.920 who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. May God add 00:04:53.920 --> 00:05:02.139 his blessing to this reading of his word. Will you pray with me? Father, we are desperate people. 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:11.139 We need your grace. We need your presence. We need your Holy Spirit now as we consider your word. 00:05:11.139 --> 00:05:19.560 Father, would you speak through me? Would you speak despite me this morning? Father, administer the 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:26.099 balm of the good news of the gospel to us now. I pray these things in your heavenly son's name. Amen. 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:32.839 What does it mean to be called? What does it mean to be called? When you think about calling, maybe the 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:39.539 first thing you think about is, kids, if you're younger than the age of 30, there used to be a box that sat on 00:05:39.540 --> 00:05:43.920 the wall in your house, and someone would call you on this. Like, it would make this loud noise, and you'd 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:49.319 walk to it and pick it up off the hook, and you would answer it. And the person on the other end of 00:05:49.319 --> 00:05:54.060 the line, especially if you were in middle school or high school, they might be interested in you. They 00:05:54.060 --> 00:06:00.960 were calling you because they wanted to have a conversation with you, maybe to invite you to an 00:06:00.960 --> 00:06:07.540 event, to a relationship, right? Maybe think about calling that way. We have graduates here today, 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:12.760 right? And in a couple weeks, all those graduates are going to put on caps and gowns. They will hear 00:06:12.760 --> 00:06:19.600 a great speech, a few really great speeches. I've sat through plenty of those, by the way. I love you 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:24.640 students. I'm not going to miss that part of my job. You'll sit through a speech, and then your name 00:06:24.640 --> 00:06:30.840 will be what? It will be called. Your name will be called, and you will be declared a graduate, and then 00:06:30.840 --> 00:06:37.500 you will have a new calling. You will be called a college student, and maybe even called an adult. 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:45.420 Right? Parents, you had a calling to raise your children from birth up until, you know, roughly 00:06:45.420 --> 00:06:50.300 the age of 18, right, until they graduate from high school. Your calling was to parent them. You have 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:55.960 a new calling. You have a calling to still parent them, but to parent them in a new way, to parent 00:06:55.960 --> 00:07:03.220 them as you usher them into adulthood, right? Calling is that thing which leads us in our endeavors. 00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:09.500 It's the thing which dictates our behaviors. It's what helps us to arrange our priorities. It's what 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:16.400 generally leads us in our life. Dan Allender, who's a well-known Christian author and counselor, 00:07:16.540 --> 00:07:23.120 describes being in a motorcycle accident once, and he fell on the pavement, hit his head real hard, 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:28.980 and he blacked out. And he remembers coming to, and the paramedics were surrounding him, and they 00:07:28.980 --> 00:07:33.800 asked him, what is your name? That was the first question they asked, and he blanked. He didn't 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:37.840 know his name, but he was able to put these words together. He said, I don't know my name, but I know 00:07:37.840 --> 00:07:46.140 that I'm a counselor. He knew what his calling was. He knew how his life had been prioritized. He knew 00:07:46.140 --> 00:07:53.500 what he was supposed to do with his life. Calling is that thing which defines who we are. It's what 00:07:53.500 --> 00:08:00.199 is the charging force in our lives, and it's what leads us to do bold and sometimes outrageous and 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:07.939 crazy things. Calling is what leads us to adopt children. Calling is what leads us to choose the 00:08:07.939 --> 00:08:15.300 field of medicine because we want to help those who are sick. Calling is what chooses us to go into 00:08:15.300 --> 00:08:19.779 the field of education so that we can help the next generation, or social work so that we can help those 00:08:19.779 --> 00:08:27.619 who are marginalized and impoverished. Calling is what leads us to sell our house and give the equity 00:08:27.619 --> 00:08:34.639 to the poor. Calling is what leads us to pack up our family and belongings and move to the state of 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:42.759 Florida to pursue God's kingdom in a new place. It is the external force of God's Spirit working inwardly 00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:49.559 in us, working in our hearts and our minds and on our affections. The writer of the book of Hebrews 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:55.739 is issuing a call. He's issuing a call just like I want to issue a call to you seniors and everyone 00:08:55.739 --> 00:09:04.379 else here today, and the call is this, believe. Believe. To follow Christ is not going to come easy. 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:09.719 Hebrews, you know that. That's what the writer of Hebrews has told them, but you must believe. 