New Song Students OKC

“1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen….39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provide something better for us…” Hebrews 11:1,39-40

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1

Faith in Jesus is superior

vs. 4 By faith Abel offered God a sacrifice
vs. 5 By faith Enoch walked with God
 vs. 7 By faith Noah built the ark
 vs. 8 By faith Abraham left his home for the land God promised
 vs. 11 By faith Sarah believed God for a baby
 vs. 24 By faith Moses refused the comfort of Egypt pursing God’s promised land
 vs. 31 By faith Rahab believed she would be spared

vs. 4 By faith Abel “obtained witness that he was righteous”
vs. 5. By faith Enoch “had this testimony that he pleased God”
 vs. 7 By faith Noah “became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith”
vs. 8 By faith Abraham “received an inheritance”
 vs. 11 By faith Sarah “bore a child”
 vs. 29 By faith Moses “passed through the Red Sea on dry land”
 vs. 31 By faith Rahab “did not perish”

“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell you of [all these others] who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions…” Hebrews 11:32-33

Hall of fame 
 -people are added to the hall of fame because of something exceptional they did

-vs. 31 The faithful Rahab was also a prostitute
 -vs. 32 the faithful David- the man after God’s heart-also murdered a guy after he slept with that man’s wife and got her pregnant
 -vs. 8-12 the faithful Abraham and Sarah at one point doubted God’s follow through of the promise so they took matters into their own hands and Abraham made a baby with Sarah’s slave

He moves the standard off the person who lives by faith and onto the person of their faith.

“And all these (people of faith), having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise.” Hebrews 11:39

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13

Faith is believing and receiving what God has revealed

“Faith is the willingness to trust in, to rely on, and to cling to.”- David Guzik

“God having provided something better for us…” Hebrews 11:40

“They waited for His coming; we enjoy Him as having come”- Jamieson

“Hebrews 11 proves that the saints of all ages [those of the Old testament, those who were wavering in their faith at the time of the writing, and those of us reading it now] are essentially one. There is a link which unites them; a thrill which passes from one hand to hand around the circle.”- Meyer

“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action,[b] and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:3,5-9,13

[charlotte Elliot pic]

(hymn all one slide-4 paragraphs)

Just as I am, without one plea, 
 But that thy blood was shed for me, 
 And that thou bid’st (tells) me come to thee, 
 O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about 
 with many a conflict, many a doubt,
 Fightings and fears within, without,
 O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, those wilt (will) receive, 
 wilt (will) welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
 Because they promise I believe, 
 O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
 The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
 Here for a season, then above, 
 O Lamb of God, I come, I come

“Faith is very difficult when we live as ‘practical atheists’. This describes someone who may have a theoretical belief in God, but the belief doesn’t matter in what they do from day to day.”- David Guzik

Hall of fame says you get there because you are exceptional
 Hall of faith says you get there because Jesus is exceptional

Teaching Text: Hebrews 10:8-18 NASB,

”8 First he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin

offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”

—though they were offered in

accordance with the law. 9 Then he (Jesus Christ) said,

“Here I am, I have come to do your will.

”He sets aside the first (covenant) to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been

made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Day after day every

priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices,

which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest [WHO IS JESUS CHRIST] had offered

for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he

waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect

forever those who are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he

says: 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them

after that time, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds.

”17 Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts

I will remember no more.

”18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.”

Psalm 51:16-18,

” 16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;

You do not take pleasure in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken

and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise. 18 By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls

of Jerusalem.”

GOD WANTS COMPLETE CHANGE IN YOUR HEART NOT EMPTY ACTIONS.

The old covenant changes your actions without heart change = The new covenant changes

your actions by changing your heart

Old Covenant: It is crazy…Burnt Offerings//Grain Offerings//Communion Sacrifices//Purification

Offerings//Reparation Offerings//Priests - Community - Tribal Leader - General Populace –

Hebrews 9:9,

”Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the

worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings,

regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.”

Hebrews 10:8 NASB,

”8 First he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings

you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”

—though they were offered in accordance with the law.

