Christ Is King 1-4-26 AM

I.            The rejection by the nations (Ps. 2:1-3).

a.   This first stanza is seen from the viewpoint of nations that reject God.

b.   We see they are raging against God and His anointed.

        i.      This is important to our understanding of this text being about Jesus.

        ii.      The word for “anointed” is the Hebrew word for Messiah.

        iii.      Many newer translations have this word capitalized as they understand it is a reference to Jesus and the divine.

c.    The word translated raging means to assemble tumultuously.

d.    The word for imagine carries the idea of conspire.

e.    The gentile nations are pictured as coming together to conspire against God in a violent way.

        i.      They are setting themselves against God.

        ii.      They are plotting together against God and His anointed.

f.     If this a psalm that addresses a current situation that looks forward to Jesus, the word anointed still causes no problem because David had been anointed by Samuel to be king of God’s people (1 Sam. 16:13).

g.   What is important to understand is that this will all be in vain, which we learn right out of the gate.

        i.      Any conspiring against God is useless.

        ii.      It will accomplish nothing and only result in destruction.

h.   What these people want is for to be let loose from the bounds of the Almighty and His anointed.

i.     We see this passage quoted in Acts 4:25.

        i.      This is a prayer of the apostles after Peter and John had been released by the Sanhedrin council.

        ii.      They were told to not speak any more about Jesus.

        iii.      The prayer states that Herod, Pontius Pilate, the gentiles that were with them, and the people of Israel were guilty of this.

        iv.      It also states that the people of Israel were continually guilty of this because they were continuing to threaten those sent by God.

j.     This last idea is one that should not have happened.

        i.      Remember, they were looking for the Messiah.

        ii.      Andrew said to Peter, we have found the Messiah.

        iii.      The people were looking for the Messiah.

        iv.      When they found Him, they rejected Him because He was not the Messiah they wanted.

k.    This psalm starts out from the viewpoint of the worldly leaders who were seeking to throw off the bonds of God and His anointed, who we know to be Jesus, and rule themselves.

l.      There are so many today who are conspiring and plotting against God and His Son Jesus.

         i.      Both are still in control.

         ii.      Despite this fact, there is a multitude of people crying out about how they rule themselves.

         iii.      They have no king but are in charge of their own life and destiny.

II.            God’s reaction (Ps. 2:4-6).

a.     With so many conspiring against God, surely God is concerned?

b.     Surely God is fearful right?

c.     God laughs.

d.     God is saying, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

e.     To stand against God is utter futility.

         i.      It is worse than an ant shaking its fist at a human.

         ii.      At least an ant can bite the human.

         iii.      These leaders offer no threat whatsoever to God.

f.      God is going to punish all those who stand against Him and His anointed.

g.    If this is about David first and Jesus second, God had David defeat the Philistines when they came against him.

h.    God’s purpose is going to come to pass.

         i.      Notice how verse 6 is written.

         ii.      God says “I have set” as if its already done.

i.      Nothing that man can do is going to thwart the plans of God.

j.      Long ago God told Satan that the seed of woman would bruise his head (Gen. 3:15).

         i.      God continuously worked out His plan to bring His Son into the world to be King.

         ii.      Satan tried to thwart God’s plan at every turn but he could not do it.

         iii.      Satan would even use the humans God’s plan needed to bring in His Anointed and it still didn’t work.

k.     God still laughs in a mocking way at those who believe they can overthrow Him and His Anointed and rule themselves.

l.       He will speak to them in His wrath and distress their efforts, whether it be through means of providence in this life or at the judgment.

III.            The resurrection shows Christ as King (Ps. 2:7-9).

a.     You might be thinking that this section does not mention the resurrection of Jesus anywhere in it – and you’d be right.

b.     But hang in there with me for a moment.

c.     This section is from the viewpoint of the Anointed one.

         i.      God has said this to Him.

         ii.      Because God told Him, He has the ability to tell it as it is.

d.    What He is first told is that He is God’s Son and on this day He is begotten by God.

         i.      There are instances in the New Testament where we read of the Father telling Jesus He is His Son – the baptism and transfiguration of Jesus.

         ii.      We know this without a doubt.

e.     The second part of the phrase is the part that needs to be understood.

         i.      Jesus is not begotten in the sense of a birth (John 1:1) because Jesus is eternal.

         ii.      To understand what today means, we have to look at the instances in the New Testament where this verse is quoted.

f.      This is quoted in three different passages.

         i.      Acts 13:33 – This is tied to the resurrection according to Paul.

         ii.      Hebrews 5:5 – when did Jesus become our High Priest (Hebrews 5:7-10).

         iii.      Lastly, notice Hebrews 1:5 – when you look back at verses 3-4 it happened at His death and resurrection.

g.    So what we see is that Jesus was begotten of God when He was resurrected from the dead.

h.    God then tells Him that He is going to give His Anointed rule over the heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth.

         i.      One writer mentioned that we should get a better understanding of the temptation of Jesus found in Matthew 4:8-10 when thinking of this statement.

         ii.      Satan was tempting Jesus to have dominion without going through all the pain and agony of the cross.

i.      With that rule, He will dominate them and break them in pieces like one shatters pottery.

         i.      We see images of this in the book of Revelation.

         ii.      Rev. 12:5.

         iii.      Rev. 19:15.

j.      When we stay with Jesus the King, we will rule like He rules.

IV.            The response of the Psalmist (Ps. 2:10-12).

a.    The Psalmist speaks in this last section.

b.    He tells those that would throw off the yoke of God to be wise and to be instructed.

         i.      They need to listen to what has just been said.

         ii.      God is going to win no matter what they devise and His Anointed is in place no matter what they do.

c.     They should serve God with great reverence and rejoice in God with the same.

d.     The phrase Kiss the Son carries the idea of showing homage.

          i.      When Samuel anointed Saul, he kissed him on the cheek.

          ii.      It means to bow before and show great respect.

          iii.      The result of not doing this is God’s anger will be shown to those who don’t.

          iv.      It will bring about death and His wrath.

e.      Those who bow and obey, who put their trust in the King, will be blessed.

f.       We can’t forget what we are – servants.

          i.      Yes, we will be made kings and allowed to rule one day.

          ii.      Here on earth we are servants and we can’t forget that.

g. The Psalmist calls us to be smart and do the right thing – bow down to the King and serve Him.

The Better Covenant 12-14-25 PM

I.            The distinction (Hebrews 8:6).

a.      The words “but now” indicate a change in topics.

b.      He has just described Jesus as being superior to Aaron.

         i.      He says that Jesus has a more excellent ministry.

         ii.      His work as High Priest is much more effectual than anything Aaron and his descendants could do.

c.     He then says that not only is his ministry better, but Jesus is also the Mediator of a better covenant.

         i.      The high priests were mediators between God and man.

         ii.      The high priest would go into the Most Holy Place once a year and offer the sacrifice of atonement on behalf of all the people.

         iii.      Jesus offered Himself and became our Mediator, our go-between, between us and God.

d.    Jesus is the Mediator for us using a better covenant.

         i.      In the next verse, there is mention of the first covenant.

1.      It is interesting to note that there are several covenants in the Old Testament.

2.      There was a covenant with Noah, Abraham, a covenant of salt made with the priest (Numbers 18:19), a covenant of the perpetual priesthood (Numbers 25:13), and one with David.

         ii.      We need to know what this first covenant was to know which was done away with by Jesus.

         iii.      In the passage from Jeremiah, it was a covenant with Israel and Judah.

         iv.      It was made when God led them out of Egypt.

         v.      It had to have the 10 commandments as part of it because of what is said in Deuteronomy 4:13.

         vi.      So, this covenant is one that was made with Israel and Judah, when God led them out of Egypt, and has the 10 commandments a part of it.

         vii.      Therefore, the covenant that was replaced was the one over the entire Jewish religious system.

         viii.      Think of the shock that would cause the readers of this letter at that time.

1.      Everything they knew was replaced.

2.      Anything that was brought over from the Old Covenant, and there were numerous things, now gained their authority from Jesus and not Moses.

3.      Everything is new and different.

e.      This new covenant is established upon better promises.

            i.      The better promises are alluded to in Jeremiah’s prophecy.

            ii.      The better aspect of them is that they are spiritual promises whereas most of the promises of the old one were physical.

            iii.      Length of life, great crops, land, and other physical things were promised.

            iv.      The new one contains promises of a new home of a spiritual nature, a new body which is spiritual and many new spiritual blessings.

f.        So our writer begins this new topic by making a distinction between the old and new covenants.

II.            The dilemma (Hebrews 8:7-9).

a.      Our writer now points out a dilemma that existed before the bringing in of the New Covenant.

b.      In reality, the dilemma was two-fold.

c.      There was first of all a dilemma with the law itself.

           i.      Notice the “if” statement.

           ii.      If the first, the one covering all the Jewish system, were fine, there would have been no need for a second one to take its place.

           iii.      The writer does not really go into what was faulty about the first.

           iv.      He will do that beginning in chapter 9.

           v.      This is what I mentioned in the introduction when I said he does what he has done throughout the book by mentioning something he will come back to later.

d.      The other part of the dilemma was with the people themselves.

           i.      God had a fault with them and our writer brings the mind of his audience to the prophecy of Jeremiah to show this to be the case.

           ii.      He now quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34.

e.      This passage, written after the 2nd carrying away of the Israelites by Babylon in 597 BC, prophesies a new covenant and seems to have been ignored by the Jews.

           i.      In reality, the old one was never meant to last.

           ii.      It had a purpose and its purpose was to bring them to Christ (Galatians 3:24).

           iii.      It was weak because of the fact the people could not perfectly keep it (Romans 8:3).

f.        The problem with the people is that they did not continue in the covenant.

           i.      As mentioned, it was impossible for them to keep.

           ii.      Peter would even mention this, saying neither them nor their fathers could keep the old law (Acts 15:10).

g.      God had shown great care for them by leading them out of Egypt.

           i.      Notice how He is said to have taken them by the hand.

           ii.      He guided them gently and not forcefully.

           iii.      He was caring and compassionate even in the face of their rebellion.

h.      So great, though, became their sin and failure to continue in the covenant, that God stopped regarding them.

           i.      This carries the idea of taking care of them.

           ii.      There sin became so great that God removed the providential barriers that had kept other nations from overtaking the Israelites.

           iii.      He allowed them to be taken captive and endure hardship because of their failure to keep the covenant.

i.        So now we see the dilemma that brought about the need for a new, speaking quality not time, covenant.

III.            The differences (Hebrews 8:10-12).

a.      Jeremiah was inspired to write about this new covenant that would one day be put into place by God.

b.      The reason for the new one was that the people had failed to continue in the old one.

c.      What will keep people continuing in the new one?

          i.      Surely there has to be some differences to keep people from leaving the new one.

          ii.      This is what Jeremiah now showed them and was necessary to show the intended audience of the book of Hebrews.

d.     Hebrews 8:10 shows a difference between the two being that the new one is much more spiritual in nature than the old one.

          i.      This new covenant would be one that affected the heart and mind.

          ii.      The old one was written on stone and mainly dealt with their outward actions.

          iii.      Think of all the commands of the old one and how much they had to do with ceremonies and sacrifices.

          iv.      The new one appeals to our heart and mind.

          v.      Whatever external things are found in the new one have to do with the expression of our feelings toward God.

          vi.      Worship, prayer, baptism, are all things that point to our devotion to God, which comes from a heart that loves God.

          vii.      It is not cold, formal, ritualistic actions which took place under the old covenant.

e.      Hebrews 8:11 shows another difference being a much more personal relationship with God.

            i.      At the end of verse 10, God said He would be their God and they would be His people.

            ii.      How that is done is that, under the new covenant, God is known by all.

            iii.      To those under this new covenant, they would not be taught.

            iv.      The reason for this is that one must learn of God before He can be in a covenant relationship with God.

            v.      One writer put it this way: under the old, you were a member and had to be taught, but under the new you are taught, and thus you become a member.

            vi.      A Jew was born into a relationship with God and had to be taught about Him.

            vii.      Now, one is taught about God, his heart is appealed to by the gospel, and then He comes to know God, which means be obedient to His will (1 John 2:3-6).

           viii.      This does not mean we don’t evangelize because all who are under consideration in this verse are those who are in a covenant relationship with God.

           ix.      All of us who are in the kingdom, whether rich or poor, which is the meaning of least to the greatest, know God.

           x.      One thing that needs to be pointed out is that there are two different Greek words for “know” in this verse.

