The High Priest of our Confession Intro Pt 2

Let's take out our Bibles together this morning. Returning to Hebrews chapter 3, Please follow along as I read beginning in chapter three verse one.

"3 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God." (Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

Let's stop there. Pray with me. Father, God, we pray to you this morning. We reach out to You knowing that You are a God who considers us as we are. And yet in Your consideration You desire to make us as Your Son is. Please do that today, Lord, that we might think your thoughts after you. We might do the deeds you've prepared for us to do. I glorify our Great High Priest, Jesus, whom You have sent to minister to us. Give us today not only our daily bread, Lord, give us the fruit of Your Word. And let us stand strong with our brothers and sisters across this world who hold up Your truth for Your righteousness and Your Son's namesake. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

As we turn the page in Hebrews to chapter three, we turn to the consideration of the High Priest of our confession. That is exactly what verse one of chapter three says, "Therefore holy brethren", that'd be us, and the Hebrew Christians who are reading this. "Partakers of the heavenly calling", that would be us and our Hebrew brothers to whom this is written. "Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him Who appointed Him, the faithfulness of Jesus, the High Priest to be considered. This is a High Priest who leads us to faithfulness, by His faithfulness." There is a calling here of oneness of mind and expression about who we believe this High Priest to be. He is the High Priest, if you will, whom we confess. We confess Him as High Priest in all the facets of that high priestly work.

Confession here in English is homologia in the Greek, meaning to speak the same things, to agree with who Jesus is, what He does, what He says and why He's here. To be confessional is to join with all believers, in confessing the same things that God has said are true. In particular, truth about His Son. Down through the ages of church history, there have been multiplicities of what were called councils or even synod's, a gathering together of church pastors, church leaders, church elders, to discuss the issues of the day. Many of you are familiar with a very important Council, which was the council at Nicea in 25 AD. In that particular country all the discussion was going to be about Aryanism. Aryanism which they came to apply the word to hear it out. And they stood against it, as adulterating the person of God. Not many years later another famous counsel, the Constantinople Counsil. From those councils, Creed's were developed, confessions, if you will, a systematizing of what God's word said on the subject being entertained, and a clear decision being brought to it. So if you know of the Nicene Creed, it's still confessed today and rightly so. Confessing the High Priest. We will begin going from Chapter Three through chapter nine, you could say through the end of this book.

To be confessional as Christians is to say the right things at the right time, to bring the truth to bear when it's necessary for it to be brought. I think we're in a time like that. And this Sunday is a very special Sunday. Because right now, whether you know it or not, we are joining with 1000s of pastors. 1000s of pastors across the United States of America and 1000s of pastors and their churches in Canada. We are standing confessionally on the truth of God's Word as regards the sexual revolution of our day. Many of you are aware that Canada has passed a new law, a law, and I want to read a couple of excerpts from. A letter that was sent from Pastor Andrew Dibartolo of encounter church in Canada to Pastor John MacArthur. He writes "Dear Pastor John, Thank you so much for your willingness not only to shine a light on the situation here in Canada, but also for your partnership and calling other men to preach on biblical sexuality on January 16, in unity and solidarity with the ministers here in Canada. We are truly grateful for your ministry and service." Pastor Dibartolo goes on to say "Bill C4 passed through the House and the Senate, without opposition. Not a single dissenting vote was cast by any member of the Conservative Party. It received Royal Assent on December 8, which means it will come into law after January 8, 2022. The bill will amend the Criminal Code in Canada to ban conversion therapy. It will criminalize among other things, causing another person to undergo conversion therapy or promoting or advertising conversion therapy." Pastor Andrew Dibartolo goes on to say. "In the preamble of the bill it says that the belief that heterosexuality is gender identity and gender expression that conforms to the sex assigned to a person at birth are to be preferred over other sexual orientations are a myth. According to certain Canadian law as of January 8, 2022, the belief in God and God's design for marriage and sexuality will now be seen as a myth." Pastor Dibartolo goes on to say "The definition is intentionally broad and it can clearly be used against any preacher or elder who either speaks against homosexuality, transgenderism, or who counsels a person to obey Christ and abandon their homosexual transgender actions and lifestyle. This means as of January 2022, it will be against the law to preach, teach, or counsel regarding God's design for marriage, and sexuality."