The Better Sacrifice was Jesus- Jesus was the only one who could bring us into peace and unity with God.

“Only a sinless Savior could die for sinners; only God could bear the weight of God’s wrath.”— R. C. Sproul.

Hebrews 9:11-14,

” 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having

come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is,

not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own

blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if

the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled,

sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through

the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead

works to serve the living God?”

You were bought with a very high price.

Hebrews 10:9-12 NASB,

”9 Then he [Jesus] said,

“Here I am, I have come to do your will.

” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy

through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Day after day every priest

stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which

can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins,

he sat down at the right hand of God,

“

The lesser things of earth could never have never atoned for what is beyond us.

“The gospel is not ‘do,’ but ‘done.’”— Watchman Nee

New Covenant: Hebrews 8:1-13 NASB,

” 7 For if that first covenant had been free of fault, no

circumstances would have been sought for a second. 8 For in finding fault with the people, He

says,

“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, When I will bring about a new covenant With the

house of Israel and the house of Judah, 9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers

On the day I took them by the hand To bring them out of the land of Egypt; For they did not

continue in My covenant, And I did not care about them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the

covenant which I will make with the house of Israel After those days, declares the Lord: I will put

My laws into their minds, And write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall

be My people. 11 And they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen, And each one his brother,

saying,

‘Know the Lord,

’ For they will all know Me, From the least to the greatest of them. 12 For

I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings,And their sins I will no longer remember.

”13 When He said,

“A new covenant,

” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming

obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.”

Hebrews 10:19-25 NASB,

”19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to

enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for

us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the

house of God, 22 let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,

having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with

pure water. 23 Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He

who promised is faithful; 24 and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and

good deeds,...

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Hebrews 3:12-19

BETTER DELIVERER

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.

Hebrews 3:12-19

“They shall not enter my rest.”

6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
 do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.

Hebrews 3:12-19

Green Day - American Idiot “Don’t want to be an…”

Rage Against The Machine - Killing in the Name “I won’t do what you tell me”

JONATHAN EDWARDS(photo)

70 Resolutions by Jonathan Edwards

Resolution one: “I will live for God.”

Resolution two: “If no one else does, I still will.”

Resolution six:“I won’t live halfway — I’m going all in while I have time.”

Resolution seven: “I’m going to live now the way I’ll wish I had at the end of my life.”

Deliverance: the action of being rescued or set free

Deliverance is not a transition from something bad to something neutral, it’s going from some bad to something good.

According to Morris, the ancient Rabbis considered Moses to be the greatest man ever, greater than the angels.

The writer to the Hebrews does nothing to criticize Moses.

David Guzik

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
     on the day of testing in the wilderness,

9 where your fathers put me to the test
     and saw my works for forty years.

10 Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
 and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
     they have not known my ways.’

11 As I swore in my wrath,
     ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 

Hebrews 3:7-12

What they did —> What that shows us about God —> The outcome

1. Moses - (OUT)

What Moses did: freed God’s people from 400 years of oppression

What that shows us about God: God cares deeply about rescuing us from our burdens

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.

Hebrews 4:16

The Outcome: It was not enough for them

1. Joshua - (IN)

What Joshua did: Brought God’s people into the Promise Land after 40 years of wandering

What that shows us about God: God cares deeply about fulfilling our desires

The Outcome: It was not enough for them

19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Hebrews 3:15-19

One can truly believe God, yet be occasionally troubled by doubts. There is a doubt that wants God’s promise but is weak in faith at the moment. Unbelief isn’t weakness of faith; it sets itself in opposition to faith.

David Guzik

Your unbelief is your fault, not your misfortune.

Charles Spurgeon

6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
 do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

Hebrews 4:6-10

1. Jesus - (NOW)

What Jesus did: Paid for sin with His own life once and for all.

What that shows us about God: What God cares most about is our DEEPEST good.

“Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same.”

C.S. Lewis

The Outcome: Jesus is enough and can be en...

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 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.

Hebrews 2:14-18

What will we choose to connect our heart to: the shadow or the substance?