1.      The first one indicates knowledge that is progressive, which is how the Jews came to know God.

2.      The second one indicates knowledge that is complete, which is what a Christian has in the sense that we don’t learn about God after coming into a relationship with Him, but before we do.

f.        Hebrews 8:12 shows what is probably the greatest difference, which is the forgiveness and mercy of God under the new covenant.

           i.      Under the old law, sin was remembered, which our writer will discuss later.

           ii.      Every sacrifice was a reminder of the sin in their lives.

           iii.      Under the new covenant, God wipes out the sin and does not bring it up against us any more.

           iv.      It is interesting that the word “unrighteousness” is plural just like “sins” and “iniquities”.

           v.      In other words, for all our unrighteous acts, there is mercy to be obtained.

           vi.      Under the Old Law, there were some acts for which there was no mercy.

           vii.      Under the new, there is mercy to be had if mercy is sought.

           viii.      The way the final phrase is written in the Greek is that God in no way keeps a record of our sins and iniquities when forgiven by Him.

g.      There are tremendous differences between the Old and New Covenants, starting with the fact that our Mediator is far better than that of the old.

h.      The New is much more spiritual in nature, allows for a closer relationship with God, and offers more forgiveness and mercy than the Old.

IV.            The decaying (Hebrews 8:13).

a.      This final verse of the chapter has a lot of differing opinions about what it means.

b.      Notice that the word “covenant” is in italics.

           i.      It was not found in the original.

           ii.      Since the words new and first are, it is definitely fitting that the word was added by the translators.

c.      There is a new covenant, so the first one must be out of date, which is the meaning of the word old here.

          i.      What do you do with products that are out of date?

          ii.      They are to be removed aren’t they?

d.     Notice also, that it is God being referenced as making the old one out of date.

e.     I believe that is important in understanding the last phrase of the verse.

f.      The word “decayeth” refers to something declared obsolete.

g.    The phrase “waxeth old” refers to something that is infirm and aged.

h.    These words describe the old law as an aged, infirm, obsolete article about to pass from this life.

i.      Some believe that the old law, at the time of writing, was still in use but about to go away.

         i.      Jesus took it away, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14).

         ii.      This does not seem like the appropriate thought.

j.      I believe this passage to mean that the law is dead and soon all parts of it are going to be removed from the scene.

         i.      In other words, the Jewish system was dead but the Jews didn’t realize it yet.

         ii.      The Law of Moses could not save them and what they had left was about to be removed by the coming invasion by Rome.

k.     This statement was for those Christians who were being tempted to leave Christ for the old ways.

l.       They needed to know that what once was great and thriving is now dead and its carcass was to be finally removed in the very near future.

Comfort For Troubled Hearts 12-14-25 AM

I.            The plea (John 14:1).

a.      It is important to remember the setting of this conversation.

          i.      Jesus has instituted the Lord’s Supper.

          ii.      He’s washed their feet and taught them about the need to serve.

          iii.      He’s revealed that one of them is going to betray Him.

          iv.      He’s told Peter that Peter will deny Him three times that night.

          v.      He is about to tell them that He is going away from them and is going to do His best to prepare them for His departure.

b.    Jesus is concerned about their hearts, or minds.

         i.      Jesus does not want them to be stirred up emotionally, which is the meaning of troubled.

         ii.      He wants them to have comfort of heart before His death.

         iii.      A person with a troubled heart is not capable of making good decisions and is easily dissuaded from good things by Satan while in that state.

c.    Jesus reminds them that they believe in God and pleas with them to believe in Him also.

        i.      You might think it is strange for Jesus to plea with them to do this.

        ii.      They had been with Him and seen all that He had done.

d.   The reason for the plea is that He knows their minds, and how they still view the Messiah.

        i.      These men had grown up being taught that the Messiah would save physical Israel and make her great again.

        ii.      They never believed that their Messiah would die or be put to death.

        iii.      There mindset can be seen when they are with Him right before He ascends to heaven (Acts 1:6).

e.    Jesus did not want them to be led away from believing in Him because of His death on the cross.

f.     The temptation would definitely be there for them so Jesus gave them this plea.

g.   Jesus still gives us this plea today.

        i.      We must believe in Jesus.

        ii.      If we don’t, we will die in our sins (John 8:24).

h.   They way to show our belief in Jesus is to do what He has said to do.

        i.      We must follow His commands.

        ii.      We must love Him with all our hearts.

        iii.      This is belief, not just mere mental acknowledgement of Jesus as Lord.

i.     Belief is shown in and by action.

j.     If we are having troubled hearts, we need to believe in Jesus and not give up that belief.

k.   If we have never obeyed Jesus, we must do so in order to show that we believe in Jesus.

II.            A prepared place (John 14:2).

a.   These men believed in heaven, as did their spiritual forefathers (Heb. 11:13-16).

b.   Jesus let them know there was plenty of room for them in heaven.

        i.      The word for mansions is translated rooms in newer versions.

        ii.      Jesus is letting them know there would be space for them.

c.    He then states that He is going to go to prepare their place.

d.    There are two main ideas about what Jesus means when He says He is going to prepare them a place.

         i.      One idea is that Jesus is preparing heaven right now, getting it ready for the saints to enter it after judgment.

         ii.      The second idea is that Jesus being glorified by dying, rising from the dead, and ascending into heaven prepared heaven to be obtained by those who continue to believe in Him.

         iii.      Either view is good and fitting in the context.

e.     Whichever view we take, we see that Jesus is the One, and has to be the One, to do the preparing.

f.      When our hearts are troubled, and we are in need of comfort, thinking about heaven should bring great comfort.

         i.      If we believe this means that Jesus is presently at work preparing a heavenly abode for us, we ought to be comforted.

         ii.      If we believe this means that Jesus being glorified by His death, resurrection, and ascension has prepared heaven to receive us, we should be comforted.

g.    Our Father loves us enough that He has the Son prepare a place for us.

         i.      The Godhead is not going to be caught off guard by how many make it to heaven.

         ii.      The Godhead is not going to be caught off guard by how many miss heaven.

         iii.      There will be the proper amount of rooms for the people who will spend eternity with the Godhead.

         iv.      There is plenty of room for all that believe, and continue to believe, in Jesus.

III.            The promise (John 14:3).

a.     Jesus makes a promise to those who continually believe in Him that He will come back for them one day.

b.     Thayer’s says the word receive carries the idea of bring into companionship with, “where I myself dwell.”

c.     What a tremendous promise to bring comfort to a troubled heart.

d.     Jesus wants us to be companions with Him in heaven.

          i.      He wants us to spend eternity with Him giving glory to God.

          ii.      He died to make this a reality.

e.      Jesus promises to come back for us.

          i.      Death is not the end.

          ii.      This world is not all that there is to offer.

          iii.      Jesus did not leave us and abandon us.

f.       Jesus is going to return in order to bring us home to be in constant companionship with Him.

          i.      It is such a hard concept for me to grasp that Jesus wants close companionship with me.

          ii.      I’m thankful for it beyond words, but it is hard for me to understand why.

g.     Jesus tells them that they knew where He was going and knew how to get there.

          i.      The whole purpose of the book of John is to inspire belief in Jesus (John 20:30-31).

          ii.      Jesus had just told them where He was going.

          iii.      He just told them the way to Him – believing in Him.

          iv.      Remember, belief means acknowledgement and action.

h.      Jesus promises that He is going to return for us and we know where He has gone and how to be ready for His return.

IV.            The path (John 14:5-6).

a.      Thomas is like me, not very quick on the uptake.

          i.      Jesus had told them He was going to the Father, which means heaven where the Father is.

          ii.      Jesus had told them to make sure they continue to believe in Him, shown by their following His commands.

b.     Still, Thomas did not catch on quickly.

c.      Jesus then shows Him the path to Him in verse 6.

d.     The only way to get to the Father, heaven, where Jesus was going, is through Jesus.

e.     For those who do not believe in Jesus, there is no way to the Father.

f.      There are two ways one can not believe in Jesus.

         i.      The first is to not believe the man Jesus was God’s Son.

         ii.      The second is to believe in Jesus as God’s Son but not follow His commands.

g.      If your heart is troubled because of non-belief in Jesus as God’s Son, there is ample reason to believe so you can be comforted.

          i.      The New Testament lays this out for us.

          ii.      The lives of the apostles, their living for and dying for Jesus, lays this out for us.

          iii.      The change in the life of the apostle Paul lays this out for us.

          iv.      The effect the life of Jesus has had on the world lays this out for us.

          v.      The historical evidence of the fact of the existence of Jesus lays this out for us.

h.      If your heart is troubled because of not following Jesus like you should, there is reason to be comforted.

          i.      You can repent and make sure that you are following Jesus.

          ii.      He has made that possible and God wants that more than anything else.

However, for both groups, unless you follow Jesus as the path to the Father, you will experience extreme discomfort of body and soul when this life is over.

The Problem Of Gambling 12-7-25

I.            The definition.

a.      The word “gamble” means:  1. to play at any game of chance for money or other stakes. 2. to stake or risk money, or anything of value, on the outcome of something involving chance.  3. to lose or squander by betting (usually followed by away): 4. to wager or risk (money or something else of value): 5. to take a chance on; venture; risk: 6. any matter or thing involving risk or hazardous uncertainty. 7. a venture in a game of chance for stakes, especially for high stakes.

b.      “Gambling” is defined as: 1. the activity or practice of playing at a game of chance for money or other stakes. 2. the act or practice of risking the loss of something important by taking a chance or acting recklessly.

c.       In essence, gambling is attempting to get something for nothing.

           i.      However, to get that something for nothing, you have to risk the loss of what you have.

           ii.      When no goods are produced, no service is rendered but a risk is created, you are gambling.

d.      If you go to some event and are handed a ticket at the door, and your number is later called and you receive a prize, you aren’t gambling.

          i.      Someone has provided a gift to be given at random.

          ii.      More than likely, an advertiser has done this or the event producer has done it to get people to come to the event.

e.      But, this is not the same as buying a chance.

           i.      When you do that you are gambling.

           ii.      You are betting the amount you paid for the chance that your ticket will be drawn.

           iii.      It doesn’t matter if it is $1 or $100 or more, it is gambling.

           iv.      This based on the very definition of the words gamble or gambling.

f.        In reality, gambling is stealing by consent, but stealing none the less.

          i.      It is wrong to forcefully or otherwise take someone’s goods or money from them.

          ii.      In principle, there is no difference in doing it physically or by skill, talent, training or trick.

 II.            What is the deal with gambling?

a.      Many Americans, I’ve seen as high as 85%, believe that there is no harm for them or for those who want to gamble to be able to do so.

b.      Is there a problem with gambling that would cause Christians to not be involved with it?

c.       The whole motivation behind gambling is money.

           i.      Those who gamble are seeking someone else’s money.

           ii.      Those who own the casinos are seeking someone else’s money.

d.      People rationalize it in different ways.

           i.      Some say that it isn’t about the money, it’s about having fun.

           ii.      Or, it is about helping the economy or supporting the government.

           iii.      If such is the case, why don’t the casinos give the money back that their patrons lose?

           iv.      Wouldn’t it be easier to help the government by making a direct donation to it?

           v.      Wouldn’t it be easier and more cost efficient to help the economy by simply giving that money to a poor person?

           vi.      It is about the money.

e.      Since it is about the money, this makes it covetousness.

           i.      The word translated “covetousness” in the KJV means “a greedy desire to have more” according to Strong’s.

           ii.      When one goes to gamble, whether at a casino, bingo hall, friend’s house, online, or buying a chance, that person is doing it to get more.

           iii.      Romans 13:9 tells us not to covet.

           iv.      Notice Ephesians 5:3.

v.      Paul listed it as one of the sins of the Gentile world that caused God to give them up to their own devices (Romans 1:29).

           vi.      Notice the condemnation of this attitude in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 22:13).

           vii.      Someone might say, “Well, that is in the Old Testament.”

           viii.      Find me something that was immoral in the Old Testament that was made moral in the New Testament.

f.        The deal with gambling is that it is simply a form of coveting and we know that is simply idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

III.            The dilemmas gambling causes.

a.      Which age group is most affected by gambling?

            i.      The highest percentage of gamblers in Las Vegas are the over 65 crowd.

            ii.      The highest percentage of lottery ticket buyers is the group that is on welfare.

            iii.      The fastest growing age group of gamblers are this in the 18-24 year old range.

            iv.      The reason for this is the tremendous growth in online gambling sites and apps.

b.      In other words, the ones that can least afford to gamble are those that do it the most.

c.       Not only that, it is estimated that those who are addicted to gambling and those who are considered problem gamblers cost the American taxpayer over $14 billion a year in losses and costs.

            i.      This comes from several areas.

            ii.      Job loss, healthcare spending for physical and mental health problems from addiction to gambling, criminal justice system expenses, bankruptcy, social services and welfare benefits, and family harm such as divorce and domestic issues.

d.      Studies have shown that where gambling is, theft, divorce, bankruptcy, violent crime, and spousal and child abuse rates are much higher.

e.      You and I, and everyone else, are to take care of the poor and elderly, not take advantage of them.

f.        One can’t be a faithful steward of that with which God has blessed him if he squanders it away gambling (1 Corinthians 4:2).

g. Gambling breeds laziness and destroys the incentive to work (Ephesians 4:28).

