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Covenant OPC Layout

Heb 2:14-3:6 Have confidence your faithful High Priest Jesus has reconciled you to God forever

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

*Come to Pulpit

*Layout Items

*Greet Congregation -Good Morning I welcome you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Scripture Meditation .... Numbers 12:1-16

Scripture Reading……. Numbers 12:1-16

HEAR NOW THE VERY WORD OF GOD.

 1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.

10 When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” 15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

*LET GOD ADD HIS BLESSING TO THIS READING OF HIS WORD

Prelude -Take a moment to prepare for worship and to think about the passage we just read.

We are here this morning because God calls us into his presence to Bless us by his Holy Spirit and by the means of Grace.

Would you please rise for Gods call to worship

OUR CALL to Worship… Psalm 103

1-5

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Let us open our Trinity Psalter Hymnals to Psalm 103 and we will sing Stanzas 1-3

PSALM EXPLANATION

By this psalm every godly man is taught to give thanks to God for the mercies bestowed upon himself in particular,

and then for the grace which God has vouchsafed to all his chosen ones in common,

by making a covenant of salvation with them in his law,

that he might make them partakers of his adoption.

But the Psalmist chiefly magnifies the mercy by which God sustains and bears with his people;

and that not on account of any merit or worth of theirs,

for they only deserve to be visited with severe punishment, but because he is compassionate with their frailty.

The psalm is at length concluded with a general ascription of praise to God.

Let us Sing

*Hymn of Praise.…………TPH# 103A Bless the Lord, My Soul Stanzas 1-3

LET US PRAY

Prayer of Confession and Repentance

O most merciful Father, we thank you that you have brought us under so gracious a covenant,

as not only to pardon the sins of our unregenerate state;

but also upon our penitent confession and return,

to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness, and pardon our sins by the blood of Christ,

and to restore our souls, and lead us again in the paths of righteousness,

Grant that We May Not Grow Stupid in Our Vices

Grant, Almighty God, that as we have already so often provoked your wrath against us, and you have in your paternal indulgence borne with us, or at least chastised us so gently as to spare us—

O grant that we may not become hardened in our wickedness,

but seasonably repent, and that we may not be drawn away after the inventions of our flesh,

nor seek ways to flee away from you, but come straight to your presence,

and make a humble, sincere, and honest confession of our sins, so that you may receive us into favor,

and that being reconciled to us, you may bestow on us a larger measure of your blessings, through Christ our Lord.

AMEN

YOU MAY BE SEATED!!!!!!

READING OF GODS LAW

* WE PROFESS OUR FAITH AND CONFESS OUR SINS BEFORE HIM

Turn in your Bibles to Exodus 20:1-21 For our reading of Gods Law

That Exodus 20:1-21

20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Confession of Sin ............. Question 61 of the Heidelberg Catechism on page 882

I will read the question And we will read the answer together. READ

THIS FROM THE TRINITY PSALTER HYMNAL

Heidelberg Catechism Lords Day 23

QUESTION 61. Why do you say that through faith alone you are righteous?

ANSWER: Not because I please God by the worthiness of my faith, for only Christ’s satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness are my righteousness before God, and I can receive this righteousness and make it mine in no other way than by faith alone.

Assurance of Pardon……………...……..………………... Hebrews 2:17-18

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect,

so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God,

to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

For because he himself has suffered when tempted,

he is able to help those who are being tempted.

*WE OFFER OURSELVES IN PRAYER AND GIVING *CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER...

LET US PRAY

Congregational Prayer

Father in Heaven help us your people to focus our attention on Christ.

grant that in true and sincere faith we may raise up all our thoughts and affections to your only begotten Son,

who is our propitiation, that you being appeased,

we may lay hold on him, and remain united to him by a sacred bond,

until you at length gather us all into that celestial kingdom which he has

procured for us by his own blood.

