WEBVTT 00:00:02.019 --> 00:00:04.980 It really was an amazing experience to see God 00:00:04.980 --> 00:00:10.279 work at SEMP last week. Many of us had the privilege 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:13.000 of talking to a number of different people on 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.100 the streets and even the excitement of being 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:18.579 able to watch them make that most important decision 00:00:18.579 --> 00:00:20.620 that they'll ever make to give their life to 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:22.920 Christ. You'll be hearing more about that. We 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:25.969 even have some video clips. of people that we 00:00:25.969 --> 00:00:28.710 talked to that shared back with us the experience 00:00:28.710 --> 00:00:30.149 that they had where they actually gave their 00:00:30.149 --> 00:00:31.809 life to Christ. And so at some point we'll bring 00:00:31.809 --> 00:00:36.630 that back before you. I found out just in the 00:00:36.630 --> 00:00:38.270 middle of this week that we didn't have a speaker 00:00:38.270 --> 00:00:39.950 for this morning. Evidently the person lined 00:00:39.950 --> 00:00:42.950 up wasn't able to make it. And it was really, 00:00:42.990 --> 00:00:46.329 I really felt God leading me to share what I'm 00:00:46.329 --> 00:00:48.909 going to be sharing this morning. I know that 00:00:48.909 --> 00:00:52.109 many of us from time to time experienced difficulties 00:00:52.109 --> 00:00:54.770 in life and our church has experienced some dark 00:00:54.770 --> 00:00:57.950 days even recently with the passing out of Ryan 00:00:57.950 --> 00:01:00.929 and the struggling of Jordan and the struggling 00:01:00.929 --> 00:01:04.530 of Ryan Carlson and just a lot of things that 00:01:04.530 --> 00:01:07.670 are happening within our body and as I was just 00:01:07.670 --> 00:01:09.590 before the Lord in prayer I felt like God was 00:01:09.590 --> 00:01:14.069 saying our people need kudos. I don't know if 00:01:14.069 --> 00:01:17.010 you know what that word means but kudos really 00:01:17.010 --> 00:01:20.840 is a word that means praise and affirmation for 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:24.959 a job well done. That you've been in there, you've 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:27.760 persevered, you've been faithful, and sometimes 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:29.799 we just need somebody to come alongside of us 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:32.599 and give us a pat on the back and say good job. 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:36.799 And if you're here this morning and you just 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:40.140 really need a kudos, I have some kudos here that 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:41.959 I'd be willing to give away. Is there anybody 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:43.480 that would like a kudos this morning? Just raise 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:45.579 your hand, be bold. All right, we got one back 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:49.319 there. Anybody else? Here, Rick, you want to 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:53.599 pass those out? There we go. Chris, you want 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:56.900 to pass those out? Thanks. Just raise your hand 00:01:56.900 --> 00:02:00.760 if you want to kudos, we'll pass those out. And 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:02.239 you might want to ask permission from your mom 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:08.800 or your daddy before you eat those. It feels 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:10.879 good to be told that you've done a good job. 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:14.139 We all need that. And I think that we respond 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:18.270 a lot better especially in our work environments 00:02:18.270 --> 00:02:21.210 when the person that we're working for recognizes 00:02:21.210 --> 00:02:23.710 the good job that we've done. By the way, this 00:02:23.710 --> 00:02:25.610 is a reward. It's supposed to be a reward, Rick, 00:02:25.610 --> 00:02:33.069 for people that actually sit up in front. Oh, 00:02:33.810 --> 00:02:39.550 thank you. All right. Hey, my favorite, peanut 00:02:39.550 --> 00:02:42.729 butter. I would like to just share with you this 00:02:42.729 --> 00:02:45.469 morning a little story as we introduce this topic. 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:48.060 from one of my favorite publications, Chicken 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:51.280 Soup for the Soul. And this is a story that talks 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:55.800 about a group of students at a church that understood 00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:59.819 the value of encouragement. It's called When 00:02:59.819 --> 00:03:04.340 Kevin Won. If you had to choose one word to describe 00:03:04.340 --> 00:03:08.280 Kevin, it might have been slow. He didn't learn 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:10.819 his ABCs as fast as the other kids. He never 00:03:10.819 --> 00:03:13.840 came in first in a schoolyard races. However, 00:03:14.300 --> 00:03:17.639 Kevin had a special rapport with people. His 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:20.900 smile was brighter than the sun in June. His 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:23.780 heart was bigger than the mountain sky. Kevin's 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:27.419 enthusiasm for life was quite contagious. So 00:03:27.419 --> 00:03:30.039 when he discovered that the pastor at his church, 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:32.840 Randy, was putting together a boys basketball 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:36.500 team, his mother could only answer, yes, you 00:03:36.500 --> 00:03:40.129 may join. Basketball became the center of Kevin's 00:03:40.129 --> 00:03:42.569 life. At practice he worked so hard you'd have 00:03:42.569 --> 00:03:46.069 thought he was preparing for the NBA. He liked 00:03:46.069 --> 00:03:48.030 to stand in a certain spot near the free throw 00:03:48.030 --> 00:03:51.449 line and shoot baskets. Patiently he stood there 00:03:51.449 --> 00:03:55.210 throwing ball after ball after ball until finally 00:03:55.210 --> 00:03:58.949 it would swish through the hoop. Look at me coach 00:03:58.949 --> 00:04:01.490 he'd yell at Randy jumping up and down his face 00:04:01.490 --> 00:04:04.879 just glowing with the thrill of it all. The day 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:07.340 before their first game, Coach Randy gave each 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:11.379 player a bright red jersey. Kevin's eyes absolutely 00:04:11.379 --> 00:04:17.399 turned to stars as he saw his number 12. He scrambled 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:19.660 himself into the sleeves and scarcely ever took 00:04:19.660 --> 00:04:22.740 it off again. One Sunday morning, the sermon 00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:25.740 was interrupted by Kevin's excited voice, look 00:04:25.740 --> 00:04:28.319 coach, and he lifted his gray wool sweater to 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:31.620 reveal his beautiful red jersey to God and everyone 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:34.939 else at church that day. Kevin and his whole 00:04:34.939 --> 00:04:38.079 team truly loved basketball, but just loving 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:41.040 the game doesn't help you win. More balls fill 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:43.220 out of the basket than into it, and the boys 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:46.519 lost every game that season by very large margins, 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:49.699 except one. The night it snowed and the other 00:04:49.699 --> 00:04:53.759 team couldn't make it to the game. At the end 00:04:53.759 --> 00:04:55.699 of the season, the boys played in the church 00:04:55.699 --> 00:04:58.680 league tournament. As the last place team, they 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:00.600 drew the unfortunate spot of playing against 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:05.069 the first place team. The tall, undefeated first 00:05:05.069 --> 00:05:08.050 place team. The game went pretty much as expected 00:05:08.050 --> 00:05:10.149 and near the middle of the fourth quarter Kevin's 00:05:10.149 --> 00:05:15.209 team stood nearly 30 points behind. At that point 00:05:15.209 --> 00:05:19.350 one of Kevin's teammates called a timeout and 00:05:19.350 --> 00:05:22.189 as he came to the side Randy couldn't imagine 00:05:22.189 --> 00:05:25.490 why the timeout had been called. Coach said the 00:05:25.490 --> 00:05:29.850 boy this is our last game and I know that Kevin 00:05:29.850 --> 00:05:33.449 has played in every game But he's never made 00:05:33.449 --> 00:05:37.629 a basket. And I think we should let Kevin make 00:05:37.629 --> 00:05:41.410 a basket. With the game completely out of reach, 00:05:41.829 --> 00:05:45.149 the idea seemed pretty reasonable, so plans were 00:05:45.149 --> 00:05:50.230 made. Every time Kevin's team had the ball, Kevin 00:05:50.230 --> 00:05:52.550 was to stand in a special spot near the free 00:05:52.550 --> 00:05:54.850 throw line, and they would give him the ball. 00:05:56.269 --> 00:05:58.990 Kevin skipped extra high as he went back onto 00:05:58.990 --> 00:06:02.329 the court. His first shot bounced around and 00:06:02.329 --> 00:06:05.589 missed. Number 17 from the other team swiped 00:06:05.589 --> 00:06:08.370 the ball and took it down to the other end, scoring 00:06:08.370 --> 00:06:11.490 two more points. As soon as Kevin team had the 00:06:11.490 --> 00:06:14.750 ball again, they passed it to Kevin, who obediently 00:06:14.750 --> 00:06:17.910 stood in his place, but he missed again. And 00:06:17.910 --> 00:06:20.189 this pattern continued a few more times until 00:06:20.189 --> 00:06:23.949 number 17 grew wise. He grabbed one of the rebounds 00:06:23.949 --> 00:06:26.569 and instead of running off down the court, he 00:06:26.569 --> 00:06:29.209 threw the ball to Kevin, who shot and missed 00:06:29.209 --> 00:06:33.160 again. Soon, all the players were circling Kevin, 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:36.180 throwing the ball to him and clapping for him. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:38.519 It took the spectators just a little longer to 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:40.800 figure out what was happening, but little by 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:42.959 little people started to stand up and clap their 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:45.199 hands and the entire gymnasium thundered with 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.660 clapping and hollering, chanting, Kevin, Kevin! 00:06:49.180 --> 00:06:53.720 And Kevin just kept shooting. Coach Randy realized 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:57.180 the game must be over. He looked up at the clock 00:06:57.180 --> 00:07:00.829 which was frozen with 46 seconds left. The referee 00:07:00.829 --> 00:07:03.089 stood by the scoring table cheering and clapping 00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:06.829 like everyone else. The whole world stopped waiting 00:07:06.829 --> 00:07:11.410 and wanting for Kevin. Finally, after what seemed 00:07:11.410 --> 00:07:14.490 like an infinite amount of tries, the ball took 00:07:14.490 --> 00:07:19.089 one miraculous bounce and went in. Kevin's arms 00:07:19.089 --> 00:07:22.550 shot high into the air and he shouted, I won! 00:07:22.930 --> 00:07:27.959 I won! The clock ticked off the last few seconds 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:31.079 and the first place team remained undefeated, 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:34.379 but on that evening, everyone left the game feeling 00:07:34.379 --> 00:07:41.379 truly like a winner. I'm convinced that more 00:07:41.379 --> 00:07:44.519 than ever, we all need to experience this kind 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:48.579 of kudos or encouragement. We need to be reminded 00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:51.319 that people around us truly do care, that they 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:55.300 love us, that they recognize our hard work. We 00:07:55.300 --> 00:07:57.139 need to know that they support us, that they're 00:07:57.139 --> 00:07:59.920 willing to offer us assistance in our time of 00:07:59.920 --> 00:08:03.959 need, that they're willing to offer us reassurance, 00:08:04.660 --> 00:08:08.480 compassion, friendship, to be willing to share 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:11.000 our grief, as I know many of you have with the 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:15.139 Crankees over these past few days, to empathize 00:08:15.139 --> 00:08:17.779 with our loneliness, depression, and despair, 00:08:19.259 --> 00:08:22.360 and sometimes to come alongside and to urge us 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:28.990 on. to motivate us to keep on, to help revitalize 00:08:28.990 --> 00:08:33.230 our relationship with God. In general, we all 00:08:33.230 --> 00:08:38.649 need encouragement. I had the privilege a couple 00:08:38.649 --> 00:08:41.450 of weeks ago to speak up at Trout Lake Camp to 00:08:41.450 --> 00:08:45.409 a group of about 300 junior highers. In one of 00:08:45.409 --> 00:08:48.230 the evenings, we talked about how heroes lift 00:08:48.230 --> 00:08:51.029 our spirits and encourage us, people that we 00:08:51.029 --> 00:08:54.299 really look up to. And that night a little girl 00:08:54.299 --> 00:08:56.840 that was there came up to me and she had written 00:08:56.840 --> 00:08:59.200 a note of encouragement. And I want to share 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:01.779 what she wrote to you this morning because it 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:06.840 really encouraged me. Said, Phil, I want to thank 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:15.399 you for bringing me to God this week. I was born 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:18.700 into a Catholic family and then converted to 00:09:18.700 --> 00:09:23.350 a Lutheran. And you're the first pastor that 00:09:23.350 --> 00:09:26.710 got through to me. I think you're even better 00:09:26.710 --> 00:09:33.250 than Billy Graham. And she just simply closes 00:09:33.250 --> 00:09:37.009 with saying, keep on preaching. And when I read 00:09:37.009 --> 00:09:40.230 this note, I was teared up. And it wasn't because 00:09:40.230 --> 00:09:43.230 she said I was better than Billy Graham. It was 00:09:43.230 --> 00:09:46.830 because she shared that I had been an instrument 00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:50.909 used of God to bring her to him. And she had 00:09:50.909 --> 00:09:53.820 experienced. that relationship with God, and 00:09:53.820 --> 00:09:57.419 I was encouraged. Can you think of times when 00:09:57.419 --> 00:09:59.740 other people have done something to encourage 00:09:59.740 --> 00:10:04.179 you, something intentional, a note at a time 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:07.059 of need, just the right time, an act of kindness 00:10:07.059 --> 00:10:09.679 where somebody went way out of their way to help 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:14.100 serve you in your time of need? Maybe it was 00:10:14.100 --> 00:10:19.659 just that they were willing to give you a shoulder 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:24.850 to cry on. Or maybe they loved you so much they 00:10:24.850 --> 00:10:27.750 were willing to come and confront you when you 00:10:27.750 --> 00:10:31.269 began to stray and in love bring you back into 00:10:31.269 --> 00:10:35.389 the fold. See we all need kudos, we all need 00:10:35.389 --> 00:10:39.070 encouragement. But you know what else? We all 00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:42.669 need to be encouragers. If we all sat around 00:10:42.669 --> 00:10:44.690 waiting for somebody else to just encourage us, 00:10:44.809 --> 00:10:47.970 nobody would be out encouraging. So it goes both 00:10:47.970 --> 00:10:50.289 ways. We need to be encouragers. And I think 00:10:50.289 --> 00:10:53.500 really That, to a large degree, is what the author 00:10:53.500 --> 00:10:55.919 of Hebrews is talking about in our text today. 