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:19.620 You must have faith. You must follow God with all of your heart. For those who believe in Christ, 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:25.180 this is what your faith should look like, the writer of Hebrews says. So go ahead and pull out your 00:09:25.180 --> 00:09:31.500 bulletins. I've learned from my fellow pastors at Seven Rivers that you can never underestimate 00:09:31.500 --> 00:09:36.480 the power of a good fill-in-the-blank. So get ready to fill-in-the-blanks. Pull out those 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:42.879 bulletins, and let's jump in. What does it look like then to be called? To be called to obey? 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:49.659 The first is this, you must have faith in the great high priest. You must have faith in the 00:09:49.659 --> 00:09:55.240 great high priest. This is the first, most fundamental part of our call to believe. It's 00:09:55.240 --> 00:10:00.920 to have faith in another. In this case, to have faith in the great high priest. In order to appreciate 00:10:00.920 --> 00:10:05.759 this, you've got to remember the Hebrew audience. Remember the Hebrew audience, I said they were 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:12.039 Jewish Christians, and they were very familiar with this idea of priesthood. You know, the offices 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:17.080 that Christ fulfilled. The first that we talk about is that he was the king, that he's the leader of 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:23.519 God's people. He's the prophet. Prophet is the one who intercedes between God and his people. He speaks 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:30.399 on behalf of God to his people. Well, he also fulfills this very important office of priest. And the priest 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:36.559 was the one who goes on behalf of God, on behalf of God's people to God. So he represented God's people, 00:10:36.899 --> 00:10:44.179 interceded between God's people and God himself. So we must have faith then in the great high priest. 00:10:44.579 --> 00:10:50.360 The book of Hebrews describes, if you're familiar with it, that Jesus comes from a new line of priesthood. 00:10:50.879 --> 00:10:56.079 He was a new type of priest. He followed in the line of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was this mysterious 00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:03.560 guy who appears way back in Genesis 4, and he was described as a priest who was different. A priest 00:11:03.560 --> 00:11:12.639 who did not have a beginning or end, whose reign was unlimited. He did not have a genealogy. He was 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:18.100 separate. He was different from the rest of the priesthood. Well, Jesus is described as being 00:11:18.100 --> 00:11:24.620 different from the rest of the priesthood that the audience of Hebrews was used to. He was this new 00:11:24.620 --> 00:11:30.960 priest. The name Melchizedek, which Jesus follows in the line of, literally means righteous king of 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:36.620 peace. There was someone new. There was a new priest that was coming. This was important. It was really 00:11:36.620 --> 00:11:43.200 invaluable because of the work that the priest did. So they were familiar with how the priesthood normally 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:48.080 worked and the role of priesthood, who normally filled that role, and how Jesus was different. 00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:53.980 But you also didn't know that the work that Jesus did was different. Typically, the way that the 00:11:53.980 --> 00:12:00.539 priesthood was normally set up, the priest would offer animals, right, offer a sacrifice. Each family 00:12:00.539 --> 00:12:06.659 would bring a sacrifice, and those sacrifices were what covered for their sins, right? It's what atoned 00:12:06.659 --> 00:12:12.800 for their sins. It was one particular day, one really important day, and it's described in Leviticus 16. 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:18.460 It was a day when all of the sins of the people for the year would be forgiven. That day was 00:12:18.460 --> 00:12:23.840 appropriately called the day of atonement. Now, listen to Leviticus chapter 16. It says, 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:29.460 And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, 00:12:29.580 --> 00:12:35.240 you shall afflict yourselves and shall not work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:42.240 among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:47.379 the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves. 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:53.580 It is a statute forever. And the priest who is anointed and consecrated his priest in his father's 00:12:53.580 --> 00:12:59.460 place shall make atonement wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy 00:12:59.460 --> 00:13:04.060 sanctuary. He shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. And he shall make 00:13:04.060 --> 00:13:10.220 atonement for the priest and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be a statute forever 00:13:10.220 --> 00:13:16.879 for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in a year because of all their sins. 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:26.159 And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses. The day of atonement. The day of atonement where the high 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:32.799 priest would go and he would offer sacrifices on behalf of the people, on behalf of himself. 