Jesus our High Priest

if you like coffee Hebrews and

let's see when I get here. She's riding. What is this? I don't even see a point.

Have a good day lower I got to go.

So anyways, turn the Hebrews chapter 4 and so we're finishing up. I know we're not we're supposed to do a Mother's Day sermon, but I fix my Mother's Day sermon, you didn't like it. And so I'm going to finish this series that we've been on since I since a long time will The Real Jesus, please stand up. So we've talked about Jesus being the servant we've talked about Jesus being the teacher we've talked about Jesus being our healer. I think last week we talked about our work for us. We talked about that and I by the way, thank you guys so much for pastor appreciation day while I mean stop it while I'm there and say that I really appreciate it was it was it was really special and so we're looking forward to going where I think we're going to go sometime at the end of June 1st of July and Get away for a few days. So thank you so much for that. And I thought we were really really really appreciate that. So we talked about Jesus being a Healer great job think he did a great job speaking. Amen. So that was one of my messages that I gave him and I kind of Coach them alone a little bit, you know, and we talked about Jesus as healer and then we are priests. Okay, Jesus our priestesses the last week that we're going to talk about this. I want to read you a quick little story. I think I'll get a higher score on this one because it's not mine personally. I found it from a friend of mine but a man named Bubba moved from Arkansas to south Louisiana. This is not Boudreaux and Thibodeaux. This is a man named Bubba. Okay, I'm is there anybody here Bubba? Bubba's q r s. Okay. So Bubba went to work in a chemical plant every Friday. They said that after work, he would fire up his outdoor grill and he would cook deer steaks out and in his backyard and so you can imagine the aroma that all of his neighbor's smell that every Friday during Lent all of the Catholics and there's a lot of Catholics in South and all of them can't have meat on Friday. They only can have fish OK and so-so Bubba's cooking this meat in the people all got really mad at me talk to the priest and said hey, you got to talk to Bubba because he's cooking meat every Friday and we can't have me that's not right. So the priest calls a meeting with Bob and he says hey Bubba Center in the South and since there's so many everybody here. Mainly is Catholic. Maybe you should come Catholic I was so sure. That's cool. I'll become Catholic what I have to do. You say well come to church this Sunday. And so anyway, but ended mass that Sunday and as the priest sprinkled, holy water over him. He said you were born about this than you were raised the Baptist, but now you're a Catholic so Bubba's neighbors were all excited. What does bubble was now Catholic in and it came time for Friday night and they smelled the same smell that they smell for the preceding weeks. Bubba was cooking deer steaks on Friday night. So they were serious and they called the priest up and said, hey, it didn't take it didn't work. Bubba didn't become Catholic because this Joker is out here cooking meat and so the priest came over to Bubba's house and as they got closer to Bubba's fence. They heard Bubba and he had a water bottle in his hand and he was sprinkling the meeting. He said you was born a deer you was raised the deer, but now you are a catfish. All right, so,

