WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.379 I was going to be preaching today out of Hebrews 00:00:02.379 --> 00:00:08.560 12, and I will be in a couple of weeks, but I 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:10.820 had been preparing a certain segment of that, 00:00:10.939 --> 00:00:15.160 and I felt the Lord put something else in my 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:17.239 heart. It was actually a verse I had read to 00:00:17.239 --> 00:00:21.739 open worship last week, and I just felt Him drop 00:00:21.739 --> 00:00:25.219 it right into me, and it's actually a couple 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:29.480 of chapters back in Hebrews. And so we're going 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:35.479 to be in Hebrews chapter 10 today. And for some 00:00:35.479 --> 00:00:37.240 of you, you might be like, yes, this is going 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:38.619 to be great. Some of you are going to be like, 00:00:38.619 --> 00:00:40.820 I don't know about this. This is not who I am. 00:00:41.439 --> 00:00:44.200 But I'm just saying what the scripture says. 00:00:45.640 --> 00:00:49.740 And in Hebrews 10, 39, it is this passage. And 00:00:49.740 --> 00:00:57.409 it says, we, but we. do not belong to those who 00:00:57.409 --> 00:01:03.270 shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who 00:01:03.270 --> 00:01:11.870 have faith and are saved. But we do not belong 00:01:11.870 --> 00:01:18.569 to those who shrink back. Listen, the Jews at 00:01:18.569 --> 00:01:23.810 this time were in an intense persecution. They 00:01:23.810 --> 00:01:28.510 were facing public and social pressure and shaming. 00:01:30.209 --> 00:01:33.349 Financial loss. It wasn't just they were getting 00:01:33.349 --> 00:01:36.409 made fun of on Facebook. It was affecting them 00:01:36.409 --> 00:01:40.609 financially. They were being imprisoned for their 00:01:40.609 --> 00:01:48.739 faith. They were facing some hard things. And 00:01:48.739 --> 00:01:53.000 in Hebrews 10, he says, hey, but we're not part 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:58.459 of those who shrink back. And I've known believers 00:01:58.459 --> 00:02:03.560 who, as soon as the going gets tough, wait a 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:09.080 minute, maybe this isn't what I wanted. And so 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:11.400 let's take a few moments and just look at the 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:16.800 context of this verse in Hebrews 10. Starting 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:21.280 in verse 34, you suffered long along with those 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:26.979 in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation 00:02:26.979 --> 00:02:29.400 of your property. This is what was happening. 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:35.479 Your home could be confiscated. Can you imagine? 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:41.719 It's hard for us and even the wealth of our Western 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:47.229 to get that, I think. Because you knew that you 00:02:47.229 --> 00:02:51.110 yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 00:02:52.870 --> 00:02:57.710 So do not throw away your confidence. It will 00:02:57.710 --> 00:03:03.050 be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so 00:03:03.050 --> 00:03:06.430 that when you have done the will of God, you 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:12.189 will receive what he has promised. For in just 00:03:12.189 --> 00:03:17.310 a little while, We sang it today. He who is coming 00:03:17.310 --> 00:03:25.330 will come and will not delay. You know, it feels 00:03:25.330 --> 00:03:27.129 like it's delaying, but there's going to come 00:03:27.129 --> 00:03:28.650 that moment where you're like, that went really 00:03:28.650 --> 00:03:34.689 fast. And but my righteous one will live by faith, 00:03:34.969 --> 00:03:40.050 and I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks 00:03:40.050 --> 00:03:47.680 back. But we do not belong to those who shrink 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:51.939 back and are destroyed, but to those who have 00:03:51.939 --> 00:03:59.099 faith and are saved. I want us to take two things 00:03:59.099 --> 00:04:04.659 away from this. And the first thing in this passage 00:04:04.659 --> 00:04:09.340 that captures my attention and makes me sit up 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:17.220 is verse 38. I take no pleasure in the one who 00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:24.779 shrinks back. I just have all the things in my 00:04:24.779 --> 00:04:29.600 life that I desire. It is to know that the pleasure 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:36.620 of the Lord is upon my life. There's no greater 00:04:36.620 --> 00:04:45.279 joy than knowing my life is pleasing him. More 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:49.300 than any other circumstantial outcome in my life, 00:04:49.379 --> 00:04:53.540 if I know my life has brought pleasure to the 00:04:53.540 --> 00:05:01.019 Lord, that is victory. As I was writing this, 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:03.040 I began to think about, just from the top of 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:07.079 my head, some people in the Bible that I think 00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:10.360 probably brought pleasure to God because they 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:15.569 weren't shrinkers. And so I think of in 1 Samuel 00:05:15.569 --> 00:05:20.589 14, Jonathan, the son of King Saul. This is one 00:05:20.589 --> 00:05:23.350 of my favorite accounts in the Old Testament. 