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:40.759 There was blood everywhere. It was a big day. It was a big day where the people of God would gather 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:48.259 outside the tent of meeting in anticipation. Anticipation that the priest's work would go as 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:53.879 it was supposed to go, that he would complete his work so that their sins could be atoned for. 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:58.740 One commentator describes this day of atonement in this way. He says, 00:13:59.100 --> 00:14:03.580 on that awesome day, the congregation could witness the priest entering the sanctuary. 00:14:04.299 --> 00:14:09.960 He would enter with a basin of sacrificial blood. They waited anxiously outside the temple while he 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:16.180 fulfilled his office within the most holy place. Not until he emerged from the sanctuary was the 00:14:16.180 --> 00:14:21.540 tension relieved. His return provided assurance that the offering which was made on their behalf 00:14:21.540 --> 00:14:26.420 had been accepted by God, and a sense of excitement would have overwhelmed them. 00:14:27.340 --> 00:14:34.940 There is a particular description of the day of atonement from the year 219 BC, and this is what it says. 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:40.900 This is how that day is described when the priest leaves the holy of holies. 00:14:40.899 --> 00:14:49.439 How glorious he was when the people gathered around him, as he came out of the inner sanctuary. 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:56.659 Like the morning star among the clouds. Like the moon when it is full. Like the sun shining upon the 00:14:56.659 --> 00:15:04.220 temple of the Most High. And like the rainbow gleaming in glorious clouds. Like roses in the days of the 00:15:04.220 --> 00:15:10.840 first fruits. Like lilies by a spring of water. Like a green shoot on Lebanon on a summer day. 00:15:11.540 --> 00:15:17.840 Like a vessel of hammered gold adorned with all kinds of precious stones. Like an olive tree putting 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:24.340 forth its fruits. And like a cypress towering in the clouds. It was this beautiful picture, right? 00:15:24.779 --> 00:15:31.440 This joy, this excitement that the priest's work was done. But what was the problem? 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:38.160 The problem was that the next day happened. The next day happened because they were still sinful 00:15:38.160 --> 00:15:44.660 people, right? The day of atonement was good for the sins of the previous year. On day one, 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:50.880 the account was going to start to go in the red again, right? The work of the priest was enough 00:15:50.880 --> 00:16:00.320 for the past year, but it wasn't enough for the future. Look again at this quote from the day of 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:06.540 atonement. And this time, picture what it's like if Jesus was the one who was the great high priest. 00:16:06.760 --> 00:16:14.700 Picture that celebration. Can we go back to that? Thank you. Like roses, we got it. Like roses in the 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:20.060 days of the first fruits. Like lilies by a spring of water. Like a green shoot on Lebanon on a summer 00:16:20.060 --> 00:16:25.080 day. Like a vessel of hammered gold with all kinds of precious stones. Like an olive tree putting forth its 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:31.860 fruits. And like a cypress towering in the clouds. That's what your Savior has done for you. 00:16:33.180 --> 00:16:39.120 He saved you eternally. The work of the priest before was temporary. The work of the priest would 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:46.820 only cover the sins from the previous year. But Jesus Christ, the great high priest, he didn't go into 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:52.860 the earthly tent. Where did he go? He went into the heavenly tent. He went into the heavenly tent and he 00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:59.539 pleaded before the holy of holies. He said, let my sins cover the people. It was no longer going to be 00:16:59.539 --> 00:17:05.360 the sacrifice of bulls and goats. The great high priest, the perfect one, was going to sacrifice 00:17:05.360 --> 00:17:15.620 himself for his people. He was going to give his blood. He was shedding his blood for you. Have faith 00:17:15.619 --> 00:17:23.959 in the great high priest is the call of the writer of Hebrews. Jesus is the one who interceded on our 00:17:23.959 --> 00:17:30.619 behalf. He was the perfect sacrifice. He exited the holy place that we might celebrate and rejoice. 00:17:31.419 --> 00:17:40.819 He was the one who eternally covered our sins. The book of Hebrews describes it as the veil being torn 00:17:40.819 --> 00:17:47.579 in two. The veil is torn in two that we might now stand in the presence of the Father. That we might 00:17:47.579 --> 00:17:55.240 have perfect union with him again. The way of Jesus is called the new covenant, the new priesthood, the 00:17:55.240 --> 00:18:01.379 better priesthood. Because in Christ's sacrifice, the old system was made obsolete. You now have a new 00:18:01.379 --> 00:18:09.639 standing with God the Father. Your sins have been forgiven for all eternity. So the call to faith then, 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:16.280 the call to faith in the great high priest from the writer of Hebrews is this. Stop living like Jesus's 00:18:16.280 --> 00:18:23.259 work didn't happen. Stop living like Jesus's work didn't happen. Don't go back to that old covenant. 00:18:24.080 --> 00:18:30.900 Remember the way that that old Levitical system worked. Jesus's way is better. Jesus's way is perfect. 