(Not an original outline but source unknown)

A Great Hiding Place 11-30-25 AM

I.            The result of forgiveness (Ps. 32:1-2).

a.      The Psalmist starts out by revealing to us the result of being forgiven.

b.      The one who receives forgiveness of his sin is blessed.

          i.      The idea is the same as the of the beatitudes.

          ii.      This person is happy based on his relationship with God, not because of outward circumstances.

c.      Notice that the Psalmist describes sin in four ways.

          i.      Transgression is a going beyond of God’s laws.

          ii.      Sin is the missing of the mark of God’s laws.

          iii.      Iniquity is great immorality in one’s life.

          iv.      Guile is the deceit or hypocrisy.

d.     These four descriptions cover the gamut of sin as we know it.

          i.      Sometimes we go to far.

          ii.      Sometimes we don’t go far enough.

          iii.      Sometimes we get completely caught up in worldliness.

          iv.      Sometimes we try to hide our sins.

e.      When one experiences the forgiveness of whatever form of one may have committed there is a feeling of great peace.

           i.      Again, we don’t want to be hid from God and something bad, death, occurs.

           ii.      If we would stop and think about that fact, we would not hide in sin so often or for so long.

II.            The realization of what sin does to us (Ps. 32:3-4).

a.      David had committed some sin for which he did not seek forgiveness for a period of time.

          i.      Some say it was his sin with Bathsheba.

          ii.      Others say it was not but some other sin.

          iii.      The truth is we don’t know and it doesn’t really matter.

b.     While in that sin, having it on his conscience, he suffered greatly.

          i.      His strength was lessened.

1.      He felt physically weak.

2.      When there is something that is bothering us it does things to our bodies that harm it.

         ii.      He literally cried out because of the effects of sin on his mind and body.

         iii.      This affected him daily, not just occasionally.

c.      When a child of God sins, his conscience is pricked, or at least it should be.

         i.      When this happens, God is acting on the heart of the one in sin.

         ii.      It could be remembrance of some passage or some sermon or lesson that had been taught.

         iii.      In a sense, it is as if the hand of God was on us, weighing on us, forcing us to confront ourselves and come out of hiding.

         iv.      Tears are shed because of the realization of where we are with God and how we have separated ourselves from Him.

d.    The last phrase of verse 4 is interesting.

         i.      The word “moisture” literally refers to the juice or sap of a tree.

         ii.      He says that it he has become like a plant that the summer sun has dried out.

         iii.      He is emotionally and physically spent because of the sin that he is trying to hide from God.

e.     Sin affects us mentally and physically because it takes effort on the part of a Christian to not repent.

f.      It wears on us and brings us down.

III.            Repentance is made (Ps. 32:5-7).

a.     David was so moved physically and emotionally by the toll sin took on him that he had to make things right with God.

b.     He was seeking relief for his mind so he completely revealed his sin to God and did not hide it any longer.

          i.      His burden was to great for him to bear and he decided that it all had to be given to God.

          ii.      He couldn’t stand it any longer.

          iii.      He did not attempt to hide any of his sin, but laid it all out before God.

          iv.      This was a full confession of sin.

c.      When the sin was confessed, forgiveness was given.

d.      Notice verse 6.

           i.      For this probably is a reference to the relief found.

           ii.      Godly people will pray to obtain this relief while they can still have interaction with God.

           iii.      In other words, godly people will repent before it is too late.

           iv.      The reason is that they don’t want to be overcome by the waters of judgment.

           v.      David knew that judgment would wash him away from God if he stayed like he was and he didn’t want that.

e.      David would now hide in God and not sin.

           i.      He realized there was peace in this hiding place.

           ii.      He would be preserved and protected by God from the effects of sin.

f.        Only one hiding place provides protection from the eternal effects of sin and that is in God (Colossians 3:1-3).

IV.            The reaction to being in hid in God (Ps. 32:8-11).

a.      When we get our lives right and hid in God we will want to tell others about the peace we have found.

b.      He would instruct others in sin on how to get out of sin.

           i.      The way that people in this state should go is God’s way.

           ii.      The idea of the last phrase is that he would watch out for the one he was counseling and not let him get off track.

c.       He urges the one reading this to not be wild like a horse or stubborn like a mule.

           i.      Don’t stay in your in your sin because of wildness or stubbornness.

           ii.      Don’t be like the wild animals you can only come near with restraints.

d.      The reason for this is that sorrow abounds when one stays in sin as the Psalmist has found out and revealed to us.

e.      Instead of being trapped in sorrow, you can be surrounded by the mercy of God.

f.        Instead of sorrow, there is rejoicing and joy.

g.      This rejoicing and joy are only for those who are sincere, upright, in their confession of sin.

A Superficial Thanksgiving 11-16-25 AM

I.            The Pharisee was unaware of his greatest need (Lu. 18:11-12).

a.      Notice how he started his prayer.

           i.      I thank you that I am not like other men.

           ii.      He immediately started comparing himself with others.

           iii.      This man was not giving thanks to God for anything he had received.

           iv.      D.L. Moody wrote: “It was a very prayerless prayer. He said a prayer but he did not pray any.”

b.      This man focused strictly on human efforts.

           i.      I don’t do these things.

           ii.      I do these things.

c.       His prayer was very much “Look how great I am.”

d.      Basically, this man was saying “God, you should be honored that someone as good as me is praying to you.”

e.      There is nothing spiritual at all in this prayer.

f.        Man’s greatest need is salvation because we all struggle with sin.

           i.      Rom. 6:16-17.

           ii.      Before salvation we are all servants of sin because all have sinned (Rom. 3:23).

g.      Our thankfulness to God should center around the understanding of our greatest need and how God has provided for it.

h.      God owes us nothing no matter how good or moral we may be.

           i.      This Pharisee was a very moral person and that is wonderful.

           ii.      But was not nor will it ever be enough.

i.        This man made good choices in moral areas as we all should.

j.        Even with those choices we still need God’s grace active in our lives, which only comes through Christ (Eph. 4:4-6).

k.      As good or moral as this man was, he was unaware of spiritual state, which was his greatest need.

II.            The Pharisee was unconcerned about the publican (Lu. 18:11).

a.      Not only did this man point out that he was not like those that engaged in certain sins, he even pointed out a specific individual in his prayer.

b.      The difference between himself and the publican filled himself with pride instead of compassion.

          i.      If he felt this man was lost, he should have reached out to him to help him.

          ii.      Instead, he verbally pointed out that he was thankful he was not like the publican.

c.       We hopefully know that publicans were tax collectors.

          i.      They worked for Rome.

          ii.      Because of this, they were extremely looked down upon by their fellow Jews.

d.      The Pharisee is saying, “I am glad I am such a better person than this publican.”

e.      I can’t imagine approaching the throne of God with that kind of attitude but our Lord always used real world examples in his parables, so it must have happened at some point.

f.        When we are truly thankful, it leads to thankful living.

          i.      If we are thankful for salvation, we will tell others about Christ.

          ii.      If we are thankful for what God has given us, we will share what we have with others.

          iii.      If we are thankful for the kindness of God or others, we will be kind to others.

          iv.      If we are thankful for the prayers of others on our behalf, we will pray for others.

          v.      You can keep adding to this list if you want.

g.      The first Thanksgiving that we know of was in 1621.

          i.       We don’t know the date because we only have two written records of the event.

          ii.      It was designed to show their thankfulness for their first harvest after coming off of the Mayflower.

          iii.      There were 53 pilgrims present along with at least 90 of the Wampanoag tribe of American Indians.

          iv.      The year before there had been 102 pilgrims but disease and weather had killed nearly half of them.

          v.      These people were truly thankful for making it through the year and having enough food.

          vi.      These people were thankful and it came out in their celebration.

h.      If we are truly thankful, it will come out in our everyday lives.

III.            The Pharisee was unchanged when he went home (Lu. 18:14).

a.      When we are truly thankful, our lives are changed.

b.      This man went to a good place: the temple.

c.       This man went to a good place for a good reason: to pray.

d.      This man went home just as lost spiritually as when he came.

e.      If we are truly thankful to God for all our spiritual and physical blessings, we will be changed people.

           i.      It will come out in every aspect of our lives.

           ii.      It will come out in our study of God’s word.

           iii.      It will come out in our treatment of others.

           iv.      It will come out in the words we use.

           v.      Everything about us will be different.

f.        The truth is many people leave church buildings every Sunday completely unchanged because they aren’t truly thankful.

We can’t let this happen to us.

(From a sermon outline by Roger Campbell)

Jesus Is Superior To Aaron 11-9-25 PM

I.            His position (Hebrews 8:1-2, 4).

a.      The High Priest we have is set on the right hand of the throne of God.

b.      This shows that His position is much better than any earthly high priest.

c.       To be on the right hand of someone has always been a position of power.

           i.      We still refer to someone very important to our work as our right hand man.

           ii.      The right hand is where the sheep are going to be at the judgment.

           iii.      It is said that in the court cases that came before the Sanhedrin, there would be two scribes, one on either side of the judge.

           iv.      The scribe on the left hand would write the guilty sentences and the scribe on the right would write the acquittals.

d.      The high priests who descended from Aaron were on earth and could only go in before the presence of God once a year.

e.      Jesus, is in heaven in the presence of God.

f.        There are numerous passages that tell us that Jesus would be on the right hand of God.

                     i.      Psalm 110:1.

                     ii.      Jesus said He would sit there (Mark 14:62).

                     iii.      When Jesus ascended to heaven, He sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19).

           iv.     Peter preached that Jesus was there (Acts 5:30-31).

           v.      While at God’s right hand, Jesus is interceding for us (Romans 8:34).

           vi.      At the death of Stephen, Jesus was seen by Stephen standing at God’s right hand (Acts 7:55-56).

g.      Jesus is ministering to us in heaven.

           i.      The writer says that Jesus is a minister in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle made by the Lord not by man’s hand.

           ii.      This is heaven, since it made by the Lord it is of a spiritual nature.

           iii.      Jesus is over a spiritual kingdom so it is fitting that He is ruling from a spiritual tabernacle.

           iv.      We know such to be the case because of Hebrews 9:23-24.

h.      This tabernacle was pitched by the Lord.

          i.      The word “pitched” carries the idea of pounding tent pegs into the earth.

          ii.      Heaven has been created by the Son Himself just as He said He would go and do (John 14:1-3).

i.       Verse four contrasts “on earth” with “in the heavens” of verse 1.

          i.      This verse proves where Jesus is.

          ii.      Jesus couldn’t be a priest on earth because He was not of the right tribe to be a priest as was mentioned in Hebrews 7:14.

          iii.      There were already priests on earth who would offer gifts and they did so according to the Old Law.

j.       This is an important verse when dealing with Premillenialists.

          i.      The Bible plainly teaches that Jesus will be a High Priest in His kingdom (Zechariah 6:13).

          ii.      If Jesus is to reign on earth as the Premill’s teach, He is going to have to give up His priesthood or this verse is wrong.

          iii.      Truly though, Jesus is in heaven reigning now over His kingdom as both King and Priest.

k.      Jesus is superior to Aaron and His descendants because of His position in heaven at the right hand of God.

II.            His purpose (Hebrews 8:3).

a.      The purpose of the high priest was to offer gifts and sacrifices.

          i.      Gifts are those offerings brought to God out of a thankful heart.