Now I'm staying for a little while and convert the deer anyway, so let's this has a lot to do with my message. I'm not just making jokes Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14 says this so then since we have a great high priest or base a high priest who is entered in heaven Jesus the son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe verse 15 says this high priest of ours. He understands our weaknesses for he has faced all the same testings as we do yet. He did not send 16 says so let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God there. We will receive his mercy and we will find his grace to help when we need it most. Okay that man, what a great what a great scripture. I specially like that last part where will receive his mercy and we find Grace to help us when we needed the most You needed the most that's when it's going to be there. I want to talk to you about that. Let me give you a little bit of history in case you don't know cuz I got to I know I have all different different kinds of people in the we know different things. So let me give me some history of an Old Testament priest. The priests had to be a descendant of the line of Aaron. Okay, maybe that'll mean something to you. Maybe it won't if it does that's good. The primary role of the priest was to represent the people to God. OK. The priest Roy has been rights. They could go before God the people couldn't go before God. Is that point? Okay, they had to go through the priest. Okay. I kind of like that set up then you guys would treat me a lot better. Okay, if you know that baby don't like that either. Okay. So people had no ride that was a joke people had no access to God without the priest being there and their life. Okay, so they're in trouble if something happened to that relationship, they couldn't pray they couldn't worship. They couldn't seek forgiveness without a priest to priest was kind of a go-between between them and God. Okay, it's not that way. We're talking about the way that it was and they made animal sacrifices all day long to atone for the people Santa told me she's just to make it run standing with God. Okay, so all day long to preheat the people bring in the animals to the priest to priest of sacrificing the animal and he's doing that so that their sins can be made right With God. All right, so you kind of get your kind of got the story on Passover. It's kind of was the Pinnacle of all holidays. It was a top and the high priest would go away on Passover with enter into the holy of holies room in the temple where the Ark of the Covenant was was capped to atone for the sins of the nation again, the word atone mean the cover art to make right? All right, and he would make a sacrifice for first four zones then and then it would sprinkle brought all the room to cover. All the sins of of Israel now is the priest job kind of in a basic thing history tells us If they would tie a rope around his ankle paste what he did was not accepted because he was going to die and they would drag him out. I kind of feel that way this morning okay with you standing in two judges City. Okay. I kind of feel like maybe they should have put a rope around my ankle if I wasn't doing good. They could just drag me out at some point at any rate the first to get the first sandwich you to get number one is the Jesus is our high priest. I don't have four boys were not going to be here long. Jesus is our high priest Hebrews chapter 4 says we are not we no longer have to look to man between us and God. Okay in that great. We no longer have to have that high priest. Jesus himself has become our high. Priest. We no longer have to do that. Only thing we have to do is keep our eyes on Jesus. Nice. They only thing although that's a really hard thing to do. If you ever tried it, you know that keeping your eyes on Jesus and only on Jesus is really a difficult difficult thing to do because And will disappoint you man will let you down but Jesus never will okay. Amen. Our old me is not built on the personality of a man. This church needs to be built on the foundation of who Jesus really is. Okay. Yes, there's men and women here, but that's not what we're really focused on. So we're here really to make Jesus famous. Okay, when people fall short and they do people's lives fall down. I remember many many years ago. I work for a man named Jimmy Swaggart. Most of you know that name heard that night and as you know, Jimmy Swaggart Jim Bakker Marvin going a lot of them around that time had a big fall. Okay, and a lot of people that were associated with that place fell with them. They didn't want to come back to church anymore. They didn't want anything to do with do with God not because got it done anything bad. But because Jimmy Swaggart did something bad they not want to have nothing to do with God, you know that I understand that silly, but I'm telling you it's the way that it really was they were so disappointed in their leader that they put their leader on the same level with God. And there's people that did that then there's people people still today some of my some of my friends that they want nothing to do with because they're all just a bunch of fake because one man think that tells me that we had our confidence in a man not in God because when that man failed it just totally blew us away when we put our trust in men and men fails our faith begins to waver. I love this man can do his best to represent God. What's your faith and trust has to be placed in God? Miss say that again, man can do his best to represent God, but man is just man. So he cannot be God he can only represent God the problem is when men's they looked at other women start getting looked at as though they were guy because they're not they just represent God. I feel people before I'm back in our next steps classes. I tell people all the time if you stick around here a long at all. In fact, just stay through the rest of the class. I'll disappoint you all fail. You you look at me and say why I can't believe a pastor what act that that way. In fact just the just the other night. We were playing around with some of the profits for ladies pictures and one of the tube of lipstick and yes, I took my picture looking like I was putting on lipstick. Sad thing is one of our hit us was told me that look color look good on me. I'm worried about him, too. I was attending a numbers for the congregation that Yeah, some people just get offended by that. I'll just stick around me. There's no telling what I might do or say it's just not that I'm going to disappoint because I'm just a man. I put my pants on one leg at a time. You know I wake up in my breath stinks to will not really doesn't but that's what Melody says. I don't know if it's true, but I've never smell my own breath.