00:18:30.900 --> 00:18:39.740 When I was in college, a good friend of mine, my roommate a couple years, his name was Adam, and like most 00:18:39.740 --> 00:18:45.460 college students, you know, we were prideful about the fact that we could live off of six dollars a week, 00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:54.380 you know, ramen noodles, and you know, scrape by as best we could. And my buddy drove probably the most beat-up car 00:18:54.380 --> 00:19:01.100 I've ever seen, like, that actually operates, that's operational. And this car, I wish I could have 00:19:01.100 --> 00:19:06.060 gotten a picture of it. It was an old Ford Thunderbird, and I think it might have been like a 00:19:06.060 --> 00:19:12.860 93, and I was in college, like, you know, in the 2000s, so that was an older car. And when he got it, 00:19:12.860 --> 00:19:21.140 it had 225,000 miles. And the headliner was all, like, you would get in the car, and the headliner would 00:19:21.140 --> 00:19:26.540 rest on your head. And the upholstery in the back had been torn up by some dog, so instead of seating 00:19:26.540 --> 00:19:31.420 four, it could only seat three. And he had this special trick with his CD player to where he would 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:38.580 keep a golf tee in his car, and he would have to, like, jam it in and, like, finagle the CD back out 00:19:38.580 --> 00:19:45.860 of the CD player. There was scratches, it was rusted, it was broken, it was just a nasty car. And I'll never 00:19:45.859 --> 00:19:52.799 forget, a few years after college, like we hoped, we got jobs and had the ability to earn some money, 00:19:53.219 --> 00:19:59.399 and Adam bought a new car. I'll never forget him calling me and telling me, man, the AC's running 00:19:59.399 --> 00:20:08.279 amazing, the leather is all in place, everything's worth, this car is amazing. How did he know that? 00:20:08.899 --> 00:20:12.679 How did he know how amazing the car was? Because he knew the way that things used to be. 00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:20.900 He understood what the old car was like. Now, for the audience of Hebrews and for us, 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:26.299 the challenge is this, don't go back to that old car. Why would you want to drive the old car again? 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:34.039 It's obsolete. You don't need it anymore. You have a newer, better way. That is faith in the great high 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:41.779 priest. It's resting. It's resting in his finished work, his accomplished work. You can now put your faith 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:48.420 in something that is far better, and that is the life, the sacrifice, the atonement of Christ. 00:20:49.099 --> 00:20:55.480 And what this means is that we can live out our lives, our endeavors, our challenges, 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:59.700 and we can most importantly face our shortcomings with a new perspective. 00:20:59.700 --> 00:21:08.660 perspective. And that new perspective is this, that your value and your worth is based not on what 00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:13.400 you do, but on what Jesus did for you. You know, I've encountered a fair number of people in the 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:18.880 years that I've done ministry, and I can tell you that those people who are the most unhappy, 00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:23.920 most unfulfilled, and honestly, the most miserable people to be around are those who live like they 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:30.720 have something to prove, but people who are living like they have something to prove. Faith in the 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:37.500 great high priest allows you to free yourself of having to prove your worth, because your heavenly 00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:45.960 father says that his son covered you. Graduating students, you're going to face new academic and 00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:52.019 extracurricular activities, which are going to require a lot of you. Do your best work. Do it with 00:21:52.019 --> 00:21:59.379 excellence. Be diligent, but don't live as if a grade or a sorority or a fraternity will determine 00:21:59.379 --> 00:22:07.940 your identity. For parents of young and older children, encourage your children. Challenge your 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:15.480 children. Push them to grow, but don't live as if their performance will prove your identity. Children 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:21.900 are going to fail often more than they succeed. Don't create an environment where they have to 00:22:21.900 --> 00:22:27.000 achieve a standard in order to receive your love and affection, because that's not how the father 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:34.780 loves you. And to young adults, and even to our retirees, where does your identity lie? What is 00:22:34.780 --> 00:22:42.420 your first love? Is it your dreams and your aspirations of a bright future? Is it pride on the legacy that 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:47.640 you've built, on the opportunity that you have now to sit back and look at all of your accomplishments? 