00:10:55.980 --> 00:10:57.360 And if you have your Bibles, let's take a look 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:01.840 at Hebrews chapter 10. We'll begin in verse 19. 00:11:02.139 --> 00:11:06.159 Hebrews chapter 10. In my Bible, this is subtitled, 00:11:06.320 --> 00:11:13.879 A Call to Persevere. Hebrews 10 verse 19. Therefore, 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:17.220 brothers, since we have confidence to enter the 00:11:17.220 --> 00:11:20.799 most high most holy place by the blood of Jesus 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:25.440 by a new and living way opened up to us for us 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:28.399 through the curtain that is his body and since 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:31.379 we have a great priest over the house of God 00:11:31.379 --> 00:11:35.720 verse 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:40.120 heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:42.419 sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience 00:11:42.419 --> 00:11:45.299 and having our bodies washed with pure water 00:11:45.549 --> 00:11:48.309 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope that we 00:11:48.309 --> 00:11:52.629 profess, for he who promised is faithful. And 00:11:52.629 --> 00:11:55.309 let us consider how we may spur one another on 00:11:55.309 --> 00:11:58.669 toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up 00:11:58.669 --> 00:12:00.470 meeting together as some are in the habit of 00:12:00.470 --> 00:12:03.990 doing, but let us encourage one another and all 00:12:03.990 --> 00:12:08.230 the more as you see the day approaching. Let's 00:12:08.230 --> 00:12:10.789 pray. Father, I pray that as we look into your 00:12:10.789 --> 00:12:13.379 word this morning, that each one of us would 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:15.879 be both challenged but also deeply encouraged. 00:12:17.139 --> 00:12:19.240 That each one of us would be able to take some 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:22.460 time this morning to consider carefully how we 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:25.340 can spur one another on toward love and good 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:28.059 deeds and as to that end that we pray. Amen. 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:31.879 I want to just share a little bit of the context 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:36.659 of this text. The author was writing to the Jewish 00:12:36.659 --> 00:12:40.149 converts. many of whom were beginning to stumble 00:12:40.149 --> 00:12:42.570 in their faith. And they were being tempted to 00:12:42.570 --> 00:12:45.710 go back to the old Jewish way of doing things. 00:12:46.009 --> 00:12:48.929 The old covenant. They were beginning to neglect 00:12:48.929 --> 00:12:52.610 the new covenant. And in the first ten chapters 00:12:52.610 --> 00:12:56.649 of Hebrews, the author really lays down the doctrinal 00:12:56.649 --> 00:13:00.690 foundation. Lots of solid truth. Really the focus 00:13:00.690 --> 00:13:04.690 is on the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all of 00:13:04.690 --> 00:13:07.480 our lives. And where we pick up the text here 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:10.139 today, he begins to transition from the doctrine 00:13:10.139 --> 00:13:13.159 now to how this really applies to our lives. 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:16.299 He moves from the argument to the implementation 00:13:16.299 --> 00:13:23.740 in our lives. The writer is trying to challenge 00:13:23.740 --> 00:13:26.759 us. He's calling us to become people who live 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:30.759 by faith, who live by faith, who put their faith 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:34.980 into action rather than depending on the rituals 00:13:35.470 --> 00:13:40.389 or the rules of the Old Covenant. It follows 00:13:40.389 --> 00:13:42.149 that if what was communicated in these first 00:13:42.149 --> 00:13:46.309 ten chapters is truly the truth, that each one 00:13:46.309 --> 00:13:48.690 of us who profess to believe should be willing 00:13:48.690 --> 00:13:51.629 to live consistent with each of these teachings. 00:13:52.850 --> 00:13:54.929 I want to start by just taking a quick look at 00:13:54.929 --> 00:13:59.389 verses 19 and 20. We're called to come confidently. 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:03.019 into this holy of holies, this most high place. 00:14:03.299 --> 00:14:06.379 Why? Not because of anything we've done, but 00:14:06.379 --> 00:14:09.259 because of what God has done, because what Jesus 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:12.320 has done on our behalf. He shed His blood as 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:15.480 a sacrifice for us who are believers. At the 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:18.139 time that Jesus Christ died on the cross for 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:22.200 us, you know that the earth shook and the veil 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:26.480 in the temple was split. The curtain was torn. 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:29.850 And that curtain was symbolic. It was symbolic 00:14:29.850 --> 00:14:32.789 of the fact that previously, the high priest 00:14:32.789 --> 00:14:36.049 once a year would go into the innermost sanctuary, 00:14:36.190 --> 00:14:39.909 the Holy of Holies, and he would offer sacrifice 00:14:39.909 --> 00:14:43.830 for the atonement to receive the forgiveness 00:14:43.830 --> 00:14:47.889 of sins for his people. And symbolically, at 00:14:47.889 --> 00:14:50.090 the time that Christ died on the cross for us, 00:14:50.289 --> 00:14:56.440 as the veil was split, we are ushered in to an 00:14:56.440 --> 00:15:00.740 invitation to come directly and even boldly before 00:15:00.740 --> 00:15:03.539 the throne of God. To enter this new covenant 00:15:03.539 --> 00:15:06.179 or to live in a new and living way. Do you know 00:15:06.179 --> 00:15:08.639 that back then the Christians were not necessarily 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:10.940 called Christians, they were called the way. 00:15:12.039 --> 00:15:14.559 Because it was so different and distinct from 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:16.039 anything else that they had ever experienced, 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:20.840 it was called the way. and they were ushered 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:23.860 into this new way of experiencing God and we're 00:15:23.860 --> 00:15:27.340 invited likewise to enter boldly confidently 00:15:27.340 --> 00:15:30.179 into this new relationship not because of what 00:15:30.179 --> 00:15:33.299 anything anything that we have done but because 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:35.840 we know what Jesus has done and we believe with 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:38.259 all of our hearts in what he has done and we 00:15:38.259 --> 00:15:41.379 know that that has set the table for you and 00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:45.220 I to come directly into the presence of God but 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:48.960 as we look at verses 22 to 24 there are three 00:15:49.529 --> 00:15:52.129 exhortations that are given to us. The first 00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:55.470 exhortation is an invitation for us to draw near 00:15:55.470 --> 00:15:59.789 to God. However, with that exhortation comes 00:15:59.789 --> 00:16:02.750 four conditions. There's four things that you 00:16:02.750 --> 00:16:05.230 and I need to do if we truly want to be close 00:16:05.230 --> 00:16:08.070 to God, if we want to experience God, if we want 00:16:08.070 --> 00:16:11.309 to be ushered into His presence. Let's look at 00:16:11.309 --> 00:16:17.409 the text here. In verse 22 it says, Let us draw 00:16:17.409 --> 00:16:20.750 near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance 00:16:20.750 --> 00:16:24.090 of faith Having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse 00:16:24.090 --> 00:16:27.610 us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies 00:16:27.610 --> 00:16:31.190 washed with pure water Let's draw near to God 00:16:31.190 --> 00:16:33.710 four things the first thing is this we need to 00:16:33.710 --> 00:16:36.590 have a sincere heart And as I looked at this 00:16:36.590 --> 00:16:38.330 what it really is talking about is that we're 00:16:38.330 --> 00:16:42.029 not pretending. We're not going through the motions 00:16:42.029 --> 00:16:47.009 It's not an act this is real And as we come into 00:16:47.009 --> 00:16:50.909 the presence of God, we muster up with all sincerity 00:16:50.909 --> 00:16:53.649 of heart a desire to come into His presence. 