You Belong Here

Have you ever made a decision that turned out different than expected. Many times we make decisions and they turn out to be disasters, and sometimes those disasters come with grave consequences. Sometimes the decisions we make turn out to be alright, even though we thought the were going to turn out horribly. The potato chip was created when a chef by the name of George Speck recieved news that his fries were too thick, so his solution was to slice them thinly and fry them until the grease was brown. Speck thought the customer would be appalled but much to his surprise the customer loved them and the potato chip was born.

We make decisions every single day, but making a decision to follow the Lord will never be a decision that you regret.

Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Hopefully by now you have heard it taught and know that if you come across the word therefore in scripture it connects the previous passage with the passage that comes after the word. It means that because of what was just explained this next piece of information is made possible. We just read the next bit of information after therefore, so let me briefly explain what had previously been said.

There was a time in the history of man kind that the only way we could be reconciled with God was if we offered sacrifices to Him with a repenting heart, and I cannot stress enough that it was more about the state of ones heart and not that of the killing of the animals. You can kill animals all day long and offer them to the Lord, but if your heart was not in a repenting state then the offering would not be acceptable for you and the death of the animal would mean nothing on your part. The issue was that the offerings continued to happen on schedule, but the hearts of man would continue to digress. This is one of the reasons that Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah when He said “they honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

In the tabernacle and then later the temple of the Lord, the two innermost rooms were the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies as we often hear it called. The Holy Place was an area where only the priest’s could enter, and then the Holy of Holies was the place that only the High Priest could enter once a year on the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. Here the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies and offer sacrifices to the Lord for the sins of his family and the people of Israel. Between the HoH and the Holy Place there was a large, heavy, woven curtain that would separate the two place so that no one may enter incidentally. This curtain was said to be 4 inches thick.

This curtain symbolizes the separation between man and God. Upon the moment that Jesus breathed His last, God ripped the curtain into two pieces now symbolizing that a priest in the flesh is no longer needed to intercede on mans behalf, but man may go straight to God Himself through Christ Jesus the Son.

Jesus died on the cross once, for all. He is the one sacrifice that put an end to, and took place of all sacrifices that were required to be right with God. Once a sacrifices was a temporal fix, but now we have a permanent solution. All one needs to do is come to Him with a repentant heart, and truthfully place their trust in Him, then they will be saved that very instant. It is a one time transaction. No returns, no defaulted payment. Christ is sufficient.

We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There was not a specific way to be saved in the OT and then a completely different way to be saved in the NT times. That would make 2 pathways to God, and that would contradict what Christ said in John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Those who were saved in the OT were saved by looking forward to Christ. You and I are saved by looking back at Christ. Whether they looked forward, or we look back, there is only one way.

Because of this we have the one and done sacrifice of Jesus Christ, if we truly do have our faith placed in Him, we are able to enjoy amenities that the rest of the fleshly world is not granted.

You and I as Christian’s have a right to be called sons and daughters of God, and a privilege to go before our God in confidence. We are the only ones on earth who can, and it is all because of Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” There is one God. There is one mediator. That mediator is Christ. The mediator of the OT used to be the High Priest, and the HP has been permanently replaced by the perfect and true High Priest, Jesus. For centuries, a man stand in a position of reverence as they led the Jewish people toward God. One man was tasked with making the offering for the sins of the people until the day came that the perfect sacrificial lamb gave up His life for the sins of the world. Upon His resurrection He became our perfect propitiation for sin that we might be restored to God, and have the capability to go before Him ourselves.

So lets dive into what we have read this morning keeping in mind the previous passage of scripture.

The word ‘brothers’ here is a call to those who have made the decision to follow the Lord. The author of Hebrews was writing to the Hebrews at the time of its creation, but now we sit here today, as Christians, under the same principles of the beautiful book of Hebrews.

Because we have responded positively to the gospel, that is we have been saved, we have 3 positive response to the gospel.