00:05:24.089 --> 00:05:29.689 In 1 Samuel 14, they had been camped out, all 00:05:29.689 --> 00:05:32.649 the soldiers. And one day, I don't know if he 00:05:32.649 --> 00:05:34.930 was getting antsy sitting around, but Jonathan 00:05:34.930 --> 00:05:39.879 said to his armor bearer, hey, come on. We're 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:42.860 going to go over to the Philistine outpost on 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:46.779 the other side of this pass. He did not tell 00:05:46.779 --> 00:05:51.199 his father, King Saul. I think it might be one 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:53.920 of those situations better to ask for forgiveness 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:59.259 later. So I think he's afraid Saul is going to 00:05:59.259 --> 00:06:01.740 be like, no, you can't do that, right? And so 00:06:01.740 --> 00:06:07.360 he does not tell his father. And verse 6. Now 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:08.920 I'm going to be kind of jumping around in some 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:13.459 of these passages. In verse 6, Jonathan said 00:06:13.459 --> 00:06:16.600 to the armor bearer, come, let's go over to the 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:20.740 outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the 00:06:20.740 --> 00:06:27.079 Lord will act on our behalf. He doesn't go to 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:33.639 take this knowing that God has sent him. He doesn't 00:06:33.639 --> 00:06:37.199 go into it knowing thus. Sayeth the Lord. He 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:41.660 says, perhaps, right? This is just this idea 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:44.319 that started to burn in him. I want to go take 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:49.540 out those uncircumcised men over there. But he 00:06:49.540 --> 00:06:52.399 goes on, and here's where we see the source of 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:56.019 his confidence, though. Nothing can hinder the 00:06:56.019 --> 00:07:02.560 Lord from saving, whether by many or few. And 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:05.560 so the armor bearer, he has just complete trust 00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:08.819 in Jonathan. He says, do all that you have in 00:07:08.819 --> 00:07:14.779 mind. Go ahead. I am with you, heart and soul. 00:07:16.180 --> 00:07:19.939 He was fully committed to Jonathan in whatever 00:07:19.939 --> 00:07:26.060 scheme Jonathan came up with. So Jonathan told 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:29.540 his armor bearer, climb up after me. The Lord 00:07:29.540 --> 00:07:33.579 has given. So he did then in the passage ask 00:07:33.579 --> 00:07:37.300 the Lord for a sign. He got that sign. So he 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:40.180 said, come on, armor bearer. The Lord has given 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:43.560 them into the hand of Israel. And so in verse 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:47.560 14, it says, in that first attack, Jonathan and 00:07:47.560 --> 00:07:50.879 his armor bearer killed these two guys, some 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:57.040 20 men in an area of about half an acre. i love 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:00.100 the zeal of jonathan that says i'm not sitting 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:03.779 around anymore there are some uncircumcised people 00:08:03.779 --> 00:08:08.319 over there let's go let's go do something about 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:13.160 it perhaps the lord will save i know that nothing 00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:18.699 can hinder god i think that that kind of attitude 00:08:18.699 --> 00:08:23.040 pleases the lord In 1 Samuel, just a few chapters 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:29.060 over 17, we have, you all know David and Goliath, 00:08:29.060 --> 00:08:31.680 the account of David and Goliath. If you don't, 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:34.700 you should read the whole thing. But here's, 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:38.440 we're summarizing. Here we have the armies of 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:41.080 Israel against the armies of the Philistines, 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:44.559 and Goliath, who's the giant of the man, taunting 00:08:44.559 --> 00:08:49.009 them. to come out and fight them. And so David 00:08:49.009 --> 00:08:51.950 is the little guy of the family. He's been out 00:08:51.950 --> 00:08:57.549 in the hills with the sheep alone, and dad sends 00:08:57.549 --> 00:09:01.990 him to take some food to his brothers on the 00:09:01.990 --> 00:09:05.450 battlefield. So David shows up at the battlefield. 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:11.679 And there's this description in verse 24 of Goliath 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:15.299 that says, Whenever the Israelites saw the man, 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:22.279 they all fled from him in great fear. This is 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:26.120 the armies of Israel. They were all fleeing from 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:31.480 Goliath in great fear. And so this is what David 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:36.340 arrives on the scene to find. Goliath taunting, 00:09:36.340 --> 00:09:41.059 Israel hiding. And I love what David says. Who 00:09:41.059 --> 00:09:45.200 is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:49.480 defy the armies of the living God? Who do you 00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:54.740 think you are? I love, I'm pretty sure the zeal 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:58.919 of David, this young, passionate, just rises 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:04.399 up. Who is this guy? He's uncircumcised. Why 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:10.580 are you fleeing? He's defying God. And so David 00:10:10.580 --> 00:10:14.639 in verse 32 says to King Saul, so he has the 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:19.919 audacity to approach King Saul and say, let no 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:23.840 one lose heart on account of this Philistine. 