00:16:54.529 --> 00:16:57.570 We're not divided in spirit, we're of one mind 00:16:57.570 --> 00:17:01.450 and one spirit, and we come wholly into His presence. 00:17:02.570 --> 00:17:05.809 It's our desire to give sincere allegiance to 00:17:05.809 --> 00:17:09.710 God as we seek after Him, how? With all of our 00:17:09.710 --> 00:17:16.769 heart. We live in a very sarcastic, skeptical 00:17:16.769 --> 00:17:19.750 society. I was just talking the other day with 00:17:19.750 --> 00:17:22.650 a young man named Pat Byrne who's with us this 00:17:22.650 --> 00:17:24.710 morning. In fact, he'll be teaching our senior 00:17:24.710 --> 00:17:27.990 highers. Pat used to attend this church and when 00:17:27.990 --> 00:17:29.910 he was in high school, God used Grace Church 00:17:29.910 --> 00:17:32.950 to deeply encourage him and motivate him. And 00:17:32.950 --> 00:17:36.529 now Pat is teaching English in Japan and he's 00:17:36.529 --> 00:17:37.890 back for a month and he's going to be helping 00:17:37.890 --> 00:17:40.089 out in our student ministries while he's back 00:17:40.089 --> 00:17:43.190 here for the month of August. And he was just 00:17:43.190 --> 00:17:46.470 sharing with me that one of the key distinctiveness 00:17:46.470 --> 00:17:50.490 between the Japanese culture and the American 00:17:50.490 --> 00:17:53.029 culture is that the Japanese people tend to be 00:17:53.029 --> 00:17:57.509 just gut level sincere. They're just very, very 00:17:57.509 --> 00:18:01.089 sincere people. And that's the kind of sincerity 00:18:01.089 --> 00:18:04.289 that God wants us to have as we come before Him. 00:18:04.630 --> 00:18:06.930 To draw near to God, we need to have a sincere 00:18:06.930 --> 00:18:09.509 heart. Secondly, he says, we need to have the 00:18:09.509 --> 00:18:13.599 full assurance of our faith. Remembering again 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:15.940 that our faith is not about anything that we've 00:18:15.940 --> 00:18:18.440 done. Our faith is not in ourselves. Our faith, 00:18:18.539 --> 00:18:22.420 the object of our faith, is Jesus Christ. We 00:18:22.420 --> 00:18:26.319 need to have full assurance that we're wholly 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:30.680 and completely convinced that we're totally trusting. 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:36.049 There's no hesitation. I loved some of the songs 00:18:36.049 --> 00:18:37.529 that we sang today. I think God knew what he 00:18:37.529 --> 00:18:40.710 was doing as he guided Paul in selecting those 00:18:40.710 --> 00:18:44.829 songs to just trust, to trust. It was a central 00:18:44.829 --> 00:18:47.009 theme of a lot of what we heard this morning. 00:18:49.269 --> 00:18:51.269 Could it be that one of the reasons that we have 00:18:51.269 --> 00:18:53.930 not fully experienced God to the degree that 00:18:53.930 --> 00:18:56.829 he would desire for us to experience him individually 00:18:56.829 --> 00:19:01.650 and even as a church? Could it be that we're 00:19:01.650 --> 00:19:07.329 still not totally trusting? that we haven't completely, 00:19:07.369 --> 00:19:14.690 completely yielded our lives to him and put our 00:19:14.690 --> 00:19:18.089 complete and total hope, faith, trust in him. 00:19:20.829 --> 00:19:22.589 You see, I believe that if we lack this full 00:19:22.589 --> 00:19:24.930 assurance of our faith, that we'll struggle, 00:19:25.210 --> 00:19:28.230 we'll really struggle to trust God. And he says 00:19:28.230 --> 00:19:30.670 that if we don't want to draw near to God, we 00:19:30.670 --> 00:19:33.509 have to place our faith fully in him. And I believe 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:36.539 that to the extent that we learn to trust God 00:19:36.539 --> 00:19:40.039 will be the extent to which we experience the 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:42.500 fullness of God in our lives. This week, one 00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:45.119 of the things that we learned was a text, and 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:47.680 I think it was from 1st Timothy, where it says 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:51.039 that, I pray that you would share your faith 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:54.799 so that you will experience the full joy, the 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:58.319 full knowledge of Jesus Christ. And that as we 00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:01.099 go out on that limb and we share our faith, that's 00:20:01.099 --> 00:20:03.970 when we really begin to see God work in our lives. 00:20:04.069 --> 00:20:06.069 And I think that's one of the things John was 00:20:06.069 --> 00:20:07.990 talking about that as he got out there on the 00:20:07.990 --> 00:20:10.789 edge this week, he experienced God in a way that 00:20:10.789 --> 00:20:15.190 he had never experienced him before. It has to 00:20:15.190 --> 00:20:18.609 do with trust. I want to share an illustration 00:20:18.609 --> 00:20:20.849 that happened to us last week at Sump. It was 00:20:20.849 --> 00:20:25.009 one of the most poignant, powerful demonstrations 00:20:25.009 --> 00:20:28.740 of God's power that I've ever seen. It was the 00:20:28.740 --> 00:20:31.460 last night of SEMP and the president and founder 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:34.160 of SEMP of Sun Life Ministries, Dan Spader, was 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:36.599 asked to come and lead in a word of prayer, a 00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:38.579 prayer of dedication that the students would 00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:41.400 go back home and be missionaries for the cause 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:44.079 of Christ. And in the middle of his prayer, by 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:45.920 the way, just to let you know what was happening 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:48.759 outside, it was thundering. There was a pretty 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:50.779 good storm that was happening in Wheaton. And 00:20:50.779 --> 00:20:52.519 I think there was also a pretty good storm happening 00:20:52.519 --> 00:20:54.539 up here at the same time, from what I've been 00:20:54.539 --> 00:20:57.970 told. Well, it's probably about nine o 'clock 00:20:57.970 --> 00:21:00.970 and Dan Spader was up with the microphone and 00:21:00.970 --> 00:21:06.309 he was praying and he said this He said God we 00:21:06.309 --> 00:21:11.190 recognize your power and might Exactly at the 00:21:11.190 --> 00:21:13.849 minute that he said might there was the most 00:21:13.849 --> 00:21:19.529 just thunderous Thunder outside huge lightning 00:21:19.529 --> 00:21:21.349 and all of a sudden all the lights in the entire 00:21:21.349 --> 00:21:24.210 facility went dead The sound system went off 00:21:24.210 --> 00:21:27.690 and we're all just sitting there in awe. And 00:21:27.690 --> 00:21:29.630 there was about a five second pause and then 00:21:29.630 --> 00:21:31.670 all of a sudden 1 ,300 students just started 00:21:31.670 --> 00:21:34.710 screaming at the top of their lungs because they 00:21:34.710 --> 00:21:37.069 knew that they had just experienced the power 00:21:37.069 --> 00:21:40.109 of God. Now what was amazing about it wasn't 00:21:40.109 --> 00:21:43.269 just that, but that then God led the worship 00:21:43.269 --> 00:21:45.390 leaders to get up onto the stage and it was just 00:21:45.390 --> 00:21:49.269 absolute quiet. And with no mic, with no lights, 00:21:49.430 --> 00:21:52.819 with no power point, nothing. No high tech stuff 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:56.900 at all. In a very quiet voice, the worship leader 00:21:56.900 --> 00:22:01.059 began to sing. And all 1 ,300 people, for a half 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:04.660 hour, praised God in a way I've never experienced. 