Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP220007S
|
00:01 Hello, friends, I'm Jill Morikone
00:02 and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel 00:04 as we journey through the Book of Hebrews, 00:07 in these last days. 00:08 I can't believe we're at the tipping point. 00:10 We're halfway through the quarter. 00:12 This is lesson number seven, Jesus, the Anchor of the Soul. 00:17 If you don't have your own copy of the quarterly, 00:19 you can go to 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 00:23 That website again is 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 00:27 You can download your own copy, 00:28 or we always encourage you 00:30 to visit your local Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:33 Ask them for quarterly and join the Bible study there. 00:36 Join us now for this edition of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:10 What an incredible study this has been 01:12 of the Book of Hebrews. 01:13 I've learned so much and grown to appreciate even more, 01:17 our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 01:18 who is our High Priest, 01:20 our sacrifice and our substitute. 01:22 I want to introduce to you our panel, 01:25 no strangers to you at home. 01:26 It's just so good to get in 01:27 and study the Word of God with family 01:29 and that's who we are on the set. 01:31 To my left is Pastor James. 01:32 So glad you're here. 01:33 Good to be here Jill, always. 01:35 Looking forward to your study. 01:36 To your left, Pastor John Dinzey, 01:38 glad you're here. 01:39 It's a blessing to be here. Amen. 01:41 To your left Shelley Quinn, 01:43 my sister, glad you're here, Sis. 01:46 I'm excited to be here. Amen. 01:49 You notice everyone's talking a lot today. 01:51 To your left is Pastor Ryan Day, 01:53 last but not least. 01:55 I'll talk a little bit more. 01:56 It's a blessing to be on Sabbath School Panel. 01:57 I love Sabbath School Panel. 01:59 And I love all of my brothers and sisters on this panel. 02:02 Amen. Amen. 02:03 And we love you a home too, 02:04 you're part of the 3ABN Sabbath School family, 02:07 because you study with us every week, 02:09 and we're so grateful for that. 02:10 Before we go any further, 02:11 we want to go to the Lord in prayer. 02:13 Pastor James, would you pray for us? 02:14 Absolutely. Let's pray. 02:16 Father, thank You again so much for Jesus Christ. 02:19 Thank You for how much this book means to us, 02:22 this Book of Hebrews, in these last days, 02:24 and thank You that we can open these pages again, 02:28 we just pray that the Holy Spirit will be here 02:30 with us and also with everyone 02:31 who's viewing that You will touch our hearts 02:34 that You will draw us to heaven. 02:35 We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. 02:38 Amen. 02:39 So last week's lesson was an incredible study. 02:41 I was so blessed by it. 02:43 We studied Hebrews Chapter 5-7, did we not? 02:45 Just those three chapters, 02:47 and looked at Jesus as the faithful High Priest. 02:51 This week, Jesus, the Anchor for the Soul 02:53 is really a parenthetical insertion 02:57 into what we studied last week. 02:58 Now, you say what in the world are you talking about, Jill? 03:00 Well, I studied English that was my degree in school. 03:03 And parentheses is a word or a clause, 03:08 something that's inserted as an explanation 03:11 or an afterthought into a passage, 03:13 but the passage would be grammatically complete 03:15 without it. 03:17 So all we're studying the entire panel today, 03:20 we're studying a parentheses. 03:21 It's this insertion into Hebrews Chapters 5-7, 03:26 we're going to study Hebrews 5:11, 03:29 all the way through the end of Chapter 6. 03:32 That is the parenthetical insertion 03:34 into the theological exposition on Jesus as the High Priest. 03:39 So this parenthetical insertion has two portions, 03:42 the first portion is a warning. 03:45 It's the danger of falling away from Christ, 03:48 the danger of spiritual immaturity, 03:51 the danger of becoming discouraged in the journey, 03:53 the danger of apostasy from God 03:56 or even open rebellion against God. 03:59 But it's followed, 04:01 the second part of this parentheses 04:03 is encouragement. 04:04 Jesus is the way of salvation. He's our hope. 04:07 He is our High Priest. 04:09 Through Him, we have immediate access to the Father. 04:13 The promises given to Israel are extended to us. 04:16 The hope given to Israel is given to us. 04:19 You and I today can have assurance, 04:22 we can have hope, we can have peace, 04:24 victory and salvation. 04:26 We're going to cover all of that 04:28 in these parentheses around of Hebrews Chapters 5-6. 04:32 Our memory verse is Hebrews 6:19-20. 04:35 Let's take a look at that. 04:37 Hebrews 6:19-20. 04:41 "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, 04:43 both secure and steadfast, 04:45 which enters the presence behind the veil, 04:48 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, 04:51 having become High Priest forever according to the order 04:56 of Melchizedek. 04:58 On Sunday's lesson, we tackle a passage 05:00 that can be a little complicated, 05:02 and I'm just doing the very first portion of it, 05:05 'cause Pastor James and Pastor John here 05:07 are going to cover it even more. 05:09 Sunday's title is Tasting the Goodness of the Word. 05:14 You know, they say that Rome wasn't built in a day, 05:17 you heard that expression? 05:18 Yep. 05:20 And I would suggest to you 05:21 that a marriage doesn't crumble in a day. 05:24 You don't go from marital bliss to the next day, 05:28 I hate you, and I'm going to divorce you. 05:30 It's a process to get from A to Z, 05:32 it would be a process that takes time. 05:35 Your child doesn't walk away from Jesus in a day, 05:37 it's a process, daily choices, 05:40 where there may be in love with Jesus, 05:42 and all of a sudden, you end up over here and say, 05:45 "I don't even know if I know this person, 05:47 because they've so turned away from God." 05:50 An employee of an organization is never terminated in a day. 05:54 It's a process that takes much time 05:57 and discussion before that decision is reached. 06:02 You know, we all make choices in life, 06:03 our thoughts impact our feelings, 06:07 do they not? 06:08 Our feelings become our words and our words, 06:12 of course, actions, 06:13 and then habits and then character. 06:16 And that becomes our destiny. 06:17 So, you know, it starts back in the mind. 06:19 We say, "Okay, well, you just did such and such, 06:22 and that became your destiny." 06:23 No, our thoughts, 06:25 the thoughts that we have and the feelings 06:27 that we hold on to, 06:28 you take that to its logical progression, 06:31 and you end up over here with your destiny 06:33 and where it is determined. 06:35 So I want to look at this passage with that in mind. 06:38 We're in Hebrews 6, 06:40 we're going to pick it up in verse 4. 06:43 "It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, 06:47 and have tasted the heavenly gift." 06:49 We're going to go back and explore all of these verbs. 06:51 Enlightened is the first, 06:53 tasted the heavenly gift is the second, 06:56 become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 06:58 that's the third, tasted the good word of God, 07:02 that's the fourth, 07:03 and the powers of the age to come, 07:05 that's the fifth, 07:06 if they fall away to renew them again to repentance. 