00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:54.120 Well, the God of the Bible says something different. He says, you're valued. You mean something to me 00:22:54.120 --> 00:23:02.520 because of what my son did for you, because of the great high priest. Your standing, your identity, 00:23:02.800 --> 00:23:10.360 your calling is determined by one thing. If you watched the Masters this year, then you watched 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:17.179 the epic fail of Jordan Spieth, right? That's what you probably took away. We're never going to 00:23:17.179 --> 00:23:20.639 remember the name of the winner of the Masters, right? Because we're going to remember Jordan 00:23:20.639 --> 00:23:25.519 Spieth's failure. But one thing that I saw with the Masters that I'll remember about this year's 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:30.240 Masters was the week before there was a video, maybe you saw it online, it kind of went viral, 00:23:30.339 --> 00:23:35.779 I don't know. It was a video that went online of Jack Nicklaus. Jack Nicklaus, you know him, 00:23:35.779 --> 00:23:41.000 the bear. Six-time winner of the Masters. I think I'm not a huge golf fan, Robert. I'm sorry. I don't 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:47.019 know that exact number. Six-time winner of the Masters, I think. And there was video that was 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:52.899 taken of his car when he was driving into the course for the first time. His passenger had 00:23:52.899 --> 00:23:57.720 their cell phone going, and they were recording these interactions that happened as he drove onto 00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:03.019 Magnolia Lane. Magnolia Lane is that beautiful drive that we all know onto Augusta National. And the 00:24:03.019 --> 00:24:08.139 video was funny because along just this one road, there were three security checkpoints. 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:13.940 And each security guard would start approaching the vehicle from a distance, not knowing who it was. 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:18.759 And they would ask for, you know, his paperwork, where are his credentials? And they'd get close, 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:22.940 and they'd realize, oh, it's Jack, it's Jack. And it was this, you know, embarrassing but funny 00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:26.639 moment for the security guards. And that was interesting to watch. But the best part of the video 00:24:26.639 --> 00:24:32.559 was this. At each security checkpoint, he would explain to them, you know, hey, I'm here, 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:38.559 good to see you, whatever. But at each security checkpoint, he would tell them, he said, I'm here, 00:24:38.879 --> 00:24:43.480 but then behind me, in the car behind me, is my son. And he doesn't have any credentials. 00:24:44.579 --> 00:24:50.839 And they would look at him, every single one, without any hesitation, and say, wherever you go, 00:24:51.179 --> 00:24:58.819 he gets to go too. He doesn't need credentials because he has your credentials. He has what you earned. 00:24:58.819 --> 00:25:05.599 Jack, you were the champion. Your son can do anything he wants because he has your championships, 00:25:06.359 --> 00:25:14.700 because he's a necklace. Brothers and sisters, you have the atonement of Christ. You have that 00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:22.659 great reward. You didn't do anything to deserve it, but it was still given to you out of God's great love. 00:25:22.660 --> 00:25:28.920 So we are called to have faith, to have faith in the great high priest, that he gives us his inheritance. 00:25:29.120 --> 00:25:34.940 The second thing we're called to do is to obey. We are called to obey from a transformed heart. 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:40.400 If you want to keep filling in those blanks. We are called to obey from a transformed heart. 00:25:41.259 --> 00:25:47.920 After concluding what was six chapters in the book of Hebrews about this idea of the priesthood of Christ, 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:53.320 the writer of Hebrews stops here at verse 26, and he offers a pretty sober warning. 00:25:54.220 --> 00:26:00.640 It's a sober warning to not deny the work of Christ. It's a warning to those who would cheapen 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:07.200 the priesthood of Christ by what the writer calls deliberate sin. The intent of the author is to 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:13.960 call them to action in their faith, to call them to obedience. Christ died for you so that you might have 00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:21.539 a transformed heart, a transformed heart which produces obedience. His warning and reminder to us 00:26:21.539 --> 00:26:28.880 is this, that the sacrifice of Christ, it spared you from the wrath of God, but it doesn't mean that 00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:34.660 the wrath of God goes away. The sacrifice of Christ covered you, it spared you from the wrath of God, 00:26:34.700 --> 00:26:41.299 but the wrath of God continues. It continues towards those who walk uncovered by Christ, right? 00:26:41.299 --> 00:26:48.839 The wrath of God continues against all those who would deny Christ as their Savior. It's a fearful 00:26:48.839 --> 00:26:54.879 thing, the writer says, when those who deny the work of Christ encounter the Most High God. Judgment 00:26:54.879 --> 00:27:05.000 remains. It's complementary to God's mercy and His grace. It's not contradictory. To say that I love my 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:13.019 wife, but yet to not come home five nights out of seven, to not work and support her, to not help 00:27:13.019 --> 00:27:18.539 and care for our children, to not cherish her and pour into her. If I don't do those things, you might 00:27:18.539 --> 00:27:25.299 question whether I love my wife, right? Well, to confess Jesus as the Lord of our lives, to say that we 00:27:25.299 --> 00:27:32.079 love Him, but to continue in deliberate sin, intentional sin, to clear something different about our hearts. 