WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.120 The singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, American kind of country rock, may not have heard of him. 00:00:09.120 --> 00:00:16.800 He wrote a song called Maybe It's Time. You might have come across that song if you're not a Jason Isbell fan in the film. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:26.320 A Star is Born when Bradley Cooper sang it. Eddie Vedder, formerly of Pearl Jam, he does a nice version as well by the way. 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:37.299 It's on YouTube. But this song, Maybe It's Time, reflects on how hard it is to change your life for the better in your own strength. 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:45.400 How difficult it is to actually make changes in your life so that things move in a more positive direction. 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:53.140 Maybe it's time to let the old ways die. It takes a lot to change a man. It takes a lot to try. 00:00:53.140 --> 00:00:56.799 Maybe it's time to let the old ways die. 00:00:57.859 --> 00:01:01.600 The lyrics speak about how simplistic some people's view of life is. 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:07.760 And it is actually especially dismissive of the Christian faith that I think probably Jason Isbell grew up with. 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:16.120 But that repeated line, Maybe it's time to let the old ways die, could be the theme tune of the book of Hebrews. 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:28.400 Hebrews. The first hearers of the book were looking back to the old ways, to their old religion, their old forms of worship, their old covenant structures, and they wanted to go back. 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:33.140 And the writer's message is, Maybe it's time to let the old ways die. 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:36.780 Well, actually, more accurately, there's no maybe about it. 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:40.500 But it's time to let the old ways die. 00:01:40.780 --> 00:01:46.079 The old VHS religion, if you were here last week, has to die, he's saying. 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:54.120 And the reason is, the reason why the old ways need to die is because Jesus is better. 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:55.719 Way better. 00:01:55.719 --> 00:02:04.659 And this evening of chapter 8, we move into a new section of the book where that word, better, is going to come up again and again. 00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:11.719 And chapter 8 tells us specifically that he is a better priest who mediates a better covenant. 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:13.460 That's what we're looking at this evening. 00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:17.039 He's a better priest who mediates a better covenant. 00:02:17.259 --> 00:02:18.199 Now, why is that relevant? 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:19.560 Well, let's go to our first point. 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:26.879 Jesus is a better priest, and the author tells us, because he works in heaven. 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:28.759 That's verses 1 to 5. 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:33.199 Do you notice in those first five verses, the author is fixated on Jesus' location? 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:36.159 Now, the point of what we're saying is this. 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:42.699 We have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven, 00:02:43.159 --> 00:02:49.039 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:56.080 Now, we labored through chapter 7 through Melchizedek last week, and verse 1 tells us, 00:02:56.379 --> 00:02:58.300 here's the point of what we've just been saying. 00:02:59.099 --> 00:02:59.900 Here's the point. 00:03:00.420 --> 00:03:02.699 You want to know what the point of the Melchizedek chapter is? 00:03:02.819 --> 00:03:06.240 For all of its kind of complexity and confusion, here's the point. 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:12.120 We have the great high priest that we need who will fit us for God's presence. 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:24.120 Now, we've seen again and again in this section that the author keeps quoting Psalm 110 with the invitation there for the Lord to sit at my right hand. 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:32.340 The Lord says to the Lord, God the Father to God the Son, to take his seat in that position of authority and rule. 00:03:33.099 --> 00:03:36.219 And here in chapter 8, we're told that this has taken place. 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:37.620 He has done this. 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:44.420 We have such a high priest, one who has taken his seat at the right hand of the majesty. 00:03:44.819 --> 00:03:46.500 And where is that majestic one? 00:03:46.500 --> 00:03:47.539 In heaven. 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:49.860 Verse 2, Jesus and minister. 00:03:50.020 --> 00:03:50.300 Where? 00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:51.879 In the holy places. 00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:55.060 In the true tabernacle of God. 00:03:56.680 --> 00:04:00.300 Back in chapter 4, we're told we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens. 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:09.280 In chapter 6, we see Jesus as our forerunner who has entered the inner place behind the curtain as the high priest in the order of Melchizedek. 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:15.520 And last week, we saw chapter 7, verse 25, he is exalted above the heavens, above the skies. 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:17.660 Where is Jesus now? 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:18.720 Where is he now? 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:21.079 As we gather here, he's in heaven. 00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:26.660 He is ministering as our priest in the very presence of God. 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:30.740 Earthly high priests. 00:04:31.379 --> 00:04:34.800 They were appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices on behalf of their people. 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:39.079 Verse 3, Jesus as our priest after Melchizedek. 