I give you one more piece of his letter on January 16, 2020, to faithful men across his country and many in the United States as well. "We'll be preaching on God's design for marriage, and a biblical ethic of sexuality. We will be will be doing so illegally declaring to the state that there is one God and one Lord over his church, and that Christ alone gets to both define marriage and dictate what is required in the pulpit." We are honored that our American brothers will be joining us in this light.

I will read to you just a few lines from Pastor John MacArthur's response. I'm unable to read it all. Pastor John says "I'm eager to support our Canadian brothers, and to preach on biblical sexual morality on January 16th". By the way he's in Canada, doing that today, perhaps as we speak. And he says "I invite you as a faithful pastor to do the same." That's why I'm here. It's a difficult thing sometimes to know what to be part of, and what not to be part of. Certainly many of you know that John MacArthur has an influence in my life as I went to seminary known as the master seminary over which he was president. And I have a connection with the theology doctrine and leanings there. However, I only desire to be part of the movements that are important, and not to become simply political in my preaching. But we have to realize at some point that whatever we preach is always political. Theology that declares God is King is political. And that is exactly what the issue of the day is. Dr. MacArthur goes on to say. "Our united stand will put the Canadian and US governments on notice that they have attacked the Word of God. We are all well aware of the evil power and destructive influence of the homosexual and transgender ideology. Our government is bent on not only normalizing this perversion, but also legalizing it and furthermore, criminalizing opposition to it." Dr. MacArthur then goes on to say "In 2012, California passed Senate Bill 1172, banning, quote, gay conversion, alongside New York, New Jersey and Nevada. In doing this, the California government sought to prohibit any correction of an unbiblical view of sexual identity because, quote, "California has a compelling interest in protecting the well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals" and on August 18th 2020, the Democrat Party declared at the national convention that it would, quote, "Ban harmful conversion therapy practices". Pastor MacArthur goes on to say "Our calling as gospel ministers is to preach the truth, confront sin, and call all men to repentance and obedience to the gospel, the good news that achieves soul conversion and saves sinners from eternal wrath." Will you stand with me and our Canadian brothers and confront in the spirit of love and mercy the damning sins legalized in our culture? Brothers and sisters, here I stand. And I know that many of you stand with me. This I believe is the idol of our age that will be used as a wedge to destroy God's Church and undermine truth. It has been weaponized, if you will, by the linguistics, of calling someone who would stand against homosexuality, a homophobe, and other derogative terms. You need to know that for me there's a sense of fear with the LGBTQ plus movement. And yes, I have a fear. My fear is not of them. My fear is for them. My fear is for them, as it should be for every lost sinner, who is expressing their sinful nature, unregenerate through sin, that they are in danger of the wrath of God being upon them. And I must need to have empathy. As a fellow sinner, who is saved by grace alone, and not by my own works. I am afraid for them. If that makes me a homophobe, perhaps I'm a homophobe. But most certainly, it is right to be afraid for them, even if they do not see the danger.

So this morning, I'd like to give you a number of reasons to join together in speaking on sexual morality and biblical marriage. Why do this? We do this, I believe, because it is very clear that there is a movement to silence us from doing this. And we must get to the honoring of the Creator God. There is one true God and He created the heavens and the earth. Man and woman created He them. Male and female, He made them. One man for one woman. He designed them and blessed that union, to say let no man put asunder what He has joined together. And in that He is putting on earth, His own image, propagating His image through the children born out of that union, and blessing Himself and glorifying Himself by putting the image of God in every baby, every human on the face of the earth. And to undermine that in any way is to try to remove the image of God from the earth, which is Satan's design. For he wishes to replace it with himself. And the Antichrist, in the final stages of the Tribulation, will do just that, setting himself up as God. And we speak for God. He has called us to this endeavor and He has given us a High Priest to lead us to this. And I will finish with these comments on how the High Priest, Who is faithful connects with this issue. Reasons; first to join together and speaking on sexual morality, biblical morality in the realm of how we were created as man and woman.