Better Son

The Biblical Understanding of the human heart is more skeptical and more hopeful than any other viewpoint.

1. The Danger of the human heart (The undertow)

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Hebrews 2:1

The writer had the drifting of a boat in mind, and such drifting happens naturally without an anchor to something solid. If we are not securely set in the truth of the supremacy of Jesus, we will drift into danger with the currents of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

David Guzik

The human heart is prone to drifting away from Jesus. 

“The Christian life is very much like climbing a hill of ice. You cannot slide up. You must cut every step with the ice axe.”

Charles Spurgeon

Rip Currents Are Invisible

The Ocean Is Constantly Moving

The Ocean Is Stronger Than Concrete

“The ocean is both mother and monster.”

Maritime Folklore

The heart is deceitful above all things,

    and desperately sick;

    who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Hebrews 2:1

A heart that is unanchored looks for visible saviors.

“The more we are exposed to the opinions of others, the more unstable we become unless we are rooted in Christ.”

Timothy Keller

1. The Beauty of the human heart (The Surfer)

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,

    and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

    and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

    you have put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen,

    and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

Psalm 8:5-8

GARRETT MCNAMARA Photos*** (Big waves)

6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted?[b] And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for[c] you, and you must rule over it.”

Genesis 4:6-7

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 

Romans 8:29

 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1

1. The Anchor for the human heart (The Lifeguard & Surfboard)

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 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.

Hebrews 2:14-18

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

“GOD, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right and of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Hebrews 1:1-4 

“Hebrews is basically a book that encourages [exhorts] discouraged Christians to continue on strong with Jesus in light of the complete superiority of who He is and what He did for us.”- David Guzik. 

The messenger vs. the message 

“Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14. 

“GOD, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets…” 

the message > the messenger

Christ is not another messenger. He is the message

“GOD, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” Hebrews 1:1-2. 

“The Bible is the record of the different places and different ways by which God has spoken to man. In the book of Genesis, we find God speaking to man by angels; they were the messengers…then God began to speak through anointed men such as Moses and Joshua…. Then God spoke to them through priests…then as time progressed God raised up prophets…But God’s final revelation was given to man through Jesus Christ. Jesus came to bring man the final, the ultimate message of God. The ultimate understanding of God. So, all that man is to know about God can be discovered in and through Jesus Christ. This revelation is superior than all of the other revelations. His revelation through the Son is superior than the revelation through the angels.”- Chuck Smith.

“39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39

“It isn’t so much that Jesus brought a message from the Father; He is a message from the Father. He has revealed something no other prophet could”- David Guzik. 

“(Jesus)who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” Hebrews 1:3-4

“He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over-all creation.16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Colossians 1:15-18. 

Preeminent: surpassing all others; having the highest rank, importance or excellence. 

Gnosticism: salvation comes through special, hidden knowledge.

Agnostic: without knowledge. 

Who Jesus is:

#1 Heir (“Heir of all things” Heb 1:2) 

#2 Creator (“he made the worlds” Heb 1:2) 

#3 Revealer (“the brightness of his glory and express image of His person” Heb 1:3) 

#4 Sustainer (“upholding all things” Heb 1:3) 

#5 Ruler (“of His power” Heb 1:3) 

#6 Redeemer (“He had by Himself purged our sins” Heb 1:3)

#7 Supreme (“sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” Heb 1:3-4)

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9 

“9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” Philippians 2:9.

Jesus’ names: 