Cause us to be fervent in prayer, and joyful in your praises, and to serve you this day without distraction,

that we may find that a day in your courts is better than a thousand,

and that it is good for us to draw near to God; through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Father we Pray for _____________ and we ask for all these things in the powerful, glorious, majestic, and wonderful name of Jesus Christ Amen. *GOD FEEDS US FROM HIS WORD

Let us turn in our Trinity Psalter Hymnal

*Hymn of Preparation……TPH# 103A Bless the Lord, My Soul Stanzas 4-6

LET US RISE FOR THE SINGING OF GODS WORD

Hymn of Thanksgiving ...TPH# 103A Bless the Lord, My Soul Stanzas 4-6

YOU MAY BE SEATED

*GOD FEEDS US FROM HIS WORD

Sermon Text………………...………………..….…………Hebrews 2:14-3:6

OUR SERMON TEXT IS ABOUT

Having confidence that your faithful High Priest Jesus has reconciled you to God forever.

So what does that entail?

What do we as Christians need to know?

What is propitiation?

You may have not heard of that word before.

A good example of Propitiation from Michael Green is

“If we look through a piece of red glass, everything is red. If we look through a piece of blue glass, everything is blue. If we look through a piece of yellow glass, everything is yellow, and so on.

When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, God looks at us through the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees us in all the white holiness of his Son. Our sins are imputed to the account of Christ and his righteousness to our account.”

So let us read the word of God and hear how it will inform us of the answers to these questions.

Sermon…Have confidence your faithful High Priest Jesus has reconciled you to God forever

SERMON

*Turn in your Bible to Hebrews 2:17-3:6 repeat Hebrews 2:17-3:6 It can be found on Pg. _______ in your pew Bible. “READ”

“People of God have confidence your faithful High Priest Jesus has reconciled you to God forever. “

Hear now the very word of God

17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Jesus Greater Than Moses

3 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Today I want to draw your attention to what your confidence should rest in.

HP “People of God have confidence your faithful High Priest Jesus has reconciled you to God forever.”

Point 1 Jesus became a man for you verse 17-18

· Hebrews 2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

o Christ was born like a man as an infant.

o Christ had an earthly mother.

o Christ had to grow like a man

o Christ had to learn to work with his hands like a man. (he was a carpenter)

o Christ had to learn how to speak like a man.

o Christ had to learn his alphabet like a man.

o Christ sweat like a man

o Christ Bled like a man

o Christ got tired like a man

o Christ had to struggle with family members.

o Christ had to struggle with teaching men like you and me.

o Christ was betrayed by his friends. (Peter denied him three times)

o Christ wept at the death of his friend Lazarus.

o Christ had to battle the Pharisees and the Sadducees (those who would misuse Gods word for their gain.

o Christ was tempted by Satan as we are.

o Christ was tempted to sin like a man (But the difference is he didn’t sin.)

o Christ as our High Priest knew what it was to be a man in every sense.

o And this was “so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest for you”

Point 2 Jesus is your High Priest chapter 3 verses 1-2

In the Old Testament how were sacrifices made?

Where did they begin?

Who were the High priests?

Illustration

When King David was searching for a site to build the Temple near Jerusalem, he found a very attractive piece of land that belonged to a man named Araunah. When the Jebusite learned who it was that wanted his land, he offered to give it to the King, as well as oxen and wood for the sacrifice. But David said, “No, but I will buy it off you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing” (2 Sam. 24:24).

· David was buying this land for the temple where the sacrifices were going to be made to the Lord repeatedly for the sins of the people.

At this temple after it was built a priest would be performing the sacrifices for the sins of the people.

Just as a priest had been sacrificing animals for the sins of the people since Aaron the first High Priest

Exodus 29:7-14 tells us of what this sin offering looked like

7 You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. 8 Then you shall bring his sons and put coats on them, 9 and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons. 10 “Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11 Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 12 and shall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar. 13 And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

What should jump out at us is what?

The only problem is this offering had to be made continually on a regular basis.