Number one, as I've said already, the real danger requires a real warning. I speak today of a fear for them, who are caught in this sin and the web that is woven, and those who are perpetuated, they are under true danger. True danger from the living God. In First Corinthians, the apostle Paul is speaking to a church that has allowed corruption to come into their midst, even sexual corruption. If you haven't read first Corinthians read it and you will find it there. And you will find adulteries, and you will find sodomy of sorts, and they are taking place within the church. And Paul writes this correction, and he gives this warning in First Corinthians six, and I'll begin reading in verse nine. Paul reminds them of what they know. "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?" So by the way, this isn't just inclusive of homosexual sin or sexual sin, but all unrighteousness. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? "Do not be deceived" Paul goes on "neither fornicators nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, listen, will inherit the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God, where God reigns as King, where Jesus Christ, of the line of King David, sits on the throne. It is the Kingdom of God for which we all wait. It is the rest that will be alluded to in chapter three, and pointedly referred to in chapter four, in the book of Hebrews, that the way of sin is a burdensome way, is an oppression to live under, and a guilt that weighs down. But the way of God is a rest from that wickedness, and Christ will oversee a kingdom of rest. I hope you noticed from that list that it was not just sexual sin. Even thieves, drunkards, coveters, just enrolled violators and extortioners, were included.

So we're not singling out a sin here. We are saying all of these are a no go to get into the kingdom. It is very dangerous to miss the kingdom. They are perversions of God's order, not just the sexual ones, but all of them. Particularly the sexual sins deny the creation, sovereignty of God. Gods says He made man and woman for the man, to be a homosexual is to be in direct rebellion against that which God created. And the purpose for which he created it It is a beautiful thing to be made a man, it's a wonderful thing to be made a woman. Both need the other. God pointed that out to Adam, it's not good for man to be alone is the pronouncement of God. And so he gave to man, a woman. Adam rightly said, this is woman, for she was taken out of man. That's why we call it our better half, our other half, the relationship of glory that dispels the glory of God and His creation work of all the creatures on the face of the earth.

We have a oneness relationship that reflects the oneness of Trinity, God the Father, God, the Son, God the Holy Spirit in three separate roles yet completely equal and are harmonious in essence, and he has given us a reflection of that light in marriage. One man, one woman and the two shall become what? One flesh. It teaches us about God. That only happens between one man and one woman given in marriage, period. The blessing begins. Any other way of looking at sexual relationships or any type of relationships, whether you would call it a marriage or not one man with one other man or woman with a woman. Transvestites etc, any abomination of those things are sin and are saying to God, You didn't do it right, we're gonna do it better. And they will fall under the judgment of God. We have been the frog in the frying pan for too many years. And we need to take example, even from our biblical past, from the example of Israel, for they allowed themselves to stay in the pan of water until it boiled and God boiled over with wrath upon them. There's real danger, it requires a real warning.

In Ezekiel chapter 16. A city is named a city of named of whom both Sumeria in Israel and Judah had become like sisters unto her in their sinfulness. This city was known, even biblically pronounced known for their sexual aberrant behavior. And even laws in the United States were penned with a titled name of the city to reference them both biblically and in reference to their sexual depravity. They are called laws of sodomy. In Ezekiel 16, God charges his prophet to speak. He speaks in verse 48 of Ezekiel 16, saying, "As I live, says, The Lord God, neither your sister Sodom, nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done." Verse 49, "Look, this is the iniquity of your sister Sodom: And she and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, abundance of idleness." Sound like any continent, you know of ? Like the Americas, Canada, the United States. They have pride. So they're lifting themselves up above God. With their fullness of food, they think that they are blessing themselves, the abundance of idleness, no longer even working. "Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy, taking advantage of them, and they were haughty and committed" Listen, verse 50, " an abomination before me. Therefore I took them away, as I saw fit.