— The first is that we are free in Christ.—

1. Forgiveness of Sin and Guilt:

Have you ever done something that you felt ashamed of? I do not mean you felt sorry for it, or that you knew that it was wrong, but you felt so badly about doing it that you did not want to show your face in a church. You felt as if walking through the doors would burn you, and if you survived that you knew that certainly all of God’s people would somehow know your guilt and shame you just as you were shaming yourself. I think we can all say that we have felt that way to one degree or another. Let me tell you something if you have not arrived at this conclusion yet. What you did was wrong. Whatever you did is the very thing that sent Christ to the cross, but it is also the reason He went to the cross. He went to the cross to free you from the guilt and the shame that your sin would bring, and to bring the possibility of a reconciliation between you, and God your creator. You did make a mistake, but Christ saw the sin that you would commit and He said “My grace is sufficient for you.” There is no sin that will escape the eye of the Lord, but there is not a sin that the blood of the Lamb cannot cover. If you are saved, you are saved from condemnation of your sins. You are free of your gilt and shame by Christ and what He did for you on the cross.

>NO, you are not free to willfully sin knowing that Christ paid the debt for it all. When Jesus saves us His blood washes us clean and we are new beings. We think differently, we talk differently, our conduct is different, our thought process is different, our friend groups will be different, our finances will be different, everything changes and for the better. But salvation is not a ‘get out of hell free’ card that allows us to go on sinning.

:I was reading a thread the other day and it was “Name something you learned in church that was not in the Bible.” One lady commented that her church taught her that because Jesus had saved us from our sins we no longer sin, and if you continue to sin then you cannot be saved. > Clearly this is a horribly misplaced statement because as long as we are alive in the flesh we will sin. But the goal is that we sin less and less as we go on because of our understanding of our God’s feelings towards our sins.

— But there will also be evidence of a changed lifestyle. When Christ redeems a life, He creates a new being. We are born again to be a new creation in Christ. There was once a man who made a profession of faith before his church one morning, and the very next month he opened a pornographic nightclub and bar. The confession of his life contradicted the confession of his lips.

When God saves you, He sets you free from the lifestyle of sin. He sets you free from the lifestyle that was actively condemning you to hell and eternal separation from God. He does not save you to lead an unholy lifestyle. But there is a difference between making mistakes, and willfully running a life of sin. Mistakes will happen, and God knows that. They will be forgiven. A life of sin is contradictory to the changes that Christ begins within us. It is hard for one to argue they are a Christian when they are not living a life in Christ. We see the claims often that a man or woman is a child of God, but their life choices point to the opposite. It makes us skeptical, and rightfully so.

If you make a mistake, no matter how grave, pick yourself up, repent, and follow God faithfully. God has you covered. There is a difference between making a mistake, and living in sin. Let the shame you feel be a mark in your life that reminds you to refrain from sinning, but do not let it be a stumbling block that keeps you from being in the presence of the One who saved you from your sins.

—The second positive reaction to the gospel is that we have hope in the Lord. —

2. Because We Have Been Saved You Have Hope:

Ephesians 2:12-14 “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”

At one point we were separated. We were completely estranged, and rightfully so. Think of the filth that our minds and our hands can create. We were wretched creatures and left to our own devises we would eternally destroy ourselves, but thanks be to Christ we have been set on a new path, and the paths end point is heaven.

When you became a Christian, did your life become magically simple? Where you protected from every negative situation that might befall you in life? Certainly not. I had a naive yet brief thought when I first surrendered to ministry that life was going to be easier now that I was working for the Lord and man was I wrong. I learned quickly that it is quite the opposite, but we have hope that the fleshly world cannot understand. A hope in a life of eternity in heaven when our race on earth is run. A faith in a sustaining Messiah who will be waiting for us on the other side. A hope in promises made, and promises soon to be fulfilled.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Can we see the glory that we are promised to experience in eternity. Surely not. That is where faith resides. This world is hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. If you believe in the sovereignty of God you can read the book of Revelation and see that the world of the flesh are doomed, and stand condemned. All those who will not place their trust in Christ are bound for eternal destruction. Those found in Christ are destined to live forever in eternal glory with their Lord, but we have to weather this world first. Psalm 30:5 tells us “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Life is temporary. Pain is temporary. Even our adversary is temporary, but our eternal state is not. In Matthew 10:28 Jesus tells us “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” The same One who will kill the body and destroy the soul of the sinful will grant eternal life and happiness for those who place their trust in Him. This world may be rough at times, but hold strong to our hope and remain faithful in our Lord, Jesus Christ. Life is a temporary and full of troubles, but eternity in heaven is flawless.