00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:07.059 I mean, I'm not just into emotional experiences, 00:22:07.099 --> 00:22:09.319 and I think that sometimes we look for that, 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:12.660 but somehow God chose to visit that upon us that 00:22:12.660 --> 00:22:15.869 night. Honestly, I had tingles. from my head 00:22:15.869 --> 00:22:18.750 to my toes. I was just so caught up in this praise 00:22:18.750 --> 00:22:21.930 before the Lord. It was an amazing, amazing experience. 00:22:22.390 --> 00:22:24.470 You know why I think God chose to visit us that 00:22:24.470 --> 00:22:28.390 way? Because I think He knew that there was 1 00:22:28.390 --> 00:22:31.789 ,300 people here that were totally and completely 00:22:31.789 --> 00:22:36.730 seeking Him sincerely. And they completely and 00:22:36.730 --> 00:22:39.009 totally believed in Him with all of their heart. 00:22:39.029 --> 00:22:42.289 They had full assurance of their faith. And God 00:22:42.289 --> 00:22:45.529 allowed us to have just a little taste. of what 00:22:45.529 --> 00:22:48.849 heaven's going to be like someday. The third 00:22:48.849 --> 00:22:51.369 condition he lays down here, if we want to truly 00:22:51.369 --> 00:22:53.970 experience God and come into His presence, is 00:22:53.970 --> 00:22:56.190 that we need to have our hearts sprinkled from 00:22:56.190 --> 00:23:00.289 a guilty conscience, from a sense of guilt. You 00:23:00.289 --> 00:23:02.329 know why? Because we've experienced forgiveness 00:23:02.329 --> 00:23:05.609 through Christ's once for all sacrifice and atonement 00:23:05.609 --> 00:23:09.250 of our sins. He's promised that as we ask for 00:23:09.250 --> 00:23:11.859 forgiveness, we're going to receive it. And if 00:23:11.859 --> 00:23:13.799 we want to come into the presence of God, we 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:16.279 need to first ask for forgiveness. We need to 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:19.160 come before Him with pure hearts and clean hearts 00:23:19.160 --> 00:23:22.599 if we truly want to be in His presence. And then 00:23:22.599 --> 00:23:25.539 lastly, the writer challenges us to have our 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:28.420 bodies washed with water as we draw near to God. 00:23:29.380 --> 00:23:32.339 There's been lots of theological arguments over 00:23:32.339 --> 00:23:34.680 what this really is talking about. Some people 00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:38.059 have said that it would be inconsistent to assume 00:23:38.059 --> 00:23:40.440 that he's talking about baptism here. although 00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:42.200 a lot of people believe it is a reference to 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:44.259 baptism. The reason that people think it would 00:23:44.259 --> 00:23:46.920 be inconsistent is that the first three conditions 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:49.819 have to do with an internal experience. And then 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:52.079 if all of a sudden there was this external thing 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:53.759 that you had to do if you were going to experience 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:55.599 God, it wouldn't be consistent. For example, 00:23:56.180 --> 00:23:59.779 would it be consistent if the condition came 00:23:59.779 --> 00:24:03.000 right out and said you had to be baptized if 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:04.740 you were going to experience the presence of 00:24:04.740 --> 00:24:08.329 God? On the other hand, it could be argued that 00:24:08.329 --> 00:24:10.890 baptism is such an important ordinance for the 00:24:10.890 --> 00:24:13.670 church and God wants all of his disciples to 00:24:13.670 --> 00:24:16.450 follow him in obedience into the waters of baptism 00:24:16.450 --> 00:24:21.470 and that if one is resisting, not willing to 00:24:21.470 --> 00:24:25.089 submit themselves in that way to publicly identify 00:24:25.089 --> 00:24:29.809 themselves with Christ, they may not fully experience 00:24:29.809 --> 00:24:32.549 this intimacy with God for lack of their own 00:24:32.549 --> 00:24:36.549 obedience. I think the best interpretation of 00:24:36.549 --> 00:24:38.809 this would be to relate it to the washing of 00:24:38.809 --> 00:24:41.890 water as a result of our hearts being cleansed. 00:24:42.009 --> 00:24:44.809 As it says in Ephesians 5 26 where it talks about 00:24:44.809 --> 00:24:48.730 Jesus Christ cleansing the church by the washing 00:24:48.730 --> 00:24:52.210 of water with the word. I think what it refers 00:24:52.210 --> 00:24:55.480 to here is the outward way that we live. It's 00:24:55.480 --> 00:24:57.420 already talked about how our hearts need to be 00:24:57.420 --> 00:24:59.819 sprinkled from a guilty conscience so that our 00:24:59.819 --> 00:25:01.559 hearts are clean before the Lord. Now I think 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:04.200 what it's saying is that our bodies need to be 00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:06.079 washed and cleansed and purified so that the 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:10.079 way that we live outwardly is consistent with 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:13.460 our beliefs internally, that we're living pure 00:25:13.460 --> 00:25:17.619 lives and holy lives. If we want to experience 00:25:17.619 --> 00:25:19.579 God, four things. First thing, we need to have 00:25:19.579 --> 00:25:23.500 a sincere heart, not divided. We need to have 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:26.720 full assurance of our faith, not trusting hesitantly 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:30.259 or a little bit. We need to have our hearts sprinkled 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:32.660 to cleanse us from a guilty conscience, no guilt. 00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:35.140 And lastly, we need to have our bodies washed 00:25:35.140 --> 00:25:38.480 with water. We're both clean internally, but 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:42.819 also pure externally. How? We're purified as 00:25:42.819 --> 00:25:48.140 we expose ourselves to the Word of God. I'm kind 00:25:48.140 --> 00:25:50.740 of concerned here because I think that if we 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:54.640 blow it on this first exhortation to draw near 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:59.099 to God. If we fail at this first level, if any 00:25:59.099 --> 00:26:01.220 one of those four conditions break down in our 00:26:01.220 --> 00:26:04.559 own personal lives, we will not be able to follow 00:26:04.559 --> 00:26:07.160 through on the next two exhortations. Because 00:26:07.160 --> 00:26:10.980 the next exhortation has to do with persevering 00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:14.420 in our faith, holding fast to that which we believe. 00:26:15.180 --> 00:26:18.660 the hope that we profess, and the last exhortation 00:26:18.660 --> 00:26:20.940 has to do with considering how we can spur one 00:26:20.940 --> 00:26:23.660 another on. Listen, if you and I are not being 00:26:23.660 --> 00:26:26.880 faithful in our own personal devotion to God, 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:30.640 if we are not coming into His presence, if we 00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:34.140 are not drawing near to God with a sincere heart, 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:38.819 we will not, we will not be able to persevere. 