Sodom stands as a warning throughout history, not to venture as a culture, as a people, as an individual into sexual sin and let it run rampant in your city. Yet this is what is happening in the United States. And Canada has just legislated it into law, you may not prohibit it. In the book of Acts, we read the apostle Paul, taking responsibility for speaking, we're answering the question, reasons to join together and speaking on sexual morality. And the first reason; the real danger requires real warning. And there's danger not only for being in the sin, but for being silent, and not speaking against the sin. The apostle Paul and Acts chapter 20, having gathered the Ephesian elders to him and knowing that he is soon going to his death speaks, he says, "Therefore I testify to you this day," Paul says "that I am innocent of the blood of all men." That might be shocking to you. That Paul feels a responsibility, he knows that what he does and has done could have made him guilty of the blood of all men, or innocent. Well, what did he do that he would be able to say, "I am innocent of the blood of all men"? listen. "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." He has never shied away from saying everything that God said about every single thing, including when he wrote to the church in Corinth and when he wrote to the Colossian heresy and when he wrote to the legalism of the Galatians. In warning, after warning, after warning, I have not shunned to declare to you, the whole counsel of God. He then exhorts them, verse 28. "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." So those who have the responsibility to oversee the flock are now being commanded by Paul to do likewise, to shepherd the church of God, which Jesus purchased with His own blood. He then warns "for I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves, men will rise up speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore, watch and remember that for three years, I did not cease to warn night and day with tears." Being afraid for them, and being responsible for the blood.

Where did he get this blood responsibility from? I believe he gets it and is following through on a charge that was given to the prophet Ezekiel, who I referenced earlier, and will now add this to your notes free of charge. In Ezekiel chapter three, God warns Ezekiel of his role as a prophet, and a prophets role is to speak the word of God for God to the people to draw them back to God. Prophets were mainly correctors of error. And they prove their word with signs and wonders along the way. We find in Ezekiel 3:17. God speaking to Ezekiel, "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel." He has placed him there like a guard on a tower, watching against the attacks of evil. A watchman for the house of Israel, "therefore hear the word of My mouth and give them warning from Me." God goes on to say "When I say to the wicked, you shall surely die, and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life. That same wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood I will require at your hand."

Does that mean he loses his salvation? No, it means that Ezekiel is responsible, and he will have a blood guilt that God will require of him. What does that mean? I'm not entirely sure. And I certainly do not have enough time even if I did to explain it today. I am just pointing out a responsibility to speak truth in warning that goes from the Old Testament to the new, and Paul even charges the elders after him with the same weight. Verse 19, God says, "Yet, if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die, because you did not give him a warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.

Nevertheless, if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning, also, you will have delivered your soul." It seems Paul, in Acts was feeling the same weight of responsibility in speaking the entire council of God. And so we must speak to this error of our age, to speak the same things that God speaks about marriage, to say the same things that God says about the union of marriage, and the glory and the beauty there in and to speak against any perversions of that relationship. A watchman to stand and warn, show reasons to join together and speak on sexual morality.

Secondly, the church needs to become more discerning. More discerning, what do I mean? It means that the modern church has, by and large, lost the ability to tell the difference, as God would have us do, between what is good and evil, and what is right and wrong. What is truth? And what is error? We can say that this goes directly to an ignorance of the Word of God. And certainly more than that, the proper application of that word, or the cherry picking of parts of God's word, rather than the whole council of God's word as Paul was referring to. So the church needs to become more discerning. Hence, we need to speak on this so that we can discern right from wrong, truth from error. Paul the Apostle again and speaking to the Thessalonian church, in chapter five, verse 21, says this, "Test all things, hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." That's discernment. To tell the difference between one thing and another.

The Sexual Revolution desires to redefine what God said is a family, to deconstruct the family unit and make it into something else. Which God would call an abomination because it is not good. It is evil! It is wickedness and in deconstructing the family, he also desires to deconstruct the church. That's why you've seen in many churches this happening. As Paul said savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And they have taught a different role model for men and for women. Such has been the case and so, it is easy to be fired as a pastor in a pulpit if they actually teach that men need to be men, and women need to be women and fulfill their roles as God gave them. You can certainly be fired fast and sure. Because we're Americans. And "he ain't should oughta talk to us that way". And so pastors have become gun shy. And so the roles get mixed up in the family.

When the roles got mixed up in the family, then the divorce rate went up. It's hard for a woman to respect the husband who was supposed to be the leader when he has capitulated that role. It is hard for the husband to love the wife, as he's supposed to love her when she's leading him. And so divorce, and so then adultery, sexual sin. And then the church adopts that, and it seeps in, and we say, well, there's no longer need for a man to be the head of his home and the woman to be the helpmeet to the man and enjoy that harmonious communion of serving the Lord together.