07:09 So let's take a look at this. 07:11 The believers were converted, were they not? 07:14 They were once enlightened, what does that mean? 07:17 I'm reminded of Paul, this is in Acts 26, 07:20 his defense. 07:21 Acts 26:17-18, and what does he say? 07:24 This is God speaking to him, 07:26 "I will deliver you from the Jewish people 07:28 as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send you 07:32 to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness 07:35 to light, from the power of Satan 07:38 to the power of God, 07:39 that they may receive forgiveness of sins 07:42 and then inheritance among those who are sanctified 07:44 by faith in Me." 07:46 Paul's really talking about the commission 07:48 that he received from the Lord Jesus Christ. 07:52 But what was part of that? 07:54 He was to open up their eyes. 07:57 Reminds me of Colossians 1:13, 08:00 God's delivered us from the power of darkness 08:03 and conveyed us into the kingdom 08:04 of God's dear Son. 08:07 So, these people were once enlightened, 08:10 what does that mean? 08:12 They knew God. 08:13 They were enlightened. 08:15 They understood they had been transformed 08:17 out of darkness, 08:18 into the kingdom of God's dear Son. 08:20 They were walking in the light of the glory of God. 08:23 But it doesn't stop there. 08:25 They tasted the heavenly gift. 08:26 You know, Psalm 34:8, 08:29 is a pivotal verse in my own experience, 08:31 because of this verse, 08:33 I made a choice to follow Jesus. 08:34 Psalm 34:8, just says, 08:36 "Taste and see that the Lord is good. 08:38 Blessed is the man or woman who trust in Him." 08:41 And because of that verse in my own life, 08:44 I said, "Okay, God, I'm going to try You." 08:46 And I actually gave Him two weeks, 08:47 which I'm not sure I recommend. 08:49 But I said two weeks, I want to see are You real? 08:52 Are Your promises real? 08:54 Are you a real God? 08:55 Can You do what You say in the Bible? 08:57 And if in two weeks You don't show Yourself to me, 08:59 then I'm done with You. 09:01 And in those two weeks He so revealed who He was. 09:05 What was that? 09:07 That was tasting God for myself. 09:09 I tasted and saw that He was good. 09:11 So those who have tasted of the heavenly gift 09:13 clearly have experienced God for themselves. 09:17 Let's look at the third verb. 09:19 They tasted the heavenly gift, that's the second. 09:21 The third is, they became partakers of the Holy Spirit. 09:25 You know, in Galatians 5 tells us 09:26 when we walk into spirit, 09:28 we don't partake of the works of the flesh. 09:30 If we have partaken of the Holy Spirit, clearly, 09:33 we're walking with God. 09:35 We have the infilling of the Holy Spirit 09:37 as Shelley always talks about pray for every day, 09:40 the infilling of the Holy Spirit. 09:42 What's the fourth thing? They tasted of the Word of God. 09:45 I'm reminded of 1 Peter 2:2-3, Peter talking, 09:49 "As newborn babes, 09:51 desire the pure milk of the word, 09:53 that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted 09:57 that the Lord is gracious." 09:59 So, they were enlightened by the Spirit, 10:02 they partook of the Spirit, 10:04 they had tasted of the goodness of God, 10:07 they had tasted His Word, they had walked in His Word. 10:11 And then it says, the power of the age to come. 10:14 This refers to the miracles 10:15 that God will perform for the believer in the future, 10:18 as well as the miracles in the present 10:21 that He wants to do. 10:23 And yet, in spite of all this, in spite of walking with God, 10:26 in spite of knowing His Word, 10:28 in spite of partaking of the Holy Spirit, 10:30 you mean, they're going to fall away? 10:32 You mean, they're going to turn away? 10:34 Remember, we started at the beginning, 10:35 you don't go from A to Z in a day. 10:37 So that decision does not happen overnight. 10:41 You cannot be on fire for God, walking in the Spirit, 10:45 being in His Word, witnessing, 10:48 tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. 10:50 And you go from here to apostasy, 10:54 to spiritual lethargy, to apathy, 10:57 to walking away from God. 10:59 There is a progression of the hardening of the heart. 11:03 And I would submit to you from this passage, 11:05 I see three steps in that progression. 11:08 The first step is hardness of hearing, 11:11 or the inability to listen 11:13 and where we find that we just go back 11:15 a couple verses. 11:16 We're in Hebrews 5, we were in Hebrews 6, 11:18 just go back to Hebrews 5:10-11. 11:21 It says, "Called by God a High Priest 11:23 according to the order of Melchizedek, 11:25 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain," why? 11:29 "Since you became dull of hearing." 11:35 When I was growing up, we used to say to my dad, 11:38 when he was reading, he didn't hear anything else 11:40 but all he did was focus on what he's reading. 11:43 And my sister and I would tease him 11:44 and we would come in and we would say, 11:46 "Hey, Daddy, can we have this?" 11:48 "Uh-huh." "Hey, Daddy, what about this?" 11:51 "Uh-huh." "Hey, Daddy, what about this?" 11:53 Because he's not listening, right? 11:54 He's reading. 11:56 And then we'd always follow it up. 11:57 This was our joke, we always ended with, 11:59 "Is your head chopped off?" 12:00 And he would say, "Uh-huh." 12:03 So the truth is, 12:05 we hear what we want to hear, do we not? 12:08 We can be so absorbed. 12:09 God wanted to explain, God wanted to tell, 12:12 God wanted to teach, and they were dull of hearing. 12:15 Are you dull of hearing? 12:17 Have you, do you have hardness of hearing, 12:20 the inability to listen? 12:23 Hebrews 3:15, "Today, if you hear His voice, 12:25 do not harden your hearts." 12:27 When God speaks to your heart, your spirit. 12:31 Maybe you have walked with God for years 12:33 and you've tasted and partaken of the Holy Spirit. 12:36 But if He speaks to you in a certain area of your life, 12:40 and you don't want to listen, you begin to harden your heart. 12:44 That leads to number two, 12:45 the hardness of hearing or the inability to listen 12:48 leads to number two, 12:49 which is the hardness of heart to obey. 12:53 James 1:22, 12:54 "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, 12:58 deceiving your own selves." 12:59 This is the inability to do what you know is right. 13:02 Not only are we supposed to listen 13:04 when God speaks to us, 13:06 we need to walk in obedience to what He tells us to do. 13:10 And step number three 13:11 is the difficulty in understanding 13:14 spiritual things. 13:16 I believe step one and two are combined, 13:19 the inability to hear and the inability to obey. 13:22 They're combined to form a lack of spiritual maturity. 13:26 We see this in Hebrews 5:12, "Though by this time, 13:30 you ought to be teachers, 13:31 you need someone to teach you again 13:33 the first principles of the oracles of God, 13:35 you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13:38 For everyone who partakes only of milk 13:40 is unskilled in the word of righteousness. 13:42 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, 13:46 that is, those who by reason of use 13:48 have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." 