1.      With these, there was no sin involved.

2.      They were given of the free will of the one who brought them.

            ii.      Sacrifices are those offerings brought because of sin in life of the one who brought them or those required by God for various reasons.

b.      This was his purpose all the time.

           i.      He was over the sacrificial system.

           ii.      He served the people as a mediator between God and the people.

c.       Our writer then tells us that it was a necessity for Jesus to offer something.

           i.      He has already told that Jesus offered Himself (Hebrews 7:27).

           ii.      This is the “somewhat” that Jesus offered.

d.      Something that is very important to note here is the tense of the phrases of the verse.

           i.      The tense of the phrase which talks about the high priest offering gifts and sacrifices is in a tense that indicates repeated offerings.

           ii.      The tense of the last phrase is that of a one time offering with no need to ever offer another.

           iii.      We know that Jesus is the perfect sacrifice that takes away sin so there is no need for further offerings.

e.      The purpose of Jesus was to offer only one offering, Himself, where Aaron and his descendants had to keep making offerings.

III.            He fulfills the pattern (Hebrews 8:5).

a.      The priests of the Old Testament were a type of Christ.

            i.      They were an example of what was to come.

            ii.      They were a shadow of Who was to come.

b.      All the things in the Old Testament were pointers to what was coming in Christ.

c.       Jesus fit perfectly the pattern that was shown by the priesthood of Aaron.

d.      Notice what Paul wrote to the Colossians (Colossians 2:16-17).

e.      Moses was told by God to build everything according to the pattern laid out in the mount because all those things pointed to what was coming in Christ.

f.        We need to camp out here as we finish this section of scripture.

            i.      Our God is a God of patterns.

            ii.      He wants things done a certain way and that way is the way He has laid out for us.

g.      Moses was not allowed to deviate at all from what He was given.

            i.      If Moses could not deviate when it came to something that was going to be replaced, what makes us think we can deviate from that which will never be replaced?

           ii.      Yet how many people talk bad about what they call “pattern theology”?

h.      There are patterns laid out in the New Testament and God intends for us to follow them exclusively with no deviations.

           i.      There are patterns for worship, organization of the church, entrance into the church, church discipline, and other things.

           ii.      We have no right to change any of them.

i.        Jesus is superior to Aaron because Jesus is the fulfillment of the pattern God laid out in the Old Testament.

Amazing Faith 11-9-25 AM

I.            The centurion’s faith was strong enough to cause him to have a submissive spirit.

a.      Notice verses 5 and 8.

           i.      “I beseech you.”

           ii.      “I am not worthy.”

b.      Roman legions consisted of 6,000 men which were divided into 60 groups of 100 men which were overseen by a centurion.

c.       This man who had amazing faith was a man of authority, yet easily and willingly humbled himself before a Jew.

           i.      He called Jesus “Lord” indicating someone in a superior position.

           ii.      Though accustomed to giving orders, he came with a humble request, not in a way that would intimidate or impress with greatness or rank.

           iii.      He said he was unworthy or insufficient for Jesus to come to his house.

d.      What we see is that his faith conquered self.

e.      Christians, in order to be pleasing to God, must be those who have conquered self.

f.        This is the example of Jesus (Philippians 2:5-8).

g.      We must be those who possess a lowliness of mind.

          i.      Psalm 138:6;

          ii.      Ephesians 4:2.

II.            The centurion’s faith was active enough to motivate him to compassionate service.

a.      His faith caused him to take on the role of a servant on behalf of one of his servants.

b.      Those who were slaves to Romans led a life of fear.

           i.      One of the Caesar’s hosted a show for Rome that included 600 slaves in the arena for the purpose of fighting wild beasts.

           ii.      Plutarch wrote that a man named Flaminius put a slave to death for a guest who had never seen a person die.

           iii.      Seneca wrote of a man name Pollio who fed his fishes by cutting slaves into pieces.

           iv.      Emperor Trajan forced 10,000 slaves and gladiators to fight for their lives in a blood bath that lasted 123 days.

c.       We said all that to say it was out of this environment that the centurion overcame any selfish indifference toward others.

d.      His faith moved him to act on behalf of someone else.

e.      Christians must be actively engaged in service for the Lord and others (Matthew 25:31-46).

f.        Eighteen times the phrase “by faith” is used in Hebrews 11.

           i.      The Hebrews writer was calling us to imitate the faith of Old Testament followers of God.

           ii.      The faith of those great men and women was active in service to God and others.

g.      This caused someone to pose the question “What on earth are you doing for heaven’s sake?

           i.      Are we launching out in faith?

           ii.      Or, are we wading around in the shallows looking for excuses why we can’t go deeper.

h.      Galatians 5:6.

i.        Faith must be active for it to be a living faith (James 2:17).

III.            The centurion’s faith was full enough to accept the absolute power of Jesus.

a.      This man believed, by faith, in the power of Jesus.

b.      Jesus had shown His power over death, disease, demons and material things during His time on earth.

           i.      The centurion believed in the power of Jesus over illness or disease (Matthew 8:8-9).

1.      He believed that whatever was causing his servant’s palsy would submit to the word of Jesus.

2.      He believed this as much as he believed his soldiers would obey his commands.

           ii.      He also believed in the Lord’s power over distance.

1.      He believed that Jesus did not have to be present for the miracle to take place.

2.      Distance could not stop this man’s faith or the power of Jesus.

c.       Christians must believe in the absolute power of God that acts today through His providence.

           i.      Someone once said, “Faith is not believing God can but believing that God will.”

           ii.      We are to walk by faith and not sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

           iii.      And, we are to do so with a spirit of love, power and discipline and not fear (2 Timothy 1:7).

d.      We must carry before us the cry of “With God all things are possible!”

          i.      Paul told us that the weakness of God is stronger than man..

          ii.      This is the Christian’s assurance.

e.      We must believe that God will do what He has said He will do.

IV.            The centurion’s faith was sufficient to warrant divine praise.

a.      Notice Matthew 8:10, 13.

           i.      Jesus said He had not seen such a great faith in all Israel.

           ii.      Jesus approved of the man’s faith by granting the man’s request in a way that kept with the man’s degree of faith.

b.      We must strive for a faith that God could commend to others.

c.       God often gave descriptions of people based on their life style:

          i.      Nabal was “churlish and evil” (1 Samuel 25:3).

          ii.      The priests of Isaiah’s day were “greedy dogs” (56:11).

          iii.      Judas Iscariot was a traitor (Luke 6:16).

          iv.      The Shunamite was a great woman (2 Kings 4:8).

          v.      David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).

          vi.      Abraham is the “father of all them that believe (Romans 4:11).

          vii.      Barnabas was the “son of exhortation” (Acts 4:36).

d.      How would God describe you based on faith possessed and shown?

e.      Would it be “O ye of little, vain, shipwrecked faith?”

f. Or, would it be, “I know of thy great, string, unfeigned faith?”

Defending Your Faith With Grace And Truth 11-2-25 AM

I.            Defending our faith.

a.      We live in a time where all things are questioned.

b.      This is not necessarily a bad thing but it is a thing.

c.       Whatever is worth believing should be able to be tested and shown to be real.

d.      Peter told his readers to be ready to give an answer.

           i.      The word for answer is the Greek word apologia.

           ii.      It means to give a defense.

           iii.      It is from where we get the term apologetics.

           iv.      It indicates an ability to defend what you believe.

e.      We have a doctrinal obligation to be able to defend what we believe.

           i.      This verse speaks to the individual Christian.

           ii.      It is not just for preachers, elders, deacons, or Bible class teachers.

           iii.      It is for each one of us.

f.        Did you notice how it begins?

           i.      Sanctifying God in our hearts.

           ii.      This is the part of making it our own faith.

           iii.      Until we set apart God from all else in our minds, we won’t be able to properly defend our belief in God and His word.

g.      We read of Stephen and Paul as New Testament examples of those who gave a defense of their beliefs.

           i.      They had an advantage over us.

           ii.      They were both inspired by the Holy Spirit.

h.      We are told to set apart God in our hearts and then we can be ready to tell others why we believe what we believe.

i.        You can’t defend something you don’t know or are not sure of yourself.

j.        We have to make it our own so we can defend it.

k.      Sports fans can defend their favorite teams or players.

           i.      I have read people spit out fact after fact about Jordan or Lebron being the best player ever.

           ii.      I have read people spit out fact after fact about which college team had the better offense, 2019 LSU or 2020 Bama.

l.        This can be said about many things in the secular world.

m.    Can we defend our faith?

n.      Peter was inspired to write that we have to be ready to do so.

o.      We don’t know when the moment will come, but we have to be ready for that moment when we are asked “Why do you believe…”

           i.      It’s going to come.

           ii.      It may come at school, it may come at work, it may come on a date, but it is going to come.

           iii.      It may come in your home from your child or grandchild.

p.      We are called to be able to defend our faith.

II.            Defending our faith with grace.

a.      The way we defend our faith is as important as the words we use to defend it.

b.      When we think of grace as Christians, we should think unmerited favor.

c.       However, this word means more than that in today’s language.

           i.      It is defined as “elegance, or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action; a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.

           ii.      Synonyms for it are decency, decorum, dignity, poise, pleasantness, attractiveness.

d.      When it comes to defending our faith, we need to make sure there is an element of beauty of manner.

           i.      It needs to be done in with a pleasing or attractive quality.

           ii.      We need to defend our faith with decency and poise.

e.      Again, the manner in which we defend our faith is extremely important (Col. 4:6).

f.        Peter tells us to be ready to give an answer, or defense, with meekness.

           i.      The meekness is how we handle ourselves with the person or persons to whom we are making our defense.

           ii.      Meekness is the attitude of strength being under control.

g.      We have to be aware of the person with whom we are speaking.

           i.      It may be a person who does not know much about God’s word and is sincere in asking.

           ii.      It may be a person who is very harsh and trying to start a fight.

           iii.      It may be a person who is very steeped in denominational doctrine or atheism.

h.      We are to be gentle as teachers (2 Tim. 2:24).

           i.      We aren’t to be overbearing and hurtful.

           ii.      We are to be bold with God’s word but mindful of the feelings of the person.

           iii.      We are not in it to win arguments.

i.        If we use hostile words or actions in our efforts, it doesn’t matter how right we are, we will lose that person.

j.        When you look at accounts of brethren teaching others in the Bible, there is always a sense of the value of the person’s soul.

          i.      Philip was very careful with the Ethiopian.

          ii.      Paul was careful with the Philippian jailor.

          iii.      Aquila and Priscilla were careful with Apollos.

k.      No one was beaten over the head with God’s word, but God’s word was plainly, but lovingly, taught in each case.

l.        There is so much that is attractive about the gospel.

m.    We need to make sure we just present it and not tarnish it by our presentation.

III.            Defending our faith with truth.

a.      While defending our faith with the right attitude is important, we must use the right material in doing so.

b.      The right material is God’s word and those things that back up God’s word.

c.       Jesus said… (Jn. 17:17).

           i.      We must be proficient with God’s word.

           ii.      It is what creates faith (Rom. 10:17).

d.      The truth is what frees mankind from the burden of sin and doubt (Jn. 8:32).

e.      We have to make sure that we know what God’s word says on whatever subject it is we are discussing with others.

            i.      We can’t say, “Well, I think…”

            ii.      What we think does not matter.

            iii.     If we are discussing some doctrinal subject with someone, we must have scriptural defenses for what we believe.

            iv.     If we are discussing the existence of God, we need to know the scriptures but also have some knowledge of scientific things that are true.

f.        We must be able to handle God’s word correctly (2 Tim. 2:15).

           i.       God’s word is a sword (Eph. 6:17).

           ii.      In fact, it is said to be sharper than any sword (Heb. 4:12).

           iii.      Swords are dangerous, especially in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to use one.

           iv.      God’s word is dangerous in the hands of someone who doesn’t know it.

v. This is why there is so much false doctrine in the world.