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:31.250 I'm here. You're serving me. I'll go and fight 00:10:31.250 --> 00:10:36.470 him. You, King Saul, none of the armies of Israel 00:10:36.470 --> 00:10:39.909 have stood up to him, but I'm here now, so don't 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:42.370 lose heart. I'll go do the battle for you all. 00:10:42.970 --> 00:10:46.009 Just like envisioning, like wanting to just flick 00:10:46.009 --> 00:10:49.490 this little kid away, right? He's probably not 00:10:49.490 --> 00:10:52.830 winning anything from any of the armies of Israel 00:10:52.830 --> 00:10:59.110 at this point. But in verse 45, Saul suits him 00:10:59.110 --> 00:11:01.950 up or tries to and send him into battle. He's 00:11:01.950 --> 00:11:06.009 like, all right. And so David comes to Goliath. 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:10.289 And he says, you come against me with the sword 00:11:10.289 --> 00:11:13.129 and the spear and javelin, but I come against 00:11:13.129 --> 00:11:16.090 you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God 00:11:16.090 --> 00:11:19.570 of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 00:11:19.730 --> 00:11:23.950 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, 00:11:24.090 --> 00:11:27.850 and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. 00:11:28.970 --> 00:11:32.809 This very day, I will give the carcasses of the 00:11:32.809 --> 00:11:36.330 Philistine army to the birds and animals, and 00:11:36.330 --> 00:11:39.850 the whole world will know that there is a God 00:11:39.850 --> 00:11:45.149 in Israel. Hallelujah. I think that the Lord 00:11:45.149 --> 00:11:50.850 found pleasure in the zeal of David, who said, 00:11:50.970 --> 00:11:54.649 no, no, no. I'm not going to tolerate any of 00:11:54.649 --> 00:11:58.799 this nonsense of defying the living God. Let's 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:04.139 do battle. Let's go to war. I think in the New 00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:08.580 Testament, we often read some of these passages 00:12:08.580 --> 00:12:10.879 and think, I just don't know about those disciples, 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:17.860 man. I think about in Luke 9, 54, when the religious 00:12:17.860 --> 00:12:21.980 leaders were against Jesus. And it says in verse 00:12:21.980 --> 00:12:26.779 54 that when the disciples, James and John, saw 00:12:26.779 --> 00:12:31.750 that, They saw them being against Jesus. They 00:12:31.750 --> 00:12:36.690 asked Jesus, Lord, do you want us to call down 00:12:36.690 --> 00:12:41.610 fire from heaven to destroy them? I just envisioned 00:12:41.610 --> 00:12:45.529 Jesus rolling his eyes at them. No, just calm 00:12:45.529 --> 00:12:49.110 down. But I think that there had to have been 00:12:49.110 --> 00:12:51.570 something that might have just delighted Jesus 00:12:51.570 --> 00:12:59.070 in their zeal. Yeah, well, we know that Elijah 00:12:59.070 --> 00:13:03.129 did it, so why can't we? Why can't we call down 00:13:03.129 --> 00:13:08.669 fire? Can we call down fire, Jesus? I'm envisioning 00:13:08.669 --> 00:13:13.929 in Matthew 14 the delight of Jesus when they're 00:13:13.929 --> 00:13:17.330 in the storm, rowing, the disciples, and Jesus 00:13:17.330 --> 00:13:22.570 walks on water. And Peter, which, by the way, 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:25.320 Reminds me, if you haven't checked out Weekday 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:28.799 Faith, be sure to do it, the podcast. But he 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:34.519 says, Peter says, tell me to come to you on the 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:40.399 water. And Jesus, did he say no? No. He said, 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:45.320 come. Come, Peter. And Peter got out of the boat 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:50.879 and began to walk on water. He didn't shrink 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:54.539 back. I think that that brought joy to the heart 00:13:54.539 --> 00:14:01.299 of Jesus. I think it brought joy to the heart 00:14:01.299 --> 00:14:05.419 of Jesus in Luke 7 when a woman who lived a sinful 00:14:05.419 --> 00:14:08.720 life learned that Jesus was eating in the house 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:14.279 of some Pharisees, the religious leaders. And 00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:19.440 she had the audacity to come into that house. 00:14:20.139 --> 00:14:24.200 with her alabaster jar of perfume, and begin 00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:28.580 to weep over the feet of Jesus, washing his feet 00:14:28.580 --> 00:14:34.399 and pouring perfume on them. And the Pharisees 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:37.820 rebuke her. Well, no, they actually are in their 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:40.600 mind saying, doesn't Jesus know who this is? 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:44.559 Well, Jesus knows what's in our minds. And he 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:46.799 says, do you see this woman? I came, you didn't 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:52.370 wash my feet. She did with her tears. You didn't 00:14:52.370 --> 00:14:54.649 give me a kiss, but she hasn't stopped kissing 00:14:54.649 --> 00:15:00.330 my feet since she entered. You did not put oil 00:15:00.330 --> 00:15:03.070 on my head, but she poured perfume on my feet. 00:15:05.450 --> 00:15:09.889 The audacity to step into this religious home 00:15:09.889 --> 00:15:16.070 and do this. She didn't shrink back in intimidation. 