13:53 So what is Paul saying? 13:54 He's saying here that they lack spiritual maturity, 13:58 and they lack spiritual discernment. 13:59 And why is that? 14:01 Because they began first, 14:02 they neglected to listen to what God tried to tell them. 14:07 So my appeal to you, listen when God speaks, 14:11 be open to hear His voice, and be quick to obey. 14:15 Amen. I really liked that. 14:17 I was actually taking notes right there 14:19 and learning some things. 14:20 I was really excited about getting this lesson. 14:23 My name is James Rafferty, 14:25 and I have Monday's lesson Impossible to Restore. 14:28 And as the lessons were being divvied out here and there, 14:32 I was looking through and thinking 14:33 which ones do I have? 14:35 Which ones do I have? 14:36 And I landed on this one, 14:37 find out that also John has this one too, 14:39 so we're kind of sharing it, 14:40 but this is a really significant one for me. 14:44 And the reason why is because 14:46 this is a big question as the pastors 14:48 and evangelists that is asked constantly, 14:51 people continually point to Hebrews Chapter 6, 14:54 and to Hebrews Chapter 10, and basically say, 14:57 "You know, is there any hope for me? 15:00 Is this my experience? 15:01 What does this mean? 15:02 If I sin, is God, there's no way I can be restored." 15:06 And that's the title of this lesson 15:08 is Impossible to Restore. 15:10 Now I came to this lesson filled with all kinds of ideas 15:14 and thoughts that I was just ready to share. 15:16 And then I read the lesson, I was like, 15:19 "Wow, this guy knocked it out of the park." 15:23 I just, I can't, I just thought this is so good. 15:26 I just we just got to go through what's written here 15:28 because it's so good. 15:29 So we're going to start by just rehashing a little bit. 15:32 We're going to look at Hebrews 4:6-8. 15:35 Those are the verses that we're going to be covering, 15:37 Hebrews 4:6-8. 15:38 There are a number of other verses, 15:39 they kind of build this, build on this. 15:41 And we'll look at those as we go through the outline, 15:43 but Hebrews 4:6-8, let's just start with verse 4. 15:46 "For it is impossible 15:48 for those who were once enlightened, 15:50 and have tasted the heavenly gift, 15:52 and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost." 15:54 Excuse me. I'm sorry. You said, Hebrews... 15:56 Hebrews 6. Hebrews 6... 15:57 Oh, I'm sorry, Hebrews 6. Okay, we're in Hebrews 4. 16:00 Yeah, it's Hebrews 6:4, got, thank you. 16:02 Okay. Hebrews 6:4-6, 4-6. 16:05 All right. 16:06 "For it is impossible 16:07 for those who have once enlightened 16:09 and have tasted the heavenly gift, 16:11 and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 16:14 and have tasted the good Word of God, 16:17 and the powers of the world to come." 16:19 All those verses that Jill has shared with us, 16:21 all those phrases. 16:22 "If," verse 6, "they shall fall away, 16:24 to renew them again unto repentance, 16:28 seeing they crucified to themselves, 16:30 the Son of God afresh, and put Him to open shame." 16:35 Now, there is a significance, a seriousness here. 16:39 When you read these verses, 16:40 you think they should kind of grab you, 16:42 and they should kind of remind you 16:44 of how important it is for us 16:46 to hold on to the enlightenment, 16:49 to the power, to everything that we've tasted of God, 16:53 and to not let that slip. 16:56 As Jill was sharing, you know, this, 16:58 does this process doesn't take place overnight. 17:00 It may look like it took place overnight, 17:03 but it's a long protracted process 17:05 that starts in our brains. 17:07 We may still put up the form of religion 17:09 and going to church and doing all the things 17:10 we're supposed to do. 17:12 But if our heart and our mind 17:13 is not connected intimately with God, 17:15 that process is already taking place. 17:17 Right. 17:19 And we know this because this is the experience 17:20 of Revelation Chapter 3's Laodicean Church. 17:24 They are already having this experience, 17:26 because Jesus is on the outside knocking to come in. 17:30 They're not supping with Him, 17:31 but they feel like they're rich 17:33 and increase with goods and don't need anything. 17:34 They're not even aware of their miserable condition. 17:36 And then one day, 17:38 they're just going to be spewed out of the mouth of Christ. 17:41 So this is significant. 17:42 It's an important point 17:44 that we need to look at in the Book of Hebrews, 17:45 'cause the Book of Hebrews is just filled 17:48 with all the promises and the beauty 17:50 of covenant relationship and our focus on Jesus 17:53 as our High Priest and the better things. 17:55 But then we get this right in the middle of it all. 17:57 Look out. 17:59 What does this mean? 18:00 While I love the way the author of the Book of Hebrews has, 18:05 the quarterly has described this, 18:07 he says here, the original text in the Greek emphasizes 18:11 the word impossible, a lot of emphasis there. 18:14 It is impossible for God to restore those 18:17 who have fallen away because they are crucified once 18:22 again the Son of God, Hebrews 6:6. 18:25 Paul wants to stress that it is, 18:27 there is no other way of salvation, 18:29 except through Christ. 18:31 Salvation by any other means is impossible, 18:35 as it is for God to lie, Hebrews 6:18. 18:37 To please God without faith, Hebrews 11:6. 18:40 I want to just pause right there in the quarterly 18:42 and just emphasize this point, 18:44 because it's so profound to me, it's so powerful. 18:47 And this was really what I was going to share 18:49 outside of the quarterly and that is, 18:50 is that the point that Hebrews is making here 18:53 is not that it's impossible for us to be forgiven, 18:55 it's not that it's impossible for us to have a mediator. 18:57 It's not that it's impossible for us 18:59 to find the blood of Christ cleans us. 19:01 What the point that the author is making, 19:03 that Paul is making and, of course, 19:05 the quarterly is making is the impossibility 19:08 is if we turn away from the mediation of Christ, 19:11 if we turn away from the sacrifice of Jesus, 19:14 if we turn away from the Holy Spirit, 19:16 if we turn away from everything we've tasted of God, 19:19 there's no other means of salvation. 19:22 You see, he was writing to the Hebrews 19:24 and the Hebrews had trusted for thousands of years 19:27 in the ceremonial system, in the sacrifices 19:30 that point to the types that pointed to Jesus, 19:33 they trusted in that. 19:34 And there was this danger that they might be overwhelmed 19:36 a little bit with the whole pressure 19:38 of the Judaizers or the pressure of the culture 19:41 and that they came from, 19:43 and the pressure of family relationships 19:44 that would draw them back into that and Paul saying, 19:46 "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, don't go back there. 19:48 I know that you've trusted that all of these years 19:51 for these generations. 19:53 But you can't go back to that now." 19:55 It's impossible for you to find salvation in that system. 19:59 Don't go back to that system, 20:00 because you've tasted 20:02 of what all that system was pointing to, 20:03 and you've got to stick with 20:05 what it is that those things were pointing us 20:08 to and not go back to those symbols, 20:11 those representations, so to speak. 