00:04:39.079 --> 00:04:42.959 Has offered himself as our sacrifice. 00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:45.120 We'll say more on that, Lord willing, next week. 00:04:45.539 --> 00:04:48.759 But this is why he sits down at the right hand of the Father. 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:51.759 His sacrificial offering has dealt with every sin. 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:54.099 His work of atonement has been completed. 00:04:54.419 --> 00:04:56.659 When he cried out, it is finished. 00:04:56.819 --> 00:04:58.639 From the cross, it was. 00:04:59.060 --> 00:05:00.060 And so he sits down. 00:05:02.259 --> 00:05:05.299 But his ministry is also one of intercession. 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:06.639 7.25 again. 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:09.319 He ever lives to intercede for us. 00:05:09.579 --> 00:05:11.459 He is mediating between us and the Father. 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:17.000 It's like he applies in heaven the ongoing effectiveness of his once-for-all sacrifice, 00:05:17.159 --> 00:05:19.919 day after day, before the Father. 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:26.099 When we sin, he steps in as our advocate. 00:05:26.100 --> 00:05:28.620 It's almost as if you can imagine he goes, 00:05:28.980 --> 00:05:31.960 Father, I have dealt with their sin. 00:05:33.420 --> 00:05:37.060 When we call out to our Father, think of those times when you're confused, 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:39.340 when you're trying to pray and you're confused, 00:05:39.580 --> 00:05:41.160 or you find yourself rambling, 00:05:41.580 --> 00:05:45.000 or you find yourself not really able to say the things that you need to say, 00:05:45.100 --> 00:05:48.000 or even not able to say anything. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:51.779 Sometimes we're so heartbroken that we sit down to pray. 00:05:52.920 --> 00:05:57.839 Sometimes life is so complicated that we go to God and we can't say anything. 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:01.100 Well, when we call out to our Father, 00:06:01.180 --> 00:06:03.300 or when we come into his presence in silence, 00:06:03.699 --> 00:06:06.139 the Lord Jesus perfects those prayers, 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:08.939 the longings of our heart as they are directed to him, 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:12.660 and those are heard in the very throne room of heaven. 00:06:12.660 --> 00:06:16.760 Through our union with Christ, 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:20.420 that's what the New Testament tells us again and again. 00:06:20.500 --> 00:06:23.120 We put our faith in Christ, we are united to him. 00:06:23.380 --> 00:06:24.520 And through that union, 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:28.320 our communion with God has a heavenly aspect. 00:06:29.640 --> 00:06:32.780 We experience it here in the day-to-day, 00:06:32.900 --> 00:06:36.600 down here in the grit and the grime of life on earth, 00:06:36.700 --> 00:06:37.520 life in London, 00:06:38.180 --> 00:06:40.000 but it has a real expression in heaven. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:44.180 Because our priest is in heaven representing us there. 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:49.100 And we'll hear more on that, as I say, hopefully in coming weeks, 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:52.819 but this also especially means that there is a sense in which, 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:55.519 through the Spirit, we are gathered now in the presence of heaven. 00:06:56.279 --> 00:06:58.339 As I say, we'll hear more of that later. 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:01.079 But that heavenly aspect of our priest's work, 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:02.699 it's so important. 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:05.839 This is what he is developing here, the author, at the beginning. 00:07:06.660 --> 00:07:08.899 This is what Christ's priestly work means, 00:07:08.899 --> 00:07:09.800 here and now. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:13.759 But why is that better? 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:16.360 Why is that better than the old order of things? 00:07:16.420 --> 00:07:17.500 You're not asking that question? 00:07:17.860 --> 00:07:19.100 I'm asking that question. 00:07:19.339 --> 00:07:20.079 So he's in heaven. 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:21.339 All right, so what? 00:07:21.459 --> 00:07:24.040 Well, it's better because the author tells us 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:28.139 that Christ's ministry there in heaven is reality. 00:07:28.699 --> 00:07:29.680 Look at verse 5. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:35.680 The old priests, they serve a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things. 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:38.459 For when Moses was about to erect the tent, 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:40.040 he was instructed by God, saying, 00:07:40.379 --> 00:07:44.480 See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain. 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:45.980 Moses, you remember, 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:49.100 Moses was given the pattern for the tabernacle and for the priesthood, 00:07:49.340 --> 00:07:51.840 based on what God had shown him on the mountain. 00:07:52.340 --> 00:07:55.240 He had been given, we're told, in Exodus 25 to 30, 00:07:55.340 --> 00:07:56.560 a pattern to follow. 00:07:57.580 --> 00:07:59.180 And the construction that was built, 00:07:59.280 --> 00:08:01.460 the priesthood that was instituted, 00:08:01.620 --> 00:08:03.980 were based on the heavenly reality. 00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:08.080 The earthly priesthood, in one sense, 00:08:08.140 --> 00:08:10.720 you look around and the earthly priesthood looks very real. 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:13.120 However, it was a copy. 00:08:14.939 --> 00:08:18.120 Think of it like an artist's sketch of a building. 00:08:18.960 --> 00:08:21.319 That sketch is the building, in a sense. 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:24.759 And depending on the artist's talent, it might look impressive. 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:27.780 When you go to an art gallery and look at a drawing or a portrait, 00:08:27.900 --> 00:08:29.300 it could be stunningly good. 00:08:30.580 --> 00:08:32.720 But it's still only a copy of the real thing. 