Jesus, The Superior High Priest 10-26-25 PM

I.            Jesus is superior by virtue of His placement (Hebrews 7:20-21).

a.      The high priest under the Old Law was placed into his position because of his being a descendant of Aaron.

           i.      This is the way God devised it and set it into motion.

           ii.      Exodus 28 deals with this and chapter 40 deals with his installation as high priest.

b.      It all depended on the flesh as to who was to be the high priest, and in the days this letter was written it was a political appointment.

c.       This changed with Jesus being made our Great High Priest.

          i.      We noticed that Jesus came from a completely different tribe than Aaron.

          ii.      Jesus being from the tribe of Judah not Levi.

d.      Jesus was placed as our Great High Priest by an oath.

          i.      It was not an oath given by Himself.

          ii.      It was not an oath given by a man.

e.      This oath came from God and the writer pointed to Psalm 110:4 as the oath.

f.        One thing that is interesting to note is that the phrase “after the order of Melchizedec” is not found in the ASV or the ESV.

           i.      These version simply say, “Thou art a priest forever”.

           ii.      Jesus is the High Priest of the New Covenant.

g.      This was given by an oath from God - God the Father placed Jesus into the position of High Priest.

II.            Jesus is superior by virtue of His permanence (Hebrews 7:22-25).

a.      One of the problems of the Aaronic priesthood was the fact that they died.

          i.      There were numerous high priests under the Old Covenant.

          ii.      Each of them, starting with Aaron, lasted until they died.

          iii.      They each had to be replaced.

b.      It is not so with Jesus.

          i.      The idea is found in Psalm 110:4.

          ii.      The phrase “The Lord sware and will not repent” informs us of this fact.

          iii.      The phrase “will not repent” means God will never change His mind.

          iv.      Jesus is always going to be the High Priest.

          v.      This prophecy of God by the Psalmist is irrevocable.

          vi.      God was never going to change His mind and when it happened it was going to be forever.

c.       The oath that placed Jesus as High Priest allowed Jesus to be the guarantee of a superior testament.

          i.      The word “surety” is found only here in the New Testament.

          ii.      It literally means “bondsman” carrying the idea of bail.

          iii.      Barnes said it means “ It properly means, a bondsman; one who pledges his name, property, or influence, that a certain thing shall be done. When a contract is made, debt contracted, or a note given, a friend often becomes the “security” in the case, and is himself responsible if the terms of the contract are not complied with. In the case of the new covenant between God and man, Jesus is the “security” or the bondsman.”

          iv.      His life, death, and resurrection allow Him to be this guarantee.

          v.      We can believe the new testament will save us if it is obeyed because of the fact that Jesus is our permanent High Priest.

d.      The old high priest had to continually change because of death.

          i.      Even our favorite brands that we know to be better than other items die on us.

          ii.      Our Nike’s wear out, our Cadillacs break down, and we know this.

e.      Such will not be the case with Jesus.

           i.      He has an unchangeable priesthood because of His permanence.

           ii.      He is going nowhere and He will not die or wear out.

f.        In fact, because of His permanence He is able to completely save us.

            i.      There is no rolling forward of sin looking for something better to eventually come from God.

            ii.      In Christ, salvation is complete.

1.      We are entirely washed from our sins.

2.      They are not brought up against us ever again because they are washed away.

g.       The reason is He is always available to intercede for us with God.

          i.      Because of His permanence, Jesus is always there, in the presence of God, able to intercede for us.

          ii.      Jesus is always pleading our case, which is the meaning of intercession.

h.      Think of the great blessing this knowledge is.

          i.      There is always One who deeply loves us in the presence of God.

          ii.      In His presence, this One who loves us so much is always ready to plead our case to the Father.

          iii.      In our darkest hour or strongest storm, we can rest well knowing we have this great promise of a permanent presence before the Father acting on our behalf.

III.            Jesus is superior by virtue of His perfection (Hebrews 7:26-28).

a.      Another problem with the Levitical high priest is that he was a sinner like me and you.

           i.      Read about Aaron and it doesn’t take long to know he was a sinner.

           ii.      In fact, it was while Moses was getting the orders from God to install him as high priest that Aaron created the golden calves.

b.      Notice what verse 27 tells us.

           i.      The high priest had to offer up sacrifices for himself.

           ii.      Sacrifices had to be offered because of sin.

           iii.      Before he could ever offer sacrifices for any of the people, he had to offer them for himself.

c.       This is not a problem the Jesus has.

d.      Look at how the writer spoke of our Great High Priest, and was inspired to do so.

           i.      Jesus is holy - there is no pollution of the world in Him.

1.      He is our perfectly sinless High Priest.

2.      It is His blood that allows us to be holy.

           ii.      Jesus is harmless - there is no malice in Christ.

1.      The ASV says that Jesus is guileless.

2.      The ESV says that Jesus is innocent.

3.      Jesus wants harm to come to no one, He carries no grudges.

           iii.      Jesus is undefiled - there is no stain on Him.

           iv.      Jesus is separate from sinners - He is without sin.

1.      Before the Day of Atonement, the Levitical high priest would dwell apart from the people to avoid contamination.

2.      Being in heaven, Jesus cannot be defiled in any way.

           v.      Jesus is higher than the heavens.

1.      By being in the presence of God, Jesus can plead our cases before the Father.

2.      He does not dwell with us where He His judgment can be bought or where He can be influenced.

e.      Instead of being one who constantly needs sacrifices for Himself, Jesus offered His perfect self for our sins

           i.      His perfection allowed for the end of all sacrifices of a physical nature.

           ii.      It was a once for all offering for mankind.

f.        Under the Old Law, the priests were not perfect, nor could they be because of the Law under which they served as well as their mortality.

g.      But God, with His oath, made our Lord a High Priest that is perfect always and always will be.

Building A Lasting Faith 10-26-25 AM

I.            How?

a.      Examine the evidence for yourself.

            i.      We are told that, when it comes to the existence of God, that God did not leave Himself without witness (Ac. 14:17).

           ii.      Witness means testimony and it carries the idea of evidence.

           iii.      There is a multitude of evidence for God.

           iv.      Once you believe in God, you next have to move to believe in God’s word, for which there is also a great deal of evidence (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

           v.      This word will produce faith when taken in (Rom. 10:17).

           vi.      Notice what made the Bereans of more noble character than the Thessalonians (Ac. 17:11).

           vii.      They examined the evidence for themselves about what Paul was teaching.

           viii.      Luke 1:1-4 – Theophilus could know with certainty.

           ix.      We talk bad about Thomas, calling him doubting Thomas, but the other apostles didn’t believe until they saw Jesus themselves.

           x.      We all know about Jesus appearing to Him, but notice John 20:29.

           xi.      There are many great tools to help us do this:

1.      The Bible itself must be taken in and studied.

2.      Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell.

3.      The Book God Breathed by Keith A. Mosher.

4.      Out With Doubt by Kyle Butt.

5.      Apologeticspress.com.

6.      Christiancourier.com.

7.      Just to name a few.

b.      Become a student of God’s word.

           i.      2 Tim. 2:15.

           ii.      Psa. 1:2.

           iii.      1 Pe. 2:2.

           iv.      2 Pe. 3:18.

c.       Pray often.

           i.      1 Th. 5:17.

           ii.      Jam. 4:8.

d.      Worship God faithfully.

           i.      Acts 2:41-42 – the first Christians continued steadfastly.

           ii.      Heb. 10:24-25.

           iii.      1 Cor. 14:26 – all things are to be done for edifying.

e.      These steps are proven ways to build a faith that will last.

II.            Why?

a.      Why is it important to build a lasting faith?

b.      We can’t be pleasing to God without it (Heb. 11:6).

c.       We can’t be saved without belief (John 8:24).

d.      We lack ability to overcome temptation without it (1 Pe. 5:8-9; Eph. 6:16).

e.      We won’t be able to endure persecution (Matt. 13:20-21; 1 Pe. 1:6-7).

f.        We will be spiritually weak and prone to temptation and apostasy (Eph. 4:13-15; Heb. 5:12-14; 2 Pe. 3:16-17).

g.      We must all have our own convictions (Ga. 2:20; 2 Tim. 2:12)

h.      So we can spend eternity in heaven (1 Pe. 1:9; Rev. 2:10).

III.            When?

a. Today – 2 Cor. 6:2.

(From a sermon by a preacher from Texas whose name I do not know)

A Day Of Good Tidings 10-19-25 AM

I.            The lepers delight (vs. 8).

a.      These men had decided that they were going to die one way or the other, so they might as well try to get some food..

          i.      They were dying men in the first place but they didn’t want to die of starvation.

          ii.      To die by a Syrian sword was better than starvation.

b.      Once they found out no one was there, they went into the first tent to which they came.

c.       They had a ball.

d.      They got food.

          i.      Just a little earlier, they had no hope of food and now more than they could eat.

          ii.      Jesus is the Bread and Water of life and we have access to all the spiritual nourishment we need as Christians.

e.      They got riches.

          i.      The life of a leper was one of abject poverty.

          ii.      They had to depend on help left for them by family members or aid given by others to have anything.

          iii.      Not only that, the siege of Samaria had left nothing for them.

1.      Family inside the city would keep for themselves what little they had.

2.      Why waste what they had on someone who had a terminal disease?

          iv.      Now they had all they wanted and then some.

          v.      Christians have wonderful spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3).

1.      God hears our prayers.

2.      God grants us forgiveness.

3.      God redeems us through the blood of His Son.

f.        They got clothing.

           i.      They came into the camp dressed in the rags of lepers.

           ii.      Now they had their choice of clothing left behind by the Syrian army.

           iii.      As Christians, we get washed and become new (Acts 22:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

1.      We get washed in the blood of Christ (Revelation 1:5).

2.      We get new clothing (Isaiah 61:10).

g.      These men now had everything they would ever need.

II.            The lepers dilemma (vs. 9).

a.      Can you imagine the fantastic feeling these men had?

b.      At first, caught up in the euphoria of the moment, they thought of no one but themselves.

          i.      This would be understandable in their case.

          ii.      It was rare that anyone thought of a leper.

c.       After the initial rush went away, they realized they weren’t right.

          i.      They realized they were hoarding up their blessings and not allowing anyone else to benefit from them.

          ii.      They had more than they could ever use.

          iii.      Those of us who are Christians don’t do well when we fail to tell others about the blessings that God has bestowed upon us.

         iv.      We are to tell others the good tidings (Matthew 28:19-20).

d.      They came to understand that what they had was not just for themselves, but for all of Samaria as well.

          i.      We need Christians who realize that what we have is not just for us.

          ii.      There are so many who need what we have.

e.      It was possible for them to keep silent.

          i.      The Syrian departure would surely be realized soon.

          ii.      They probably would have been put to death if found because they had not told the city.

f.        What about when we keep silent?

          i.      We fail to keep the Great Commission.

          ii.      We fail our mission as God’s people to praise God as we should (1 Peter 2:9-10).

          iii.      We will answer to God for keeping silent.

g.      We keep silent at times for various reasons.

          i.      Sometimes there is a famine going on in our own lives.

1.      We fail to study as we should.

2.      We don’t grow as we should (2 Peter 1:8-9).

         ii.      Sometimes there is fear or discouragement.

1.      We fear how people react or get discouraged because some have reacted poorly in the past.

2.      In the list of those who will be in hell, the fearful are the first ones liste (Revelation 21:8).

3.      Just because people don’t react well does not mean we have the right to quit doing our work.

          iii.      Sometimes we think it is too difficult.

1.      If we believe that Jesus died for us, was buried and was resurrected, we can tell others.

2.      If we do two things we can evangelize:        

a.      Follow 1 Peter 3:15 - Give the Lord a special place in our hearts and prepare to give an answer for what we believe.

b.      Pray:

                                 i.      For opportunity (1 Corinthians 3:5);

                                ii.      For wisdom (James 1:5);

                                iii.      For boldness.

III.            The lepers decision (vs. 10-11).

a.      These men decided that they could not keep this to themselves any longer.

          i.      They went back and told the porters at the gate.

          ii.      This message was then relayed to the king.

b.      After debating on whether it was true or not, the king sent men to find out, and they found it was true.

          i.      The city came out and got what they needed.

          ii.      They even found goods strewn down the road on which the Syrians had fled.

c.       The decision by the lepers took courage.

          i.      It took courage for a leper to approach someone.

          ii.      They stood the chance for death or rejection.

          iii.      It takes courage to tell people about the Lord and His plan to save them.

          iv.      Despite the reaction of those to whom we speak, we must still take the message out to the lost.

d.      The decision took love.

          i.      More than likely, there were those in the city who had mistreated these men simply because they were lepers.

          ii.      It was common in that day for the family of one stricken by leprosy to go ahead and have a funeral service for them and never reach out to them again.

          iii.      We must show the world we love them by taking the gospel to them.

          iv.      It doesn’t matter how we have been treated or will be treated, we must love those who are in the world.

e.      Their decision resulted in conversions.

          i.      The city was saved.

          ii.      We probably are never going to convert an entire city.

          iii.      However, there will be those few with whom we speak that will accept and heed the message.

          iv.      You don’t know how things will turn out when you speak to someone about Jesus.