20:14 Then he goes on here in the quarterly, he says, 20:16 to crucify the Son of God, again, the Son of God 20:19 is a figurative expression that seeks to describe 20:23 something that happens in the personal relationship 20:26 between Jesus and the believer. 20:28 Now we're going to get down to the nitty-gritty. 20:30 When the religious leaders crucified Jesus, 20:33 they did it because Jesus posed a threat to their supremacy 20:37 and autonomy. 20:39 Okay, so here comes Jesus, He's the Messiah, 20:42 He's performing miracles, 20:44 He's preaching these amazing sermons 20:46 that people are gathering, hearts are being converted, 20:49 things are being turned upside down, 20:51 and the religious leaders don't feel like 20:52 they're the center anymore. 20:54 They're not the focus anymore. They're not in charge anymore. 20:57 And they haven't really put their confidence in Christ 21:00 or in John the Baptist. 21:01 And so Christ now becomes a threat to them, 21:04 He threatens their autonomy. 21:07 And this is the context we see in what leads 21:10 to the crucifixion of Jesus literally. 21:13 Thus, they hope to eliminate Jesus as a person 21:16 and destroy a powerful and dangerous enemy. 21:20 Similarly, the gospels challenge 21:23 the sovereignty and the self determination 21:26 of the individual at the most fundamental level, 21:30 that's us, right? 21:32 We are now being challenged by the gospel of Jesus Christ, 21:36 we are now being challenged by everything we're learning 21:38 in the Book of Hebrews, 21:40 that Jesus has accomplished for us 21:41 and does want to accomplish for us. 21:43 So the essence of the Christian life 21:45 is to take up the cross, deny oneself, 21:47 Matthew 16:24. 21:49 This means to crucify the world, 21:51 Galatians 6:14, the old man, Romans 6:6, 21:55 and the flesh with its passions and desires, Galatians 5:24. 21:59 The purpose of the Christian life 22:01 is that we undergo a kind of death. 22:04 Unless we experienced this death to self, 22:07 we cannot receive the new life 22:09 that God wants to give us, Romans 6:1-11. 22:12 The struggle between Jesus 22:14 and self is a struggle to death, 22:18 Romans 8:7, Galatians 5:17, Romans 8:7-8. 22:23 It is a difficult battle 22:25 that is not won once but every single day. 22:30 Paul says, I die daily. 22:33 I protest by your rejoicing, I die daily. 22:36 1 Corinthians 15:31, I'm running out of time here. 22:39 So, this is not talking. 22:43 This message, this passage is not referring 22:46 to a person who sometimes fall, 22:48 sometimes fails in the battle against 22:50 the old man in the flesh. 22:52 This sin refers to a person 22:53 who haven't experienced genuine salvation 22:56 and what it implies, Hebrews 6:4-5, 22:59 everything that you were sharing, Jill, 23:01 decides that Jesus is a threat to the kind of life 23:06 that he or she wants to have, right? 23:09 Because the Jews felt that Jesus was a threat to them. 23:12 So they crucified Him. 23:13 When we think, when we conclude, 23:15 when we come to the understanding 23:18 that Jesus is a threat to us, 23:19 that everything the gospel is bringing to us 23:22 is a threat to us, and we reject that, 23:24 you know, what we do? 23:25 We crucify the Son of God afresh, 23:27 and we put Him to open shame. 23:30 So we want to kill our relationship with Him. 23:35 That's what it's all about, friends, 23:36 it's about that relationship. 23:38 That is as long as the person does not fully come 23:41 to the place where they choose to turn away from Christ, 23:44 there is hope of salvation for them. 23:47 I just want to reiterate this as I close out the section. 23:50 This impossibility does not apply to anyone 23:55 who is still turning to the Lord, 23:57 still believing there's hope for them in Jesus Christ. 24:01 So to crucify Christ afresh is to reject Him, 24:04 it's to reject the Holy Spirit, it's to reject the gospels, 24:07 it's to reject the New Covenant, 24:08 it's to reject everything we're talking about here. 24:10 And if you haven't done that, there is still hope for you, 24:13 friends, there is still hope, 24:14 if your heart is still open to receive Jesus Christ. 24:18 Amen. Thank you so much, Pastor James. 24:20 I love that it is a serious passage, 24:23 but there is hope. 24:24 There's a lot more to come, we're going to take a break 24:26 and we'll be right back. 24:32 Ever wish you could watch 24:33 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 24:35 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:38 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 24:43 A clean design makes it easy 24:46 to find the program you're looking for. 24:48 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:51 so you can follow along. 24:53 Sharing is easy. 24:55 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:58 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:02 Welcome back to our lesson Jesus, the Anchor of the Soul, 25:05 and we're going to kick it over to Pastor John Dinzey 25:07 in Tuesday's lesson. 25:09 Yes, this is now moving into 25:12 No Sacrifice for Sins Left, 25:15 No Sacrifice for Sins Left. 25:18 It's a very interesting lesson. 25:19 We again go through Hebrews Chapter 4, 25:23 Hebrews 6:4-6. 25:26 You see, there's a very similar warning in Hebrews 10:26-29, 25:31 and that's where I'm going to focus mostly on. 25:34 Once again, I will read Hebrews 6:4-6, 25:36 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, 25:40 and have tasted the heavenly gift 25:41 and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 25:44 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers 25:47 of the age to come, if they fall away, 25:50 to renew them again to repentance, 25:52 since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, 25:55 and put Him to open shame." 25:58 I have run into people in evangelistic campaigns 26:00 that they've been gone from the Lord, 26:02 they spent several years away. 26:04 And this is like Pastor James said, 26:07 this is an obstacle for they wonder 26:09 if they can come back. 26:11 I see some experienced 26:13 that is not regular here in these verses, 26:16 that person has really tried 26:19 to solidify their relationship with the Lord. 26:21 And this is why they name all these different elements 26:24 or the experience of the individual, 26:26 that gain that experience with the Lord, 26:30 that they fall away, 26:32 and then it becomes impossible for them to return. 26:35 And these are the people that, you know, who come, 26:37 they come to evangelistic campaigns wondering 26:39 because they still feel like 26:41 there's a pulling of the Holy Spirit, 26:43 but they don't understand what's going on. 26:45 So these people have an opportunity. 26:47 And it's very interesting here, 26:49 when I, when you look into the part, 26:52 they seem they crucify, it's a present active particle, 26:56 and in the notes, a willful 26:58 and continuous hostility to Christ. 27:01 So these are a different type of individuals, 27:04 they refuse, 27:06 they are doing these things in a hostile way. 27:10 And they like refuse to turn to the Lord. 27:14 And so in Hebrews 4:6, 27:20 it says, "If they fall away 27:21 and to renew them again to repentance, 27:23 since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, 27:26 and put Him to an open shame." 