— The third positive response is that we encourage our brothers and sisters, and we sell out for the local church —

3. Support, Encourage, Dig In.

Yeah, yeah, we have all heard it. “Church is not a building, its the people. Church is us, we are the church.” Of course. Our bodies are the temple of the Living God, but where do our bodies go every Sunday morning? They gather together in one central location with other like-minded temples and they worship the Lord God together in unity. They are collectively together in one accord.

Have you ever tried to do something on your own? It is possible, but how much easier is it when you have a positive support system. Anyone in ministry will tell you that it is the most sinking feeling when it does not appear that anyone is in your corner. Uplift your brothers and sisters. Encourage them to continue their walk with the Lord. Boost their confidence. I assure you this world is trying to tear them apart. Be their support system.

Encourage each other to do more. Encourage each other to be more. Romans 12:9-13 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” In all that you do, show love. In a world that desires to tear the church and her members apart, be there to rally around each, boosting each others confidence to do what is good and holy.

One of the greatest encouragements for teenagers is to attend camps and conferences where they see hundreds and thousands of other teenagers just like them trying their best to live their lives for the Lord. One great way to encourage one another is to be in the church, and be involved.

Say no to isolation and yes to involvement. It is imperative for God’s people to meet regularly for worship, for instruction, and for mutual encouragement. So many people have grown into the habit of giving up on the assembly of like minded Christians. They have forsaken the gathering of their brothers and sisters, and it shows in their lives. It shows in the direction of their children’s lives, in the lives of their grandchildren it is showing. Let’s not be flippant about sitting under the teaching of God’s word and allowing it to transform our lives and spill over into the lives of those around us. So many people claim to be a Christian, yet their love for the church is lukewarm. Please don’t be that way. It was not Christ’s intention. It never was. People have dropped off since the beginning of time. You hold strong. Listen, church is not perfect. It is built of imperfect people. We will never be Raymond Brown says “the church’s defects present us with the opportunity for earnest prayer, careful thought, loving discussion and united action to correct the deficiency and not run away from them.”

You will not find heresy in this pulpit. The day you do will be the day you have the blessings to run as far from here as you can. That or fix the problem :) Do you think the angels will sing your hymns? Do you think they will read your translation? Do you think they will even speak your tongue?

The church is Christ’s bride. She will not be perfect until the day she is reunited with the Bridegroom, but what a day that will be. We all have ideas as to what a perfect church looks like, and it is okay to want the best for the church and want to see her run efficiently, but being inactive is not the answer to problems.

They say to avoid the pain of being kicked by a horse you either get so far away that it cannot kick you, or get so close that it cannot hurt. Well if you love Lord like we all should, you will not leave His bride, so that means you have to dig in and get dirty.

If you are in, be all in. If you can give more, seek to do so. If you cannot give another ounce, then good job. If you have always been a church attender, but have never really been an active member, we would welcome you to join the fun. If you would like to give more, we have a place for you.

The most important decision you will ever make is to live your life for the Lord. I don’t know what you have done, but if you are saved then you are forgiven. I don’t know what you have don’t, but if you want to be forgiven Christ’s sacrifice will certainly cover it all. If you’re not going to the Lord often I would recommend prioritizing a change. If you’re not devoted to Christ’s bride, the church, then I would encourage a reconsideration be in order. And Always if you need help or guidance in implementing change, reach out.