Grace Chapel Bible Ministries
Morning worship 240804 The Two Covenants - 2024/08/04
>> [inaudible] >> All right. Well, where is there we are? Okay. Let me see. Now how we figure that one out. >> [inaudible] >> That's okay. Give me some music. There we go. >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> You're welcome. Thank you, sir. Hello. >> You're welcome. >> [inaudible] >> Tell me a little bit about Kitty Kitty. >> It's a song that's about Daniel and the lion's den. >> Okay. When did we do this? Who did it? >> I forgot his name. >> Buddy Davis. >> Buddy Davis. >> Where do you come from? >> Kentucky. >> Okay. Good enough. All right. >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> All right. We're going to read in Psalm 6 this morning. I forget, since being a lawyer, we're talking about the Bible this morning, and I've been using that ESV. But what's nice about the know American is how they break it down, verse by verse. It's sectioned out where the ESV is more paragraph 4. So it's easier to spot just a thought, something to share with others. >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible] >> "Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor taste of me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away. Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed, and my soul is greatly dismayed. But you, O Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, rescue my soul, save me because of your loving kindness. For there is no mention of you in death, and she, O, who will give you thanks. I am weary with my sighing. Every night I make my bed swim. I dissolve my cough with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief. It has become old because of all my adversaries. Depart from me all you who do iniquity. For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication. The Lord receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed. They shall turn back. They will suddenly be ashamed." >> Oh, Grady, I think we, I think we got, we're getting close to getting things out and out. So once we get the set up, thanks for your patience, if you have any. I could tell, I could tell Grady kind of loses patience when he goes. That's this, that's this impatient look, you know. Then when he finally gets it, and then he, you know, then, then he gets, then he gets excited. So thank you for your patience. >> You're going to get a smile. >> Yeah, you have to be. But did you all hear that already? >> Yeah, it does. >> Excellent. Okay, good. So once Grady gets, he gets smooth, so be patient with me because I'll keep trying to show you. But once we get it down, we'll, we'll have it down. >> If you say once you got it, that gets it all down, you'll probably change it. >> I'll always change it. And just, you know, I mean, say don't change it. You know, hey, it works, people. Leave it as, you know, leave it as is, okay? I'm the IT guy, I know. All right. And Tim, you know, Tim, if you want to sometime join us under your streaming, so sometime you want to just zoom in and just let me know. I'll send you a link for that. But anyway, welcome today. I'm glad to have Mike and Terry again. Hey, September, first week in September, we're going to switch. I'm going to be up there. It will be the first class in Revelation. It'll be introduction at Revelation. And Grady, you're going to be responsible. Zooming down here and we'll give it and I'll be up there. If we remain welcomed up there, Mike and Terry's and we'll have a class up there. So I'm looking forward to it. Looking forward to it. >> I'll leave one. >> It will be. And plus crabs. We might be -- we might trouble crabs while we're -- while we have a bottle class. >> I came across my Facebook process a thing from 11 years ago with you and Becky eating crabs and Samantha and Dexter standing behind you and being a little baby. [ Laughter ] >> We do -- I was just now thinking, this was -- this was Wally's first week at work. And remember when he was about this size and he was riding a P-pause bus priority one without van, you know, he'd call it P-pause bus. And now -- now he's got a van and he's got his own bus now. So -- but he had a good week at work. Michael picked up praise of Michael's businesses. Going forward, he's got new management -- or new -- new owners. And very much Christian. That is a praise above everything else at their standpoint there. >> To me and Tom showed up early most days. And it was just him there Thursday morning. I want him and it's morning, Tom. That's nice. Kind of sad. That's what I'm going to have so many more days to be able to say that at the time. I said, I have to text it to you. [ Laughter ] Another fine day in the Lord to him. And he called me top, but I'm never corrected. I'm saying, you don't call a Marine for a shard enough top. You'll call a mass shard, you know, stuff. Anyway, so -- and there's a praise for Terry. Terry's had good, good news Monday on her scan. Good to go. We're going to be able to make sure we keep in the prayers. And one thing about -- one thing -- we're quick -- remember, I just a reminder. I don't think I need to remind you, but we don't know who's listening in. Listen, we're quick to bring God. And we pray with other people. And somebody said, pray for me. I'm going through this. Make sure you get back with them to pray the Thanksgiving when the prayers are answered. Remember the Thanksgiving coming back to God and thanking him. What else we got? Who do we need? Any updates? We have a rosemary finished her last week, her last radiation treatment. She's got to ring the bell. She's got to ring the bell to go out, okay? Still got some recovery to do with her body, you know, so continue to keep rosemary there. Okay, Donna today is traveling up to Indiana. Mark is going through surgery, so be with Mark in his surgery. And Donna in her traveling emergency because Fran is still in a walker from breaking her hip. So Donna's going up in health. JD is still going through some rough times. Be with JD and Tim's going through some challenges with health and continue to be with him. He's in a hurting mode right now. Tim, I know your spirit is still there. Amen. Chris should be on his way down here before too long if he's still up in Maryland. We'll have to bite him up for Bible study, you know, and stuff, so. If you have it on there, that would be great. Um, Dustin's dad is in critical condition last ever in the hospital. He had, I think, sex or something. And he had what? He had a lot