27:28 It's different than what we find 27:30 in Galatians 6:14, where Paul says, 27:34 "But God forbid, 27:35 that I should boast except in the cross 27:38 of our Lord Jesus Christ, 27:39 by whom the world has been crucified to Me 27:42 and I to the world." 27:43 This is a different experience. 27:45 Paul says the world have been things crucified to me, 27:47 though I'm dead to the world, 27:48 I don't want any part of it. 27:50 But these individuals are basically saying, "Christ, 27:54 He doesn't mean anything to me, He's dead to me, 27:56 I'm crucifying Him, I don't have any need for Him." 28:00 Therefore, the blood of Jesus Christ 28:01 cannot cleanse these people 28:02 because they don't proceed to repentance. 28:06 And God works with them but unfortunately, 28:09 these people are not coming to that point of repentance. 28:12 Hebrews 10:26 and onward. 28:16 It says, "For if we sin willfully, 28:18 after we have received the knowledge of the truth, 28:22 there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins." 28:26 And this is the title of Tuesday's lesson. 28:28 Why is there no longer a sacrifice, 28:30 there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins? 28:33 If we sin, 28:34 this here is a Greek present particle. 28:36 If we be found sinning, that is not an isolated act, 28:40 but a state of sin. 28:43 These people are in a state of sin, 28:44 you're willfully sinning, 28:46 you're disregarding the appeals of the Holy Spirit 28:49 to your heart, and you are committed to sinning, 28:53 basically you're committed to sinning. 28:55 And there is, in Numbers Chapter 25, 28:57 and experience related concerning 28:59 the people of Israel. 29:01 And in Numbers 25:2, it says, 29:05 "And they called the people unto this, 29:07 and they called the people unto the sacrifice of their gods, 29:11 and the people did eat and bowed down to their gods, 29:14 and they joined themselves unto Baal Peor, 29:17 and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel." 29:20 So Moses comes upon the scene, 29:22 and he gathers all the people together, 29:24 all the heads and the leaders of the people together, 29:27 and he is chastising them, he's rebuking them, 29:30 and he's now telling these people have to pay 29:33 for their sins. 29:34 And while Moses is talking to them with the inspiration 29:37 of the Holy Spirit, in verse 6 of Numbers 25, 29:40 something happens that tells you 29:43 the mindset of these individuals. 29:45 "And, behold, one of the children 29:47 of Israel came and brought unto his brethren 29:50 a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, 29:54 and in the sight of all the congregation 29:56 of the children of Israel, 29:57 who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle 30:00 of the congregation. 30:01 And Phinehas, 30:03 when Phinehas the son of Eleazar 30:04 saw the son of Aaron, the priest saw it, 30:07 he rose up from among the congregation 30:09 and took a javelin in his hand. 30:10 And it says he went in into the tent 30:12 and he slew both the woman and the man. 30:15 So we see here this man was doing an open rebellion, 30:19 willfully sinning, here's Moses 30:21 chastising the people telling them, 30:23 what they are doing is against God's principles, 30:26 here comes somebody in the midst 30:27 of all the congregation 30:29 about to perform an open sin before all the people. 30:33 So now we go back to Hebrews 10:27. 30:36 This is the kind of people that this passage is talking about. 30:41 "Now, for these people, it says, 30:43 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment 30:46 and fiery indignation, 30:49 which will devour the adversaries." 30:52 So we have here a situation 30:55 where God has to take action and execute judgment. 30:59 You see, God will judge everyone fairly, 31:03 and the Bible says they will be judged according 31:05 to their works. 31:07 And these people that reject the Son of God, 31:11 and even those that once followed the Lord, 31:15 and it's a, you know, 31:17 when a member of the church falls away, 31:22 and they knew people that say, 31:24 "Oh, this is a Christian, he's going to church, 31:26 he's going to church," lives like a Christian 31:28 and eventually this person falls away, 31:31 this brings shame upon the cause of God, 31:33 because perhaps even these people move upon, 31:37 were talking to these individuals, 31:38 you should repent, you should stop doing 31:40 and now they are doing the same thing. 31:42 This brings shame upon the cause of God. 31:45 This is bad, 31:46 but when it is a leader of the church, 31:48 when it is a pastor, an elder of the church, 31:52 it seems to be a bigger sin, 31:54 a bigger shame is brought upon the cause of the Lord. 31:57 And unfortunately, this is happening today. 32:00 You see, because Satan is working hard. 32:03 He knows that his time is short. 32:05 And as I have said before, if Satan has a short time, 32:08 we also have a short time. 32:10 And so in verse 28, says, 32:13 "Anyone who has rejected Moses law 32:16 dies without mercy under testimony 32:19 of two or three witnesses." 32:21 Notice how it is written here, 32:22 "Of how much worse punishment do you suppose 32:26 will be thought worthy 32:28 who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, 32:31 counted the blood of the covenant 32:32 by which he was sanctified a common thing," 32:35 and I like the way the King James puts it, 32:37 "and unholy thing and insulted the Spirit of grace." 32:41 I want to quote, read this to you from Review 32:45 and Herald in April 25, 1893. 32:49 Notice what is written here, 32:50 "There will be no excuse for those who choose 32:54 to go in err when they might understand what is truth. 32:59 In His sufferings and death, 33:02 Jesus has made an atonement for all sins of ignorance, 33:06 but there is no provision made for willful blindness. 33:10 Those who have hid their eyes from the truth 33:14 less they should be convinced, 33:16 must exercise repentance toward God 33:18 for the transgression of His law, 33:21 and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, 33:23 that there are sins of ignorance, 33:25 and in the transgression of God's Commandments, 33:28 including the Sabbath, may be forgiven." 33:30 So there is no more sacrifice for sins for these people. 33:35 Now the lesson brings something interesting here 33:38 about the expression trample the Son of God under foot. 33:42 It this describes the rejection of Jesus rule, 33:45 the title Son of God reminded the audience 33:47 that God has installed Jesus at His right hand 33:51 and promised to make His enemies a footstool. 33:54 The trampling of Jesus underfoot implies 33:56 that the apostate has treated Jesus as an enemy. 34:01 In the context of the argument of the epistle in Hebrews 1:13, 34:05 it could be implied that as far as the life of the apostate, 34:09 the person that walked away is concerned, 34:10 Jesus has been taken off the throne, 34:13 which is now occupied by the apostate himself, 34:17 and has set him as the footstool instead. 34:22 This is what Lucifer wanted to do in heaven. 