So here's some people put their confidence in men men always fails to let me get back to the context of this the Jewish Christians didn't know what to do with the law at this point because here this man named Jesus. He said I'm now your high priest all their life all their Traditions guys had always been that they took the animal to the priests to get what they needed from for forgiveness of their sin and now Jesus popped on the scene. He's like you don't do that anymore because I'm the man I'm your priest. I'll go before God because I've taken care of the price. So it was kind of totally different. Okay, and it was a big change in their life and we all know people don't like change, right? So I spent there ain't hardly Our Lives practicing this religious system set up by God through Moses you where the priest sacrifices and it was really all they knew when Jesus came along the Bible says that he didn't come to do away with the law. He said I came to fulfill the law. He didn't say I came to condemn the law or deaven set the law side. He said I came to fulfill everything about it. So we understand what he says. He Brews tells us that we have a better Covenant made on better promises. It was an upgrade. It was a good deal. I don't know if you've ever rented a car and you flown in someplace, but sometime when you rent in the maybe you just rented the smallest car that they had because you didn't want to pay anything more for it, but you got there and for some reason they had an upgrade and so you're driving a Cadillac and you thinking well, I just paid for a Ford Taurus. It was an upgrade and that's what the New Covenant is if an upgrade it was a better it was a better deal. So Jesus comes on the scene get the picture and he throws a kind of a curveball and heat a lot of things were changing. In fact, Jesus said this I love his he said you've heard it said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say if someone slaps your left cheek turn the other cheek. That was the Old Testament law eye for an eye tooth for to you. Hit me. I hit you if you wish we can have a little Old Testament law of in here and you know what you just thought of somebody. I wish I could go Old Testament on you. You know, I maybe we could just shorten it down when I was trying to go OT on you because I like to just slap you back but Jesus popped on the saying he's like saying When somebody slaps you the only thing you need to do is offer the other cheek to him. Okay, that that was a big change to those people who were used to you slap me maybe a little bit harder. Okay. And what about the scripture that says the law of Moses and said if you have sex outside of marriage you've committed adultery. He said if you even look at a woman in lust you've committed adultery I think a lot of the guys all of a sudden had a big problem with Jesus cuz they never done it but they can think it all the time. Jesus changed all the rules.

Jesus didn't necessarily lower the bar. I believe he raised the bar. In fact grace and mercy didn't give us a license to do things that we shouldn't do grace and mercy set us free to up to the to live right because his words are always true. What Jesus is always true impact Romans chapter 3 verse 4. It's on the screen that says let God be true and every man a liar. Is absolute true that Jesus says if you can you can put your your competence in it. It's going to happen. He's a he's a he's a man that you can put your trust in you guys still awake this morning. Okay. Just making sure it's a little warm in here. I don't want you going to sleep. Can we cool it off just a couple of degrees maybe so so we don't have to look to priest anymore. We look to Christ who has become our high priest things come up and they will things change and they will culture comes and culture goes but Jesus will always remain the same. Have you noticed that culture changes things that are accepted now that our culture to us now before those things were not accept And now there's a popular thing to do in a few years. They won't pee like right now and there's nothing wrong with it. I know that you'll be shocked to hear preacher said there's nothing like wrong with tattoos. I know in the Old Testament says don't Mark your body. Okay, I know but I'm telling you there's nothing wrong with that. Do you have a there's not a chance? I'm getting one why because it might hurt. It has nothing to do with her. It's in her whether it's not send it has nothing it has to do with the pain factor and the answer is no but right now that's a popular thing to do in 10 or 15 years when that thing's all wrinkled and that eagle looks like the backside of a mule on your back. You're going to wish that you had it done that because culture has shifted its truth. But I'm so thankful that Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. He's not going to change on me the way he does think it's the way he does things he doesn't change so they were tempted constantly by their families and communities to go back to the old way of Salvation. They were they were tempted to go back to where the priests did the sacrifice even though. They knew that what would Jesus had said and today we're tempted to look too and put our trust in other things other than in the name of Jesus Christ. So if your belief structures wrapped around a person your belief structures wrapped around the wrong thing, if your idea of church, there's people who don't come to church but rather watch it on TV in your belief structure is wrapped around the one man or woman that you watch on TV. What's going to happen if that one person falls then all your structure and belief in God is going to be demolished. Which put our confidence in our trust the author is showing the church here in the author of Hebrews is showing the church that Jesus is the Fulfillment of the old and he's an upgrade in every way. I'm trying to tell you this that we have to keep our eyes on Jesus because he is our high priest. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 says this the high priest of ours understands our weaknesses in your notes there on the screen for he faced all the same testings. You do except he did not see the second point. I want you to get write this down. We have to hold firmly to our faith. The first thing is Jesus is our high priest the maybe that's basic to you. Okay, but I'm telling you we can always use a refresher course on who the high priest is in what his what the price is he's paid for us. He is our high priest say things we have to hold firmly to our faith. I love what the Amplified says that the amplifier says this the clean tenaciously to our absolute trust in him is favored. It reminds me of that dog. What's that? Girl? They like grabs ahold and he won't let go is it like not a name is a doberman or a pit bull just grab ahold. I don't know. I've never had one grab ahold of me. But I say I hear the day they just grab ahold and they don't let go. I think that's kind of the picture that they're wanting us to get here. We have to hold on to our The things that we really believe and we have to lock in on our faith because Jesus is our high priest. We don't have to sacrifice for our sins anymore because Jesus has paid the ultimate price no more animals have to die. I don't know about your life. Why do know about some of your life but if an animal had to be sacrificed for every time you send it would be a lot of dead animals around here. Like where did FeFe go? Well, I had a bad part yesterday. We had to go through in my neighborhood long time ago because I had to kill him first. You get what I'm saying? But there is no I'm just trying to be facetious a little bit saying they're no longer has to be a payment for your sand. What a liberating thing that you don't have to get better before you can come to Jesus. Jesus went through it all so you can be better. It's an upgrade in every way. We have to hold firmly to our Faith No More need for performance-based teaching her performance-based. Theology. Christ has done it all there's nothing we can ever do there's nothing we can ever say and there's nothing we can it's going to make him love me more or love me less.