00:26:39.259 --> 00:26:43.150 We will not hold fast. to the hope that we profess. 00:26:43.529 --> 00:26:47.210 Nor will we have the stuff to be able to encourage 00:26:47.210 --> 00:26:50.029 the body. Because our cup's not even going to 00:26:50.029 --> 00:26:52.029 be full enough to overflow into the lives of 00:26:52.029 --> 00:26:57.250 other people. That's why I think he puts that 00:26:57.250 --> 00:26:59.990 exhortation as the very first one. That we need 00:26:59.990 --> 00:27:03.809 to personally be sure that we are preparing ourselves 00:27:03.809 --> 00:27:08.230 as we draw near to God. The second exhortation 00:27:08.230 --> 00:27:11.769 is that we need to holds fast or unswervingly, 00:27:11.769 --> 00:27:15.529 it says, to the hope that we profess. What is 00:27:15.529 --> 00:27:18.390 the hope that we profess? Well, really the hope 00:27:18.390 --> 00:27:21.630 is this, that God has promised a number of things, 00:27:21.869 --> 00:27:24.730 and we are hoping, we believe with all of our 00:27:24.730 --> 00:27:26.690 hearts, that God's going to come good with His 00:27:26.690 --> 00:27:30.390 promises. The expositor's commentary puts it 00:27:30.390 --> 00:27:33.329 like this, hope vividly anticipates that God 00:27:33.329 --> 00:27:36.670 will fulfill His promises in a particular way. 00:27:36.990 --> 00:27:39.750 Christians can hold fast to this hope in this 00:27:39.750 --> 00:27:42.910 way because behind it is a God to whom they have 00:27:42.910 --> 00:27:46.650 full confidence in. God is thoroughly to be relied 00:27:46.650 --> 00:27:50.490 upon. When he makes a promise, the promise will 00:27:50.490 --> 00:27:56.829 infallibly be kept. For how many of us do we 00:27:56.829 --> 00:28:00.569 continue to hold on to that promise of the blessed 00:28:00.569 --> 00:28:05.609 appearance of Jesus Christ? Do we begin to doubt? 00:28:05.950 --> 00:28:08.329 Do we begin to get skeptical and think, well, 00:28:08.470 --> 00:28:10.589 yeah, well, hundreds of years ago they thought 00:28:10.589 --> 00:28:13.069 Jesus was coming back. At the time of this writing, 00:28:13.329 --> 00:28:17.269 back in between 60 and 70 AD, they thought Jesus 00:28:17.269 --> 00:28:22.190 was going to be returning. One of the reasons 00:28:22.190 --> 00:28:25.349 that God wants us to have that perspective is 00:28:25.349 --> 00:28:27.470 that if we continually hold on to that hope, 00:28:27.789 --> 00:28:31.089 it gives us the motivation to live each day as 00:28:31.089 --> 00:28:35.180 if it were our last, so that we are ready. if 00:28:35.180 --> 00:28:38.599 Jesus Christ were to return today, to hold fast. 00:28:40.299 --> 00:28:43.200 Even at the time of the writing of this text, 00:28:43.859 --> 00:28:47.839 the world was experiencing a lot of shifting 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:52.660 of values. And the Jewish converts were beginning 00:28:52.660 --> 00:28:56.759 to lose hold of their hope. And the exhortation 00:28:56.759 --> 00:29:00.460 came, hold fast, hold unswervingly to the hope 00:29:00.460 --> 00:29:03.319 that you profess. I think it's important to note 00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:05.900 here that it says the hope that you profess, 00:29:06.180 --> 00:29:08.539 which really means the hope that you talk about. 00:29:09.400 --> 00:29:11.440 How many of us share that hope with other people? 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:14.180 How many of us even realize the fact that people 00:29:14.180 --> 00:29:19.640 around us are without that hope? And maybe we're 00:29:19.640 --> 00:29:22.319 the only people that God will ever place into 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:26.700 their lives that could usher them into that hope, 00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:30.319 that great hope. It was so neat to hear some 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:32.119 of the stories. One of our leaders, the very 00:29:32.119 --> 00:29:33.920 first day we went out witnessing in Chicago, 00:29:34.579 --> 00:29:37.079 got invited into this little apartment of a lady 00:29:37.079 --> 00:29:41.440 who was just so ready by the Lord. She had actually 00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:44.259 been praying that God would send her somebody 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:48.700 to talk to her about the Lord. One of our leaders, 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:52.319 Christy, had a chance to just usher her into 00:29:52.319 --> 00:29:54.700 the kingdom of God and this lady was in tears 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:58.529 and there was big hugs and she just She was amazed 00:29:58.529 --> 00:30:00.930 that God loved her enough to send Christy to 00:30:00.930 --> 00:30:03.349 her door that day to usher her into the kingdom 00:30:03.349 --> 00:30:07.650 of God. We have hope and we need to share that 00:30:07.650 --> 00:30:09.789 hope with others. We need to hang on to the hope 00:30:09.789 --> 00:30:13.589 that we have. We need to persevere. It's easy 00:30:13.589 --> 00:30:16.670 for us, and I'm guilty of this as much as any 00:30:16.670 --> 00:30:22.650 of us, to walk by sight and not by faith. In 00:30:22.650 --> 00:30:25.869 2 Corinthians 5, 7, Paul says, we live by faith, 00:30:26.289 --> 00:30:31.009 not by sight. Our faith cannot be just in things 00:30:31.009 --> 00:30:36.670 seen, but in the unseen things of God. The promises 00:30:36.670 --> 00:30:40.509 that God has made in His Word. See, I think that 00:30:40.509 --> 00:30:42.990 sometimes, especially in the culture that we 00:30:42.990 --> 00:30:46.150 live in today, there's a lot of seeking after 00:30:46.150 --> 00:30:49.750 the signs and wonders of God. The manifestations 00:30:49.750 --> 00:30:52.539 of God. It's just like doubting Thomas. We've 00:30:52.539 --> 00:30:55.420 got to put our finger into the hole to know that 00:30:55.420 --> 00:30:59.259 God is really who He says He is. And I think 00:30:59.259 --> 00:31:02.180 that that shows us our lack of faith. Our faith 00:31:02.180 --> 00:31:05.160 needs to remain constant even when we're not 00:31:05.160 --> 00:31:07.279 seeing everything come together in our personal 00:31:07.279 --> 00:31:09.920 lives the way we'd like them to. Even then, everything's 00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:11.759 not happening the way we'd like to see it happen 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:15.240 within our church body. We need to remain true 00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:17.519 to the calling and the hope that God has given 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:21.930 us. I think the way we handle our money tells 00:31:21.930 --> 00:31:26.509 a lot about the degree of our faith. What would 00:31:26.509 --> 00:31:28.670 happen if we all lost our source of income this 00:31:28.670 --> 00:31:33.450 week? Would we be able to continue to hold unswervingly 00:31:33.450 --> 00:31:38.809 to the hope that we profess? What would happen 00:31:38.809 --> 00:31:41.789 if the stock market continues the direction that 00:31:41.789 --> 00:31:46.029 it headed Thursday and Friday this week? And 00:31:46.029 --> 00:31:48.349 the bottom fell out of the market and all of 00:31:48.349 --> 00:31:53.099 our investments went up and smoked. Would we 00:31:53.099 --> 00:31:56.200 be able to continue to hold unswervingly to the 00:31:56.200 --> 00:32:01.759 hope that we profess? Even when we experience 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:05.079 persecution, even when we experience crises like 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:08.019 we have in recent days at Grace, we're told to 00:32:08.019 --> 00:32:11.779 hold on to this hope that we profess. Even when 00:32:11.779 --> 00:32:14.619 the giving at our church last year was lower 00:32:14.619 --> 00:32:17.859 than we had hoped, we need to hold on to the 00:32:17.859 --> 00:32:21.049 hope. Is God finished with Grace Church Roseville? 