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:35.279 The real thing is somewhere else. 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:39.500 And the earthly priesthood was also a shadow. 00:08:40.340 --> 00:08:42.480 Now, we know there is no such thing as a shadow 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:44.899 without the substance to create the shadow. 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:47.340 If I put my hand kind of here, 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:50.759 I can see a shadow on the lectern. 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:52.160 The light is there. 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:54.700 But there's a reality that creates the shadow. 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:57.860 The shadow isn't the real thing, 00:08:57.980 --> 00:09:00.580 but it is connected to the real thing. 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:04.340 So the old priesthood, the old priesthood was not the real thing. 00:09:05.139 --> 00:09:07.960 But like a shadow points to the existence of the substance, 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:13.040 its existence pointed to something real that cast the shadow. 00:09:13.940 --> 00:09:18.320 And that reality is Christ and His priestly work in heaven. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:23.260 Now, with this, the implication is obvious. 00:09:24.660 --> 00:09:26.060 Now that we have the reality, 00:09:26.540 --> 00:09:28.360 there's no need for the copy. 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:32.840 When the building has been built, there's no need for the drawing. 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:37.340 No one stands in a new building and pours over the architect's drawing. 00:09:37.460 --> 00:09:38.420 Don't worry about that. 00:09:38.460 --> 00:09:39.440 Look at the drawing. 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:44.640 No one experiences the reality of something and says, 00:09:44.740 --> 00:09:47.020 Oh, I wish the shadow of that reality was still here. 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:50.860 That is why Christ is a better priest. 00:09:52.560 --> 00:09:55.560 In contrast to the limits of earthly priests, 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:59.200 He ministers in the reality of heaven, 00:09:59.700 --> 00:10:01.020 in the true tabernacle, 00:10:01.300 --> 00:10:02.700 in the presence of God. 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:07.840 And this is why Jesus is the priest that we all need. 00:10:10.400 --> 00:10:14.360 Any form of religion or philosophy 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:16.940 that is entirely focused in the here and now 00:10:16.940 --> 00:10:19.420 may have some temporal benefits. 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:24.640 There may be things that an earthly religion 00:10:24.640 --> 00:10:28.740 can do for you in terms of creating discipline in your life, 00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:30.800 in terms of creating a community 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:32.279 that you can be part of. 00:10:32.339 --> 00:10:34.899 And there are temporal benefits for that. 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:37.079 But it is always going to have limits 00:10:37.079 --> 00:10:39.859 because it doesn't penetrate to the reality of heaven. 00:10:40.479 --> 00:10:44.099 We live in a world where there is a reality above us 00:10:44.099 --> 00:10:46.879 and that is the reality of heaven. 00:10:47.319 --> 00:10:49.240 The phrase you sometimes hear, 00:10:49.579 --> 00:10:52.259 they're so heavenly minded that they're no earthly use. 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:54.159 You've heard it. 00:10:54.699 --> 00:10:55.939 You may have even used it. 00:10:56.899 --> 00:10:59.519 It is something that people say to describe often a Christian 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:01.879 who is usually a bit naive and a bit out of touch 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:04.039 with the experiences of life down here 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:05.659 in the real world where we live. 00:11:07.740 --> 00:11:08.840 The truth is, 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:11.579 if you are genuinely heavenly minded, 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:13.419 you are engaged in the real world. 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:17.059 Because that's where real business is done with God 00:11:17.059 --> 00:11:18.860 and it is there and only there 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:20.659 where the real issues of life, 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:22.759 the universe, and everything are resolved. 00:11:24.059 --> 00:11:25.340 Jesus is the better priest 00:11:25.340 --> 00:11:27.700 because he works in heaven. 00:11:29.660 --> 00:11:30.879 But it doesn't stop there. 00:11:32.040 --> 00:11:33.820 His ministry is linked to the covenant 00:11:33.820 --> 00:11:35.040 that God has made with his people. 00:11:35.160 --> 00:11:36.080 So as the better priest, 00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:37.100 he also mediates, 00:11:37.560 --> 00:11:38.300 point number two, 00:11:38.920 --> 00:11:39.759 a better covenant. 00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:44.100 Because he works in us. 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:50.420 It's our second point. 00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:52.379 He mediates a better covenant 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:53.740 because he works in us. 00:11:53.800 --> 00:11:54.300 Verse six, 00:11:54.420 --> 00:11:57.360 for if that first covenant had been faultless, 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:00.200 there would have been no occasion to look for a second. 00:12:00.920 --> 00:12:02.860 For he finds fault with them when he says, 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:04.700 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:06.659 when I will establish a new covenant 00:12:06.659 --> 00:12:08.580 with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 00:12:08.980 --> 00:12:11.060 Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers 00:12:11.060 --> 00:12:12.500 on the day when I took them by the hand 00:12:12.500 --> 00:12:13.980 to bring them out of the land of Egypt. 