34:25 And in essence, 34:26 some of the things described here in Hebrews Chapter 6, 34:29 and Hebrews Chapter 10, 34:31 identifies a little bit with what the angels 34:35 that fell away did. 34:36 They tasted of the heavenly things, 34:39 they were there in the presence of God, 34:41 they knew all the heavenly blessings, 34:44 but these angels chose to go with rebellion, 34:48 they chose to go on the side of Lucifer 34:51 that became Satan, 34:53 and then did open rebellion against God. 34:56 This is a similar case, the way I look at it. 34:59 And so I encourage you 35:01 that if you're seeing yourself drifting away, 35:04 come back to Jesus while the door of mercy 35:07 is still open. 35:08 Amen and amen. Thank you. 35:11 I'm going to just read it briefly again, 35:12 even though I'm not going to cover 4 through 6. 35:15 But actually, the warning goes from Hebrews 6:4-8, 35:20 I wanted to add that. 35:22 So here's what it says, it is impossible, 35:24 this is Hebrews 6:4, 35:28 "It is impossible 35:29 for those who are once enlightened 35:30 and have tasted the heavenly gift to have become partakers 35:34 of the Holy Spirit." 35:36 So that means you have to quench the spirit, right, 35:39 if you're going to do this. 35:40 "And it tasted the good word of God 35:43 and the powers of the age to come, 35:46 if they fall away, if they're apostatizing, 35:49 to renew them again to repentance, 35:51 since they crucify again for themselves, 35:54 the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." 35:57 Now listen to verses 7 and 8, 36:00 "For the earth which drinks in the ring 36:03 that often comes upon it, 36:06 and bears herbs useful for those 36:10 by whom it is cultivated, 36:13 receives a blessing from God. 36:18 But, if it bears thorns, 36:21 and briars, it is rejected, 36:24 and near to being cursed, 36:27 whose and is to be burned." 36:32 We don't want that in, do we? 36:35 So this is a very strong, 36:39 it's a sincere warning that He's referring to the people 36:43 of the wilderness generation, 36:45 actually, who were, they had, 36:49 they were a negative example, the people who, 36:53 through the absence of their faith, 36:55 the absence of belief, they could not inherit 36:59 the promises of God. 37:01 So it's interesting though, 37:04 is He's referring back to these people 37:07 who saw God move, they tasted of His goodness, 37:11 they saw His miracles, and yet, they never responded to God, 37:16 they just wouldn't believe Him. 37:18 So, but the writer of Hebrews goes on 37:22 and he's speaking of better things 37:26 concerning his audience. 37:29 So he's not putting them in that category. 37:32 He's referring back to those people. 37:34 So let's look at Hebrews 6:9. 37:39 And here's what he says, "But, beloved, 37:43 we are confident of better things 37:47 concerning you." 37:48 You're not going to be like that faithless generation. 37:51 "Yes, things that accompany salvation," 37:55 this will be all the promises of God, 37:57 "though we speak in this manner. 38:00 For God is not unjust, 38:04 to forget your work and your labor of love, 38:07 which you have shown toward His name, 38:11 in that you have ministered to the saints 38:16 and you do minister." 38:20 So essentially, he's saying, 38:23 I'm confident, beloved audience, 38:25 you haven't fallen away. 38:28 And I'm confident because you continue to minister, 38:32 you're not going to fall away in the future. 38:34 See, he believes, from what he's written here, 38:39 that they're going to receive that warning that he just gave. 38:43 He's got a confidence that they'll continue 38:47 to produce the appropriate fruits. 38:51 I loved what the study guide said, 38:53 it says, they are like the earth, 38:56 he's speaking of the audience of Hebrews, 38:59 they are like the earth which is cultivated by God, 39:03 and produces the fruit. 39:05 He expects these people will receive 39:09 the blessing from God, which is salvation. 39:15 So the believers 39:18 that were receiving this letter of Hebrews. 39:20 What I liked about it, 39:22 is that we see they are continuing 39:26 to minister to the saints. 39:29 It was a sustained service, 39:33 it was not isolated actions. 39:37 You know, in Romans 13:10, 39:41 Paul makes this simple statement, 39:43 love is the fulfillment of God's law. 39:48 And what these people were doing and let me tell you, 39:52 if someone loves or expresses love, 39:57 only in words, that's fake love, 40:00 because love is demonstrated by actions. 40:04 What 1 John 3:18 says is, 40:09 "Let us not love in word, 40:13 or in tongue, but in deed, and in truth." 40:17 It's easy to say to someone, 40:21 "Oh, if you need my help, call me." 40:23 But if you say to that person, 40:27 "What can I do to help you today?" 40:29 It shows you're ready to spring into action. 40:32 It's not just some kind of a pat on the back 40:37 to make them feel better or make you feel better. 40:40 Love is not 40:43 an intellectual exercise. 40:46 You know, when the Bible says God is love, 40:49 He is a God of action. 40:51 Our study guide, here's another 40:53 great quote from the study guide. 40:56 Exceptional acts do not reveal 41:00 the true character of a person. 41:02 Ain't that interesting? 41:04 The weightiest evidence of love toward God is not 41:10 "religious acts per se," 41:13 but acts of love toward fellow human beings, 41:17 especially those who are disadvantaged. 41:20 You remember, Jesus said, 41:22 "If you've done this to the least of one of these, 41:26 you've done it to Me." 41:28 And Paul exhorts his believers not to forget to do good. 41:33 Let's look at Hebrews 6:11-12. 41:37 He says, "And we desire that each one of you 41:40 show the same diligence to the full assurance 41:43 of hope until the end, 41:45 that you do not become sluggish, 41:48 don't become dull of hearing, as you were saying, 41:51 don't become apathetic and in danger of falling away." 41:56 But then he says, 41:57 "Imitate those who through faith 42:01 and patience inherit the promises." 42:06 How do we inherit the promises? 42:09 Through faith, trust in God, and through patience, 42:13 waiting for God's timing. 42:16 Hebrews 5:8-11, or 8 and 9, at least, 42:21 is talking about Jesus. 42:24 God, who became the person of Jesus Christ 42:28 became the covenant Son of God, 42:31 who learned obedience 42:33 and was perfected in that learning. 42:37 And we already have discussed this. 42:40 Jesus didn't have any propensity to disobey. 42:45 He was God, He never had to obey anybody before. 42:49 But this is something that we all need to remember 42:54 is that we've got to be imitators of Jesus, 42:57 we need to learn to obey, 42:59 we need to be imitators of the people of faith, 43:04 who through their patience and faith, 43:07 they inherited the promises. 43:10 And you know, the writer of Hebrews 43:12 presents Abraham as an example we should follow. 43:16 Let's look at Hebrews 43:18 6:13-15. 43:22 And he writes, 43:24 "For when God made a promise to Abraham, 43:27 because he could swear by no one greater 43:29 he swore by himself." 43:31 This is God saying, "Surely, blessing I will bless you, 43:36 and multiplying, I will multiply you." 43:40 And so after he, after Abraham, 43:45 had patiently endured, 43:49 except for a little season of impatience, 43:53 he obtained the promise. 43:56 Hebrews 11 gives us a list of positive examples. 44:01 And then Hebrews 12 says this, 44:05 therefore, Hebrews 12:1, 44:09 "Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded 44:12 by such a great cloud of witnesses," 44:14 he's talking about all the saints in Hebrews 11, 44:18 the hallmark of faith. 