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:39.819 And that's what the writer of Hebrews is saying. It's been preached here so often, Southwood, that we are 00:27:39.819 --> 00:27:46.559 saved by grace through faith alone, but faith doesn't come alone, right? Faith produces a transformed heart, 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:56.220 which produces God-honoring obedience. If you know the book of Romans, the big picture idea of the book of Romans 00:27:56.220 --> 00:28:01.819 is this, that we are sinners who need grace. There's nothing we could do to save ourselves. 00:28:02.600 --> 00:28:08.980 God gave us Jesus anyway. That's the kind of the first 11 chapters of the book of Romans. 00:28:09.860 --> 00:28:13.779 And then what does Romans chapter 12, verse 1 say? 00:28:13.779 --> 00:28:21.960 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as what? As living sacrifices, 00:28:22.700 --> 00:28:31.460 holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. It's not your spiritual act of salvation. 00:28:31.579 --> 00:28:36.460 That's not what you do to get saved. But because of all the amazing things that God did for you, 00:28:36.460 --> 00:28:43.019 He now calls you to a transformed heart and life. If you say that you love Jesus, your life must reflect it. 00:28:43.019 --> 00:28:51.460 That's what the writer of Hebrews is saying. The call of the preacher is to obedience. Obedience from 00:28:51.460 --> 00:29:00.279 a transformed heart. This is your act of worship. I've been serving in Citrus County, Florida, for 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:07.960 a pretty short time, but I can't tell you the number of stories that I've heard from retirees. We have a lot 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:13.440 of retirees in our community. And the story basically goes like this. I 00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:23.960 scrimped and I saved. I watched my 401k like a hawk. I prepared for every single detail. And now I can rest 00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:30.860 comfortably. That's at least what they thought when they came to Citrus County, Florida. They settled into their 00:29:30.859 --> 00:29:35.339 neighborhoods and they went to go look for a church and they found one that was preaching this message. 00:29:35.919 --> 00:29:41.259 And they realized that the gospel was sounding a whole lot different than it had before. 00:29:42.419 --> 00:29:50.139 These 65-year-old people look me in the eyes with tears and say, I wasted my life until today. 00:29:50.979 --> 00:29:58.579 My life was a waste. I am now free from the bondage of my own kingdom. I'm free from the bondage of 00:29:58.579 --> 00:30:06.599 my own 401k and what the world says about me. I am now called to obedience. I now get to live a life 00:30:06.599 --> 00:30:12.919 that is transformed. It's radically different than my previous 65 years looked. And I can't wait. 00:30:14.179 --> 00:30:23.240 We have 65-year-olds to 90-year-olds who participate in capital campaigns. Capital campaigns for our church 00:30:23.240 --> 00:30:27.940 and our school, the three most recent of which, all of the money has gone towards our school. 00:30:28.539 --> 00:30:33.940 We've put it towards building new buildings, building athletic complex, and our retirees are 00:30:33.940 --> 00:30:40.539 so excited. Retirees who will never have a single child or grandchild enter the campus of the school. 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:47.559 But yet they're so excited because they get to invest. They get to invest in the next generation 00:30:47.559 --> 00:30:53.559 and the children of God's kingdom because they know that their life can't look like it looked like before. 00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:59.799 That now their whole world is turned upside down because they're living with a transformed heart. 00:31:01.720 --> 00:31:09.019 I have the same kind of conversation with 30-year-olds too. 30-year-olds who have told me they've tried 00:31:09.019 --> 00:31:16.419 to fill their lives and compensate for their insecurities through infidelity, through drug and alcohol abuse, 00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:22.500 through fishing, through hunting, through sports and hobbies, and then Jesus met them. 00:31:24.440 --> 00:31:29.039 And they realize that any other life besides a life of obedience is wasted. 00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:40.660 The gospel calls you to your one true love. God loved you so that you might love him. 00:31:40.660 --> 00:31:47.360 So we are called to faith in the high priest. We are called to obedience from a transformed heart. 00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:55.180 And lastly is this calling. We are to trust when suffering is required. We are to trust when 00:31:55.180 --> 00:32:01.759 suffering is required. The message of these final verses is basically this. When you decide that you're 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:08.480 going to hitch your wagon to Jesus, you are giving up a life of comfort. You're giving up a life that's 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:16.480 dedicated to yourself, to your own pleasures and desires. The road of sanctification in Christ, 00:32:17.059 --> 00:32:22.099 the writer of Hebrews tells us, is filled with suffering and hardship. This is where we can't 00:32:22.099 --> 00:32:29.240 soft pedal the calling of the Christian life. This is where the rubber meets the road. Because suffering 00:32:29.240 --> 00:32:39.460 will come. Hardship will arise. Challenges will be plenty. And what do we expect after all? What else 00:32:39.460 --> 00:32:46.160 would we expect when the two big endeavors of the Christian faith are to work out sin in our own 00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:52.079 lives and to push back the kingdom of darkness? Of course it would be hard, right? Because we live in a 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:56.859 broken world. We live in a dark world. And we're dealing with hearts that dwell inside of us that are so 00:32:56.859 --> 00:33:03.759 sinful and so dark. But the calling of the Christian life is to push back the kingdom of darkness and to 00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:11.559 work out the sin in our lives. As a part of my role at Seven Rivers, I'm getting the chance to work a lot 00:33:11.559 --> 00:33:16.959 with young families. And as I work with these young families, you know, I try to ask intentional 00:33:16.959 --> 00:33:22.659 particular questions. Questions that hopefully allow us to have honest conversation. And so there's one that 00:33:22.660 --> 00:33:28.420 I like to ask of families that I get to know. And there was one dad in particular that I was with. 00:33:28.820 --> 00:33:32.279 Just a few weeks ago, we were watching our kids play on the playground. And I asked him this question. 00:33:32.360 --> 00:33:38.700 I said, man, isn't parenting like one of the hardest things you've ever done? Like, I hope to be 00:33:38.700 --> 00:33:44.240 disarming with that question. Like, this is really hard, isn't it? And he quickly just right back at me 00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:51.040 said, no, man, parenting is awesome. It's amazing. I love every minute of it. Well, what he didn't know 00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:56.319 was that his wife was standing about four feet behind him. And if looks could kill, he would have 00:33:56.319 --> 00:34:02.159 dropped dead. Because she heard him. How could you say that, she thought? How could you say that when 00:34:02.159 --> 00:34:07.619 I'm dealing with dirty diapers and sleepless nights and temper tantrums? It's because he's an 00:34:07.619 --> 00:34:15.219 absent dad. He's not there. He's not in the trenches with her. And so I've come to realize with this dad that 00:34:15.219 --> 00:34:20.920 he needs to get used to the motto that if parenting isn't hard, then you're probably not doing it right. 00:34:22.039 --> 00:34:27.380 I think the writer of Hebrews is telling us the same thing, that if following Christ is not hard 00:34:27.380 --> 00:34:32.860 and difficult, then you may not be doing it right. You may not be diligent enough in working out the 00:34:32.860 --> 00:34:37.119 sin that dwells in your heart. You may not be diligent enough in going out into the world and 00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:46.699 pushing back the kingdom of darkness. The call to us is to follow Christ even in the hard and 00:34:46.699 --> 00:34:52.759 difficult places. Maybe you're in a sweet season. That's great. That's awesome if God has given you 00:34:52.759 --> 00:34:58.179 that. But he doesn't promise you that. He doesn't promise you comfort. He doesn't promise you wealth 00:34:58.179 --> 00:35:03.619 or fame or riches. But he does promise you this, that you're going to have to die to yourself. 00:35:04.659 --> 00:35:06.339 You're going to have to die to your own kingdom. 00:35:06.340 --> 00:35:15.039 Those who have faith in Christ have a perspective, though, which is different, right? A perspective 00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:19.980 which is different than the rest of the world. And we have hope. We have hope that the rest of 00:35:19.980 --> 00:35:26.640 the world doesn't know. It's why the Hebrews were able to, what does the text tell us, accept the 00:35:26.639 --> 00:35:32.239 plundering of their property with great joy. I get mad if my kids like put a scratch on my car, 00:35:32.920 --> 00:35:38.139 but the people in Hebrews were accepting the plundering of their property with great joy. How 00:35:38.139 --> 00:35:43.679 is that even possible? It's possible because of the heavenly reward. It's possible because of what 00:35:43.679 --> 00:35:50.440 God promises us in heaven. And he says, don't take your eyes off of that. Don't take your eyes 00:35:50.440 --> 00:35:58.619 off of my son, off of those promises. Many of you, you know my kids, you know Lila, 00:35:59.480 --> 00:36:06.099 our oldest. She has lots of allergies. And so we found an allergist now in Central Florida, 00:36:06.360 --> 00:36:10.960 and we're excited about that. But we knew what it meant finding a new allergist was new testing. 00:36:11.539 --> 00:36:15.700 She's going to have to have testing done all over again. And she's a trooper. She does really well 00:36:15.700 --> 00:36:20.400 with testing. She's pretty good with needles, having blood drawn shots, all that sort of thing. 00:36:21.340 --> 00:36:27.519 Well, what we didn't anticipate about this testing was they were going to do multiple panels on her 00:36:27.519 --> 00:36:34.139 back. But to do it, they had to lie her down. They had to lie her down, and they surrounded her. The 00:36:34.139 --> 00:36:42.559 nurses surrounded her and held her down. And her head had to face the wall. The testing was awful. 00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:48.599 It was horrible. She was writhing in pain. She was screaming, and she was crying. She wanted it to end. 00:36:48.599 --> 00:36:55.880 But the hardest part was that she couldn't see us. She couldn't see her mom and dad. Because that's 00:36:55.880 --> 00:37:02.239 what gives her hope. That's what gives her strength. We told her, baby, you've got to have this testing 00:37:02.239 --> 00:37:12.559 done. But we're right here. We're right here. That's the promise of the Father. I'm here. I'm present with 00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:22.939 you. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, even as you face great suffering. Do not fall away from the faith. 00:37:22.940 --> 00:37:32.240 The road may be rocky, but you have a Savior who has redeemed you. If you were to flip just one 00:37:32.240 --> 00:37:37.440 chapter later from our text this morning, you would find one of the most famous verses of the 00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:41.920 book of Hebrews, maybe in all of the Bible. Hebrews chapter 12 says this, 00:37:41.920 --> 00:38:10.320 Seniors, parents, beloved, 00:38:10.320 --> 00:38:17.660 the call of faith is a call to a race. A race which will require great endurance. 00:38:18.700 --> 00:38:22.800 But you're running a race that's already been completed. It's already been won. 00:38:23.740 --> 00:38:30.120 And it was won by Jesus, the author and the perfecter of your faith. You rest in the promises 00:38:30.120 --> 00:38:39.380 of God fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Jay Scalar is a friend and seminary professor of mine in Wills. 00:38:39.380 --> 00:38:49.340 He's been in this pulpit before, and he shared a story with us once in class. And it was a story of a race that he ran. 00:38:49.420 --> 00:38:57.119 He was kind of a novice runner. He'd run a handful of 5Ks every year. And there was one particular season in his life 00:38:57.119 --> 00:39:06.460 where work was difficult, home life wasn't great. He and his wife were having challenges in their marriage. 00:39:06.460 --> 00:39:13.740 And he was feeling the weight of suffering. And he described how in a lot of races what people will do is 00:39:13.740 --> 00:39:16.139 they will put their names on their shirts. 00:39:16.679 --> 00:39:21.240 They'll put their names on their shirts so that the people who were cheering can cheer for them by name, right? 00:39:21.840 --> 00:39:23.780 Well, this one particular season of his life, 00:39:24.300 --> 00:39:26.000 he decided he'd do something a little different. 00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:30.079 And instead of putting the name J, he put the name Christian. 00:39:31.219 --> 00:39:37.340 And so the entire race, as he was struggling with doubts and fears, he heard what? 00:39:39.239 --> 00:39:41.519 Good job, Christian. 00:39:42.639 --> 00:39:45.239 Keep going, Christian. 00:39:45.940 --> 00:39:48.539 You're almost there, Christian. 00:39:48.539 --> 00:39:51.900 Christian. You can do it, Christian. 00:39:53.019 --> 00:39:56.519 And he crossed the finish line in the back of the pack. 00:39:57.179 --> 00:40:00.779 And he saw his wife who realized what he had done. 00:40:01.320 --> 00:40:03.900 And she went and she wrapped her arms around him. 00:40:04.800 --> 00:40:06.759 Said, Christian, you finished. 00:40:07.420 --> 00:40:09.259 The race is over. 00:40:10.699 --> 00:40:12.739 That's the promise of the writer of Hebrews, 00:40:13.440 --> 00:40:16.699 is that your reward is in heaven. 00:40:16.699 --> 00:40:19.399 There's going to be a second calling. 00:40:20.259 --> 00:40:24.659 A second calling is going to be as your father ushers you into heaven. 00:40:25.199 --> 00:40:26.239 And he says, I love you. 00:40:26.859 --> 00:40:27.579 You did it. 00:40:28.159 --> 00:40:30.039 You finished the race. 00:40:31.299 --> 00:40:34.079 Have you heard the call of God in your life? 00:40:35.039 --> 00:40:36.659 Are you willing to respond? 00:40:37.980 --> 00:40:39.500 He has great promises. 00:40:40.480 --> 00:40:41.679 He offers great hope. 00:40:42.299 --> 00:40:44.779 And he offers a life abundant. 00:40:44.780 --> 00:40:48.600 For all those who believe. 00:40:49.060 --> 00:40:49.700 Pray with me. 00:40:50.740 --> 00:40:53.940 Father, we await that day. 00:40:54.580 --> 00:40:59.140 We await that day when there will be no more mourning or crying or tears. 00:40:59.840 --> 00:41:04.720 And where you will welcome us into your loving arms. 00:41:06.780 --> 00:41:09.780 Only because of what Christ did for us. 00:41:09.780 --> 00:41:12.540 Father, will you seal us in those promises. 00:41:12.700 --> 00:41:14.120 Will you encourage us in those promises. 00:41:14.300 --> 00:41:20.800 Help us to believe that good news even as we face dark and difficult days. 00:41:21.600 --> 00:41:23.320 Father, I thank you for these, your people. 00:41:23.700 --> 00:41:24.600 For your word. 00:41:24.740 --> 00:41:28.160 And for the hope, the joy, the promise that it gives us. 00:41:28.800 --> 00:41:30.540 Pray these things in your heavenly son's name. 00:41:30.940 --> 00:41:31.140 Amen. 00:41:31.139 --> 00:41:39.759 For more information, visit us online at southwood.org. 00:41:39.759 --> 00:41:39.779 For more information, visit us online at southwood.org. 00:41:40.560 --> 00:41:41.060 Once upon a 모르 00:41:41.060 --> 00:41:41.200 that night, we will be forced to die. 00:41:41.700 --> 00:41:42.400 www.rightfield.org. 00:41:50.980 --> 00:41:54.460 For more information, visit us online at 74.6. 00:41:54.460 --> 00:41:55.060 www. yht affectation, get to date. 00:41:55.120 --> 00:41:55.740 Or Nhung Cneke, get to date. 00:41:56.820 --> 00:41:57.860 And I accept ministry plans for keluarga, 00:41:57.980 --> 00:41:59.580 with allpiej or not to marry the solution. 00:41:59.780 --> 00:42:00.860 Wealthy van çıkarters, we'll be 00:42:01.740 --> 00:42:02.480 welcome to Attorneyningровol 00:42:02.480 --> 00:42:03.500 and we'll see you in the裡面. 00:42:04.660 --> 00:42:05.480 That would be the top note. 00:42:05.480 --> 00:42:06.680 You can et intrigue your heart, 00:42:06.700 --> 00:42:08.740 and you can watch it in the weetable