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:21.220 of these religious leaders. I think it brings 00:15:21.220 --> 00:15:24.159 joy to the heart of Jesus. And you might say, 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:28.100 well, that's not my personality. Now, for some 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:31.340 of you, not being courageous and adventurous 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:35.440 and taking mountains and hills, yeah, let's do 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:38.440 it. Darren and I had this discussion the other 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:41.879 night about, and he's told me this before, when 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:45.710 he gets close to death's door, His plan is to 00:15:45.710 --> 00:15:49.210 not recede into the shadows and quietness. His 00:15:49.210 --> 00:15:52.129 plan is to buy a ticket to the Middle East and 00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:55.509 go preach the gospel. If he gets shot, he gets 00:15:55.509 --> 00:15:59.570 shot. Some of us, you know, because he's at the 00:15:59.570 --> 00:16:03.490 end, he wants to go out with a bang. I'm telling 00:16:03.490 --> 00:16:08.779 on you now. Okay, some of us, though, this is 00:16:08.779 --> 00:16:11.159 our kind of personality, too. We're a little 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:14.000 bit more tended toward that. Some of us are a 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:19.279 little more timid. Now, I know this because I 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:25.440 have a grandson, Benjamin. And Benjamin, when 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:27.600 he was a toddler, like, you had to watch out. 00:16:27.700 --> 00:16:29.759 If you were swimming, he didn't know how to swim, 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:31.360 and he didn't care if you were standing there 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:37.000 or not. He was going to jump into the pool. Benjamin 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:42.500 is just dying to be a martyr for Jesus. He's 00:16:42.500 --> 00:16:46.360 just waiting for the day that he can rise up 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:52.100 and declare Jesus and be martyred for his faith. 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:58.039 This is the kind of kid that he is. No fear. 00:16:58.539 --> 00:17:04.650 He jumps in with everything that is in him. That's 00:17:04.650 --> 00:17:08.910 part of his personality. But see, what we're 00:17:08.910 --> 00:17:11.250 talking about today is not something that is 00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:14.390 personality -driven. Well, I'm more adventurous. 00:17:14.470 --> 00:17:17.730 I'm more timid and cautious. That's not what 00:17:17.730 --> 00:17:22.609 this is about. This is about not shrinking back 00:17:22.609 --> 00:17:30.329 in faith. This is about something in you responding. 00:17:32.109 --> 00:17:44.130 to the living Christ that lives within you. This 00:17:44.130 --> 00:17:48.230 is about a heart that wants nothing more but 00:17:48.230 --> 00:17:53.869 to bring pleasure to God. Now, I could see Benjamin 00:17:53.869 --> 00:17:58.049 being one of the disciples, James or John, and 00:17:58.049 --> 00:18:01.460 saying, yeah, let's call down fire. He would 00:18:01.460 --> 00:18:12.160 totally be in for that. The disciples, in all 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:14.619 of their zeal, and Jesus had to bring much correction 00:18:14.619 --> 00:18:18.759 in a lot of that zeal, but I've said it before, 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:26.789 almost all of them were martyred for Jesus. When 00:18:26.789 --> 00:18:29.369 it's all said and done, it wasn't just a personality 00:18:29.369 --> 00:18:33.130 thing. It wasn't just a zealousness. It was a 00:18:33.130 --> 00:18:36.289 conviction of faith, and they were martyred for 00:18:36.289 --> 00:18:45.630 it. And so today, the greatest driving factor 00:18:45.630 --> 00:18:53.549 in not shrinking back is to bring pleasure. This 00:18:53.549 --> 00:18:56.589 is, we had a wonderful time of worship today, 00:18:56.789 --> 00:19:01.490 but there is no greater action of worship, I 00:19:01.490 --> 00:19:10.190 believe, than to press forward, than to step 00:19:10.190 --> 00:19:13.829 out and say, I'm not going to be a shrinker. 00:19:14.750 --> 00:19:18.269 I think there's no greater act of worship in 00:19:18.269 --> 00:19:21.910 the face of difficulty than to remain standing. 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:27.220 to not let your feet slip backwards, but to remain 00:19:27.220 --> 00:19:32.299 standing and believing in faith. There's no greater 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:35.200 act of worship, for it brings pleasure to God. 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:40.700 And so that's our first takeaway from our passage, 00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:44.460 is the pleasure of the Lord. The second is this. 00:19:46.460 --> 00:19:51.579 These aren't ones we keep company with. You know, 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:58.619 we choose. who we keep company with. And I love 00:19:58.619 --> 00:20:01.720 that the author of this passage has this basic 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:06.200 assumption of whom he is writing to. I know who 00:20:06.200 --> 00:20:09.740 I'm writing to. We are not of those that shrink 00:20:09.740 --> 00:20:13.579 back. We are part of this great company that 00:20:13.579 --> 00:20:19.839 does not shrink back. This passage, verse 39, 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.160 is the last verse in this chapter. Now, we know 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:27.480 that originally there were not chapters and verses, 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:31.559 right, in the Bible. Those we added later. And 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:34.859 so often it's good for you to look at what came 00:20:34.859 --> 00:20:38.559 right before or after a chapter. And so after 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:43.019 verse 39 that says, but we do not belong to those 00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:46.869 who shrink back and are destroyed. But to those 00:20:46.869 --> 00:20:50.690 who have faith and are saved, who is he talking 00:20:50.690 --> 00:20:56.250 about? Who are those who have faith and are saved? 00:20:56.369 --> 00:21:00.809 Who is he talking about? Well, let's just go 00:21:00.809 --> 00:21:08.549 on to the next verse. Chapter 11, verse 1. The 00:21:08.549 --> 00:21:13.049 great hall of faith. Now faith is confidence. 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:20.359 in what we hope for, and assurance about what 00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:26.940 we do not see. This is what the ancients were 00:21:26.940 --> 00:21:31.140 commended for. And so who is he talking about? 