A Prophesied Change Has Come 10-12-25 PM

I.            The change (Hebrews 7:11-12).

a.      Our writer begins the section by pointing out the fact that a change has been made in the priesthood.

b.      He does so by stating a fact that they should have understood: there was no way to reach spiritual maturity or completion under the Levitical system.

c.       In fact, the change was twofold:

           i.      There was a change in the priesthood;

           ii.      There was a change in law.

d.      The Psalmist, one beloved by the Jews, had prophesied of the fact that the Messiah would be a High Priest in the likeness of Melchizedec, not Aaron (Psalm 110:4).

           i.      There would be no need for a change if the human high priests through Aaron could lead a person to spiritual completion.

           ii.      One could not get to God completely through them, which is what perfection is, access to God (Hebrews 7:19).

e.      All that the offerings of the Old Testament did was to roll sin forward to Jesus and His redeeming blood.

f.        The only way to change the priesthood, though was by changing the law (vs. 12).

           i.      Notice that the writer said is of necessity.

           ii.      The word necessity carries the idea of compelling force.

           iii.      It was imperative that there be a change in the law.

g.      Our writer does not discuss the change in the law here, but introduces and will come back to explain it more fully later on.

h.      This change in the priesthood was prophesied by the Psalmist and that of the law by Jeremiah.

i.        God had promised there would be a change and our writer, by inspiration, points out these changes.

II.            The evidence of a change (Hebrews 7:13-17).

a.      The writer does not want his readers to simply take his word that there has been a change: he provides evidence of such.

b.      He gives evidence of the necessity of a change because the One of whom these things were prophesied belonged to another tribe, not the tribe of Levi.

            i.      The One of whom these things were spoken was the Messiah.

            ii.      We know that Jesus was not of the tribe of Levi and no man had ever served at the altar who was from His tribe, that of Judah.

c.       History records the fact that Jesus was of the tribe of Judah, and had to be in order to be the Messiah.

           i.      He was to be a descendant of David (2 Samuel 7:13).

           ii.      David was from Judah, and the genealogies of Matthew and Luke show that Jesus descended from him, not anyone from the tribe of Levi.

           iii.      Moses never mentioned that anyone from Judah could serve as a priest under the Mosaic Covenant.

d.      Incidentally, but extremely important, this lays out a great example of the power, or authority, of the silence of the scriptures.

          i.      Moses never was inspired to write down who could not be a priest under the Old Law.

          ii.      He was only inspired to write down who was a priest and it was understood that all others were left out of the priesthood.

          iii.      Only those of Levi could serve in the temple, and more specifically, only those Levites descending from Aaron could be the high priest.

          iv.      When God says what He wants done or used in the fulfilling of His will, He does not have to tell us all that He does not want done or used in the fulfilling of His will (elaborate).

          v.      This verse, Hebrews 7:14, is a tremendous and powerful illustration of that fact.

e.      Our writer then points out more powerful evidence of the change.

f.        A new High Priest has come into existence in the likeness of Melchizedec.

           i.      This High Priest, the One about Whom our writer has mentioned several times as we noted in the introduction, did not come to office because of the flesh or a fleshly commandment.

1.      He did not descend from Aaron.

2.      He is not like them in that they all died and another replaced them.

3.      There was a system in place to change the high priest when death occurred.

          ii.      He came to this office because of the resurrection and the fact that His life will never end and the power that is shown by that fact.

1.      Jesus will never die, thus His Priesthood will never change.

2.      There will never be one to take His place.

g.      The writer was then inspired to remind them of the prophecy of the Psalmist found in 110:4.

           i.      The “he” mentioned at the beginning of the verse is God.

           ii.      God, through the Psalmist, testified and still does, that Jesus is forever a High Priest in the likeness of Melchizedec.

III.            The purpose of the change (Hebrews 7:18-19).

a.      It may be that there might be some who would have read these words and wondered why a change had to be made.

b.      Our writer does not deal with why the priesthood had to be changed specifically, but does so by pointing out why the Law had to be changed.

            i.      The law had to be cancelled, the meaning of disannulling, because it was weak and unprofitable.

            ii.      Weak means without strength.

            iii.      Unprofitable means useless.

            iv.      It was such because it could not save mankind, it only reminded men of their sins, never completely removing them, only rolling them forward till the blood of Christ was shed.

c.       It was described in this way because it made nothing spiritually whole or complete, only the bringing in of a better hope could do that.

           i.      He has previously tied hope to Christ (Hebrews 6:19).

           ii.      It is superior to what the Aaronic priesthood offered because it brings us to completion.

d.      Completion is described as drawing nigh to God.

           i.      Through Christ, you and I have access to God.

           ii.      He’s already told us that we can get to the throne of God (Hebrews 4:16).

e.      This is the whole purpose of Christianity, to give us closeness and access to God and this is what God wants.

          i.      He provided it in the Garden.

          ii.      When man sinned, the ability to draw close to our Holy God was hindered.

          iii.      God provided a way through Christ for man to once again have access and closeness to Him.

f. If we want it, we can have it.

Watch Your Tongue 10-12-25 AM

I.            The pollution of the tongue.

a.      When we use words that are sinful in some way, we create a polluted tongue.

b.      Cursing is a pollution of the tongue.

           i.      In our text, James says we cannot bless and curse with the same mouth.

           ii.      Col. 3:8.

           iii.      Eph. 5:4 – this would include dirty jokes as well.

           iv.      Remember how Peter acted when he denied Jesus (Matt. 26:73-74)

c.       Gossip is a pollution of the tongue.

           i.      God has always been against this (Lev. 19:16).

           ii.      Pr. 11:13.

           iii.      In the list of sins that condemned the Gentile world, Paul was inspired to use a term translated whisperers (Rom. 1:29).

d.      Judging is a pollution of the tongue.

          i.      Matt. 7:1.

          ii.      John 7:24.

          iii.      Jam. 4:11-12.

e.      Lying is a pollution of the tongue.

           i.      Pr. 12:22.

           ii.      We mentioned in the introduction how it is one of the seven things God hates (Pr. 6:17).

           iii.      Rev. 21:8.

f.        Boasting is a pollution of the tongue.

           i.      2 Tim. 3:2.

           ii.      Gal. 5:26.

           iii.      Pr. 27:1.

           iv.      Jam. 4:15-16.

           v.      Ps. 10:3.

g.      You may think of some other uses of the tongue that are sinful but these cover most and others can fit in with them.

II.            The pain of the tongue.

a.      When we sin with our tongue there is great pain caused.

b.      The old adage is Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.

           i.      We know this is not true.

           ii.      Words are very harmful.

c.       Cursing harms us in several ways.

           i.      It limits access to God (Jam. 3:9-10).

           ii.      Do we think we can call on God for help when we’ve used His name in vain?

           iii.      It makes us sound just like the world.

           iv.      It will turn off someone who is offended by it and hurt our influence with them.

d.      Gossip harms in many ways.

          i.      No other action has destroyed more friendships than this one (Pr. 16:28).

          ii.      Someone has correctly labeled a gossip as a reputation assassin.

          iii.      It causes division and strife.

          iv.      Remember that God hates those that sow discord among brethren.

          v.      It undermines unity.

          vi.      It destroys trust.

e.      Judging harms in many ways.

           i.      It is an attitude that turns people away from us.

           ii.      It causes us to be quick to see faults in others but overlook their good qualities.

           iii.      It often is to make us feel better in sins.

           iv.      It keeps us from having a relationship with God.

f.        Lying harms us in many ways.

           i.      It separates us from God.

           ii.      It creates more lies.

           iii.      It harms our influence.

           iv.      It will keep us out of heaven (Rev. 21:27).

g.      Boasting harms us in many ways.

           i.      It causes us to put others down because we are elevating ourselves.

           ii.      It causes division.

           iii.      It causes envy (Gal. 5:26).

           iv.      It keeps us from having proper humility (Jam. 4:10).

III.            The prescription for the tongue.

a.      As a doctor can examine the tongue, determine illness, then prescribe a treatment, God has shown us the prescription for overcoming sins of the tongue.

b.      Pray for forgiveness is the first step.

           i.      We have to confess sins of the tongue to God like any other sins.

           ii.      We have to realize we need forgiveness then seek it.

c.       Pray for strength to overcome those sins.

           i.      Remember that Jesus taught us to pray with asking God to not lead us into temptation.

           ii.      We have to have a great desire to no longer use our tongues for evil.

d.      Be intentional with our words.

           i.      Jam. 1:19.

           ii.      Someone has well said, “Taste your words before you spit them out.”

           iii.      Ps. 19:14.

e.      Specifically to cursing, we need to make sure we are taking in that which is pure and holy (Php. 4:8).

           i.      What type of music are we listening to?

           ii.      What type of shows are we watching?

           iii.      What type of words are our friends using?

f.        When it comes to gossip, we need to ask some questions?

           i.      Is it true?

           ii.      Is it kind?

           iii.      Is it needful?

g.      We have to seek to be humble and kind to others with our words, just like we would want people to be towards us with their words.

The Old, New, Or Both? 10-5-25 AM

I.            The purpose of the Old Testament.

a.      The Old Testament, or Law of Moses as it is called in Nehemiah 8:1, was to govern the lives of the Jews (Exodus 34:27).

b.      It was to govern them morally, doctrinally, but also nationally.

           i.      We have the Constitution to govern the U.S.

           ii.      They had the Law of Moses to govern them as a nation, because Israel was a theocracy, a nation governed by God.

c.       This law was only for the Jews (Deuteronomy 5:2 – made a covenant with us).

d.      Paul tells us one of the purposes of the Law was to make sin known to the Jews (Romans 7:7).

           i.      The Law made Jews aware of their sin.

           ii.      Paul said he wouldn’t have known it was a sin to lust unless the Law was present to tell him.

           iii.      Notice Romans 3:20.

           iv.      If there had been no law, there would have been no sin (Romans 5:13).

e.      Also, the Law served to bring people to Christ (Galatians 3:24).

           i.      By pointing out sin, it showed the need for a Savior.

           ii.      The Law was not to serve the purpose of saving man.

           iii.      It was impossible for the sacrifices of the Law to do that (Hebrews 10:4).

f.        These verses show us that the Old Testament served two very important purposes: to make man aware of sin and to bring man to Christ.

II.            The period of the Old Testament.

a.      The day that Moses came off the mount from receiving the Law, his face shone (Exodus 34:29ff).

           i.      This scared the people of Israel.

           ii.      So, every time he spoke to them, til his face appeared normal again, wore a vail over his face.

b.      But notice what Paul, by inspiration had to say about this event (2 Corinthians 3:7-13).

           i.      Three times in these verses reference is made to the Law of Moses being done away with at some point.

           ii.      The idea is that the Law of Moses was only for a certain period of time.

c.       Galatians 3:19 tells us the ending point of the Law of Moses.

           i.      It was to last til the seed came.

           ii.      Verse 16 tells us Who the seed was that was to come - Jesus.

d.      The Old Law was never intended to be permanent.

e.      Instead, it was to bring man to Christ and His ability to save (Galatians 3:24-29).

III.            The promise of a New Testament

a.      The thing that many miss is that the Law of Moses, the Old Testament, was never meant to be permanent.

b.      Jeremiah 31:31ff.

           i.      Long ago, God told the Jews that there would be a new covenant, or testament, between Him and His people.

           ii.      It would be different in that, under the new covenant, there would be no more remembrance of sin.

           iii.      All the Old Testament sacrifices did was remind God’s people of their sin (Hebrews 10:1-3).

c.       We know this promise was fulfilled because of what we read in Hebrews 8:6ff.

d.      Jesus talked about His relationship with the Old Law (Matthew 5:17).

           i.      Jesus said He was not simply destroying the Law.

           ii.      Instead, He fulfilling it or completing it.

           iii.      The reason He could say this is that the Law was in place to bring men to Him, He was the fulfillment of the Law.

e.      God never intended for the Old Testament to remain in place and had let the Jews know that such was the case.