00:12:14.899 --> 00:12:16.700 For they did not continue in my covenant, 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:18.799 and so I showed no concern for them, 00:12:19.259 --> 00:12:20.120 declares the Lord. 00:12:21.620 --> 00:12:23.840 The Lord found fault with the old covenant. 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:25.960 The old system had a flaw. 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:28.480 Not that there was a problem with his law 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:29.940 or what that law pointed to. 00:12:30.019 --> 00:12:32.340 The flaw wasn't in the covenant as such, 00:12:32.580 --> 00:12:33.360 but in the people. 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:33.860 Do you see? 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:35.919 For he finds fault with them. 00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:36.799 Verse eight, 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:39.259 the fault was on the people's side of the covenant 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:42.819 because they were unable to keep its requirements. 00:12:44.319 --> 00:12:47.659 But the prophet Jeremiah promised many years earlier 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:48.819 that the days were coming. 00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:51.200 Days that when the author is writing this, 00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:54.259 that have now come in these last days. 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:54.980 Chapter one, 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:56.960 where the shadow covenant will give way 00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:58.679 to a real heavenly covenant 00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:00.279 which is founded on better promises. 00:13:02.039 --> 00:13:03.960 And these are better because they are promises 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:06.240 that actually deal with us. 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:10.240 They're better because they take our sin into account. 00:13:10.379 --> 00:13:11.279 Indeed, they are promises 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:13.919 that overcome our sinfulness. 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:15.820 How is that the case? 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:16.639 Well, in the new covenant, 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:18.320 God gets to work inside us. 00:13:18.379 --> 00:13:19.539 Verse 10, do you see? 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:21.600 For this is the covenant 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:23.039 I will make with the house of Israel 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:24.919 after those days, declares the Lord. 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:26.980 I will put my law into their minds 00:13:26.980 --> 00:13:28.480 and write them on their hearts, 00:13:28.539 --> 00:13:29.820 and I will be their God, 00:13:30.060 --> 00:13:31.940 and they shall be my people. 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:34.379 Under the old covenant, 00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:36.720 the law was written on tablets of stone 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:38.379 out there externally. 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:39.639 In the new, 00:13:39.939 --> 00:13:41.779 it is etched on hearts. 00:13:42.179 --> 00:13:43.500 It is etched on minds 00:13:43.500 --> 00:13:44.439 and written on hearts. 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:48.399 It's common to hear people say 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:49.120 that the old covenant 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:50.899 was all about what a person did. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:53.360 All ritual and external practices. 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:54.519 Whereas in the new, 00:13:54.700 --> 00:13:55.960 it's all about the internal, 00:13:56.120 --> 00:13:57.200 what God does in you 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:58.200 and how you respond. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:00.139 But the truth is 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:01.500 that God has always cared more 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:02.139 about the heart 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:03.799 behind the actions of his people 00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:04.620 than he has the actions 00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:05.419 for their own sake. 00:14:06.539 --> 00:14:07.919 Sincere faith has always been 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:08.740 a matter of the heart. 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:10.419 That's not a point of difference. 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:12.579 But in the eyes of the author of Hebrews, 00:14:12.579 --> 00:14:14.579 the old covenant was unable 00:14:14.579 --> 00:14:15.979 to adequately accomplish 00:14:15.979 --> 00:14:18.219 this heart transformation. 00:14:18.839 --> 00:14:19.759 Luke Timothy Johnson 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:21.019 in his commentary says this, 00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:22.860 What is needed is the participation 00:14:22.860 --> 00:14:23.939 of God's Son 00:14:23.939 --> 00:14:25.500 on the side of humans 00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:26.960 as their anchor of hope 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:28.259 and pledge of the covenant. 00:14:28.679 --> 00:14:29.319 What is different 00:14:29.319 --> 00:14:30.779 is not the desired end, 00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:32.759 but the divine agency 00:14:32.759 --> 00:14:34.939 to accomplish that end. 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:37.000 What he's saying is this, 00:14:37.059 --> 00:14:38.419 the obedience from the heart 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:39.379 which was expected 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:40.439 under the old covenant 00:14:40.439 --> 00:14:42.460 is accomplished by God 00:14:42.460 --> 00:14:43.299 in the new. 