00:21:31.180 --> 00:21:33.299 He's talking about all of those that had gone 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:37.640 before the ancients. All of those that had been 00:21:37.640 --> 00:21:43.369 living under the old covenant. And even in their 00:21:43.369 --> 00:21:46.670 partial understanding under the old covenant, 00:21:46.809 --> 00:21:52.309 these are men and women who did not shrink back. 00:21:52.950 --> 00:21:56.309 But with the partial revelation, the partial 00:21:56.309 --> 00:22:03.309 understanding, they stood their ground. These 00:22:03.309 --> 00:22:09.869 are the ones of whom we are a part. We are one 00:22:09.869 --> 00:22:13.910 body of Christ, whether it is the body sitting 00:22:13.910 --> 00:22:17.329 here currently, whether it is the body of the 00:22:17.329 --> 00:22:21.029 past or the future, it is one body. And we are 00:22:21.029 --> 00:22:24.049 a part of them and they are a part of us. It 00:22:24.049 --> 00:22:32.289 is this beautiful, beautiful body. And so he 00:22:32.289 --> 00:22:37.289 begins talking about those whom he commends. 00:22:38.380 --> 00:22:43.680 And he begins with this foundational faith in 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:50.319 verse 3. By faith, we understand that the universe 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:55.519 was formed at God's command. And catch this, 00:22:55.779 --> 00:23:00.380 because this is what is needed for faith, so 00:23:00.380 --> 00:23:04.579 that what is seen was not made out of what was 00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:11.829 visible. Right? When God formed it all, he formed 00:23:11.829 --> 00:23:16.690 it out of material that was already there. And 00:23:16.690 --> 00:23:18.829 he could see, oh, I'll pick up this Play -Doh 00:23:18.829 --> 00:23:24.710 and make something amazing. No. He created it 00:23:24.710 --> 00:23:29.690 from the invisible. And so when you're talking 00:23:29.690 --> 00:23:36.940 about faith, your circumstances, It matters not 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:41.500 what you see or don't see. The living God who 00:23:41.500 --> 00:23:48.119 lives within you does not need the seen. He is 00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:52.559 the substance of the unseen, and that is faith. 00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:57.539 When it looks like it doesn't make sense, when 00:23:57.539 --> 00:24:00.720 it looks like nothing could change, nothing could 00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:07.279 happen, that's where faith kicks in. That's the 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:10.039 moment that we say, I am not shrinking back. 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:18.559 I'm fixing my eyes on the unseen. And so he goes 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:25.779 on. And down in verse 13, he says, all these 00:24:25.779 --> 00:24:29.059 people were still living by faith when they died. 00:24:30.119 --> 00:24:33.240 Wow, how great would that be to say about you? 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:38.400 that when I died, I died in faith, believing. 00:24:40.339 --> 00:24:45.819 They did not receive the things promised. They 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:48.619 only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:52.839 admitting that they were foreigners and strangers 00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:57.660 on earth. And people who say such things show 00:24:57.660 --> 00:25:01.240 that they are looking for a country of their 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:04.920 own. If they had been thinking of the country 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:08.440 they had left, they would have had opportunity 00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:15.460 to return. Instead, they were longing for a better 00:25:15.460 --> 00:25:21.579 country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:26.619 ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared 00:25:26.619 --> 00:25:34.690 a city for them. This is how they stood in faith. 00:25:35.009 --> 00:25:41.269 They saw and welcomed from a distance their future 00:25:41.269 --> 00:25:48.400 home. They admitted that they were what? strangers 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:51.579 and foreigners on this earth. We spent Advent 00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:56.059 talking about being pilgrims, about being sojourners, 00:25:56.160 --> 00:26:00.099 that this world is not our own. We are headed 00:26:00.099 --> 00:26:03.819 to a heavenly place, a place that he is currently 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:08.460 preparing for us. And here's what I heard the 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:12.420 Holy Spirit drop into my heart. There are some 00:26:12.420 --> 00:26:24.109 here that are living nearsighted. To live nearsighted 00:26:24.109 --> 00:26:27.410 means that that which is, if you're nearsighted, 00:26:27.410 --> 00:26:32.630 that means that you can see clearly what's in 00:26:32.630 --> 00:26:35.150 front of you, but everything in the distance 00:26:35.150 --> 00:26:39.910 is blurry. And there are some of us living like 00:26:39.910 --> 00:26:43.950 that. This world and the things of this world 00:26:43.950 --> 00:26:47.750 are very clear to us. We see it. It is our reality. 00:26:49.099 --> 00:26:51.880 And your future eternal home is very blurry. 00:26:53.059 --> 00:26:57.940 You have no vision for where God wants you to 00:26:57.940 --> 00:27:03.460 end up. And then there are those that are farsighted. 00:27:04.859 --> 00:27:08.420 That would be me. You're all really blurry through 00:27:08.420 --> 00:27:11.140 my reading glasses right now, but I can see my 00:27:11.140 --> 00:27:16.230 notes. Right? Did I say that right? Yeah, I'm 00:27:16.230 --> 00:27:20.750 nearsighted. No, I'm farsighted. I'm going to 00:27:20.750 --> 00:27:24.789 have us all confused by the end. Okay. Farsighted 00:27:24.789 --> 00:27:28.589 means you're seeing into the distance. You can 00:27:28.589 --> 00:27:34.410 see clearly what is ahead. And right in front 00:27:34.410 --> 00:27:39.829 of you is very blurry. This is what God wants 00:27:39.829 --> 00:27:45.140 us to be. God wants us living. far -sighted. 