Have you ever known somebody that did something that maybe they shouldn't have done and you were a little disappointed in them. You like man that well, I just blown away. Jesus is really different. He's going to look at me and he says man, I'm a little disappointed Kevin. I don't know if I love him the same today. He loves me as much right in the middle of my sin as he loves me when I'm not as That doesn't mean that it gives me the license to go and stand but because I love him I don't want to send. That's what great grace is not a license to just go live and just live the way you want to Grace has a license that says because I love him because he's done so much for me. I don't want to do the things that I used to do because I'm in a relationship with him and I love him. He's paid the ultimate price for us. Are you getting it's a min?

So we don't go back to empty dead religion that says we have to go to the priests and priestesses. Take care of this Force. We hold tightly like a bulldog to our traditions, and I know sometimes we hold like a bulldog to our traditions and our preferences about Jesus. That's not what Jesus says the fact the writer of Hebrews is saying no hold tightly to Jesus and Live On Loosely to all those other things. In other words, if you're going to hold on to something the thing you need to hold on to his Jesus not our Traditions the tradition was back. Then you went to the priest the priest took the animal here and then took him there and then went into the holy of holies and there was a process through all that Jesus says the veil in the temple has been rent. It's not the same thing is what it used to be. I've paid the price. I'm your high priest things have changed. You don't have to go through those Traditions anymore. I made it easy to get to me. You just have to come to me believe in me. Hold tight to me. Hold on to that face. Jesus saying if you hold tightly sometimes if we hold tightly to things that don't matter you're going to be disappointed. But if you hold on to him, you'll never be disappointed. Here's the problem in the American church. It's the same in this church as it is in every church. We hold tightly to things that don't matter and we lose our grip on things that matter most Let me say that again in case you didn't hear me. We hold tightly to things that really don't matter. And we let things go slip through our hand that really matter the most and we don't make those the most important thing. If you're going to hold on your face, we're going to have to let some things go. I am 55 years old and 9 months is a y 9 months cuz my mama carried me for 9 months. I was here. You just didn't see me.

And here's some things I've learned Jesus. I'm a I'm going to mess with some people's thinking here. It's going to be fine. Since you don't want to laugh at my jokes. I'm going to see if I can get some other kind of emotion out of here right now. Julie is already leaving. So it's okay. This is just weird setting this way. I'm still getting used to it.

I don't think Jesus cares what car carpet is. I don't I really don't think you care. I don't think he cares if it is green the the famous Church color maroon. I don't think he cares his black polka. I don't think here. I don't care if he thinks it if it's neon green. I don't think he really cares. I don't think that's a thing we should hold tightly to I don't think that our carpet is Jesus. I think our carpet is a tradition. It's a thing. We like to have a say it. I don't think Jesus really cares. Most of you probably really agree with that. There was a day in our churches that we used to think seeing out of it. Then called him know that some of you don't know. What a Hymnal is. How do we know what him does he don't know what any of this be honest? I don't really know him. I love that. That's a Hymnal not a terminal. So it's supposed to

my daughter-in-law says that was a snoozer. Okay, I'll cut the jokes. So we get something out of a him know who was that. I can't read it. Okay.