of different things going on with him and he had them in medical induced coma. But last I heard this past week when I said they were taking them out of it, but I don't know if anything has since been. Alright, keep us, keep us up on that one. So Dustin, our prayers out going out to your dad there. Okay, thank you. Mom, you doing alright back there? Yeah, okay. I got issues, but. I've always thought that. I don't know if that's the thing. And my little dog too. I don't know if you want to put your phone there, but I don't really, Lord be willing and I can drive. I need a car. Mama needs a car. Yeah, okay. And so mom's doing good, that's a praise. And also, we'll throw this in there. Donna's, you know, Donna's got a little dog that's hurting. You know, and all her pets are hurting. You're a bird. Residential care home for her, her animals. You can. So. They're going to be taking care of them. Alright. That's sweet. Anyway, I'm opening him this morning. Hey Bob. Yes, sir. Oh. That was a youngster a couple weeks ago. And I can't, the name touched my mind. I think it was something to do with the kidney or liver or something. Wait for a transplant? Somebody unit? I think so. What was your name? You said somebody was waiting for you. Oh, for me? Oh, Brie. Brie. Yeah, Brie. Yeah, Brie. Okay. I thought you had them. Yeah. I'm kind of wondering if it was any update on. No. I asked Ted about it. Her dad. Her dad. Oh, her foster adopted dad. And, you know, he says she's good in spirits, but still need one. But it'll be, it'll be afraid when it comes to her. He's brave. He's brave. Yeah. B-R-E-E. Very good. Can't wait. Bob said he's like short based on uses for all dads. He has blood cancer and prostate cancer. And it just doesn't look good for him. And he's not going to do anything for it. Yeah. That's on my list already. I just forgot to follow up on that. So, Mike's short. Okay. Keep us up. So he's not taking treatment or anything. No. He doesn't want them. He doesn't want them. He doesn't want them to spend the rest of their time with their family. He doesn't want them to be. He doesn't want them to be. He doesn't want them to spend the rest of their time with their family. He doesn't want them to be. He doesn't want them to be. He doesn't want them to spend the rest of their time with their family. He doesn't want them to be. He doesn't want them to be. He doesn't want them to be. Is he a believer? Can you say? How does this walk? He never used to be. But I hear things when he comes home-based books that make me think he's coming around. Yeah. I don't know. Yes. I guess I had the feeling of sending a note, or a messenger or something, that inviting two individuals by nature or humans. I don't know if he will or not. All right. Keep praying for him on that. Yes, ma'am. I just got a text from Uncle Tim. He said that Dustin's dad passed away early this morning. Okay. Dustin's dad passed away. Okay. Okay. So, one we have on our list right now is Dustin's dad's passed away. Okay. I think we'll go straight in the prayer on this one. Let us turn to the Lord in prayer. Father, in heaven we praise you. We love you. The Lord give it. The Lord does take it away. We live in a short span of life. And we know that it's only the time that we are all going to depart from this world. Pray, Heavenly Father, for Dustin's family, we pray for a sympathy. Here we extend our sympathy to those that he left behind. We pray, Heavenly Father, in this time of grieving that the gospel again will go off. The good news that all who believe and trust in Lord Jesus Christ has and are guaranteed eternal life. And we praise you for that hope. We thank Heavenly Father for Rosemary and getting through the radiation. We continue to pray for her. Walk with the Lord, her spiritual growth. We pray, Heavenly Father, JD, as he's continued to battle with cancer. We pray, Heavenly Father, for Terry, another praise. And we ask, Heavenly Father, to keep the cancer in remission. And we also continue to pray for her and Mike and their spiritual growth as we pray for all of our spiritual growths. We pray for a traveling mercy for Donna as he's traveling. And we pray, Heavenly Father, for those logistical needs and for our vehicle for Mom, for the well-being of the pets of Donna and those little things as well as those things we consider great. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your grace, your mercy, your kindness. Be with Tim as he's still battling the cancer as well. And we ask Heavenly Father that treatment and things that he goes through will be a positive treatment. Continue most of all to keep him lifted up in his spirit. Thank you for his testimony. Thank you for his encouragement. So we pray this morning as we come to your Word and worship. Open up our hearts to the things that we're going to continue to study. And we pray these things in Christ's name, Amen. Amen. Amen. Okay. Now we're going to use them. Okay, go to share with the last. And go to share. And then we're going to come up, screen two. Yeah. Up to 11. Up to 11. There's... Now it's two, 11, the second page. Yeah, it's two, 12. Wow. There's music. I thought we used this on two, 12. I mean, two, 11. What? Would you ever work? I don't know. Yeah, two. There's two, 11. There. Okay, let's do two, 11. Yeah, there you go. I guess two, 12 is like broken down version. Yeah, I think it's a four, four of our four things, okay? Oh, the deep, deep, the blood of Jesus. That's the unmeasured, thouless tree. Growing as a mighty ocean, in its coldest over me. Underneath me, all around me, is the permit of the ground. Leading onward, leading onward to my glorious mess of love. Oh, the deep, deep, the blood of Jesus. Strain his grace from joy to shore, how he loved ever long. Changing never, never long. How he watches for his loved ones, died to call them of his own. How for them he enters he is, watches for them from the throne. Oh, the deep, deep, the blood of Jesus. Love of every love of that, this man ocean has a blessing. There's a favorite sweet of this. Oh, the deep, deep, the blood of Jesus. 