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:50.359 And that is what enables us to not shrink back, 00:27:50.779 --> 00:27:55.619 right? Because what we are seeing clearly is 00:27:55.619 --> 00:27:59.619 the unseen realm. What we are seeing clearly 00:27:59.619 --> 00:28:04.140 is our eternal residence. What we are seeing 00:28:04.140 --> 00:28:09.019 clearly is heaven above. And this earth, there's 00:28:09.019 --> 00:28:15.019 that old song, right, that said, Strangely dim. 00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:23.079 We got to become farsighted people. We got to 00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:27.119 become farsighted people. This world has to become 00:28:27.119 --> 00:28:31.539 blurry to us and have heaven become crystal clear. 00:28:34.599 --> 00:28:38.240 These people were all living under the old covenant. 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:43.039 And so the author is provoking them a bit. He's 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:49.259 provoking the Messianic Jews to some jealousy. 00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:54.140 Look at how they lived. Look at their faith. 00:28:54.859 --> 00:28:59.279 And they lived that under the old covenant. They 00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:02.539 lived that never seeing the promise of the Messiah. 00:29:03.690 --> 00:29:09.910 come to pass in their life. If they live that 00:29:09.910 --> 00:29:15.369 way under the old covenant, we have no excuse. 00:29:16.410 --> 00:29:21.269 We have no excuse for shrinking back. But we 00:29:21.269 --> 00:29:25.710 do not belong to those who shrink back and are 00:29:25.710 --> 00:29:31.589 destroyed. If we move on into Hebrews chapter 00:29:31.589 --> 00:29:33.809 12, just another, I'm taking you kind of through 00:29:33.809 --> 00:29:36.750 three passages. And we're actually going to be 00:29:36.750 --> 00:29:39.029 in this chapter in a couple of weeks. But I want 00:29:39.029 --> 00:29:42.930 us to look at the first few verses. Because this 00:29:42.930 --> 00:29:48.450 is our strength. And this is why the enemy works 00:29:48.450 --> 00:29:51.829 so hard to isolate you and get you to quit meeting 00:29:51.829 --> 00:29:57.990 with believers. In Hebrews 12, 1, it says, therefore, 00:29:58.130 --> 00:30:03.349 since we are surrounded by such a great cloud 00:30:03.349 --> 00:30:07.390 of witnesses, he just got done in the rest of 00:30:07.390 --> 00:30:11.609 chapter 11 listing example after example after 00:30:11.609 --> 00:30:15.349 example of people in the Old Testament who did 00:30:15.349 --> 00:30:18.549 not shrink back. And so now he's saying, hey, 00:30:18.730 --> 00:30:22.890 you're surrounded by these men and women of God. 00:30:24.730 --> 00:30:28.549 Since we are, let us throw off everything that 00:30:28.549 --> 00:30:32.829 hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, 00:30:32.849 --> 00:30:37.089 and let us run with perseverance the race marked 00:30:37.089 --> 00:30:44.809 out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer 00:30:44.809 --> 00:30:50.390 and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before 00:30:50.390 --> 00:30:56.339 him, he endured the cross. scorning its shame. 00:30:57.420 --> 00:31:00.839 And he sat down at the right hand of the throne 00:31:00.839 --> 00:31:05.900 of God. Consider him who endured such opposition 00:31:05.900 --> 00:31:10.000 from sinners so that you will not grow weary 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:13.279 and lose heart. We're going to be talking about 00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:16.220 that verse in a couple of weeks. But what I want 00:31:16.220 --> 00:31:25.599 us to get today is that we are not alone. The 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:32.579 one that runs alone is a weak runner. He has 00:31:32.579 --> 00:31:37.400 called us to run in community. And there is a 00:31:37.400 --> 00:31:40.940 finish line. See, I'm not a runner. I would not 00:31:40.940 --> 00:31:44.720 just run with no end in sight. Forget it. I would 00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:48.240 be done. If I didn't know there was an end to 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:53.200 the race, I would not be running. In fact, if 00:31:53.200 --> 00:31:56.579 I'm running, I can't even fix my eyes on the 00:31:56.579 --> 00:31:58.779 end goal. I have to look at the next telephone 00:31:58.779 --> 00:32:01.119 pole if I can just get to the next telephone 00:32:01.119 --> 00:32:04.480 pole. Oh, victory. I made it to that telephone 00:32:04.480 --> 00:32:06.900 pole. If I can just get to the next telephone 00:32:06.900 --> 00:32:11.200 pole. Okay, I made it. I need to know there's 00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:19.579 end in sight. We are running a race marked out 00:32:19.579 --> 00:32:22.880 for us. And there are those that have gone ahead 00:32:22.880 --> 00:32:28.160 that have run it for us. And I just believe in 00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:30.839 heaven. I think even as we were worshiping today, 00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:33.799 and you could just feel the heavens open over 00:32:33.799 --> 00:32:37.119 us, I think it's because we join with all of 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:39.140 those that have gone before that are worshiping 00:32:39.140 --> 00:32:42.380 in the throne room. And it's this beautiful moment 00:32:42.380 --> 00:32:45.920 of corporate worship, not just on earth, but 00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:48.099 a corporate worship of those that have gone ahead 00:32:48.099 --> 00:32:52.519 that are worshiping around the throne room. And 00:32:52.519 --> 00:32:56.720 there is strength and there is power in that 00:32:56.720 --> 00:33:01.539 great cloud of witnesses that surround us. It 00:33:01.539 --> 00:33:04.900 is their example that causes me to say, they 00:33:04.900 --> 00:33:11.019 did it. They didn't. They didn't. And in their 00:33:11.019 --> 00:33:14.319 day, they could not come boldly into the throne 00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:19.119 room like I can. In their day, the