• Second Adam (1 Cor 15:45)
• Advocate (1 John 2:1)
• Almighty (Rev 1:8)
• Alpha and Omega (Rev 1:8)
• Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2)
• Bread of life (John 6:32)
• Christ (Luke 9:20)
• Cornerstone (Ps 188:22)
• Creator (John 1:3)
• First and Last (Rev 1:12)
• Good Shepard (John 10:11)
• Great High Priest (Heb 4:24)
• Holy One (Acts 3:14)
• I am (John 8:58)
• Immanuel (Is 7:14)
• Jehovah (Is 26:4)
• King of Kings (1 Tim 6:15)
• Lamb (Rev 13:8)
• Light of the world (John 8:12)
• Lion of Judah (Rev 5:5)
• Lord of Lords (1 Tim 6:15)
• Man of Sorrows (Is 53:3)
• Mediator (1 Tim 2:5)
• Messiah (Dan 9:25)
• Mighty God (Is 9:6)
• Prince of Peace (Is 9:6)
• Redeemer (Job 19:25)
• Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
• Rock (1 Cor 10:4)
• Root of David (Rev 22:16)
• Savior (Luke 2:11)
• Son of the Highest (Luke 1:32)
• True Vine (John 15:1)
• Truth (John 1:14)
• Word (John 1:1)

“Jesus’ supreme status is demonstrated by a supreme name, which is not merely a title, but a description of His nature and character”- David Guzik. 

“What do you think about the Christ?” Matthew 22:42. 

Hebrews invites us to see the fullness of the message found in Jesus

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
     the world and those who dwell therein,

2 for he has founded it upon the seas
     and established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
     And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
     who does not lift up his soul to what is false
     and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the Lord
     and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
     who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Psalm 24:1

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

THE CROSS WAS NOT EASY FOR JESUS.

Endure: to suffer patiently

THE AGONY OF THE CROSS WAS WORTH IT BECAUSE THE REWARD OUTWEIGHED IT.

THE REWARD THAT OUTWEIGHED THE CROSS FOR JESUS WAS PEOPLE.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 

John 17:1-3

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
     the world and those who dwell therein,

Psalm 24:1

“We don’t bring God into culture—God is already there, calling it home.”

Leslie Newbigin 

1. DECLARING > CONVINCING

We are called to announce good news, not argue people into belief.

5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants[c] for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:5-6

2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 

Acts 17:2-4

2. STEWARDSHIP > OWNERSHIP

3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

1 Corinthians 3:3-9

3. THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT > THE POWER OF METHODS

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Zechariah 4:6

2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men[c] but in the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:2-5

Ephesians 6:10–18 ESV“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

Sections

1. Our Enemy
2. Our Gameplan

OUR ENEMY

1. Name - Orchestrator of Death
   
   
2. Name - Counterfeiter 

 Isaiah 40:31 ESV,”But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” “We want cattle who can finally become food; [the enemy] wants servants who can finally become sons.” - Screwtape Letters; CS Lewis

3. Name - Pride Manifest

“In God you come up against something which in every respect is immeasurably superior to yourself.” “As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people.” - Screwtape Letters; CS Lewis

1 Peter 5:8 ESV,”Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

4. Name - Father of Lies

Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV,”But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

“It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.” - Screwtape Letters; CS Lewis -
 

We fight through focus.

OUR GAMEPLAN

Focus on Jesus’ Victory

Colossians 2:15 (ESV) “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

Focus on Father God’s love

Focus on the work of the spirit. 

“Rather, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers.”

1 Timothy 4:7-10 NASB2020

 
 mission + intentionality
 

“I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we are imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way as not to run aimlessly; I box in such a way, as to avoid hitting air; but I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:23-27 NASB2020

“The remembrance of all important things is impossible, but the remembering of the most important thing is essential.”

Reflection:

Where do you feel you wrestle the most right now?
 (school, friends, phone, anxiety, lust, pride, anger, loneliness)

Which enemy tactic shows up there most?

• Lie
• Pride 
• Counterfeit comfort
• Isolation
• Etc.

What is one way you will wrestle this week?

• Talk to God throughout my day
• Read one Psalm a day
• Start a Bible reading plan with a friend
• Ask someone to pray with you 
• Remove one distraction (social media, youtube, etc.)

“22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, ‘If it is thus, why is this happening to me?’ So, she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the Lord said to her, 
 ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided, the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.’” Genesis 25:22-23 (ESV)

WE WRESTLE WITH FLESH

“22 The children struggled together within her.” Gen 25:22 (ESV)

“15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.17So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” Romans 7:15-20 (ESV)

Nature #1: the Flesh

Our flesh/sin nature is the part of us that actively opposes God.