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:45.600 In the new covenant, 00:14:45.720 --> 00:14:46.399 we have the promise 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:47.740 of God's work in us 00:14:47.740 --> 00:14:49.000 by his Spirit 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:50.980 to transform our minds 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:51.460 and hearts 00:14:51.460 --> 00:14:52.240 and to draw us 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:53.360 into relationship with him. 00:14:53.560 --> 00:14:54.720 I will be their God 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:56.100 and they shall be my people. 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:57.680 That is the covenantal pledge 00:14:57.680 --> 00:14:58.700 that God makes 00:14:58.700 --> 00:14:59.460 all the way through 00:14:59.460 --> 00:15:00.139 the Old Testament. 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:01.139 But now, 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:02.580 the ability for us 00:15:02.580 --> 00:15:03.279 to keep the terms 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:03.799 of the covenant 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:04.500 is granted 00:15:04.500 --> 00:15:05.680 through the new hearts 00:15:05.680 --> 00:15:06.980 and the transformed minds 00:15:06.980 --> 00:15:08.480 that God himself 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:09.120 has given. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:12.799 the relationship 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:14.259 that we were created for 00:15:14.259 --> 00:15:15.139 is now possible 00:15:15.139 --> 00:15:17.740 because God gives us 00:15:17.740 --> 00:15:18.320 a new heart 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:19.340 to love and serve him. 00:15:22.019 --> 00:15:24.080 You cannot obey God 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:27.980 apart from this internal work. 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:30.259 But here's the thing. 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:32.560 When you turn from your sin 00:15:32.560 --> 00:15:35.259 and put your faith in Christ, 00:15:35.539 --> 00:15:37.419 this is what he does for us. 00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:40.559 He transforms us 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:41.339 from the inside. 00:15:42.459 --> 00:15:43.360 Do you know that 00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:44.860 you can really know God? 00:15:45.479 --> 00:15:46.799 You can really know him. 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:48.959 All of the striving 00:15:48.959 --> 00:15:50.179 and all of the effort 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:50.919 of those who think 00:15:50.919 --> 00:15:52.459 that religion is a good idea 00:15:52.459 --> 00:15:53.959 is an attempt to connect 00:15:53.959 --> 00:15:55.240 with reality in some way. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:57.039 Everybody that you see 00:15:57.039 --> 00:15:58.500 that is devoted to religion 00:15:58.500 --> 00:15:59.500 in some way or other 00:15:59.500 --> 00:16:00.919 is trying to connect 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:02.000 with reality in some way 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:03.360 to find real answers 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:04.539 to the problems of life. 00:16:05.019 --> 00:16:06.579 All of the rejection of God 00:16:06.580 --> 00:16:07.900 that came with secularism 00:16:07.900 --> 00:16:09.020 is just another way 00:16:09.020 --> 00:16:09.920 of searching for truth 00:16:09.920 --> 00:16:10.379 and meaning 00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:11.520 in this world 00:16:11.520 --> 00:16:12.160 that we live in. 00:16:13.080 --> 00:16:14.280 People reject the idea 00:16:14.280 --> 00:16:14.620 of God 00:16:14.620 --> 00:16:15.220 because they think 00:16:15.220 --> 00:16:15.879 he is a fantasy 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:16.840 or an irrelevance. 00:16:17.980 --> 00:16:18.920 But the promise 00:16:18.920 --> 00:16:19.759 of the new covenant 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:23.320 is that you can know 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:24.280 the God who created 00:16:24.280 --> 00:16:25.900 all that we have and see. 00:16:27.700 --> 00:16:29.500 You can know the God 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:30.780 who defines reality. 00:16:30.980 --> 00:16:31.820 You can really, 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:32.620 and have a look, 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:33.259 verse 11, 00:16:33.259 --> 00:16:35.179 personally know him. 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:36.960 And they shall teach 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:37.980 each one his neighbor 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:39.059 and each one his brother 00:16:39.059 --> 00:16:39.419 saying, 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:40.039 Know the Lord 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:41.139 for they shall all know me 00:16:41.139 --> 00:16:42.799 from the least of them 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:43.620 to the greatest. 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:46.740 Old Israel 00:16:46.740 --> 00:16:48.159 knew God 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:48.819 in contrast 00:16:48.819 --> 00:16:49.679 to the other nations 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:50.399 who were described 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:51.460 as not following him, 00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:52.319 not knowing him. 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:54.340 But this was a limited knowledge 00:16:54.340 --> 00:16:55.519 and it was a knowledge 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:56.360 that they could lose 00:16:56.360 --> 00:16:57.559 in the sense 00:16:57.559 --> 00:16:58.620 that Hosea could say 00:16:58.620 --> 00:16:59.059 of the people 00:16:59.059 --> 00:16:59.659 in his day 00:16:59.659 --> 00:17:00.000 that, 00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:01.500 Hosea 4, verse 1, 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:02.419 there was no knowledge 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:03.340 of God in the land. 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:06.960 But to know God, 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:09.279 we talk about 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:10.299 knowing God, 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:11.799 that is to recognize him, 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:13.140 to trust him, 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:14.720 and obey him. 