'Tis a hand of heaven to me, and it lifts me up to glory. For it lifts me up to thee. All right, you may be seated. We do have, you know, there has been news. And the time in which we live right now, you don't turn on the news very long until you get a knee jerk this way, knee jerk that way. I'm starting to feel like Elvis. But I don't listen to it all that much. But there is good news. Well, this week, you know, we know about the Olympic Games. I think you know about the Olympic Games, how they put on the show, the last supper show with all drag queens. I'm mocking Christianity and mocking Christ. Stand by for divine judgment there. The poor girl that she trained all, you know, she grew up, she trained all her life. She's, you know, a female boxer and she has to go up against a man. She goes, a man who identifies as a woman. He cleans her clock, you know, and she, she stopped at 46 seconds. She, she goes off and crying because her dream has been just shattered. But there are, there is good news. There is good news. From Worthy News this week, actually just yesterday, from Worthy News, revival fires are repeatedly spreading across the United Kingdom from England to Ireland. Christians are witnessing a shift and a new hunger for God in the once spiritually dry region. Something has shifted in the last six months and it feels almost like it's a rising river. Pastor Craig Cooney, who leads the Hope Church in Northern Ireland, he believes a spiritual drought brought on by the pandemic is over. So, this is something that George said when he was, George Whitten said when he was here. He believes that what we're going to see is what we're going to, what we saw back in the 60s. Where the, the free love and all the crazy stuff, the drug, sex and rock and roll, that many of the youth to realize I meant something's wrong here. And it actually brought them to Christ. And that's it. And so George thinks that that's going to come back. And listen, for that, this is not only our prayers for this to happen revival and stuff. It's also why we are being prepared right now to take in the Word of God because, as Jesus said, the harvest is plentiful. There are people going to be asking you questions and if you're equipped with the Word of God, you're going to be there for them. Be ready for that harvest, all right? That's what George says. All right. And secondly, I love this also for more of the news. A teenage athlete from Brazil used American sign language to honor God and share the gospel with the world after winning a medal for skateboarding at the 1924 Paris Olympics at the weekend CHV and radio reports. The skateboarder, for most of her young life, 16 years old, Raisa, I think I hope I pronounced that right. Raisa, Leah, Leah was thrilled to represent Brazil and the woman's street skateboarding category at the years Olympic and France. As a Christian, Leah wanted to thank God for her athletic gift but was reportedly told she could not verbally express her faith at the Olympics because France identifies as a secular country. However, after winning the bronze medal for a women's street skateboarding on Sunday, July 28, Leah used ASL sign language to sign the Bible verse, John 14, 6, which says, Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life. And no man comes to a flower, but except through me. In the statement to see an end reporter, Leah later said, when I was very young, I dreamed of becoming a skateboard athlete, and here I am in the second Olympic medal from the Games. Once again, thank God I won a medal. I'm very happy to be here. On her Instagram platform, Leah added, "On top of the world, all honor and glory to God." So, it was great. So, there's victory. And that's what the victory we have to be looking for in our time. All right. Where's my sword at? He's been getting on with me, but I'm not bringing my sword up there. Push up. Push up. Push, push up for me. Okay. Are we stopped sharing there? Okay. Let's see. Pardon me, just for a sec. Can you see that? Bring it up. Bring up the Zoom. That's the Zoom right here. Come back there in the Zoom. Now, come back to the Zoom. Hey. No. Nope. Why don't you cross that? Right there. I'll bring that one up. Okay. Okay. And you can, on there, bring it up there and just put Hebrews. Hebrews 12, if you will. Can I mention something? Yeah. Go ahead. Can you all hear me fine? Black and Terry? Yeah. Right here. Okay. Great. Couple of things. Yeah. Speak about the Olympics. I've heard some public figures trying to get people to pick Christians to rise up. We talked about this. Yeah. And I just seen a video where they were saying Christians have to stand up if they don't. The religion is going to be extinguished. And it's like how I asked an out of a statement for you to go up publicly and say that, which me and you've had this conversation on exactly that subject. And just the harvest being ready for, you know, the harvest is great. I've heard a preacher this morning. I was all night before. The radio personality had a pre-trial and said, "What's the first thing you would want to tell people?" and he said, "Well, say yes to Jesus." That's the first and foremost to say yes to Jesus. And I just want to make sure everybody knows that, I mean, that's a horrible gospel message. It belittles it. And you know where I am. I struggle with my arrogance and low view of self. But say yes to Jesus and be excited about if your life's almost over. For people who get burned, you should be excited. Be excited. It's like these things don't come just by making yourself feel assertively. It is from spending time in this work and growing. And, you know, when we're talking about how it's easy to backslide off of it. Just like going back to the gym week and you've got to work your way back. You hit the game straight, but the world gives you that strength too. And you've been encouraged by motivation. I'm saying a lot. It's not really connected but just three things that were on my mind. For a recent thing and stuff. These are things that we do exactly right. Our job modeled ourselves after the church in Acts. And after the Acts, what the apostles did and what Jesus did. They did not crusade against the government. The government was government. The emperor, Jesus didn't do it. We were told to live a quiet life. And all these Christians that are out there, how many of them are actually praying for Biden or praying for the government that we have. But ours is to spread the gospel. And when we go to war, listen, there are civic responsibilities. If there's time to protest, protest as a citizen where we are to protest. If you want to go to a gay pride parade, handing out tracks. Hey, I'm actually off work. The gym, I forget what the country music center talked about is Dad. That every Mardi Gras, he was there, getting spit on, getting cussed out. And he was there handing out tracks. That's all he was doing. And