IV.            The performance of the change.

a.      The Old Testament was put in place to make men aware of their sin and to bring them to Christ.

b.      It was only intended to last until Christ came and the Jews had been promised that there was going to be a change.

c.       The question comes then, when was the change performed?

d.      The New Testament makes this very clear:

           i.      Colossians 2:14.

           ii.      Ephesians 2:15.

           iii.      This was done when Jesus was crucified on the cross.

e.      Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and said that His blood was the blood of the New Testament and was shed for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28).

f.        The change took place at His death (Hebrews 9:16-17).

g.      The fact is that Jesus took away the first, the Old, and replaced it with the second, the New (Hebrews 10:9).

h.      The fact is, you and I have been delivered from the Old Law when we came to Christ (Romans 7:1-6).

i.        The book of Hebrews points out that there had to have been a change in covenants because we have a new:

           i.      Priesthood - from Aaron to Jesus (Hebrews 5:1-10; 7:11-14).

           ii.      Sacrifice – from continual sacrifices to the sacrifice of Jesus (Hebrews 10:1, 10-12).

j.        It is important to understand there was a change because it shows we can’t find authority in the Old Testament.

           i.      There is a New Testament example of this.

           ii.      The apostles showed that Old Testament authority is not valid in the way they dealt with circumcision.

           iii.     There were Jewish converts who were teaching that Gentile converts needed to be circumcised.

iv. The apostles put an end to this idea when they stated that they had given no such commandment (Acts 15:22-29).

First Things First 8-28-25 AM

I.            We do it earnestly.

a.      The word earnestly means: with deep and sincere feeling.

           i.      It carries the idea of whatever is being done this way carries great importance.

           ii.      It is nothing half-hearted or with any attitude of neglect.

b.      When you are truly seeking something, it is important to you.

c.       This is similar to what is stated later by Jesus in this same sermon (Matt. 7:7-8).

d.      The word seek gives us a picture of a person in a quest for something:

           i.      A shepherd seeking his lost sheep.

           ii.      A woman tearing apart the house to find her lost coin.

           iii.      A businessman selling all he has to purchase a pearl of great price.

e.      When one truly seeks something in this manner, there is no luck involved.

           i.      You don’t luck up and find the kingdom of God.

           ii.      This kingdom is only found with effort and diligence.

f.        We hear people talk as if it is all up to God.

           i.      If God wants me He will get me.

           ii.      If God wants me to have this He will give it to me.

           iii.      If God…

g.      We have to be seeking the kingdom to find it and to be a part of it.

h.      It takes earnest effort to be find the kingdom, become a part of it, and to remain in it.

II.            We do it continually.

a.      The tense of the word “seek” is that of continual action.

           i.      It is not a one time seeking and then you are done.

           ii.      It indicates a lifetime of seeking God’s kingdom first.

b.      Remember, this is relational with God.

           i.      Do you want a good or bad relationship with God?

           ii.      The goodness or badness of the relationship depends on our effort in seeking the kingdom first.

c.       You and I are to grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Pe. 3:18).

d.      Growth is continual and it is involved in seeking the kingdom first.

e.      There is no time, from new birth until death, which we have off from this duty.

           i.      We don’t take breaks or vacations from it.

           ii.      We don’t hit a retirement age where we don’t have to do it any longer.

f.        Our avenues of seeking the kingdom will change.

           i.      We go through different stages of life.

           ii.      Someone has kindly called them different seasons of life.

           iii.      How we seek the kingdom through the changing times of life will differ.

           iv.      But, we still must seek the kingdom first.

g.      In Mark 14, a woman came into Jesus and used some very expensive ointment to anoint Jesus.

           i.      This made some of the people watching mad because they considered this a waste.

           ii.      Do you remember the words of Jesus in her defense?

           iii.      She has done what she could (Mark 14:8).

h.      This is what God expects of us – nothing more, nothing less.

III.            We do it immediately.

a.      I’ve met very few people in my lifetime that don’t believe in Jesus.

b.      Most people I have met also believe in the gospel, at least certain parts.

c.       One writer said that almost everyone believes in the gospel but few believe in the gospel of now.

d.      Satan wants us to delay seeking the kingdom.

           i.      He does not mind if we admire the kingdom.

           ii.      He does not mind if we want to be in the kingdom.

e.      What is keeping you and me from truly seeking the kingdom first?

           i.      Not just playing at it but really seeking it?

           ii.      What is keeping us from living the life God calls us to live?

f.        It’s easy to say when I get through this season of life I will get to it.

           i.      I’ve just gotten my first job and I have to give it my attention.

           ii.      I’m dating this girl and it is really serious and we are probably going to get married and then I will give it my attention.

           iii.      We’ve got children and they keep us so busy but when that slows down I will give it my attention.

           iv.      The kids athletics take up a lot of time but when that is over I will give it my attention.

           v.      I’m getting older and I will leave it to the younger ones.

g.      We need to be seeking the kingdom first immediately, right now because we are not promised any more time.

h.      Think about the example we are setting for our children when we seek everything but the kingdom first.

Hurdles Too High 8-21-25 AM

I.            The presence of singing only in New Testament passages.

a.      Whenever you read about singing when it comes to the worship activity of Christians in the New Testament, singing is what is mentioned.

b.      The word translated singing in Colossians 3:16 is what we know in English as “psallo”.

           i.      This word, in its early usage, was used not only for singing but also for playing an instrument.

           ii.      However, according to those studied in koine Greek, this word was not used for instrumental music in New Testament times.

           iii.      It was strictly used for singing.

           iv.      In fact, the final definition in Strong’s concordance for psallo is “in the NT to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song”.

           v.      Also, another Greek word translated “sing”, which is found in Revelation 15:3 is “ado”, which means to utter words in a melodic pattern.

c.       Nowhere in the New Testament do you see Christians being told to play instruments, only to sing.

d.      An interesting observation is that the translators, beginning with those that translated the KJV, were all members of religious bodies that used instrumental music in worship, however, despite obvious bias, they still translated the Greek “singing and making melody in your heart”.

e.      The Greek experts understood the meaning of the words.

II.            No instruments of music in the early church.

a.      Br. Everett Ferguson has done some extremely scholarly work to show that instrumental music was absent from the early church until many hundreds of years after her establishment.

b.      Br. Ferguson is member of the church of Christ, but his work is so scholarly, it is respected by many who are of very different religious persuasions.

c.       Br. Ferguson wrote, “The historical argument is quite strong against early Christian use of instrumental music in church”.

d.      In a book entitled “Instrumental Music In The Public Worship Of The Church”, written by a Presbyterian named John Girardeau, Mr. Girardeau laid out the case historically of only singing in Christian worship for many centuries and used doctrinal grounds to prove it.

          i.      On pages 95-96 he concluded one argument with this statement: The abolition of the temple worship, so far as it was peculiar to the Jewish dispensation, has now been proved by an appeal to the nature of the case, to the statements of the New Testament Scriptures, and to the awful providence of God; and as it was before incontestably shown that instrumental music was employed in that worship, so far as public religious services of God’s people were concerned, it follows that that kind of music is, with those limitations, abolished, and that its use in the Christian church is contrary to the Word and will of God.”

          ii.      He went on to show the similarity in synagogue worship, not temple worship, to the worship of Christians, and made the point that instrumental worship was not found in synagogue worship at that time and stated, “As, then, the use of instrumental music was unknown in the worship of the synagogue it was not introduced in the Christian church.”

e.      I realize that there is no Bible in this point, but to show it historically is a very valid reason to not use the instrument in worship and simply sing.

III.            How God dealt with acts of unauthorized worship throughout history.

a.      Why did God tell Cain that his worship was not acceptable?

b.      What was wrong with Nadab and Abihu’s worship in Leviticus 10:1-4?

c.       What was wrong with what Jeroboam’s worship in 1 Kings 12?

d.      Since God does not care if we change the worship, why was His reaction so harsh in those instances?

e.      God did seem to care if worship was altered under the Patriarchal and Mosaic systems of worship.

           i.      Do we really think that God would lose His desire for obedience in acts of worship under His Son’s covenant?

           ii.      A covenant that is described as better in Hebrews 8:6.

f.        God has always dealt with departures in worship harshly, so we must believe He would today as well.

IV.            The fact that God draws conclusion using the silence of the scriptures.

a.      Hebrews 7:14.

          i.      Jesus could become a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, but not under the Old Testament rule.

          ii.      The reason is that God had specified only those of the tribe of Levi and of the family of Aaron could be high priests under Old Testament rule.

b.     Nowhere did the Old Testament explicitly say a high priest could not come from another tribe, but it didn’t have to.

c.     What the Old Testament specified in this regard was sufficient.

d.     Notice that this argument is made in the New Testament.

e.      The use of the silence of the scriptures to draw a conclusion in this case shows that using the same method of argument in other cases is valid.

          i.      As we mentioned in the first point, we are only told to sing in the New Testament.

          ii.      The scriptures are silent concerning the use of mechanical instruments of worship, therefore there is no authority for their use.

V.            Authority can and must be determined.

a.      Colossians 3:17 – we must have the authority to do whatever we do and this included worship.

b.      Why do we sing at all?

           i.      Is it just because someone came up with the idea to do that?

           ii.      I’ve never seen that argument made.

c.       The basis for worship comes from the teaching of the New Testament.

d.      Because of that fact, nearly everyone would say there are boundaries to what can and can’t be done in worship.

e.      If there is and must be divine authority for what we do, and rules for worship that are objectively determined, there must be acts that fall outside the bounds of what is authorized.

f.        Where are the boundary markers to be found if not in scripture?

           i.      It becomes completely subjective if they can be established anywhere else.

ii. Only the Lord has the authority to establish bounds and His bounds must be honored.

(From a sermon by Neal Pollard)

More Than Conquerors 8-7-25 AM

I.            The problems we face (Rom. 8:35-36).

a.      In Paul’s day, and especially in the years to come, the gladiator games were extremely popular in the Roman Empire.

            i.      Imagine a gladiator standing in the arena and one of the doors opens.

            ii.      At first, he does not know if he will face another gladiator or angry beasts.

            iii.      He is ready for whatever but could still be surprised.

b.      One of my favorite movies of all time is “Gladiator.”

            i.      There is a scene where the main character Maximus is in the arena fighting another gladiator.

            ii.      Unbeknownst to Maximus, tigers had been held in covered pits and then the coverings were removed while he battled the other gladiator.

            iii.      He had no idea they were going to be there and he had to deal with them as well as the other gladiator.

c.       I mention these things because that is somewhat the picture Paul is painting here.

d.      As Christians, we are in the battle for our lives against a foe who will unleash all he has against us.

e.      The first thing Paul mentions is tribulations.

            i.      This word carries the idea of pressing together or great pressure.

            ii.      In life, we are pressed upon by its burdens.

            iii.      Some are self-imposed by choices we have made.

            iv.      Some are unavoidable because of life itself.

            v.      Remember the words of Jesus (John 16:33).

            vi.      We have to remember that passing through the periods of distress we grow stronger (Jam. 1:2-3).

f.        Paul then was inspired to mention distress.

            i.      Thayer said the word literally means narrowness of place but is used metaphorically to mean extreme affliction.

           ii.      One writer mentioned that this word is most often used to describe mental grief over something more than anything physical.

           iii.      Have you ever been in such a difficult place in life that you didn’t think you could breathe?

           iv.      It may be such a difficult situation that you have no idea how you will get out of it.

           v.      That is generally our first idea when these situations arise.

           vi.      After being able to gather ourselves mentally and spiritually, we realize who we have on our side.

           vii.      We remember that He has told us to cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us.

g.      Paul moved then to the word persecution.

           i.      This word has the idea of being pursued by enemies.

           ii.      Have you ever had someone make false claims about you?

           iii.      That is nothing new to Christians.

           iv.      Our early brethren were called cannibals, had it said that they were trying to overthrow Roman rule, and also called atheists.

           v.      There are people who will slander us and falsely charge us with things because we are Christians.

           vi.      We must remember that we aren’t the first nor the last that will have to endure this.

           vii.      We must look to Jesus during times like that (1 Pe. 2:21-23).

h.      Paul then moved on to famine.

           i.      In that time, if Rome was against you they could move you like they did the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos.

           ii.      You may not be able to find work to provide for yourself or family.

           iii.      Early Christians who would not worship the emperor were not allowed to work in their trade guild.

           iv.      When this happened, food was scarce.

           v.      The temptation would be to give in to the order to worship the emperor in order to provide for yourself or family.

i.        Paul mentioned another problem that could come with forced poverty – nakedness.

           i.      If you can’t provide for yourself, your clothes will be all you have and they didn’t have closets full of robes back then.

           ii.      The clothing would turn to rags after awhile.

           iii.      As people who strive to be modest to follow the command of God, this would be a terrible indignity.

j.        Paul then spoke of perils.

           i.      This word means danger, risk or hazard.

           ii.      It carried the idea of constant threat of life.

           iii.      This was the lot of Christians in that day.

           iv.      They did not know when an emperor or some leader would decide to punish Christians.

v. 1 Cor. 15:31.

           vi.      Paul mentioned this idea in his listing all the things he endured as an apostle (2 Cor. 11:26).

k.      The last thing Paul mentions is sword.

           i.      It is as if Paul summed up all these things with this one cruel form of punishment.

           ii.      It was often with sword that the will of the emperor was performed.

l.        Paul then summed it all up with a quotation from Psalm 44:22.

m.    As Christians, we should be willing to give our lives for the cause of Christ.

n.      But, being totally honest, not many of us are facing these seven things.

           i.      At least not to the extent Paul and the brethren back then were facing them.

           ii.      It was constant with them but we might get some mean things said to us at times or a door slammed in our face.

o.      The danger we face is far more enticing.

           i.      We have too much stuff calling for us.

           ii.      We have pride in the way.

           iii.      Spurgeon wrote long ago: I fear me that the Christian church is far more likely to lose her integrity in these soft and silken days than when she was in those rough times.

p.      We must be on guard more against ease than against punishment.