00:32:22.549 --> 00:32:26.289 I don't think so. Are our best days in front 00:32:26.289 --> 00:32:30.890 of us? I believe so. I press on. I hold on to 00:32:30.890 --> 00:32:34.890 the hope. Because he who promised is faithful. 00:32:35.349 --> 00:32:41.890 Do I hear an amen? Alright. Verse 23. It's not 00:32:41.890 --> 00:32:45.509 enough just to hold on to the hope. It says that 00:32:45.509 --> 00:32:48.569 we need to profess that hope that we have in 00:32:48.569 --> 00:32:52.789 Jesus Christ. We need to tell others about Him. 00:32:54.329 --> 00:32:56.710 The degree to which we are willing to step out 00:32:56.710 --> 00:33:02.069 of our comfort zone and profess again will be 00:33:02.069 --> 00:33:04.690 the degree to which we experience God and it's 00:33:04.690 --> 00:33:07.269 a test of our faith. Last week some of our students 00:33:07.269 --> 00:33:09.829 had their faith tested. One of the afternoons 00:33:09.829 --> 00:33:12.380 they They gave us the entire afternoon off and 00:33:12.380 --> 00:33:14.099 they said, what we want you to do is get together 00:33:14.099 --> 00:33:17.279 as groups. We want you to write letters to four 00:33:17.279 --> 00:33:20.720 unsaved friends or relatives. So our students 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:22.579 got together, they took this very seriously. 00:33:23.380 --> 00:33:25.920 Most of them came to SEMP already with somebody 00:33:25.920 --> 00:33:28.440 in mind that they were praying for during the 00:33:28.440 --> 00:33:31.000 week. They took the time that day to write these 00:33:31.000 --> 00:33:33.960 letters. Some of them wrote letters back to their 00:33:33.960 --> 00:33:37.279 unsaved parents. Some of them wrote letters to 00:33:37.279 --> 00:33:39.380 their best friends to students that they knew 00:33:39.380 --> 00:33:42.299 at school that they had friendships with and 00:33:42.299 --> 00:33:44.359 Then they came back and they had to deal with 00:33:44.359 --> 00:33:45.980 the fact there was a letter that was already 00:33:45.980 --> 00:33:49.440 in the mail and they'd already received it and 00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:51.420 What are we going to do one of our one of our 00:33:51.420 --> 00:33:56.400 leaders? Michelle has a father who's not a believer 00:33:56.400 --> 00:34:01.180 and she sent this letter to him and When she 00:34:01.180 --> 00:34:05.119 saw him when she got back He said I just want 00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:07.819 you to know I am who I am. I'm never going to 00:34:07.819 --> 00:34:09.699 change. I don't want you ever to bring this subject 00:34:09.699 --> 00:34:14.900 up again, period. Now in that circumstance, it 00:34:14.900 --> 00:34:17.559 would have been very easy for Michelle to lose 00:34:17.559 --> 00:34:21.679 hope. But I really believe that God has given 00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:25.940 her a burden that goes beyond just that one circumstance. 00:34:25.980 --> 00:34:28.840 And I think she's going to continue to hold unswervingly 00:34:28.840 --> 00:34:31.619 to the hope that she professes. And I believe 00:34:31.619 --> 00:34:34.380 that as she's faithful and as she lives out Christ 00:34:34.380 --> 00:34:37.340 before her dad, that there will come a day where 00:34:37.340 --> 00:34:42.739 his heart is softened. The last exhortation that 00:34:42.739 --> 00:34:44.579 we're given in this text is that we need to consider 00:34:44.579 --> 00:34:47.940 how we can spur one another on toward love and 00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:52.320 good deeds. And really the literal Greek translation 00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:56.320 of the word spur, paraxymus, would be to irritate 00:34:56.320 --> 00:35:00.179 or exasperate. I doubt that's really what he 00:35:00.179 --> 00:35:01.820 was saying, though, because if you put that in 00:35:01.820 --> 00:35:04.750 there it would be this. Consider how we can irritate 00:35:04.750 --> 00:35:06.750 and exasperate each other on toward love and 00:35:06.750 --> 00:35:10.030 good deeds. Okay, what he's doing is he's using 00:35:10.030 --> 00:35:13.550 a negative term for contrast and impact. What 00:35:13.550 --> 00:35:15.610 it means is this, that we should consider how 00:35:15.610 --> 00:35:19.389 we can provoke one another or move each other 00:35:19.389 --> 00:35:23.050 toward a desired response, toward love and good 00:35:23.050 --> 00:35:28.090 deeds. What I think is important about this is 00:35:28.090 --> 00:35:31.409 that he begins by saying consider. In other words, 00:35:31.610 --> 00:35:35.789 think carefully. take some time to really evaluate 00:35:35.789 --> 00:35:38.889 how you, as a member of the body of Christ here 00:35:38.889 --> 00:35:41.989 at Great Church of Roseville, can spur other 00:35:41.989 --> 00:35:47.250 people on toward love and good deeds. Maybe it's 00:35:47.250 --> 00:35:50.989 through a word of admonition, spoken in love, 00:35:50.989 --> 00:35:55.889 obviously. Maybe God is going to lay a burden 00:35:55.889 --> 00:35:58.449 on you that somebody in our body needs to be 00:35:58.449 --> 00:36:01.769 encouraged. They need to experience love. Maybe 00:36:01.769 --> 00:36:03.769 you just need to get up today when we're done 00:36:03.769 --> 00:36:06.309 and go over to somebody and give them a hug and 00:36:06.309 --> 00:36:16.590 just tell them you love them. As I was thinking 00:36:16.590 --> 00:36:19.889 about this this morning and the need to offer 00:36:19.889 --> 00:36:21.929 kudos and encouragement to each other, I was 00:36:21.929 --> 00:36:23.750 reminded of something that we do in our ministry. 00:36:23.789 --> 00:36:26.250 If you got your bulletins this morning, you find 00:36:26.250 --> 00:36:30.400 a little green sheet in the bulletin. It's simply 00:36:30.400 --> 00:36:34.880 entitled an encouragement sheet. And what we 00:36:34.880 --> 00:36:36.780 have done this morning is we put these in the 00:36:36.780 --> 00:36:38.800 bulletins and also there should be some buckets 00:36:38.800 --> 00:36:41.880 with pencils by a number of the rows. If you 00:36:41.880 --> 00:36:43.360 don't have something to write with, we'd like 00:36:43.360 --> 00:36:46.980 to ask you to pass those buckets around and you 00:36:46.980 --> 00:36:48.880 can get something to write with. And we're going 00:36:48.880 --> 00:36:52.400 to take time in a few minutes to actually, this 00:36:52.400 --> 00:36:56.199 morning, make a priority out of encouraging each 00:36:56.199 --> 00:36:59.099 other through the written word. I'd like you 00:36:59.099 --> 00:37:01.119 to just think right now about who God would want 00:37:01.119 --> 00:37:03.059 to lead you to encourage. Somebody within the 00:37:03.059 --> 00:37:06.440 body here at Grace. Maybe it's Pastor Galen. 00:37:06.599 --> 00:37:09.219 Who knows? Somebody that God would lay on your 00:37:09.219 --> 00:37:12.739 heart to give a word of encouragement to. And 00:37:12.739 --> 00:37:14.880 you don't necessarily have to identify yourself. 00:37:15.099 --> 00:37:18.000 You can. Otherwise it can just be an anonymous 00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:21.039 letter that you give them. There's a couple ways 00:37:21.039 --> 00:37:23.980 you can do this. One would be to just hand it 00:37:23.980 --> 00:37:25.940 to them personally today if you see them here. 00:37:26.250 --> 00:37:28.090 The other would be that we could just tape them 00:37:28.090 --> 00:37:30.269 to the back wall and over the next couple of 00:37:30.269 --> 00:37:32.489 weeks as people come in, they could look on there 00:37:32.489 --> 00:37:34.210 and see if there's an encouragement sheet for 00:37:34.210 --> 00:37:37.050 them. I think this is a neat thing that we've 00:37:37.050 --> 00:37:40.429 done. Hebrews 10, 24 says, spur one another on 00:37:40.429 --> 00:37:42.690 toward loving good deeds. And I think that the 00:37:42.690 --> 00:37:44.789 more things that we can do to encourage each 00:37:44.789 --> 00:37:48.590 other, to help them to see how God is working 00:37:48.590 --> 00:37:51.230 in their lives and how we see God working in 00:37:51.230 --> 00:37:53.829 their lives can be a real encouragement to them. 00:37:55.230 --> 00:37:57.730 The exhortation to spur one another on toward 00:37:57.730 --> 00:38:01.070 love and good deeds continues in verse 25 where 00:38:01.070 --> 00:38:04.630 there's a warning to not give up meeting together 00:38:04.630 --> 00:38:07.250 as some are in the habit of doing. See, even 00:38:07.250 --> 00:38:10.510 back then there were people that were beginning 00:38:10.510 --> 00:38:12.989 to have this argument that I can experience God 00:38:12.989 --> 00:38:15.650 on my own. I don't need to go to the synagogue 00:38:15.650 --> 00:38:20.809 to worship. I can experience God on my own. Eugene 00:38:20.809 --> 00:38:25.500 Peterson's message reads this. Meet together 00:38:25.500 --> 00:38:28.800 and all the more as you see the big day approaching. 