he led at least one person of all the years. He led at least one person to the Lord down there. So that's what we do. We're not here to change the world or to whitewash the devil's world. We are here to save people out of this world. Do you hear me? This world is sinking. It's like the Titanic. People weren't down there trying to. And there was a missionary. We can go on with this. But there was a missionary going around, going person to person, trying to lead people to Christ. Are you saved? Believe in Lord Jesus Christ. And now she'll be saved. He wasn't down there trying to pack the hole in the Titanic. The Titanic is going down and we need to deliver people out of Gospel. And that's one person at a time. You know, believers. We're living in a dark world. And this world is going out. But very good, Mark, what that is, something else that we can carry on a conversation with. The Hebrews, Chapter 12, and gentlemen, I do appreciate your ministries. What you're doing, what you're doing, what you're doing. I do appreciate that. Keep it up and refine your skills in that area. Actually, let's, I tell you what, let's go to X, I don't have a whole lot of time. Let's just go to Hebrews 12 and we'll start with verse 18. For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind. And to a blast of a trumpet and a sound of the words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further were be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command if even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned. And that comes from Exodus 19, 12. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, "I am full of fear and trembling." But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God and the heavenly Jerusalem and the Mayrids of angels. That's a whole bunch of angels, by the way. You got intramural. ESV says intramural. Butchum. Miryads. Miryads? Is it thousands upon thousands? Yeah. For that word. What was that, Mike? Yeah. My ribs. Mayrids. Butchum. I got the hill. I've got the hillbilly Bible. It says butchum. Butchum. To the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the judge of all of the spirits and the righteous made perfect. And to Jesus the mediator of new covenant and to the sprinkled blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel. Amen. This is the word of the Lord. Terry, Mike, you hear me all right? Yeah, we're doing all right? Yes. Yes, sir. Very good. So this, there's a contract between here of the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Don't get your covenant screwed up and remember to remember covenant. Covenant is a contract. God, it is the Lord Jesus Christ Yahweh who condescended himself. And they said that the Lord himself said that there's nothing impossible with God. And that's true. That's scriptural. But let's take that in contact because there is something that God is impossible God to do to go back on his word. A covenant binds God powerful when a covenant is spoken by God. The eye wills of God are two of the most powerful words in the Bible because it bounds God to his word. He will not go back to his word. So when you hear people talk about Israel and say that God no longer has room for his people, that's a lie. You know that God will not break his covenant. If the Abrahamic covenant, the Abrahamic covenant is an unconditional promise. God will not go back on that. Remember in that promise you got three things. You got the land covenant, the land promise, the seed promise and the blessing promise. That's unconditional. He will not go back on that promise. The most vague promise, however, as we're coming into it, let's go pass that one to the Davidic covenant. The covenant that God made with David, also unconditional. If that's a lie, you can turn it on unless you already did. Or are you just saying? Oh, you didn't hear it. Okay. Good. God made a covenant with David, say you will have a son that will rule forever. It is a unconditional, unconditional promise covenant. It is going to be for an ever and ever. The no aid covenant. I don't know. Well, that's going back. But the Mosaic covenant, you see what happened with the Israelites when they were brought out of Egypt. They came out, they're under the Abrahamic covenant. And they are under grace. They were offered grace. But they didn't want grace. They wanted something that they could see since touch smell. They wanted something that they could lay their hands on. By the way, idolatry is worshiping false gods, is coming up with idols that you can control, that you can put your hands on, that you can set your own standards, that you can raise up to, you can set your own level and you can rise yourself up to it. So that's what the Israelites were doing. And they dismissed grace. They wanted something. And the Lord says, "Okay, fine. I'm going to give you something. You wanted some rules. You wanted some regulations. You wanted some law. Okay. Very good. I'm going to accommodate you on that." So first of all, the writer addresses those in Hebrews, those who are now privileged with a new covenant coming into a new covenant, which is augmented by the blood of Christ, not the blood of sacrifice. You remember going back to Hebrews chapter 10, that the blood of bulls and goats were no good, which means all those sacrifices throughout all that time, 1500 years, I believe, somewhere around there, all those generations, none of them saved one person. And this is what the people wanted. They wanted rules they could keep. There are those then and now, who seeks a broken relationship with God by seeking to mend the curtain, to get the curtain back up. Remember, remember the curtain that was torn in the temple, a picture of saying there could say two things. One, you won't find the Chicago glory. You won't find glory in this empty room. That's one thing. But it's also a thing because it was ripped right when Jesus said what? It is finished. Yeah, it is finished. The work of salvation is good. It is blood augmented, a new condition. And we now are in the time of grace. The law did not work. And they were to keep it. And the Mosaic law was temporal. It would be rescinded. It would be taken away. It's no longer that the old things have passed away and new things have come. And we live in a time, and it's like, I have to look at it. I like to see it as a checker flag. You see, what the Israelites wanted, chained them, it bound them. There are those people who are hyper-religious in our lives. There are denominations