veil was thick, 00:33:19.160 --> 00:33:22.160 and there was no going behind that veil. But 00:33:22.160 --> 00:33:25.799 I can go behind the veil. I can go into the Holy 00:33:25.799 --> 00:33:30.039 of Holies. I can go into the throne room. If 00:33:30.039 --> 00:33:33.799 they did it, if they can finish their race and 00:33:33.799 --> 00:33:38.380 not shrink back, I can do it. I can do it. There 00:33:38.380 --> 00:33:41.779 is strength. And you need one another. You need 00:33:41.779 --> 00:33:45.359 people on a Sunday morning to say, you can do 00:33:45.359 --> 00:33:49.480 it. You need people to say, come on. I know it's 00:33:49.480 --> 00:33:52.119 hard. I've been there. I'm in there. You need 00:33:52.119 --> 00:33:58.720 people to help you not shrink back. He didn't 00:33:58.720 --> 00:34:07.730 intend us to go it alone. We must not be shrinkers 00:34:07.730 --> 00:34:11.909 when the going gets tough. We've had it fairly 00:34:11.909 --> 00:34:16.090 easy here. We just don't know what the future 00:34:16.090 --> 00:34:23.590 looks like. And so, this morning, I felt a call 00:34:23.590 --> 00:34:27.230 of the Holy Spirit that says, I want my people, 00:34:27.409 --> 00:34:33.829 I want them to be a little bit out there. I want 00:34:33.829 --> 00:34:37.269 them to not be afraid to maybe step out into 00:34:37.269 --> 00:34:40.789 some unknown things. I want them to not be afraid 00:34:40.789 --> 00:34:44.929 to pray radical prayers. I want them to not be 00:34:44.929 --> 00:34:48.889 afraid to, when the Holy Spirit whispers something, 00:34:49.010 --> 00:34:53.090 to rise up and do it. He wants us to not shrink 00:34:53.090 --> 00:34:57.269 back, but to step out in a boldness. Not only, 00:34:57.389 --> 00:35:01.469 listen, not only are we able to go into the throne 00:35:01.469 --> 00:35:08.760 room, But we have the Holy Spirit. They did not 00:35:08.760 --> 00:35:12.159 have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. A few here 00:35:12.159 --> 00:35:14.760 and there, the Holy Spirit would come upon for 00:35:14.760 --> 00:35:18.320 something specific. But they did not have the 00:35:18.320 --> 00:35:21.760 infilling of the Holy Spirit that we have. No 00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:24.840 excuses. No excuses. We've been given everything 00:35:24.840 --> 00:35:28.659 we need to not shrink back. To not shrink back. 00:35:29.900 --> 00:35:32.199 And so I'm going to ask if the team would come 00:35:32.199 --> 00:35:34.119 this morning. We're going to be closing, but 00:35:34.119 --> 00:35:36.559 I want to encourage you with these passages. 00:35:36.699 --> 00:35:42.199 We read it in Hebrews 10, and it said, In just 00:35:42.199 --> 00:35:46.400 a little while, he who is coming will come and 00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:53.880 not delay. Throughout Scripture, what we see 00:35:53.880 --> 00:35:57.340 is that when he's encouraged, the believers in 00:35:57.340 --> 00:36:02.159 hardship. He's doing it through the hope of the 00:36:02.159 --> 00:36:06.460 second coming of Christ. He's doing it. He's 00:36:06.460 --> 00:36:10.159 putting hope in them. Hey, look to the skies. 00:36:10.420 --> 00:36:14.739 He's coming again. He will not delay. Stay the 00:36:14.739 --> 00:36:18.219 ground. Stay the course. He's going to come again. 00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:26.860 If we continue to read there in Hebrews 12, In 00:36:26.860 --> 00:36:32.139 verse 22, after talking about the race, he says, 00:36:32.440 --> 00:36:37.619 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city 00:36:37.619 --> 00:36:43.659 of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You 00:36:43.659 --> 00:36:47.659 have come to thousands upon thousands of angels 00:36:47.659 --> 00:36:54.440 in joyful assembly. to the church of the firstborn 00:36:54.440 --> 00:36:59.099 whose names are written in heaven. You have come 00:36:59.099 --> 00:37:02.880 to God, the judge of all, to the spirits of the 00:37:02.880 --> 00:37:07.559 righteous made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator 00:37:07.559 --> 00:37:11.079 of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood 00:37:11.079 --> 00:37:15.300 that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 00:37:19.179 --> 00:37:24.699 This is our home. This is our reality. This is 00:37:24.699 --> 00:37:31.599 what is crystal clear in our gaze. We heard it 00:37:31.599 --> 00:37:36.780 prayed this morning. We sang it. But in the Lord's 00:37:36.780 --> 00:37:41.119 prayer, and this is a prayer that I pray often, 00:37:41.380 --> 00:37:47.980 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth. 00:37:49.260 --> 00:37:57.960 As it is in heaven. I think that what God is 00:37:57.960 --> 00:38:02.059 wanting his church to do is to begin to become 00:38:02.059 --> 00:38:07.039 people. See, as a believer, you have access to 00:38:07.039 --> 00:38:13.360 heaven. You have access to heaven. You have access 00:38:13.360 --> 00:38:18.539 to the throne room. Your neighbor may not, but 00:38:18.539 --> 00:38:21.500 you sure do. Your coworker may not have access 00:38:21.500 --> 00:38:27.380 to heaven, but you sure do. And so why, why would 00:38:27.380 --> 00:38:31.380 we not step up? Why would we shrink back from 00:38:31.380 --> 00:38:35.239 being a people that has access to heaven and 00:38:35.239 --> 00:38:38.559 thereby are able to partner with God in seeing 00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:46.650 heaven on earth? Through you, through me. If 00:38:46.650 --> 00:38:50.170 that's what we want, we cannot shrink back. We 00:38:50.170 --> 00:38:54.170 cannot shrink back and see your kingdom come, 00:38:54.269 --> 00:38:56.829 your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:38:56.929 --> 00:39:04.050 That is not for the shrinkers. On earth as it 00:39:04.050 --> 00:39:10.690 is in heaven. We live in this moment of time 00:39:10.690 --> 00:39:13.750 where we're believing for the fullness and perfection 00:39:13.750 --> 00:39:19.500 that will come. And while we wait, we have the 00:39:19.500 --> 00:39:25.579 mysteriousness of heaven coming to earth. And 00:39:25.579 --> 00:39:28.559 I think he wants to challenge us to just become 00:39:28.559 --> 00:39:32.900 a little bit more courageous, a little bit more 00:39:32.900 --> 00:39:38.639 bold in releasing heaven on earth. Listen, Jesus 00:39:38.639 --> 00:39:43.719 came and he did it. And he left his body on earth. 