David hymnals for you guys who didn't know don't know who was the handles used to be in the back of the chairs are the fuse. Okay, and then the music director the song We would stand up and who said let's turn the page number 106 you hear this and play turning over the book. It was no flow. Really the music was like Sing a Song. Sing a Song stop because you had to get to the next page on some nights. We used to have a request night and people just holler out numbers like 468-4127 football game. I feel sorry for the song authors who wrote the third verse cuz we never sang it.

crazy now, I don't know where the hell is where I don't think we had him. Those are her nose when I got here, but I don't know where they went. Somebody else took good care of him and they're not in a lot of churches. So now we do this thing that we seen from the from the hymnals we went to a thing called transparencies and listen to pay when we when we got down for the church. You remember those things that little girl size like that some of the transparency lady and you put it on this thing and it shows it up on the walls black and white, you know, unless it wasn't real clean the little black specks that look like little ants crawling all over it. And then and then we got even more big time. We used to cover up part of the the side with a piece of paper so they can only sing the words that were supposed to be singing and if it was us to him that to transparency slide, you're the person had to switch it out real quick to make sure that the words were up there and now it will we thought we were just Uptown. My dad used to call that singing off the wall. Sing Off the Wall Who are the benefits to singing Off the Wall number one is lifted your head up where you can sing out loud. You have to be stuck looking at him though. So I let you look up at the words. And that is that and there was a lot of it. There's just maybe there was some distance against the handles by the way either but we really talked for some people when we left the hymnal and went to the transparency. We lost them because that was a tradition that they held tight to boy. There has been some fights some fights. Maybe not here. But in some Churches there's been some fight transferring from a Hymnal to a transparency. There's some people that were ready to go to knock-down-drag-out Kung Fu on you and get on out of here, but we going to sing out of our handle don't you take an okay, so we may not see how the humans but don't take them out the back of the chairs. Just let him sit there and gather dust. Yeah, we held tight to that. Why because it was her tradition wasn't Jesus know that Hymnal did not pay for your sins that him it was not your great high priest. It was just a book with paper and ink on it with some songs on it. Yeah, it was just a tradition. We left with and kind of say some it's not really a matter of the way we worship. It's who we worship and it's always supposed to have been about that. Not the way we do it but who were doing it too and when we get that mixed up we have started holding on to something other than Jesus. So then from there we we we left the transparency we went to projectors and now there's some people that have gone to great big TV screens. Are there some people that went to the thing called imags and in the end, we it's just crazy now, but all started kind of with maybe it was an R&R World. It kind of just started with a Hymnal then we went and drums up in the church. I remember hearing some stories where they got that rock and roll guitar up in the church.

Bachata bachata Guitars that's rock and roll next thing the pastor, shaking his leg like Elvis, you know.

That was a tradition that we moved from piano and organ okay to drums and guitars. And then I remember my mom reminded me this morning when we were Jimmy Swaggart Ministries in in the youth group there Glenn Bartow is the youth pastor there and he brought smoke and lights into the youth sanctuary.

I want smoke in the sanctuary and colored lights. Okay with white ones.

But some of us are racist when we comes the lighting, we don't want any other colors red yellow black and white not a precious in His sight. He only likes white. That's almost a rhyme y'all. Is the devil in that smoke machine if you read the book of Revelation that talks a lot about smoking light. If you're going to sign on a thunderstorm with all the lightning in the clouds and you think God might not like colored lights and smoke. Come on somebody it's a tradition. It is a tradition and it really has a lot to do with my message. But just seen Jesus is our high for to be focused on these are just things we focus on it's just I'm passing through just stick with me. We have a couple more then we went from pews to chairs. And all my goodness some people just had a conniption cuz you're going from a few to a chair. I can't move into church with the chair. You can only move in a place with the Pew some people believed it had to be would pues no no Comfort, but they would bring 14 pillows to prop up their Christy cell fan, but you couldn't have any Christian off of you bring it in cuz we're holding on to things that don't matter while we're letting the world die and go to hell while we're fighting over one pew Who cares what we said on bring your lawn chairs for goodness sake? I'm just trying to show up on their churches that matter to them. I don't think in our church leave it there matter whether the pianos on the left and they are the organs on the other side or maybe supposed to be flipped. I mean, I've heard of churches splitting over the fact that I'm not coming back if they're putting the piano on the right side. The church has always had the piano on the left side. That's the side it needs to be on. relight This craziness this is stuff that the church has fought over.

Then we have this new thing if we come out and have a couple more just bear with me and then we come into the church world today and we have now we have text to give her giving online and people think we all those people give it on their phone. That's not real giving Really ask my bank account about that because when I go online and give it takes it out of my account. Just like it does with you when you write a check. I mean, in fact mine comes out instantly. It takes a few days to run your check through it. Don't take no time to run my instantly comes out of my and we hold on to that tradition with this is the last one some of us have a problem with not with the Bible. With the Bible and we think the only legal way to bind. The Bible is either leather or cardboard. Will you want soft down a hardback book? Did you think that the Bible is encased in plastic and glass and they're reading their Bible from the phone? I can't believe it. Maybe like I can.