Flesh is the traitor within

“14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” James 1:14-16 (ESV)

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the courseof this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” Eph 2:1-3 (ESV)

The reality of nature #1: It is opposed to God. And it makes us dead

Nature #2: the Spirit

“4 ButGod, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation...” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

The reality of the wrestling: It actually is proof of the power of the cross

“Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (ESV)

“‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided, the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger” Gen 25:23 (ESV)

“Whether it goes one round, or three rounds, or ten rounds, it will be a fight and a fight all the way.”- James J. Braddock

#1. Go to the corner

“20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

“that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being” Ephesians 3:16 (ESV)

#2 Listen to the coach

“ Don’t sit down. You’re not tired. You don’t need it (chairs). You’re stronger than this guy! Don’t back up, don’t back off. This guy’s a bull rush. He’s gonna keep coming at you all night until you stop him. He can’t back up. You stop him!”

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 (ESV)

#3 do it every round

“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

“…one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger” Gen 25:23 (ESV)

22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children,[e] and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 

Genesis 32:22-26

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

THIS IS NOT THE YEAR TO WATCH OTHERS FOLLOW JESUS.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control,[b] lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 

Philippians 3:12-15

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 

SOFT HEARTS, TOUGH SKIN

11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11

12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

Hebrews 12:12-16

WE CAN FORGET THE VALUE OF THE PROMISE

15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

Hebrews 12:12-16

Esau’s thought wasn’t that he was so hungry that he would die without food. Instead, the idea was, “I will die one day anyway, so what good is this birthright to me?” He clearly did not consider the birthright a valuable thing.

David Guzik

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5

“He that sees the beauty of Christ, will never be content without conformity to Christ.”

John Owen

“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward… it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.”

C.S. Lewis

WE CAN FORGET THE ASSURANCE OF THE PROMISE

WE CAN SURRENDER TO THE ONE WHO ALREADY HAS THE VICTORY

Jacob didn’t wrestle with the Man. Instead, a Man wrestled with him. Jacob would have been happy to have been left alone, but God wanted something from him. God wanted the sacrifice of all of Jacob’s proud self-reliance and fleshly scheming, and God came to take these, by force if necessary. This is an invaluable place for everyone to come to: where God conquers us. There is something to be said for every man doing his wrestling with God, and then acknowledging God’s greatness after having been defeated. We must know we serve a God who is greater than us, and we cannot conquer much of anything until He conquers us.

David Guzik

The Jacob Generation is not the generation who has finally defeated their sin; they are the generation who has finally been conquered by God.

Jacob wrestled with God and lost. Have you?

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
     are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
 for from you shall come a ruler
     who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Matthew 2:1-6 

DAWN OF THE KING

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
     are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
 for from you shall come a ruler
     who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Matthew 2:1-6

IT’S PART OF OUR NATURE TO DESIRE TO BE LED.

IT’S PART OF OUR FALLEN NATURE TO DESIRE TO LEAD.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

1 Samuel 8:4-9

1. KINGS RULE THROUGH POWER 

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:1-2

“Herod trembles at the report of Christ’s birth, because tyrants are tormented by the mere shadow of a rival.”

John Calvin

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 

Matthew 2:16

Augustus famously quipped it was “safer to be Herod’s pig than his son.”

“Herod’s actions fit precisely what we know of his character from history; Matthew is not inventing a villain but unveiling the true nature of power threatened by God.”

Craig Keener

1. KINGS RULE THROUGH HYPOCRISY

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
     are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
 for from you shall come a ruler
     who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Matthew 2:1-6

They preach Christ to others and remain at home themselves. Thus God’s Word becomes a servant of pride rather than a call to repentance.

Martin Luther

“Those who know the Scriptures best are often the least prepared for the kingdom when it actually arrives.”

N.T. Wright

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 

James 1:24

YOU WILL BECOME LIKE THE PERSON YOU ARE FOLLOWING.

1. KINGS RULE THROUGH SACRIFICE 

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant[c] is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

John 13:12-17

WHO WILL YOU FOLLOW?