that are hyper-religious. Pick your own denomination. Could be Baptist, could be Catholic, whatever. But they tie you to the system, to the religious system. You heard people say, oh, he can't do that and still be a Christian. Remember that? Oh, he can't do that and still be a Christian. They want to tie people into religion. It is like a heavy weight. And it holds you back. It's just like government. It's just folks. Let me not get political here. But it's a good analogy. United States is where we have been because of freedom. And with freedom, man was able to exercise and invent and to grow and to just. I mean, they've done fantastic things. And the United States had led the way of so many things because of freedom. Secular freedom. But spiritual freedom. Religion is like government. It tends to hold you back and hold you down with a bunch of do's and don'ts. And so we get busy doing this and doing that and hold that. And you might know a lot of Bible and you might know a lot of this. But yet, no relationship. Religion doesn't secure a relationship. A bunch of do's and don'ts does not secure a relationship. Now, I'm not saying that there are things that we are to. What do we call it? I'm not saying that we live a life of all. Let's go by. And you know that. We've taught this. They're going by grace. If I could do anything I want and I'm okay. No, you're not. And I'm not saying that at all. There are commandments that we follow. There are, we're studying, we're conforming to God's Word. And now are those things that we're going to refrain from. There's those things that we're going to do. There are sins of a mission. There are sins of commission. So, I'm not saying that we live the way we want. But I'm saying that to what my, my, my father-in-law, my buddy said, that you cannot live the spiritual life by just reframing from sin. All right? And so there, and there are still people. And listen, I understand and I understand your sentiment. But listen, the, the law, we're not, we're no longer under the law. There are still people that say that we as a church need as new, as a new Jerusalem, as new Israel. We need to be under the law. We need to obey the Ten Commandments. We need to, we, we need to sacrifice. We need to do this. We need to do this. No, we don't. That was an old system. Now, with that said, we still obey the commandments. We don't, we don't murder. We don't have adultery. We don't lie. We don't cover our neighbor's wife. We don't do all that. Those are sins. Yes. We don't do that. But we're not under the Mosaic law. That's, and they will argue. Well, I said that I didn't come to a Bosch law, but I came to fulfill the law. People argue with that. Absolutely right. That's absolutely true. Did he fulfill the law? He absolutely did. Okay? And all the things, he didn't abolish all the things that were in the Old Testament, but we don't practice them. It's still truth, but we do not practice those. And this is what Paul had struggled throughout his ministry to get people to understand. But when we realize this, we have been set free. Jesus said, knowing the truth and the truth shall set you free. And when we recognize that we're not under the religious system, regardless of the denomination, it's like a checker flag at NASCAR going down saying, oh, no, that's a finish up. But the starting, what did they do? I don't know. It's a checker flag. Was that the gun? Well, whatever it is, it's a start. It's a start. You've got freedom to live the spiritual life, to grow in the war. The veils have been empty. The religious system has been dropped. Live the spiritual life. It's wonderful. Go out and live it. And you have the opportunity now to, your shackles are gone. And now you can press forward to the high ground of spiritual maturity. And without having the restraint of religion, amen. So what do you do with your freedom? Becky and I were watching, Mike, do you remember Larry's country diner? Do you ever get to see it on YouTube or anything? Yeah, I've seen that. I can't get it anymore. Yeah, we watch it on YouTube regularly. I love it. I love Nadine. I love the music on there. The other night we were watching a country music series he had on there. Larry was interviewed and said, what are you doing? And the guy was saying, okay, he has concerts. He has 80-some concerts a year. He's an actor. He both in movies and on stage plays. He's got a family. He's trying to take care of his family and be in there with his family. He does get a chance to cook up turkeys every year. He cooks up hundreds of turkeys for shelters. And after, you know, when people applaud you, you're doing a good thing. And I'm not, I'm going to be disparaging him knowing that. But after the show was over, I kind of looked over at Becky and said, you know, you do all that. How much time, if you spent all your life being busy, listen, you can also be too busy in ministry for God. You may realize that, handing out turkeys to shelter was great. It's a great thing. But you can be too busy for God. And I said, Becky, what if he spends all his life doing, being so busy of his life? What do you have at the end when it's time to go home to be with the Lord? What do you have to show for the Lord with a walk with him? And so we have freedom to do everything that we want, but not everything is good. There are two races. Two races, Paul talks about racing, running a good race. And there's the race to achieve in life. Listen, I was one of them. I want to run, I want to run the marathons. I want to run the triathlons. I want to set a goal and I want to go for it. I want to live my life as much in this life as I could get a hold up and grab hold up. What if I could achieve everything I wanted to? What would I have at the end of my life? It's called the rat race. And my, what do we call that? Inordinate ambition. Inordinate ambition, to be the best, to climb the highest bounds. Well, that's, so there's that race. That's a secular race. And listen, I'm not saying, listen, gentlemen, you say I have a goal, you want to do that? Sure, go for it. But leave it in perspective. Don't put God here in this here. You know, go for something. You know, I'm saying go for it and put all your, the Lord says whatever you do, do it with all your heart. Not as unto God, or not as unto man, but as unto God. And so I'm not saying this, don't be a couch potato and have your Bible read, and that's all you do. Go out. It's the way you can touch other people's lives and contact other