I remember that Bible in church anymore. Oh, yeah, I do and I got 14 commentaries on here, too.

If things we hold onto guys and maybe you don't hold on to any of those things and most of you probably really don't I was just trying to be silly to really emphasize a point that there's always things in our life that we make the main thing when they're really not the main thing at all rather than just holding fast to Jesus and holding on to who he is. One of the biggest statements of death that we making the churches that we've never done it that way before. We've never done it that way before. I think it's a statement of death for a church. I think it's just a statement of death. Jesus is saying right here. Ella me just say this. I believe that the clock is ticking for the church that has that feeling. I think the clock is ticking for their Ultimate Death if they've never done that way before because when you become unwilling to change not the Jesus changes are met our message never changes, but our methods are constantly changing because Jesus change the methods when he came

The time bomb is a ticking Time Bomb. So Jesus says listen, I'm your high priest Jesus saying clean to me. Hold on to me focus on me. I'm the Lord that changes not on the same yesterday today and forever. I tell you something that my grandkids and my grandkids grandkids will not connect with Jesus the way that I did. And we've lost a Generation Church over style not substance. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ has lost a generation over style the way we do things rather than what we're saying. We're saying they're saying we're saying they don't want Jesus what they're what they're saying is I don't want your style and so because their style is not our style we've separated and they don't come to church to hear about Jesus Anymore.

We have lost an entire generation. I read a statistic the other day. I believe it's true by by the fact of who who I read it from they say average in America. There are two 200 churches a week. They close up shop in her soul to be something else while we're fighting over silly things like chairs what we sing off of drums piano color of carpet and a million other things that the church fights over which aren't substance issues. They are style and tradition issues. I'm telling you Jesus as your high priest hold tightly to that Hold On Loosely to everything else but don't ever give up the fact of who he is and he is the rock you built your life on he's the same yesterday today and forever. He's the god that changes not Amen, that's truth. So we've I think we've kind of committed gospel negligent and it had been away. No wonder the world struggles to be part of us. We're sometimes no difference. We have to hold firmly to Jesus in his words. I wrote this down. Maybe you want to drop this fog down. But if you are not confident in the authority of scripture, you're going to be a slave to whatever sounds good if you're not confident. I mean, I'm totally sure this is what Jesus says in this is what the Bible says and I'm going to hold confidently to that these things do not change. We can not change the fact that Jesus was born of a virgin we can not change the fact that Jesus lived a completely sinless life. We can not change the fact that his blood through his blood cleanses us from our sin so that we can go into heaven and spend eternity with God. We cannot change the fact that Jesus loves us. We can not change the fact that Jesus wants to touch us right where we heard the Jesus wants to heal us that he wants to be our best. And that he wants to be our Lord our Saviour our Master. We cannot change those things.

We have to hold tightly to the authority of God's word or else we're going to fall or run after whatever. It sounds good Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 and says this high priest of ours understands our weakness or effaced all the same testing. So not only is Jesus our high. Priest not only do we hold and clean firmly to our faith. We hold on to those things that we believe about Jesus so true.

You know, no teacher of the religious law ever went and set on the side of a mountain and fed people the way that Jesus did with a Chick-fil-A box. I know it wasn't Chick-fil-A box. Just bear with me for a minute. That was a change and all the religious people said we don't teach that way. We teach in the temple.

Just another proof to show you we hold onto things that really don't matter. The important thing was at the multitude heard the message who cares whether it's on the side of the mountain or who cares if it's in the temple. I preached all decked out in his Priestly garb. Phone number 31 West Dunn Jesus understands. No other God of no other religion understands like God, does he faced every test that you'll ever face whatever you're facing whatever you're going through. It might be new to you, but it wasn't either Jesus. In fact in the garden when he was right before his crucifixion heat. He prayed the prayer Lord If It Be Your Will that father if it be your will let this cup pass from me then later on a little bit later. You heard him say he said father. Why have you forsaken me Jesus went through everything in your there's nothing that you'll ever go through that. He's not already been through. There's nothing that you'll ever face in your life that Jesus couldn't say I can relate to you. If you ever had a friend that maybe they went through something. It was just horrible. And you say man. I don't know how you feel. I can't really relate to you. But I feel for you. There's nothing that will ever happen to you that Jesus says I wish I could relate to you, but I can't but I do feel sorry for you. Jesus has been through everything every emotion every hurt every pain every thought everything you've ever thought. He's already been through it for you and he's already conquered that you just have to hold on to him. Do you believe that this morning? I think that's an incredible thought not a comforting thought to know that he's been there.