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:17.359 And the point here 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:17.839 is that under 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:18.519 the new covenant, 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:19.720 God's people are enabled 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:20.380 to do this 00:17:20.380 --> 00:17:21.240 by God himself. 00:17:22.900 --> 00:17:24.079 New covenant believers 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:24.920 have a direct 00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:25.839 and personal knowledge 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:26.079 of him. 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:27.400 It's not just kings 00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:28.619 that have that access. 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:29.619 It's not just judges 00:17:29.619 --> 00:17:31.319 that have that access. 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:32.059 And it's not just 00:17:32.059 --> 00:17:33.019 for a time either 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:33.939 as we saw 00:17:33.939 --> 00:17:35.220 under the old covenant, 00:17:35.419 --> 00:17:36.319 but from the least 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:37.119 to the greatest, 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:39.059 every man, 00:17:39.399 --> 00:17:39.759 woman, 00:17:40.139 --> 00:17:40.500 boy, 00:17:40.619 --> 00:17:41.299 or girl 00:17:41.299 --> 00:17:42.259 who puts their faith 00:17:42.259 --> 00:17:42.740 in Christ, 00:17:42.819 --> 00:17:43.559 the better priest, 00:17:43.939 --> 00:17:44.700 is drawn into 00:17:44.700 --> 00:17:45.419 this relationship. 00:17:46.439 --> 00:17:47.099 Do you hear that, 00:17:47.179 --> 00:17:47.679 boys and girls, 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:48.299 this evening? 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:50.579 That applies to you. 00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:52.720 If you put your faith 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:53.559 in Christ, 00:17:53.639 --> 00:17:54.279 the better priest, 00:17:54.359 --> 00:17:55.279 you're drawn into 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:56.099 a relationship 00:17:56.099 --> 00:17:57.659 with the living God. 00:17:58.200 --> 00:17:59.039 You can know him 00:17:59.039 --> 00:17:59.899 and you can know him 00:17:59.899 --> 00:18:00.379 personally. 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:03.700 The question is, 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:04.439 how is this possible? 00:18:06.619 --> 00:18:07.939 How can sinful, 00:18:08.139 --> 00:18:08.859 rebellious people 00:18:08.859 --> 00:18:09.939 become children of God? 00:18:10.059 --> 00:18:11.179 How can we know 00:18:11.179 --> 00:18:12.079 and trust 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:13.059 and be in relationship 00:18:13.059 --> 00:18:14.339 with a holy God? 00:18:15.899 --> 00:18:16.759 Well, it's because 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:17.819 of what Jeremiah says 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:18.379 in the climax 00:18:18.379 --> 00:18:19.379 of this promise. 00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:20.240 Look at verse 12. 00:18:21.700 --> 00:18:22.519 Here it is. 00:18:22.879 --> 00:18:23.740 How is it possible? 00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:25.120 For I will be merciful 00:18:25.120 --> 00:18:26.400 towards their iniquities 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:27.960 and I will remember 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:28.819 their sins 00:18:28.819 --> 00:18:29.799 no more. 00:18:31.660 --> 00:18:32.759 This pronouncement 00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:33.700 is repeated again 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:34.420 in chapter 10, 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:35.120 verse 17. 00:18:35.120 --> 00:18:36.359 It is the basis 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:37.200 on which 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:38.440 all that is held out 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:38.880 to us, 00:18:39.299 --> 00:18:40.460 that is a new heart, 00:18:40.920 --> 00:18:42.140 a personal relationship 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:42.559 with God, 00:18:42.620 --> 00:18:43.640 an immediate relationship 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:44.220 with God, 00:18:44.339 --> 00:18:45.740 all of that is possible. 00:18:46.120 --> 00:18:47.180 The mercy of God 00:18:47.180 --> 00:18:48.019 in forgiveness 00:18:48.019 --> 00:18:49.160 is the reason why. 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:51.799 The mercy of God 00:18:51.799 --> 00:18:52.819 to you 00:18:52.819 --> 00:18:53.700 in forgiveness 00:18:53.700 --> 00:18:54.559 for your sins. 00:18:54.879 --> 00:18:56.599 He sees our sin 00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:57.779 and He covers it. 00:19:00.900 --> 00:19:01.379 Again, 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:02.519 forgiveness was present 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:03.359 under the old covenant, 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:04.240 but not like this. 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:05.420 Not like this. 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:06.599 In the new covenant, 00:19:06.779 --> 00:19:07.500 forgiveness is both 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:07.980 personal 00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:09.380 and universal. 00:19:09.620 --> 00:19:10.019 That is, 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:11.539 it is for every individual 00:19:11.539 --> 00:19:12.460 who knows the Lord 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:14.079 and it covers 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:15.319 every sin 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:16.120 of those 00:19:16.120 --> 00:19:16.660 who receive 00:19:16.660 --> 00:19:17.360 the new heart 00:19:17.360 --> 00:19:19.299 that Christ's ministry gives. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:21.839 Just look. 00:19:22.360 --> 00:19:23.819 Just look at the extent 00:19:23.819 --> 00:19:24.579 of this mercy. 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:27.440 He remembers 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:28.980 our sin 00:19:28.980 --> 00:19:30.839 no more. 00:19:34.440 --> 00:19:35.259 Think of even 00:19:35.259 --> 00:19:36.759 the last few sins 00:19:36.759 --> 00:19:38.099 that you've committed. 00:19:38.879 --> 00:19:39.940 Even the last few, 00:19:40.019 --> 00:19:40.900 never mind everyone. 00:19:42.420 --> 00:19:43.759 Christ has taken them away 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:47.160 and God has no recollection 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:47.519 of them. 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:50.160 Does this mean 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:51.039 He has amnesia? 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:52.460 Is God forgetful? 00:19:52.539 --> 00:19:52.839 No. 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:54.740 So there is a plea 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:55.379 that is repeated 00:19:55.379 --> 00:19:56.200 a number of places 00:19:56.200 --> 00:19:56.920 in the Old Testament. 00:19:57.339 --> 00:19:57.960 Psalm 25, 00:19:58.339 --> 00:19:59.059 6 and 7. 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:00.180 Remember your mercy, 00:20:00.259 --> 00:20:00.640 O Lord, 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:01.759 and your steadfast love, 00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:02.579 for they have been 00:20:02.579 --> 00:20:03.220 from of old. 00:20:03.559 --> 00:20:04.180 Remember not 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:05.160 the sins of my youth 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:06.160 or my transgressions 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:07.900 according to your steadfast love. 00:20:08.040 --> 00:20:08.700 Remember me 00:20:08.700 --> 00:20:09.480 for the sake 00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:10.180 of your goodness, 00:20:10.540 --> 00:20:11.000 O Lord. 00:20:12.120 --> 00:20:13.100 That's the plea 00:20:13.100 --> 00:20:13.920 and Jeremiah's 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:14.840 new covenant promises 00:20:14.840 --> 00:20:15.740 that God is going 00:20:15.740 --> 00:20:17.220 to grant that request. 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:19.820 God won't remember 00:20:19.820 --> 00:20:20.820 your sin 00:20:20.820 --> 00:20:23.400 but He will remember you. 00:20:25.740 --> 00:20:27.240 In Christ's new covenant 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:29.000 it really is a case 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:30.779 of God forgiving 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:31.779 and forgetting. 00:20:31.779 --> 00:20:34.379 He won't remember 00:20:34.379 --> 00:20:34.920 your sin 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:36.599 but He will remember you. 00:20:40.539 --> 00:20:41.519 What a relief. 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:45.039 What a relief. 00:20:46.539 --> 00:20:47.700 How many of you 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:49.059 are all twisted up 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:49.740 out of shape, 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:51.660 antsy, 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:52.339 uncomfortable, 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:53.660 describe it how you will, 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:54.359 because of guilt? 00:20:55.740 --> 00:20:56.779 You feel guilt 00:20:56.779 --> 00:20:57.240 and shame 00:20:57.240 --> 00:20:57.799 about things 00:20:57.799 --> 00:20:58.420 that you've done 00:20:58.420 --> 00:21:00.660 and whatever you've tried 00:21:00.660 --> 00:21:01.000 to do, 00:21:01.100 --> 00:21:01.600 those things, 00:21:01.880 --> 00:21:03.340 that sense of guilt 00:21:03.340 --> 00:21:03.840 and shame 00:21:03.840 --> 00:21:04.620 clings to you 00:21:04.620 --> 00:21:07.259 the way food smells 00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:08.220 in a greasy cafe 00:21:08.220 --> 00:21:09.000 cling to you. 00:21:10.080 --> 00:21:11.000 You just can't seem 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:11.820 to shake them off. 00:21:13.980 --> 00:21:15.000 I know for some of you 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:16.060 it's almost like 00:21:16.060 --> 00:21:16.779 you can't remember 00:21:16.779 --> 00:21:17.660 what it feels like 00:21:17.660 --> 00:21:18.660 to enjoy yourself. 00:21:19.420 --> 00:21:20.140 You've forgotten 00:21:20.140 --> 00:21:21.539 what freedom feels like. 00:21:23.580 --> 00:21:23.960 Well, 00:21:24.300 --> 00:21:25.920 here's the promise 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:26.660 that will lift 00:21:26.660 --> 00:21:27.340 your burden. 00:21:29.420 --> 00:21:30.900 The mercy of God 00:21:30.900 --> 00:21:32.600 is for you. 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:36.779 And just as He remembers 00:21:36.779 --> 00:21:37.940 your sin no more, 00:21:38.060 --> 00:21:39.960 so you must take Him 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:40.860 at His word 00:21:40.860 --> 00:21:42.220 and leave it behind. 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:45.800 Sometimes I hear people say, 00:21:45.900 --> 00:21:46.000 look, 00:21:46.040 --> 00:21:47.100 I know God forgives me, 00:21:47.120 --> 00:21:48.360 I just can't forgive myself. 00:21:49.420 --> 00:21:50.660 And they remain stuck 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:51.320 in their misery. 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:52.440 Well, 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:53.040 in that case, 00:21:53.100 --> 00:21:53.720 what that person 00:21:53.720 --> 00:21:54.920 is really saying is, 00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:56.160 I don't really believe 00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:57.320 that God can forgive me. 00:21:58.920 --> 00:21:59.920 If that's you, 00:22:00.840 --> 00:22:01.400 can I say, 00:22:01.480 --> 00:22:02.039 it's time for you 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:02.740 to take God 00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:03.300 at His word. 00:22:05.580 --> 00:22:06.519 If you have put 00:22:06.519 --> 00:22:07.580 your faith in Christ, 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:09.660 your sin has been dealt with. 00:22:10.940 --> 00:22:13.200 Every last one. 00:22:13.840 --> 00:22:14.539 All of it. 