people. But don't have your heart occupied with it. The other race is a spiritual race. The other race is recognizing. And this is the recognition we talked, we're praying for Destin's family right now. Dad has passed away. Destin's dad, and our separate days go out for him. But every time there's a death, there's a, listen, it's a reminder, it's an object lesson. Every time you go to a funeral, it's an object lesson to say that we're not long for this world. The Genesis five moment, I think, about any day, any day. Exactly. Genesis chapter five, and he died, and he died, and he died. And they were living for a good long time, but still they died. We don't have that long. James says, James says life is but a vapor. Solomon says vanity vanity, which is also a vapor vapor. And what do you do with the time that parentheses from birth to death? Let's shorten it. Your spiritual birth to death. What do you do with that time Christians? How much time are you, what, what, I should ask you, what race are you in? What race are you in? And so by race, I mean that which we pursue so passionately to cross the line, having accomplished the race, reaching the gold, accomplishing a mission. The satisfaction of knowing that my life counted for something. That's the big thing right there. You know the secular world says those who die with the most is a winner. No. Those who die with the most are still dead. And by the time we get to that, it's, listen, you know what death is? It's separation. I'll add another death to this separation from your value system. Because the world's value system, the moment you die and take your last breath, the value system in this world, all the things that you invested your life in is down the tank. It's not worth toot. Can I say that online? Can I say that in church? But it is everything that we've invested in this life for this life to advance in this life is not worth nothing. And then we go to, then we all will stand before the judgment seat, having to give an account for what we've done in the body, whether good or bad. So the writer of our passage in Hebrews reference Esau in the previous passage coming to Hebrews chapter 12 or 15 through 17. While I'm going to read that for me, Hebrews 15 to 17, please. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God and no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by it may be defined. That there be no moral or godless person like Esau who saw his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when you desire to inherit the blessings, he would reject it. Or he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. Okay, let's go to Genesis 25, 29 and Terry, I'm going to give you that one. Genesis 25 to 29 to 32. Yes, when Jacob had cooked food, Esau came in from the field of independence. And Esau said to Jacob, "Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there for our independence." Therefore his name was called Esau. But Jacob said, "First, only your birthright. Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die, still of what you spend is the birthright to me." Okay, that's good. Okay, the birthright, there's two sections here. First there's the birthright and then there's the inheritance later on. The birthright that Esau was not so interested in, but Jacob, you see, Esau was the first born. Esau was already in the line to take over the family, the patriarchal duties, the authority of the family, which carried with it also to keep the family together. The spiritual aspect of it, the whole nine yards. And listen, God's family is important to God, vitally important. It's part of his plan. And so when Esau looked at that, he saw the soup and Jacob wanted that birthright. He was the younger. And he comes in, he's all famished. He said, "Give me some of that soup. Give me some of that. What is it back? The red stuff, right? Give me some of that red stuff." And he said, "Give me some of that stuff." He said, "First of all, tell me your birthright. Because I'm dying here. I'm famished." I think Esau was probably going in a little bit of theatrics here. I don't think he was starving to death. And he says, and I remember I said before, I'd have just punched Jacob and took some. But he said, "What's it matter to me? Here's his word. Behold, listen up. I'm about to die." So what use of the birthright is it to me? You see, the birthright was important to Jacob, but it wasn't to Esau. And that birthright is also important to God. So unfortunately, that is the sentiment of so many Christians. They see death as an end of the road. And for the world philosophy, they share the world philosophy as whoever dies with the most toys wins. The Apostle Paul writes the 2nd Timothy. Great. Give me 2nd Timothy, 3-10. 2nd Timothy. 2nd Peter. Okay. 2nd Peter. Thank you. 2nd Peter, 3-10. Thank you, Timothy. Think about me, aren't you, Jim? 2nd Timothy, 2-10. 3-11. 2nd Peter. 2nd Peter. 3-10. Do what I mean, not what I say. But the day of the war will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away what they roar, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat. And the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and God? And the God in us. Most important things, the most important things are the things that are going to last. Which means, we mentioned, I think it was last Tuesday, you, and your spiritual life is more important to God than the heavens and the earth. Do you realize that? These heavens and earth will pass away, but his promises will not, and you are the object to these promises. You are going to live forever. You're going to receive a body. And I believe, and what I've been taught, is we are in this earth, and we are in a training program. We are in the... What was that, come on, is that my phone? No, sorry. I thought it was mine. I just didn't want it to be mine. We are in a training program. And we... There are positions in eternity. We saw it at the Church of Stire-Tire in Revelation, and we will see it when we begin to study it. That those who overcome, I will give rulership over nations, and that... Listen, folks, the new heavens and the new earth will be formed. And there's going to be nations and the new heavens and the new earth, and the new earth. And there's going to be rulership functions. Robes and crowns means royalty, and not every believer who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, who are born again. Believe us, not everyone is going to make it. Oh, they're going to be in heaven, and