00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:31.780 The big day is the return of Christ, the day 00:38:31.780 --> 00:38:34.159 of reckoning when all of us will have to give 00:38:34.159 --> 00:38:38.239 account for ourselves before God. There's a couple 00:38:38.239 --> 00:38:41.139 points that are being stressed in this verse. 00:38:41.260 --> 00:38:45.179 The first is this, that we need close and regular 00:38:45.179 --> 00:38:47.500 fellowship if we're going to persevere, if we're 00:38:47.500 --> 00:38:49.280 going to continue to hold unswervingly to the 00:38:49.280 --> 00:38:52.159 hope that we profess. And one of the best ways 00:38:52.159 --> 00:38:54.760 that we can spur one another on is just to be 00:38:54.760 --> 00:38:58.579 together on a regular basis, to fellowship with 00:38:58.579 --> 00:39:02.119 each other, to sharpen each other, to admonish 00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:06.059 one another in love. We couldn't survive spiritually. 00:39:06.159 --> 00:39:09.739 In fact, if you look at the New Testament, the 00:39:09.739 --> 00:39:13.820 overwhelming evidence would support the fact 00:39:13.820 --> 00:39:17.340 that we are called to be part of a body. That 00:39:17.340 --> 00:39:20.780 this whole idea of individual Christianity is 00:39:20.780 --> 00:39:24.760 nowhere supported in Scripture. We need each 00:39:24.760 --> 00:39:26.519 other. We need to fellowship with the saints 00:39:26.519 --> 00:39:30.679 in order to stay on the right track. Three exhortations 00:39:30.679 --> 00:39:32.820 that we've looked at today. The first is this. 00:39:33.440 --> 00:39:35.539 To draw near to God which has to do with our 00:39:35.539 --> 00:39:39.239 personal devotion to Him. And there's four conditions. 00:39:39.980 --> 00:39:43.400 We need to come with a sincere heart. Truly seeking. 00:39:44.440 --> 00:39:47.570 We need to have our hearts fully assured. of 00:39:47.570 --> 00:39:51.289 our faith, not wavering, totally trusting. Our 00:39:51.289 --> 00:39:53.570 hearts need to be sprinkled from a guilty conscience. 00:39:53.710 --> 00:39:56.590 We need to confess our sin. And lastly, we need 00:39:56.590 --> 00:39:59.510 to have our bodies washed and purified. We need 00:39:59.510 --> 00:40:03.030 to walk in purity. The second admonition is that 00:40:03.030 --> 00:40:06.190 we're called to hold unswervingly to the hope 00:40:06.190 --> 00:40:08.989 that we profess because God is faithful and He 00:40:08.989 --> 00:40:11.690 will do what He has promised. We need to keep 00:40:11.690 --> 00:40:14.989 our eyes on Jesus. Walk by faith, not by sight. 00:40:16.170 --> 00:40:19.090 And then lastly, we're called to spur one another 00:40:19.090 --> 00:40:23.449 on toward love and good deeds. To carefully consider 00:40:23.449 --> 00:40:26.289 how we can encourage each other in the body of 00:40:26.289 --> 00:40:30.329 Christ. I'm going to just share with you a letter 00:40:30.329 --> 00:40:35.389 that I received last week. I didn't know this 00:40:35.389 --> 00:40:37.889 was happening, but one of our leaders, Dave Tilma, 00:40:38.449 --> 00:40:41.389 asked the students that were at Sump to write 00:40:41.389 --> 00:40:43.250 letters of encouragement to me. And so when we 00:40:43.250 --> 00:40:46.599 got back on Monday night, I got about 25 letters 00:40:46.599 --> 00:40:49.460 and I took those home and I just bawled my eyes 00:40:49.460 --> 00:40:51.860 out for about an hour and a half as I read these 00:40:51.860 --> 00:40:53.780 letters. And I just want to share one of these 00:40:53.780 --> 00:40:57.960 letters to you as an example of how to encourage. 00:40:59.519 --> 00:41:03.860 Dear Phil, we've been given the opportunity to 00:41:03.860 --> 00:41:07.599 write a few letters of encouragement. So I have 00:41:07.599 --> 00:41:10.940 decided to seize it. I'm reminded of a video 00:41:10.940 --> 00:41:13.719 that we saw here at Sump. It was with people 00:41:13.719 --> 00:41:17.219 talking about how our lives show Jesus to others. 00:41:18.039 --> 00:41:20.179 When I thought about it, I thought of you and 00:41:20.179 --> 00:41:24.320 how you have shown me who Jesus is. I know that 00:41:24.320 --> 00:41:26.719 there are times when you feel like giving up 00:41:26.719 --> 00:41:29.559 and doing something easier, more for your own 00:41:29.559 --> 00:41:36.360 age. But despite all of the rough times, you 00:41:36.360 --> 00:41:38.940 haven't given up. You've remained faithful to 00:41:38.940 --> 00:41:41.849 what God has called you to do. This shows me 00:41:41.849 --> 00:41:46.489 that Jesus is faithful no matter what I do. You 00:41:46.489 --> 00:41:50.130 have an unending passion for us, your kids at 00:41:50.130 --> 00:41:56.449 grace. Your life overflows with love. You have 00:41:56.449 --> 00:41:59.750 a heart for the lost and a desire to reach them. 00:42:00.469 --> 00:42:04.130 Your attitude abounds with compassion and your 00:42:04.130 --> 00:42:09.130 actions are as a servant. All of these things 00:42:09.130 --> 00:42:13.750 you have taught me. and shown me what Jesus is. 00:42:14.590 --> 00:42:20.190 Your life is a reflection of our Savior. I know 00:42:20.190 --> 00:42:23.690 that you save your letters in an e -file, encouragement 00:42:23.690 --> 00:42:29.550 file. And if you're ever feeling like giving 00:42:29.550 --> 00:42:34.329 up, believe me, I know what it feels like. Remember 00:42:34.329 --> 00:42:40.409 something. Carpe diem. Seize the day. The time 00:42:40.409 --> 00:42:43.829 God has given us can be used for so much. Many 00:42:43.829 --> 00:42:47.309 times I feel as though it's my worst enemy. But 00:42:47.309 --> 00:42:51.170 I'm working on it being my greatest ally. Never 00:42:51.170 --> 00:42:54.329 forget the gifts you have been given. God will 00:42:54.329 --> 00:43:02.429 complete what he started in you. I love you tons. 00:43:04.349 --> 00:43:09.210 Thanks for showing me who Jesus is. Sean McCown. 00:43:13.980 --> 00:43:17.460 We're done this morning, but I hope that you 00:43:17.460 --> 00:43:21.139 will be moved as I have been to be more of an 00:43:21.139 --> 00:43:23.519 encourager, to take the opportunity to write 00:43:23.519 --> 00:43:26.559 a letter to somebody in our church, to speak 00:43:26.559 --> 00:43:28.420 a word of encouragement to somebody even today 00:43:28.420 --> 00:43:46.820 before we leave. Let's pray. Father, I want to 00:43:46.820 --> 00:43:49.880 thank you so much for the privilege that we have 00:43:49.880 --> 00:43:52.500 to be your children and to be part of your body. 00:43:54.079 --> 00:43:57.179 And Father, I pray that you would teach us how 00:43:57.179 --> 00:43:59.820 to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 00:44:00.619 --> 00:44:03.300 Lord, I pray that by your Spirit that you would 00:44:03.300 --> 00:44:05.320 create a movement in our church where we would 00:44:05.320 --> 00:44:09.519 go way out of our way to uplift and encourage 00:44:09.519 --> 00:44:15.469 and support and edify one another. Thank you 00:44:15.469 --> 00:44:17.110 for the privilege that we've had to be in your 00:44:17.110 --> 00:44:19.929 presence today Lord and as we leave Help us to 00:44:19.929 --> 00:44:22.269 remember the exhortations that you've given us 00:44:22.269 --> 00:44:25.070 in this text today and to put it into practice 00:44:25.070 --> 00:44:29.269 in our own lives In your name we pray. Amen. 00:44:30.650 --> 00:44:32.289 I Just want to give a reminder that as you're 00:44:32.289 --> 00:44:34.070 leaving there will be an opportunity for you 00:44:34.070 --> 00:44:37.050 to give an offering For the Eagles wings ministry. 00:44:37.329 --> 00:44:39.050 Thanks for worshiping with us today and have 00:44:39.050 --> 00:44:39.570 a great week