Maybe when you were a kid, I don't know if you were this way, but I was this way and I used to think that my there was a time where my parents weren't cool when they weren't Smart in and have I ever thought that about your your parents at one time. It's okay to answer. I saw that finger. Melody's looking at Sarah to see if she raises her hand. What a crazy thing, right? Yeah, you know your parents is kind of going to the depths of mental retardation at some point in your life. It happens. It happens. What do you want admitted or not? And you think your parents are from another planet? Like what what what boat did you fall off of you know, just crazy stuff. I remember when Kevin was Junior was first born my first my first born child and at some point I talked to my parents and I was like, I was telling what all Kevin was doing cuz he was just like the Tasmanian devil on steroids. I'm like and you understand that he doesn't sleep at night and he like every time we go to the nursery. Nobody want to go get him cuz we don't want to hear what he did while I was there. I couldn't he bite this time who stared at him. Wall. Did he color is the church still standing? Well, thank God it didn't burn the place down. You're holding on to the wrong thing, you know. I listen to my parents forget to tell me back the things that I did and I'm like wow. I'll send my parents became real smart again, what really happened did they really become smarter? Probably not but I got enlightened to the fact that those things had already happened before and they knew exactly what I was feeling with sleepless nights. They knew exactly what I was thinking and feeling with do how many more diapers do we have to buy? Will it ever end, you know it cost more to catch it than it does to put it in kind of a thing.

Jesus never had a moment that he ever thought that I wish I could have dinner for today in the world. We live in We have a lot of modern conveniences. Give me about 5 minutes. And I'm done. We have so many modern conveniences in the world that we live in and I'm talking about Jesus understands the day we have this wonderful thing. Maybe you're familiar with it. Maybe you're not it's called YouTube most of you probably party and there's never there's very few problems. If any did somebody hadn't already face the problem on YouTube and put a video out there about how to do it. I looked up some things that you can do. If you can find out how to do on YouTube Pastor. What does this have to do with God just stick with me for a minute. This is my time. Just listen. I promise you I'll show you what has to do with God. There's very few things George that you need to do and not know how to do it because of YouTube like for example, you can learn to tie a tie If You Wear Ties you can learn to tie those on the internet George did that this morning? He got YouTube. How do I tie a tie? If I was a little bit late coming into you have trouble with this internet speed.

You can learn to install a radiator in a car by watching the YouTube video. I mean they show you step-by-step how to cut Azalea's how to replace a belt on a clothes dryer. It shows you how right there on YouTube right there on your phone or your computer or your tablet or whatever you got that shows you how to do and you don't have to pay for it. Just watch the video.