they're going to be happy for eternity. And for me, I'm responsible for you, as a congregation. Now, you're responsible for yourself when you go out there. But I would consider it a great... How do I say? Oh, to stand in, as a pastor, okay? And to stand before the Lord, saying, "Okay, I never entrusted you with hundreds of people." I haven't trusted you with these. And to look over and see you all with crowns and robes, well done, good and faithful servant. And if it's just one, and that one has a crown, and that... And gentlemen, remember, you are spiritual leaders of your life. So, your wife needs to be standing there with the crown and with the robe and as a part in part because of your faithfulness to nurture her spiritual life. While I'm great, remember that. Remember that. And the women that you marry, your wife, your wife, that they should already be loving God. And they should be looking at you saying, "You know, lead me. Help me to know my God better. I'm going to help you. Help me." I like Jerry McGuire. You've probably never seen that movie. You've seen the movie, right? Help me help you. Anyway, I digress. Let's go on. Somebody give me 2 Corinthians 5, 9, through 11. I did all right on to Corinthians, right? 2 Corinthians 5, 9, through 11. Therefore, we also have our temptation, whether at home or absent, to be pleading to them. Well, we must all appear before the judge received a price, so that each one may be recognized for his deeds and body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing that dear Lord, we persuade men what we are made manifest to God. And I hope that we are made manifest also in your consensus. Conscious. Conscious, consciousness. Okay, now, since I was so busy trying to get you all to go to Peter, I'm going to read 1 Peter. 4, 8, 1 Peter. You see that the Holy Spirit can use any of us, right? There, great. There we go. 1 Timothy 4, 8. For bodily discipline is only a little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. And I read these verses, and remember, why are we reading these verses in light of the two covenants that we are reading in Hebrews? The first covenant, the conditional covenant held people back. It was part of the burden that had to be released so that people can have the freedom, the spiritual freedom, to pursue their spiritual life. We have freedom. Again, Galatians, chapter 5 says, it's for freedom that Christ has set us free. Therefore, stop being held back by the yoke of sin. We have been made free. When the Creator God created man, He created them perfect, pure and good. Man was naked. We prayed at the end of Genesis chapter 2 that man was naked. Man and one was naked, but they weren't out of shame. And they didn't need a tome to stand before God. They were naked, and it doesn't have to do with their bodily nakedness. You understand that? We make a lot to do with the first streakers in the Bible. It was about their bodily nakedness. It was about their soul that it was open to God, and God can look upon them and see that they were innocent. Man was created to have a right relationship with God, to have a harmonious rapport with him. When sin came into the world by Adam's sin brought sin into the world and that sin passed to all men. And it placed a barrier between God and man. Do not accept the false premise why. If God is a false question, if God is a loving God, how can He cast His creatures into the lake of fire? He is a loving God, but God cannot, as a God of justice, He cannot stand and allow sin to go unpunished. There is a barrier. God is perfectly righteous. And I always like to say, it's God's gag reflexes. You know what I'm talking about, gag reflexes? You smell something that's totally intolerable. You're just about throwing up, smelling it. You're about to get away from it? Our sin is that way to God. Our sin is, what do you call it, putrid? What's pugnant? Is that about the same thing? If just putrid, pugnant sounds nasty. I like what John Cross talks about that rat that they had to get out from under the shed and it was maggots and everything. God, and I always like what the Colonel did with that about his dog, his loving dog, that went out and got tangled up with a skunk. And that's God was a loving buddy, but he couldn't let him into the house because he, the dog was, okay, anyway, the dog, you know, he couldn't let the dog in the house because that dog got, you know, sprayed and that smell kind of makes you gag. Well, God is like that and it creates a barrier between us and God. God loves us. He does love us, but he cannot be in association with our sin. And so, man knew of the barrier between him and God, at least man, he did have, when man said, I don't know how much we'd have to talk to Adam, did you know that you were separate from God? I don't think he did. I think Adam kind of figured, you know, something's not right. I can't identify which right, not right. There was sin and guilt. His conscience was bothering him. He didn't know what he didn't know what for. He didn't know why he was all broken. You know, until God showed up, man could no longer stand before God for man was unrighteous. He was a lawbreaker, fallen creature, spiritually dead, subject to physical death, sentenced to eternal death. We find in some passages that God is only the God of the living. Man is spiritually dead at that point, but God is only the God of the living. Matthew 22, 32, Mark 12, 27, Luke 20, 38. And we know that Adam and Adam all died. So Adam and Eve put on figglies to mask their neck and their neck in it before God. They thought to deal with the burden, the guilt and the shame within their hearts, that they would fix the outside, they would put on, they would change their appearance. Maybe if I, maybe I fix this, I would be acceptable. I would be acceptable. That's what Adam and Eve did. King, what did King do? No, what did King do to approach God? He did kill Abel, but that's not what I'm looking for. He didn't bring the appropriate sacrifice. He didn't bring the appropriate sacrifice. He brought work. He brought crops from his field. And we should say he wrote a sacrifice inappropriately. I like that. Mind if I use that sometimes? You didn't get that from me, did you? I like that wisdom. He brought the offering inappropriately. Because I like that. I'm gonna write that down next. Stop right there. That's not a fun DVD of the day. But he brought the sacrifice inappropriately. And in this, it's the work of his hands. He brought to the