44:22 He said, "Let us lay aside every weight, 44:25 and the sin which so easily ensnares us, 44:27 let us run with endurance the race that is before us, 44:31 looking unto Jesus, 44:33 the author and finisher of our faith, 44:35 who for the joy that was set before Him 44:37 endured the cross, despising the shame, 44:40 and has sat down at the right hand 44:42 of the throne of God. 44:43 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, 44:49 and against Himself." 44:52 And he says, "Consider Him, 44:54 lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." 44:59 Here is the patience of the saints. 45:02 That's what Revelation 14:12 says, 45:06 "Here are those who keep the commandments 45:09 and the faith of Jesus." 45:11 Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. 45:13 This chapter has been made much clearer 45:16 after today's lesson. 45:18 Praise God. I'm Ryan Day and I have Thursday's lesson. 45:21 And the title of this lesson happens to be the title 45:24 of the overall lesson, which is Jesus, 45:27 the Anchor of the Soul. 45:29 And, of course, Paul culminates his warning against apostasy 45:32 and encouragement towards love and faith with a beautiful, 45:36 soaring exposition of assurance in Christ 45:39 when we get to Hebrews 6:17-20. 45:43 So if we go there now, we'll read through 45:45 to the latter part of this or to the end 45:47 of this chapter here. 45:48 Hebrews 6:17-20. 45:51 Notice what the Bible says, 45:53 "Thus God determining to show more abundantly 45:56 to the heirs of promise, 45:58 the immutability of His council, 46:01 confirmed it by an oath, 46:05 that by two immutable things, 46:07 in which it is impossible for God to lie, 46:11 we might have strong consolation, 46:13 who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 46:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, 46:22 both sure and steadfast, 46:25 and which enters the presence behind the veil. 46:28 Wherefore, I love this, 46:30 where the forerunner has entered for us, 46:34 even Jesus, having become the High Priest forever, 46:38 according to the order of Melchizedek." 46:42 God guaranteed His promises for us in several ways. 46:46 We see that all the way through scripture, 46:48 but especially here in this particular chapter 46:50 in Hebrews. 46:51 We see first that God guaranteed His promise 46:53 with an oath that's mentioned there in Hebrews 6:17. 46:58 According to Scripture, of course, 47:00 God's oaths to Abraham, 47:02 and to David became the ultimate basis 47:05 of confidence in God's permanent favor for Israel. 47:08 We see this all the way through Scripture. 47:10 And we're referencing this because again, 47:12 a lot of people look back at that Old Testament, 47:13 they see a division between Old Testament 47:16 and New Testament, 47:17 when you start talking about the covenants, 47:18 the oaths, the promises that God made to Abraham, 47:21 to Isaac, to Jacob, all the way to David, 47:24 and of course, you know, people look at them 47:25 and say, that's Old Testament, 47:26 it's not important, we don't need it anymore. 47:28 But yet we see that even all the way forward 47:31 to the Book of Hebrews, those oaths are mentioned, 47:33 those promises are mentioned. 47:35 In this case, the writer of this lesson brings out 47:38 that the oath by Abraham and David are great examples 47:42 of these promises of God. 47:44 For instance, if you go all the way back to the story 47:46 there in Exodus Chapter 32, we even see Moses, 47:49 of course, Moses, reaffirming, and reminding God 47:53 of the special promise, the covenant, the oath 47:55 that He had made with Abraham, with Isaac, and Jacob. 47:58 Let's go to Exodus 32, 47:59 and read verses 11 through 14 there, 48:01 powerful what we see here. 48:03 So the children of Israel, 48:04 just to set the foundation for what's happening, 48:06 the children of Israel just been caught dancing naked 48:08 around this golden calf. 48:10 And God says, "Look, you need to get down off this mountain 48:12 and go down there and handle these people." 48:13 And God becomes furious says, 48:15 "I'm going to destroy these stiff neck people." 48:17 And then notice what Moses response was. 48:19 Exodus 32:11-14, it says, 48:22 "Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, 48:24 and said, 'Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against 48:26 Your people whom You have brought out of the land 48:29 of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand? 48:33 Why should the Egyptian speak and say, 48:36 He brought them out to harm them, 48:38 to kill them in the mountain and to consume them 48:40 from the face of the earth? 48:42 He says, 48:44 turn from your fierce wrath 48:49 and relent from this harm to your people.'" 48:52 Remember, here it is verse 13, "Remember Abraham, 48:55 Isaac and Israel, your servants, 48:56 to whom You swore by Your Own Self, 48:59 and said to them, 49:01 'I will multiply your descendants 49:02 as the stars of heaven, 49:03 and all this land that I have spoken of, 49:06 I give your descendants 49:07 and they shall inherit it forever.'" 49:09 So the Lord relented from His harm. 49:11 And He said He would do to His people, 49:14 and what He had said He would do to His people. 49:15 So in this case, Moses is reminding God, 49:18 he's saying, "Lord, what about Your promise? 49:19 What about your oath?" 49:21 Again, what did Hebrews 6:17-20 say earlier? 49:25 God cannot lie. 49:26 God honors His word, my friends, 49:28 that's one of the things we can absolutely stake 49:31 our faith on is the fact that God honors His word. 49:34 He keeps His oath, He keeps His covenant, 49:36 He keeps His promises. 49:37 Even Romans 11:28-29, alludes to this. 49:41 It says, "Concerning the gospel, 49:44 they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election, 49:47 they're beloved for the sake of the fathers." 49:49 And then verse 29, it says, 49:50 "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." 49:55 Why? Because God's Word stands forever, God does not change. 49:59 And so similarly with the Psalmist now, 50:02 we see that the Psalmist even intercedes before God 50:05 and for Israel, he claims, 50:07 he basically claims God's oath to David, okay? 50:11 So reminding God of His oath to David. 50:13 And we see that in Psalm 89:34, 50:16 and all the way through to verse 37. 50:19 So this is Psalm 89:34-37. 50:21 Again, it says, "My covenant I will not break, 50:23 nor also the words that are going out of My lips. 50:26 Once I have sworn by My holiness, 50:29 I will not lie to David. 50:31 His seed shall endure forever. 50:33 And his throne is as the sun before me, 50:35 it shall be established forever, 50:37 like the moon, 50:38 even like the faithful witness in the sky." 50:42 Selah. 50:43 And so in this case, again, we're reminded that according 50:46 to the New Testament, speaking of these oaths, 50:48 these promises, according to the New Testament, 50:50 both of these oaths to Abraham, 50:53 and to David that we see carry over all the way 50:55 to the New Testament, 50:57 both oaths were fulfilled in Jesus, 50:59 the seed of Abraham, 51:01 who ascended and was seated on the throne of day. 51:03 We read this in Galatians 3:13-16, 51:07 as well as Luke Chapter 1. 