After Aaron died his priestly garments were to be given to the next high Priest who was his son Elazar on Mount Horeb and when Eleazar died the office was given to Phinehas.

The last high priest named in the Old Testament was Jaddua, who appears in the book of Nehemiah (Neh. 12:22). He is said to have served until “the reign of Darius the Persian,”

There was always a High Priest to offer the sin offerings to the Lord for the people.

But who is our High Priest now that the temple is gone and the sacrifices are no longer made.

Just as David paid a price for the temple that would be used to offer sacrifices to the Lord.

· Our Lord Jesus’s paid a price by making a sacrifice that was costly and it it cost him his life.

· Christ as our High Priest offered himself up as a Sacrifice to satisfy divine justice.

· Christ was the perfect sacrifice for our sins so he is unique.

Not only did Christ give himself up to be a sacrifice he was and still is our High Priest.

· So how did Christ execute the office of a priest?

· Our WSC Q25 tells us that

· Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God; and in making continual intercession for us.

· Hebrews 2:17-3:6 speaks about Christs sacrifice and how Christ was made so that he could make such a sacrifice.

In verse 17 we learn of the propitiation of Christ.

· Propitiation is - The satisfaction of the righteous demands of God in relation to human sin and its punishment through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, by which the penalty of sin is canceled, and the anger of God averted.

The word “propitiation” is used three times in the New Testament. In all three places we are told that Christ is our propitiation. The very same Greek word translated “propitiation” in the New Testament is translated “mercy seat” in the Greek version of Exodus 25:21 and in Hebrews 9:5

The mercy seat, which covered the ark of the covenant and covered God’s broken law,

upon which the cherubim were fixed,

upon which they constantly looked,

was the place where the atonement blood of the paschal lamb was sprinkled.

The mercy seat was the seat of divine majesty where God promised to meet his people in mercy.

Point 3 Why do we need propitiation and how is it recieved?

We have a need for propitiation: Because God has anger against us because of our sin.

· Psalm 7:11 (ESV) — 11 God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation every day.

· Romans 2:5 (ESV) — 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

· Psalm 78:38 (ESV) — 38 Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.

· Brothers and sister, we deserved hell.

· We could not atone for our sins on our own.

· It was our sin in the Garden (Our disobedience.) Genesis 3:6 “And when the women saw that the tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes she and her husband took and ate the fruit God had forbid them to eat.

· And the blood of Bulls and goats was not good enough day after day month after month and year after year being offered up for the people of Gods sins in the Old Testament.

· THIS IS WHY WE NEED PROPITIATION

· And it can only be given by Jesus Christ.

Propitiation is given if we trust in Christ.

John 3:36 (ESV) — 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

· You cannot trust in a false God such a Buddha or Allah for this propitiation.

You can not trust in your good works because we are told that no one is righteous in Romans 3:10-18

LET US TURN TO ROMANS 3:10-18 give them a minute to turn

Rom 3:10-18 “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands;

no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.”

“The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.”

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Brothers and sisters we all need Christ to intercede for us in light of this passage.

Only Christ was sinless and only Christ has satisfied divine justice for us.

Propitiation is given if we trust in Christ

Christ provides propitiation for you.

A. Christ was the fulfillment of the Old Testament Promises for you.

Isaiah 53:5–6 (ESV) — 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

B. Christ went through suffering for you.

· Heb 2:18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

· Luke 22:44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground

o Christ has suffered and Christ has bled for all believers’ sins who trust in him

C. Christ provided propitiation according to the New Testament for you.

· 1 John 2:2 (ESV) — 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

D. Christ’s motivation for propitiation is God’s love for you.

· 1 John 4:10 (ESV) — 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

POINT 4 Christ proportion was for you who are his called-out ones.

Heb 3:1

Heb 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

· Jesus is called an apostle here the commissioned one who was sent by the Father to speak a specific message and for the specific task to save sinners.