altar. He thought to fix whatever spiritually broken by bringing something that wasn't required. So bringing to God works of his hands to rectify a broken relationship. He saw. He saw offered up his sincerity. And this is what the writer of Hebrew says. He tried to, he tried to do it. He tried to seek salvation through his tears through sincerity. And the children of God who left Egypt, they rejected the grace of God. They wanted something more tangible than just faith. Listen, we do not have, and I'll finish it off with this as we will pick this up on Tuesday night. We have no energy, there is no energy of the flesh. That's going to gain the approbation of God. We can be as good as we want to be. We can, we can, you think of it, but what does Isaiah tell us that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags? There is nothing that we're going to do to gain the approbation of God. We have to rely on faith. We have to rely on his word to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We did not save ourselves at the cross, nor can we sanctify ourselves. But there is, coming in, I like what you said earlier, Michael, about being in cooperation with the Spirit. Being in cooperation, Lord, to recognize humbly, humble thyself under the mighty hand of God, and he will exalt you. You see, you can measure, we want to do works. I just can't get into the thing about dead works and good works and dead works. We work creative to do good works that we should walk in them. But the works isn't for our spiritual, it is a reflection of our spirits, or a, it grows out of our spiritual growth. And our spiritual growth is what happens when we are connected with the Spirit and the Spirit growing our spiritual lives. Again, cooperation, I think that's the second profundity of the day, which came from your boss, that being in cooperation with the Spirit. Lord, I can't. You see, what I was getting at, which I lost myself, we want to do good work so that we have something to measure. Or we want to do works. We want to go out there, we want to build churches, we want to be pastors, we want to do ministry, we want to feed, we want to do all that. And I'm not saying none of that, any of that is not good, I'm not saying that. But we want something we can measure. We want to say, I've done A, B, C, D, and therefore I'm a good person. Be careful with that. Recognize we are nothing apart from what God has shaped us to be, and without the Lord. If we're out there doing by energy of the flesh, just to gain God's approbation. Look at me, God, look at what I did. What is it to please God? What is it the only thing that we can please God with? Obedience is fine. But Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 6. Faith, that's right. Without faith, it's impossible, please God. Our focus, listen. Our focus, when we are focused and we are concentrating on the Lord, looking to remain in the light as He is in the light. God is going to use us. It's going to happen, and the Lord, remember the point, Mom, God uses prepared people, and prepared people are prepared by faith. Nothing else not by our energy. for teaching, they don't understand the lesson. And they're getting a lot of doodism from the pulpit. And instead of trying to understand it, spending time in the word, they just think, "Well, I'll just be good." And that'll spring in the role sacrifice. No, you're hitting it right there. It's steep. As long as I do this, I don't want to read the Bible. It's easy for me to go out and do things. Matter of fact, we've heard those people that are Bible students, that's all they do. They're big warmers. They don't go out and do nothing. I do things, by the way. I'm going out and do it. Listen, God will make room for your gift. And from the outgrowth of your faith, you're going to do things. You're going to help people. You might have this. And we've all got spiritual gifts. It may. And your spiritual gifts may be the gift of helps. It may be the gift of giving. It may be the evangelist's gift. And maybe all this. And that's great. Go out and serve God with all your heart. But don't let your ministry get in the way of your relationship with the Lord because it very much can. All right, while the gunner, you're up. Victory in Jesus page four seventy three. Some. Yeah, well, we're going to remove the first beer. And we're going to take this drink. You know the song. No, no, no, no. I heard an old story. And I heard an old old story. And I was saved from glory. And I gave his life on Calvary to save a wretch like me. I heard about his pony of this rich flood of Tony. And I repented of my sins and won the victory. Oh, victory in Jesus. I saved old forever. He saw me and got me with his redeeming blood. He loved me here. I knew him. And all my love is to him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood. I heard about his healing of his cleansing power revealing How he made me lame to walk again. And caused the blind to see. And then I cried here, Jesus. Come and hear my broken spirit. And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory. Oh, victory in Jesus. I saved old forever. He saw me and got me with his redeeming blood. He loved me here. I knew him. And all my love is to him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood. I heard about a mansion. He has built for me and glory. And I heard about those trees of gold. He had a crystal sing about the angels singing in the old redemption story. And some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory. Oh, victory in Jesus. I saved old forever. He saw me and got me with his redeeming blood. He loved me here. I knew him. And all my love is to him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood. You're as close as that while I got her. Dear Lord, our Heavenly Father, I thank you for bringing us here today, Lord. Giving us another day to be able to get stronger in our faith and get closer to you, Lord. That's everyday, Lord. It shouldn't just be this day, Lord. Pray that you be with us throughout the week, Lord, and keep us strong in our faith with you, Lord. Christ name, I pray, amen. All right. I forgot to add one more to the prayer list just so you can be thinking about Antonio. Do you remember what I said your name was thanks? No one knew Jesus. No one knew there is no prayer thing. You're my Lord, you're the better. You're my Lord, you're my righteousness, and I love you. You're my Lord, you're my Lord. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.