And then we say, well, that same must be true in the church. It shouldn't be that men alone get to stand in the pulpit. And what if it is that we don't have a pastor that can speak to us in the pulpit? What if God raises up a woman who is certainly good at speaking, and can handle these things? Shouldn't she march herself right into the pulpit and be a pastor? The answer to that biblically is No! First Timothy two:9-15. I don't have time to go there. Read it and discern.

What is Paul saying? In 2nd Corinthians 6:14, Paul says, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with the Beliel? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of God." God says, the living God, as God has said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them, I will be their God and they shall be My people, therefore, come out from among them and be separate."

This is discernment. How do you come out from among them and yet minister to them? It means you minister to them, you love them. You can even have friend relationship with them, but you may not join them in their sin, nor may you say "it's okay".

We're all sinners. No, it is not okay to sin because we're all sinners. Because we're all sinners, we sin and that points out that we need a Savior and a great High Priest to pay the price for our sin and stand in the way for us and we need to repent of that sin. If you say it's okay to sin against God, you've joined the rebellion against God.

The denominations are falling like dominoes, because of that very real capitulation. Our God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk among them, I will be their God and they shall be My people. "Therefore, come out from among them and be separate," says the Lord, "do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you." This is not separatism, where we don't speak to them. This is where we speak to them truth, and love them. But yet we very clearly say sin is sin when we need to. The good news is He says, "I will receive you, I will be a father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters" says the Lord Almighty. Amos asked this very clear question to Israel. The prophet Amos says "Can two walk together unless they be agreed?" It is certain that the church cannot walk together with his LGBTQ movement and be in agreement with God. We must agree with God. We must become more discerning.

2, Note the small letter B in your notes Be aware of the dual effects of our message. This needs to be preached more I think, because we have this desire to be liked. Can I have an amen? You should say it louder. We really like to be liked. Do I really want to be liked? Yes, I want to be liked. You know, I want people, I want friends. I want to influence people. Come on, be my buddy. Did you friend me? Why did you unfriend me? Yeah, why did they pick that? I'm just saying we need to be aware of the dual affects and I mean affects with an A, not an effect or cause that is the result of the gospel message that we carry.

Paul highlights this in second Corinthians chapter two, verse 14, he says, "Now thanks be to God, Who always leads us in triumph in Christ". Isn't that great, that he would write that and go to prison so often, and be beaten so many times? "Who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place." So like the knowledge of God that wafts forth from Christians, as we speak, as we have to speak for the fragrance to come out, we're not a flower, and they can't come up to us and take a whiff. Then we get John 3:16. We have to actually say, John 3:16. And then it flies forth like a fragrance of God, of the knowledge of God. And then, ah, the fragrance of the knowledge in every place, verse 15," for we are to God, the fragrance of Christ, among those who are being saved." And here's the dual, "and of those who are perishing." We smell of Christ, we smell of His Word, we speak of His Word, and they smell two very different aromas. Verse 16, "To the one we are an aroma of death, leading to death," that is those who are perishing. "To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other, an aroma of life leading to life." And then he asked who is sufficient for these things, meaning, we're not sufficient for it. Yet we're trusting God in it to triumph. The same message from a heart that is prepared by God to repent and believe and come to him. It's a message of life unto life. And to all of us, we say that I was once dead in my trespasses and sins, and now the gospel of Christ came to me, and now I live. And every time I hear it is a fragrance of life to me, but to those who are perishing, and those who were caught in the sins, and I would say, especially those sexual sins that weigh upon the soul, which are a bondage to the heart, and as the Bible even says, they sin against their own bodies, and their bodies cry out with the error of their ways, and the corruption that they're in, and they're bound in it. And it is a message to them of death unto death.

They can smell their own funeral pyre. Who is sufficient for these things? "For we are not", Paul says, "as so many peddling the Word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ." So we speak the truth and we speak the truth in love, and we speak the truth to rescue and we speak so that they might be delivered from their bondage. Why speak on sexual morality? 3, There is deliverance in the gospel of Christ Jesus. There is deliverance. We need to speak on deliverance more.