II.            The promise made (Rom. 8:37a).

a.      In all these things we are more than conquerors.

b.      How can we be more than a conqueror?

            i.      A conqueror is a winner.

            ii.      A conqueror has overcome the obstacle that was in his way.

c.       One way I see that we are more than is look at those who conquered in the past.

           i.    Every nation that has been victorious has suffered defeat.

           ii.      As great as Egypt was, Egypt was conquered.

           iii.      As great as Assyria was, Assyria was conquered.

           iv.      As great as Babylon was, Babylon was conquered.

           v.      As great as Rome was, Rome was conquered.

           vi.      As great as America has been, we’ve been defeated.

d.      When we depend on physical things, we will be conquered, not matter how strong or mighty we may be.

e.      Our battle is a spiritual battle with God on our side (Rom. 8:31).

f.        The phrase “more than conquerors” is one word in the Greek and Thayer’s says it means to gain a surpassing victory.

g.      In Christ, we have won already, which is the point of the book of Revelation.

           i.      We serve a God that cannot be conquered.

           ii.      We are on the winning side.

h.      We are more than conquerors because God takes our weaknesses and makes them strengths.

           i.      Paul had weaknesses and was used greatly by God.

           ii.      2 Cor. 12:7-9.

i.        God doesn’t need our wisdom, strength, charm, charisma or anything from us but our lives and effort for him.

j.        When we give Him that, we win.

k.      We are more than conquerors also because of our motive for fighting.

           i.      We are fighting for the souls of others.

           ii.      We are fighting to glorify God.

l.        We are more than conquerors because we lose nothing in the fight itself.

           i.     No matter how righteous a cause is, the one who fights loses something in this life.

           ii.      I respect our veterans so much, but they lose something of themselves at war.

           iii.      The Christian is made stronger when tried in the heat of spiritual battle.

           iv.      Even if physical life is lost, we get to go be with God.

m.    In every aspect, when we fight this war, we are more than conquerors.

III.            The power with us (Rom. 8:37b).

a.      Through Him that loved us.

b.      The word through can also be translated by.

c.       We are more than conquerors by Him that loved us, which goes back to verse 35 (Rom. 8:35).

d.      The power to be more than conquerors is from God who loves us so much.

           i.      We can’t comprehend the height, nor depth, nor width of God’s love.

           ii.      If God loves us so much that He will not spare His Son, we can conquer anything while in that love.

e.      Paul closes the section saying there is nothing that will separate us from the love of God.

f.        He lets us know where that love is located: which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

g.      In Christ is the place to find and hold onto God’s love.

           i.      As long as we remain in Christ, we remain in God’s love.

           ii.      God does love all men, but there is a special love for those in His Son.

h.      To be in His Son is to be in His church (Eph. 1:22-23).

i.        This power is not going anywhere.

           i.      We can leave it, but it won’t leave us.

ii. Christ has conquered all things and we are conquerors in Him.

The Greatness Of Melchizedec 8-24-25 PM

I.            Who he was (Hebrews 7:1-3).

a.      What our writer does is summarize what we read in Genesis 14 with some explanation.

b.      We learn that Melchizedec was a king and priest.

           i.      He was the king of Salem which would later be known as Jerusalem.

           ii.      He was a priest of God.

c.      The beginning of Genesis 14 contains an account of the battle of the kings.

           i.      Genesis 14:1-10.

           ii.      Abraham went after his nephew Lot and rescued he and his family and recovered all that the kings had taken.

d.      Upon Abraham’s return, Melchizedec went out to meet and Abraham and bless him.

e.      Abraham then gave a 10th of the spoils to Melchizedek.

f.        We learn that his name means king of righteousness.

g.      We learn that he is the king of peace, the meaning of Salem.

h.      Our writer then gives us some interesting notes:

           i.      He was without father and mother.

           ii.      He had no lineage.

           iii.      He had no beginning or ending of life;

           iv.      He was like the Son of God, abiding a priest continually.

i.        There are some interesting ideas about who this man was:

           i.      Some believe he was an angel;

           ii.      Others believe he was Enoch;

           iii.      While others believe he was Shem.

j.        Because of what is said about him in verse 3, some believe he was a “Christophany”, an appearance of the 2nd person of the Godhead on earth.

k.      The most common view of Melchizedec, and the one I believe, is that he was a type of Christ.

           i.      He is said to be the things in verse 3, not because he had no parents or descendants or lineage, but because none is listed.

           ii.      He is said to have no beginning or ending because neither is revealed to us.

           iii.      If any of these had been revealed to us, it would take away from his foreshadowing the coming Christ.

II.            Melchizedek a type of Christ.

a.      The word "Melchizedek" means "King of righteousness," thus the very name becomes a title of the Lord Jesus Christ.

b.      "King of Salem" means "King of peace," and thus the title of Melchizedek is another appropriate title of our Lord (Isaiah 9:6ff; Psalms 72:7).

c.       Melchizedek was both king and priest, a double dignity not enjoyed by any illustrious Hebrew, not even Moses, and startlingly typical of Jesus Christ who is both king and high priest.

d.      Melchizedek received tithes of Abraham, even as Christ receives gifts of them that love and follow him.

e.      He blessed Abraham; Christ blesses his followers.

f.        Melchizedek's priesthood encompassed service to Gentiles and Jews alike, as witnessed by his reception of Abraham; and Christ likewise is the High Priest of all mankind, having no racial or other limitation.

III.            Melchizedek was greater than Abraham.

a.      Having shown who this man was, the writer now tells his audience how this man was greater than Abraham.

            i.      To a Jew, Abraham was their father and the greatest man who ever lived.

            ii.      For this man to have been greater than Abraham would be hard for any Jew to swallow.

            iii.      The point of this section is to show that this man pointed to Jesus and the greater priesthood than what the Mosaic Law offered.

b.      He had to be great because Abraham paid tithes to him.

            i.      The lesser always paid tithes to the greater.

            ii.      This was a sign of respect given to someone who holds a higher position or rank.

            iii.      As great as Abraham was, he realized he was inferior to Melchizedek.

c.       The Levites took tithes from the people, but this man who did not descend from the Levites took tithes from them through Abraham.

d.      Not only that, this man blessed Abraham and the greater blesses the lesser.

e.      Because Levi was a descendant of Abraham, it is right to say that Levi, in Abraham, tithed to Melchizedek, making him and his priesthood lesser than that of Melchizedek.

f.        Verse 8 is interesting and difficult.

           i.      The men that die are, of course, the Levites.

           ii.      It is debated as to whom the writer is speaking when addressing the one that is living.

1.      Some believe it is a reference to Jesus.

2.      Others believe it is a reference to Melchizedek.

3.      If it is Melchizedek, it is not a problem, because he typified the coming Christ, who is living, so in a sense, either way is a reference to Jesus.

g.      So three things are told us here that show Melchizedek was greater than Abraham: he received tithes from Abraham, he blessed Abraham, and had a greater priesthood than the offspring of Abraham, Levi.

The Lord Is Good 8-24-25 AM

I.            This reveals the personality of God – He is good.

a.      Some have the view that God is looking down trying to find those He can cast into hell.

           i.      There is this idea that God is some kind of sadistic dictator with a great desire to punish us.

           ii.      God is just out to keep us penned in and if we break out at all He just wants to crush us.

b.      Come have the view that God is in heaven and doesn’t take an interest in what is going on down on His creation.

           i.      This is the view of deism.

           ii.      God started things up and is sitting back watching what takes place with amusement.

c.      In the beginning, everything God created is described as good (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).

           i.      Every part of God’s creation speaks of His goodness.

           ii.      All things were created for our benefit.

           iii.      Even today, when we look at the beauty of what God created, we see His goodness.

           iv.      It was man that messed things up by giving in to temptation and sinning.

d.      Every act of God since that time has been good.

           i.      He destroyed the world because it had gotten so bad during the days of Noah.

           ii.      He chose to bless all the nations through Abraham’s seed.

           iii.      Everything God did was aimed for the good of man.

e.      When we look at the cross, the goodness of God should cry out to us.

           i.      This is truly the greatest evidence of the goodness of God.

           ii.      Rom. 11:22.

f.        When we look at these things and see the personality of God, they all cry out that the God we serve is a God of goodness.

II.            This reveals the protection of God – a stronghold in the day of trouble.

a.      Nineveh considered itself to be a stronghold.

           i.      The walls of Nineveh were 100 feet tall and wide enough for three chariots to ride side by side.

           ii.      It was surrounded by a moat that was 60 feet deep.

           iii.      It was estimated that Nineveh could have withstood a 20 year siege.

b.      Nineveh fell when the Euphrates River overflowed and washed away some of the wall, leaving a gap that the Babylonian-led army could enter.

c.       It used to be that America was viewed as a place of protection for those fleeing from persecution.

d.      The only true refuge of strength and protection is God.

e.      Notice how the Psalmist put it:

           i.      Ps. 31:2-3.

           ii.      Ps. 71:3.

           iii.      Ps. 91:2.

f.        Only in God is there protection.

           i.      John 10:27-30.

           ii.      When God has us, there is nothing that others can do to us that jeopardizes our spiritual safety.

           iii.      We can cast our cares on Him because He cares for us (1 Pe. 5:8).

g.      We seek out protection and seek to protect ourselves and families from all manner of things and people.

h.      The only truly perfect place of protection is in God.

III.            This reveals the presence of God – He knows them that trust in Him.

a.      The word translated “knows” means more than just mere intellectual knowledge.

           i.      It indicates an intimate knowledge gained only from being in the presence of that person.

           ii.      It is used by David in 2 Sam. 7:20, after God has said that David’s throne would always have someone on it.

           iii.      God intimately knew David because of the time David spent seeking God.

           iv.      David truly trusted in God and God knew Him.

b.      I’ve often seen interviews where an athlete or some lesser known talent is asked, “Who is the most famous person in your contacts.”

           i.      They would name someone very well known.

           ii.      It was made to be some big deal that this person is known by some big star of Hollywood or the sports world.

c.       What a great privilege it is to say that God knows us.

           i.      2 Tim. 2:19.

           ii.      He knows us so well that He knows the number of hairs on our heads (Lu. 12:7).

d.      He knows us in this way because we have come to trust in Him.

           i.      God has shown Himself to be trustworthy by keeping every promise He has ever made.

           ii.      Our trust in God is never misplaced.

e.      Notice what Paul said about His trust in God in difficult times (2 Cor. 1:9).

           i.      He knew men, including himself, are not fully trustworthy.

           ii.      He placed his trust in the one who is completely trustworthy.

f.        We can trust God with our salvation (1 Tim. 4:10).

g.      We show our trust in God when we obey His word and let His word be the guide for our lives.

           i.      We are taking Him at His word that He will save us, because He said He will.

ii. He is also the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2).