00:39:44.969 --> 00:39:48.409 You and I are his body, his hands and his feet 00:39:48.409 --> 00:39:53.389 to release heaven on earth. This is how it comes. 00:39:53.730 --> 00:39:57.489 Through you and through me. Not shrinking back. 00:39:58.650 --> 00:40:02.469 Stepping up. Saying I have access to heaven. 00:40:03.449 --> 00:40:08.090 I have access to heaven. I have access to heaven. 00:40:09.289 --> 00:40:12.670 Our verse here at this church is Mark chapter 00:40:12.670 --> 00:40:20.380 9 verse 23. All things are possible for one who 00:40:20.380 --> 00:40:26.840 believes. All things are possible for one who 00:40:26.840 --> 00:40:30.940 believes. We cannot quote that verse and be a 00:40:30.940 --> 00:40:37.159 shrinker. We cannot quote that verse. What is 00:40:37.159 --> 00:40:43.599 required for this verse? Belief. Faith. We cannot 00:40:43.599 --> 00:40:49.519 be a shrinker. And believe that verse. All things 00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:55.920 are possible for one who believes. Lord, help 00:40:55.920 --> 00:41:00.300 us in our unbelief. Lord, help us in our unbelief. 00:41:02.400 --> 00:41:06.960 And so this morning, as we close out today, I 00:41:06.960 --> 00:41:10.119 wanted to just do this. Some of you need to listen. 00:41:10.360 --> 00:41:14.400 If you can't. Find the courage to step out and 00:41:14.400 --> 00:41:18.739 come to an altar in the safety of this place 00:41:18.739 --> 00:41:23.980 of believers. That's probably the beginning point 00:41:23.980 --> 00:41:25.980 for some of you that have never made your way 00:41:25.980 --> 00:41:30.920 to an altar. To find courage and boldness to 00:41:30.920 --> 00:41:34.199 step out and say, God. There's been some areas 00:41:34.199 --> 00:41:38.219 that I have shrunk back in believing you. There's 00:41:38.219 --> 00:41:41.940 areas I've shrunk back in proclaiming you. There's 00:41:41.940 --> 00:41:45.000 areas that I have shrunk back because my faith 00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:49.280 has not felt strong. But today, I'm declaring, 00:41:49.480 --> 00:41:52.559 I'm making the declaration, I will not be a shrinker. 00:41:52.599 --> 00:41:55.659 I will not be in the company of those who shrink 00:41:55.659 --> 00:41:59.570 back and are destroyed. Today, I make my proclamation 00:41:59.570 --> 00:42:02.409 that I'm going to be a part of those ancient 00:42:02.409 --> 00:42:07.349 ones who were commended for their faith. And 00:42:07.349 --> 00:42:11.269 if when I die, I did not see any of it come to 00:42:11.269 --> 00:42:15.469 pass, it's okay. I died in faith, believing. 00:42:16.610 --> 00:42:21.190 And that pleases you. And so I've asked Darren 00:42:21.190 --> 00:42:24.650 this morning. He wrote a song years ago. And 00:42:24.650 --> 00:42:28.280 I asked him to lead in this song. And so I want 00:42:28.280 --> 00:42:32.099 to challenge you, because some of you have some 00:42:32.099 --> 00:42:37.019 rough stuff happening, and I get that. Some of 00:42:37.019 --> 00:42:40.159 you have some life challenges that aren't easy. 00:42:40.829 --> 00:42:44.849 That is not the time to shrink back. That is 00:42:44.849 --> 00:42:48.309 the time to press in. That is the time to stir 00:42:48.309 --> 00:42:51.909 your faith, believing. All things are possible 00:42:51.909 --> 00:42:55.610 for the one who believes. All things are possible 00:42:55.610 --> 00:42:58.949 for the one. Are all things possible for unbelief? 00:42:59.010 --> 00:43:02.909 No. All things are possible for the one who believes. 00:43:04.059 --> 00:43:07.300 And so this morning, if life has been challenging, 00:43:07.480 --> 00:43:10.079 if things have been difficult, or if you felt 00:43:10.079 --> 00:43:13.420 even the pressure of being a Christian in a place 00:43:13.420 --> 00:43:18.679 that is not welcoming Christianity, today, the 00:43:18.679 --> 00:43:21.760 Holy Spirit wants to encourage you and fill you 00:43:21.760 --> 00:43:26.300 and empower you. And you need to access it. You 00:43:26.300 --> 00:43:30.610 need to access it. And so if you'll stand this 00:43:30.610 --> 00:43:32.630 morning and we're just going to take a moment 00:43:32.630 --> 00:43:35.889 to pray. And then as we worship, I want you to 00:43:35.889 --> 00:43:38.989 just make your way to the altar and let it be 00:43:38.989 --> 00:43:43.159 your first step in not shrinking back. When you 00:43:43.159 --> 00:43:46.460 do that, what you are doing is allowing others 00:43:46.460 --> 00:43:49.420 to come alongside you and say, we're going to 00:43:49.420 --> 00:43:51.980 pray together. We're going to fan your faith 00:43:51.980 --> 00:43:55.320 together. We're going to run on this race together. 00:43:55.679 --> 00:43:58.380 You weren't supposed to sit and do it alone in 00:43:58.380 --> 00:44:02.039 your pew. He wants you with the believers not 00:44:02.039 --> 00:44:06.139 shrinking back. Amen? And so, Lord, this morning, 00:44:06.219 --> 00:44:09.219 we bring all of our stuff, all of our questions, 00:44:09.619 --> 00:44:13.980 all of our disappointments, All of our frustrations, 00:44:13.980 --> 00:44:17.820 all of our impatience, we bring it all to you 00:44:17.820 --> 00:44:21.260 and we lay it down. And we lay it down in trust 00:44:21.260 --> 00:44:24.719 knowing you can handle all of that. You can deal 00:44:24.719 --> 00:44:27.800 with all of that, Jesus. But God, what we're 00:44:27.800 --> 00:44:30.559 saying today is we want to please you with our 00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:33.800 lives. And we want to be of the company of those 00:44:33.800 --> 00:44:38.449 that do not shrink back. set our hand, that put 00:44:38.449 --> 00:44:42.050 our feet forward and move toward where you are 00:44:42.050 --> 00:44:45.170 and move toward what we hear the Father doing. 00:44:45.250 --> 00:44:48.269 And we line up our lives to what the Father is 00:44:48.269 --> 00:44:52.469 doing. Give us eyes and ears to hear in Jesus' 00:44:52.550 --> 00:44:55.889 mighty name, in Jesus' mighty name. Let's just 00:44:55.889 --> 00:44:58.510 worship for a few moments. And if that's you, 00:44:58.650 --> 00:45:01.710 man, begin to move and take your steps towards 00:45:01.710 --> 00:45:02.250 the altar.