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:17.500 And God is not like us. 00:22:18.620 --> 00:22:19.980 When we've been wronged, 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:20.920 we love to hold it 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:21.580 against others. 00:22:21.840 --> 00:22:22.600 We love to keep 00:22:22.600 --> 00:22:23.519 that thing in mind 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:24.759 and hold it over them again. 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:26.220 Gives us a bit of a power 00:22:26.220 --> 00:22:26.680 over them. 00:22:27.359 --> 00:22:29.599 When we've been wronged, 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:31.339 we cannot let it go 00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:32.859 and we can hold it over others 00:22:32.859 --> 00:22:33.639 and we can tut 00:22:33.639 --> 00:22:34.400 and shake our heads 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:34.720 and say, 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:34.960 well, 00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:35.720 there you go again. 00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:37.559 God is not like that. 00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:39.680 When God forgives us, 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:40.960 the matter is finished 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:42.900 and we are reconciled. 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:44.480 He won't bring it up again. 00:22:45.259 --> 00:22:45.920 What a relief. 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:48.240 What a relief. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:53.000 Isn't that an astonishing thing? 00:22:53.059 --> 00:22:54.420 If you have put your faith in Christ, 00:22:54.620 --> 00:22:56.000 every single sin 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:57.319 has been dealt with. 00:22:59.940 --> 00:23:00.799 But in closing, 00:23:00.920 --> 00:23:01.660 I want to be clear. 00:23:02.660 --> 00:23:04.059 This liberty, 00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:05.420 this joy, 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:06.900 this relief 00:23:06.900 --> 00:23:08.279 is only on offer 00:23:08.279 --> 00:23:09.660 to people who see their need. 00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:12.019 Every other religion 00:23:12.019 --> 00:23:13.099 or philosophy in the world 00:23:13.099 --> 00:23:14.980 tells us what we need to do 00:23:14.980 --> 00:23:17.220 in order to fix our lives ourselves. 00:23:17.220 --> 00:23:20.460 Christianity is only for those 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:21.759 who see that they can't fix 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:22.720 their lives themselves. 00:23:23.460 --> 00:23:24.940 It is only for those 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:26.259 who admit that we've made 00:23:26.259 --> 00:23:27.059 a mess of things 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:29.339 and we have no plea before God 00:23:29.339 --> 00:23:31.740 except our great high priest, 00:23:31.819 --> 00:23:32.740 the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:23:33.880 --> 00:23:35.680 We've made a terrible mess of things 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:37.920 and we do not have what it takes. 00:23:38.160 --> 00:23:39.039 We don't have the wisdom. 00:23:39.360 --> 00:23:40.319 We don't have the influence. 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:41.400 We don't have the money. 00:23:41.640 --> 00:23:42.680 We don't have the ability. 00:23:42.940 --> 00:23:43.539 Whatever it is, 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:45.680 we can't sort our lives out ourselves. 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:48.720 If you think that you're okay, 00:23:48.819 --> 00:23:50.200 there is nothing for you here. 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:52.920 But if you know you need 00:23:52.920 --> 00:23:53.839 the mercy of God, 00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:55.819 come on in. 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:59.759 Jesus Christ flings wide 00:23:59.759 --> 00:24:02.519 the doors of His mercy for you. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:03.740 He has died 00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:04.980 and been raised 00:24:04.980 --> 00:24:07.079 to deal with all of your sin 00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:09.000 and He will take it off your shoulders. 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:11.360 He will take it off your conscience. 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:13.640 He will take it off your record 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:14.360 before God 00:24:14.359 --> 00:24:16.479 and He'll welcome you 00:24:16.479 --> 00:24:17.139 into His family. 00:24:18.979 --> 00:24:20.000 So can you see? 00:24:21.619 --> 00:24:23.000 Can you see why it's better? 00:24:24.019 --> 00:24:26.199 Why we need to let the old ways die. 00:24:26.279 --> 00:24:27.859 Whether it is old forms of religion 00:24:27.859 --> 00:24:30.839 or it is any other kind of thing 00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:32.479 that might be drawing us away from Christ, 00:24:32.539 --> 00:24:33.500 there is nothing else 00:24:33.500 --> 00:24:34.979 because nothing else 00:24:34.979 --> 00:24:36.919 can penetrate to the reality of heaven, 00:24:37.179 --> 00:24:38.859 can do business with the living God 00:24:38.859 --> 00:24:39.679 on our behalf. 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:43.720 and nothing else gets to work inside us 00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:46.920 but the high priestly ministry of Jesus 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:48.060 by His Holy Spirit. 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:51.600 Leave your sin 00:24:51.600 --> 00:24:54.100 at the foot of the cross. 00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:56.500 Leave it there 00:24:56.500 --> 00:24:57.799 and don't think about it again. 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:00.960 Let the old ways die. 00:25:02.580 --> 00:25:04.400 Come and welcome to Christ. 00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:06.640 Let's pray. 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:06.680 Let's pray.