· Jesus is our High Priest – he was like the Levitical priest

· but the difference is our high priest Jesus made a once and for all sacrifice. Never to have to repeat this sacrifice again.

· Not like the Roman Catholic church who celebrates the Mass - The Mass, where the bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ in their minds.

· Christ does not need to be sacrificed over and over again as they do. When Christ said it is finished on the cross before he died he meant it.

· John 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

· Heb 3:1 speaks OF OUR CONFESSION

o We should not do what most Christians do today and tell people what we think Jesus taught.

We have our Bible and we know what Christ taught. Our Confession is important.

We must read are Bibles and We must Know what Jesus teaches us

And we must know who we are in light of what he has accomplished on the cross on our behalf.

Always be ready to share with others the hope that lies in you.

1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

o You should confess and bear witness to “The apostle and high priest Jesus -

Bear witness that Christ was the God-Man.

POINT 5 Christ is faithful and worthy of your praise.

chapter 3:2-4 lets look back at our text

verse 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)

· All three major religions all recognize Moses - Christianity, Judaism, Islam.

· Moses and Jesus are not building separate houses here.

· Moses and Jesus are building HIS house

· Num 12:7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.

Verse 5-6 say

5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

· This house was the church and it was the same church in the Old Testament that Moses built and the Same house which is the church that Christ built in the New Testament. They were the same house.

· WE ARE THE HOUSE that Christ is building up here on earth.

· “If ” indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

· Hold Fast – means we do not let go of Christ.

· Confidence - in the hope of Gods completed propitiation – Christ's cross work has paid for all the sins of the elect of God.

· Christ's house is secure and we are to hold fast AND HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT CHRISTS PROPITIATION HAS PAID THE PENALTY FOR YOUR SIN ONCE AND FOR ALL.

Have confidence in Christ as a person who is a priest who sympathizes with you

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

So have confidence to declare what the Westminster assembly declared about Christ

That Christ executed the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God; and in making continual intercession for us.

Remember when we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, God looks at us through the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the glass of Christ is not Red, Blue, or Yellow.

He sees us in all the white holiness of his Son.

Our sins are imputed to the account of Christ and his righteousness to our account.”

So People of God have confidence your faithful High Priest Jesus who was tempted in every way, has reconciled you to God forever.

· *Let us pray

· Father we thank you for this teaching on what our savior had to accomplish to pay for the sins. Help us to understand the Mercy that is afforded to us through propitiation. Lord help us and enable us to turn to your son Jesus who is the only mediator between God and man.

· AMEN.

PSALM EXPLANATION OF PSALM 86

In this psalm prayers and holy meditations, we are engaged with the view of nourishing and confirming faith,

together with praises and thanksgivings, are intermingled.

It having been difficult in the judgment of carnal reason for David to escape from the distresses with which he was environed,

he sets in opposition to its conclusions the infinite goodness and power of God.

Nor does he simply request deliverance from his enemies;

but he also prays that the fear of God may be implanted and firmly established in his heart.

LET US RISE to sing Psalm 86A Hear Me, O Lord, and Answer Me Stanzas 1-6

We will sing it to a familiar tune WOODWORTH LM or the song Just as I am. *Hymn of Response .Psalm 86A Hear Me, O Lord, and Answer Me Stanzas 1-6

Would you please remain standing and turn in the back of our Trinity Psalter Hymnals to page 851 where we find the words of the Apostles Creed. This is a great summary of the Christian faith that we share with the church of the ages

Let us join our voices with the voice of the church. Apostles Creed ..... Trinity Psalter Hymnal pg. 851

WE ARE DISMISSED WITH GOD’S BLESSING

*God’s Word of Blessing

WE ARE DISMISSED WITH GOD’S BLESSING - From Numbers 6

English Standard Version Chapter 6

The Lord bless you and keep you; 25  the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26  the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Our closing hymn is from the TPH #567

*Closing Hymn…………………..………………………. TPH #567 Doxology