51:08 Let's go to Galatians 3 and read that there. 51:10 Galatians 3:13-16. 51:14 Notice what the Bible says. 51:16 It says, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, 51:20 having become a curse for us, for it is written, 51:23 cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree 51:26 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles 51:30 in Christ Jesus, 51:32 that we might receive the promise 51:33 of the Spirit through faith." 51:36 "Brethren," he says in verse 15, 51:38 "I speak in the manner of men, 51:40 though it is only a man's covenant, 51:42 yet it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it." 51:47 Verse 16, "Now to Abraham and his Seed," 51:51 and Seed is capitalized there I like that, 51:53 "were the promises made. 51:55 He does not say, 'And to seeds, 'as of many, 52:00 but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' 52:03 who is Christ.'" 52:05 So who is the fulfillment of that oath? 52:07 Who is the fulfillment of that covenant 52:09 that God gave to Abraham? 52:10 It's none other than Jesus Christ Himself. 52:12 We even find to the covenant that God had promised in David 52:15 or through to David on to the sea 52:17 that would come after him. 52:19 We see in Luke 1:31-34, as well as verses 54 and 55. 52:24 We see this also Christ is the fulfillment of that. 52:26 Notice what the Bible says, it says, "And behold, 52:28 you will conceive in your room and bring forth a son," 52:31 this is God speaking to Mary, or the angel speaking to Mary, 52:35 "and shall call His name Jesus, 52:38 He will be great 52:39 and will be called the Son of the Highest, 52:41 and the Lord God will give Him the throne of his father, 52:45 David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever 52:49 and His kingdom there will be no end. 52:52 He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance 52:55 of his mercy, and he spoke to our fathers to Abraham 52:58 and to his Seed forever," my friend. 53:02 So the number, one of the ways that Christ 53:04 is confirmed to us as the anchor of the soul 53:07 is through these oaths, through these promises, 53:10 His covenant, His Word does not fail 53:12 because God does not fail, love does not fail. 53:16 The second point that we make here Christ is anchor to us. 53:19 He is the anchor of the soul, 53:21 because He is forerunner 53:24 seated at the right hand of God in heaven. 53:28 The lesson brings us out, this is second, 53:30 God has guaranteed His promises to us 53:32 by the act of seating Jesus at His right hand. 53:35 Jesus' ascension has the purpose 53:37 of corroborating the promise made to the believers 53:40 because Jesus ascended as a forerunner on our behalf. 53:45 Of course, that's seen in Hebrews 6:20. 53:48 "Thus the ascension reveals to us the certainty 53:51 of God's salvation for us. 53:53 God led Jesus to glory through the suffering 53:55 of death for everyone, 53:57 so that He might bring many children to glory." 54:01 We'll read that there in Hebrews 2:9-10. 54:04 When it goes on to say, for it, in verse 10, 54:06 "For it is fitting for Him, and for whom all things 54:10 and by whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory, 54:14 to make the captain of their salvation 54:15 perfect through sufferings." 54:18 But, of course, the scripture, this lesson goes on to say, 54:21 Jesus presence before the Father 54:23 is the anchor of the soul 54:26 that has been fastened to the throne of God. 54:30 I like that, that has been fastened. 54:32 Jesus got a seatbelt. He's right there. 54:34 He's fastened, He's held tight in the Father's presence. 54:38 It goes on to say, "The honor of God's rule 54:41 has been waged on the fulfillment 54:42 of His promise to us through Jesus." 54:45 And I have to end with this question here. 54:47 It's beautiful. What more assurance do we need? 54:52 If we can't believe in the Word of God, 54:55 if we can't trust in God's promises, 54:57 if we can't trust in His covenant, 54:59 in His oath, and we cannot trust in the fact 55:01 that God's Word promises us that Jesus has now ascended 55:04 to be seated on the throne with the Father beside Him 55:08 as our forerunner, as the anchor of our soul, 55:11 we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. 55:14 My friends, I just appeal to you now, 55:16 look to Jesus. 55:18 As you've learned today, we see that no one, 55:21 if you're still in love with Jesus, 55:22 if you're still, no matter how many struggles, 55:24 no matter how many challenges, 55:25 if you're still struggling, 55:27 that does not necessarily mean it's the end. 55:29 Just simply look to Jesus as the author 55:31 and finisher of your faith. 55:32 Amen. What a powerful study. 55:35 I can't believe this is all the parentheses. 55:37 Praise the Lord, what an amazing study. 55:40 Thank you, Pastor Ryan, Shelley, 55:42 Pastor Johnny and Pastor James. 55:43 I want to give each one of you a moment 55:44 to share a closing thought. 55:46 Amen. 55:47 Hebrews, Chapter 6, not Chapter 4, but Chapter 6, 55:50 love this thought, you know, there is hope for all of us, 55:54 as long as we don't turn away from Jesus Christ 55:57 and all that He means to us. 55:59 I like to turn to Isaiah 55:6-7, 56:01 "Seek ye the Lord, while He may be found, 56:04 call ye upon Him while He is near, 56:07 let the wicked forsake his way, 56:08 and the unrighteous man his thoughts, 56:10 and let him return unto the Lord 56:12 and He will have mercy upon him and to our God, 56:14 for He will abundantly pardon." 56:16 Amen. 56:18 My day was better things and one of the better things, 56:21 one of my favorite promises is Hebrews 13:5 where God says, 56:24 "I will never leave you or forsake you." 56:26 I claim that all the time, but I want to balance that 56:30 because I teach a lot, but I want to read something, 56:32 2 Chronicles 15:2, 56:34 "The Lord is with you while you are with Him. 56:38 If you seek Him, He will be found by you. 56:42 But if you forsake Him, He will forsake you." 56:45 Amen. 56:47 Just like the old hymn says, what can wash away my sins? 56:52 Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 56:54 What can make me whole again? 56:56 Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 56:58 Oh, precious is the flow 57:02 that makes me white as snow. 57:06 No other fount I know, 57:09 nothing but the blood of Jesus. 57:14 Amen. 57:16 I love it when you sing, Ryan, 57:17 he could sing more on set, don't you think? 57:19 I love that. Thank you. 57:20 Jesus, the Anchor for the Soul. 57:22 What an incredible encouragement. 57:24 The lesson started with a serious tone. 57:26 It's a serious warning, and I think as Christians, 57:30 no matter what denomination you are, 57:32 we need to examine our own hearts. 57:34 We need to go to God and we need to make sure 57:36 that we listen and that we walk in obedience. 57:39 But yet there is hope, there is forgiveness in Jesus. 57:43 Jesus is the anchor for the soul, 57:46 both sure and steadfast. 57:48 Do you need an anchor today? 57:49 Do you need something to keep you 57:51 in the storm tossed winds of life? 57:53 Reach out to Jesus. 57:55 He will hold on to you throughout life 57:59 and bring you to eternity. 58:01 Join us next week, lesson number eight, 58:03 Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant. |
Revised 2022-01-27