This is my favorite all-time though. There is a YouTube video that's got 24 million hits on how to start a fire with a lemon. I know you're going to take go home and look it's there. I promise you. So if you're ever out in the woods guys and you're stranded if you happen to have a spare lemon in your pocket or first, okay, and you can get to an intern you can watch a video about how to start a fire and get warm from a lemon from a lemon. It's on YouTube and all those things. It's because we live in a generation that doesn't want a instruction manual telling them what to do. This is our current generation. They want somebody to show them what to do. That's why you tube one of the reasons why YouTube is so important is so popular because it doesn't tell them what to do. There's not a lot of talking necessary, but it's showing them what to do it here is the example but let me just tell you something about Jesus. He is the example he became our high priest. We're supposed to hold on to him. He understands he's our high priest so we hold tight to that. In the same way that we use YouTube to figure out how to do things. We look to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. He started it. He'll ended it all belongs to him. It's all about him. But that's all it only as him not our traditions. Not on the things, it's Jesus and it's Jesus. That's it. Just Jesus. Think about the story in Genesis chapter 2 God spoke to Abraham. He said I want to take I want you to take that son of promise and I want you to take him to the top of Mount Moriah. And Abraham is struggling with this because because this is his child and this is the promise this is the son of promising and and Abraham said you said I would be a father not just of a son that have great Nations and now you're wanting me to take him to the top of the amount when you want me to sacrifice him, but little did Abraham know that while he was struggling of one side of the mountain his solution was coming up the other side of the mountain. It's focusing on Jesus. He didn't focus on will but but this in this and guys we do it all the time. We think I know that I'm supposed to receive this so I know God wants to do this in my life, but or but I keep thinking this or I have this feeling that we've got to get off of those and just realized she's this is our high priest and just put our confidence in him. I had a great story of someone the other day so they were they came in there till their Pastor. I'm leaving the church. There's nothing but a bunch of Hypocrites and liars and backfires. I'm not ever coming back to the church and the guy told the lady said here. I want you to take this glass of water and he handed her a full glass of water. He said I want you to walk around the church Kevin two times outside and don't spill a drop every time you spill a drop come back in for another drop in and start the process again. I want you to focus on walking around the church don't spill any water. So after she finally did it several hours later she came in and she said pastor I've done and now I'm leaving the church. I'm never coming back. What was I supposed to Get by that he said I just wonder why you were out there walking around focusing on that water. Did you see any Hypocrites? Did you see any Liars? Did you see any backbiters out there know and I didn't see any of that. I was just focused on that water because I didn't want to spill any water and that's the same way. It is with Jesus when you come to church. It's not about all the traditions and I'm sorry, but all the garbage you've seen or heard in the past. It's really just about Jesus when it all falls down. It's not about the Church of God denomination weather. We're methodists weather where Pocahontas AR weather whatever we are in matters. Are you got Jesus in the middle of the policeman? Is Jesus here because Jesus can change everything. There's nothing wrong with our denomination. There's nothing wrong with having formal religion. But when former religion has you there is a problem. Amen preach preacher you're doing good. All those things are things. I know you're thinking right now. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16 since they'll let us come boldly to the throne of grace of God there. He will receive his mercy and we'll find his grace and he will help us when we need it. Most the last point is this and we enter boldly into his presence because Jesus understands we can approach his presence with boldness because of what he's done for us in the ancient days. You would have never just approached a king without being summoned unless you wanted to die. You just didn't go popping up in the king's presence. You just didn't do that you you only came when you received an invitation to come but it's no longer that way because if you did you'd have to be invited in her you would be you would be able to kill you. Okay, it's just that simple. So it his character his nature then gives me confidence if you're apparently never had small kid and you're trying to sleep in on a Saturday morning, but they come busting in the room screaming do they come in and do they call you or text you and say hey Mom and Dad. Can we come in the room? Holler and screaming cuz we're No, they just come in. Why because they feel like they have the authority because why because their mom and dad are in there. They they have full right to go in there and wake you up while you wanted to sleep in. And that's the exact same kind of thing. It is with God because he is our high priest. He understands where we've been through. He is the only thing we hold on to that we can now come boldly. I don't have to walk up to his door knock lightly because I'm afraid of him. God is not something that I have to be feared in that way that I have to think man. He's going to thump me off the face of the Earth are caused this to happen to me or he's going to hurt me. It's not that way at all. We come boldly into his presence because we know that character in the nature of our father and the invitation is already been given so we can enter into his presence. You don't have to go through a man. We don't have to go through religious exercises to earn the right. We have an audience with the King. We enter boldly where we find Grace and where we find Mercy you guys did is totally amazing Mercy is not getting what you deserve. You deserve it Mercy is not getting what you deserve and Grace is not deserving what you get. Two great definitions you ought to put the memory Mercy is not getting what I deserve and Grace is not deserving what I get because I don't deserve it. In his presence, we find Mercy that helps us with our sin and Grace which helps us with our everyday life or we don't come in with arrogance or self-confidence, but we come in with full surance with full confidence of what he's done for us on the cross. People that come to murder come in for Mercy for the scent of life and they find Grace to rest in God and what he's done. Jesus Christ is our high priest. Jesus Christ is our high priest we hold tightly to our faith. We come boldly into his presence. We don't hold the things and we don't hold traditions and we don't hold the things that really just don't matter. We hold on to Jesus because he's the author and the finisher of our faith Jesus because he's the same yesterday today and forever Jesus because we can count on him we can depend on him when others fail us. He doesn't fail us we count and lay our hold on to Jesus and I don't care if you're in this church, or if you're in any other Church in the world today if you put your focus on anything other than on Jesus, And the finished work of the Cross and what he's done for us if we put our confidence or trust in anything else. We're setting ourself up to fail because man and man systems will always fail you. You won't hang around this church too long before you'll find a problem. But you'll never find a problem with Jesus.