We talk about being saved. And I think a lot of the world looks at us and says, What does that mean? What does it mean to be saved? I've even asked Christians are you saved? And they kind of give me a funny look. We in some ways need to use the biblical language and deliverance is used a number of times in the Bible for true conversion.

Remember, the laws that were passed in Canada, and some of the United States are against conversion therapy, meaning, you are not allowed by the law of the land to tell somebody that they can be delivered, they can be converted from their burning desires for whatever particular sexual sin it might be, by God. In other words, you are restricted from showing them the narrow way of life. Rather, you are to leave the mind gate of death and hell open to them and not impede their path. To be delivered is to be delivered from the wrath of God, against the rebellion of man against his created ways, His words. It takes a new birth transformation to deliver them from this. And this has always been the promise of God. The Bible is replete with God crying out to man. "Be reconciled, be converted to me."

In Psalm 106, they are reminded of their great deliverance from the hand of Egypt. And it gives us an example of true deliverance for them. They were in bondage. As Israel under the Egyptians, they were amongst the pagans, and God delivered them. And in Psalm 106, we have this pining over sin. Psalm 106:6 says, "We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand your wonders. They did not remember the multitude of your mercies, but rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. Nevertheless, He saved them. He saved them for His namesake, that He might make His mighty power known."

Part of the bondage of these types of sins that we're discussing today is an overwhelming guilt that God could not possibly forgive me. God could not possibly deliver me. I'm too bad. And so I'm going to be as bad as I can be. I'm gonna follow this path as far as it leads, because this is just the way I was made. And the world tells them, yes, this is the way you were made, you're stuck in it, there's no way out. And even a minor study of sexual sin will show you that whatever it might be as a perversion, there is always a great deal of violence and grief, and suffering and disease. Nobody mentions that anymore, as punishments of God, and then the final punishment of everlasting destruction in hell.

Nevertheless, He saved them for His names sake. Nevertheless, God will save them, God will deliver them. He has the mighty power, and he makes it known by saving the worst sort of sinners. He delivers people so that they may be free to serve Him and Him alone. That is our message. That's why we speak on this, we have to help them. If they're drowning in the quicksand, we must be the one with a lifeline. We must be the one who approaches. We must be saying, I adjure you, in the name of Christ Jesus. Believe and let me haul you in.

God will save you. God will deliver you from your sin. I know it, because He delivered me, just as Israel was delivered from the Egyptian bondage in order to serve God as a nation of priests, and lead other nations from the bondage of sin. Jesus Christ is the great High Priest, and we are then his fellows to deliver this message. And it is a message of life. In Ephesians, Paul points out the desperation of all sin, our sin, before our conversion. He says in Ephesians 2:1-3, "and you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind. And we're by nature, children of wrath, just like the others."

So if you want to be proud in your Christianity, and say something like I was the good one, so God saved me, Paul says otherwise. And so when we minister to anyone who's caught in any kind of sin, sexual or otherwise, we say, that was me, too. But God delivered me. There is hope for you, because there was hope for me because of God, verse 4, "But God, who is rich in mercy." Mercy means not punishing where punishment is deserved. "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, "by grace, you have been saved!" He exclaims. And we with Him, the greatest truth I ever learned, having learned the error that I could lose my salvation on the basis of works, I found the truth that by grace I was saved and that not of myself, it was a gift of God, not as a result of works, that I should boast. "I boast in nothing but that I was a chief of sinners," Paul said, as a faithful saying. "But Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chief."

That's transformation. That's conversion. That's the message we must preach today and every day, because it is a deliverance of rescue and love. I take you back to our High Priest, where we have been preaching systematically through Hebrews 2. Remember how it ends, that Jesus Christ was made a human, made a man. So he can minister to us as a High Priest. It says in verse 14, "in as much then, as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death, He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death, have all their lifetimes been subjected to bondage. For indeed, He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham." He gives aid to us. Therefore, in all things He had to be made, like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest.

What are priests to do? They lead people to God. What does the High Priest do? He takes the sacrifice to God for sin, and represents the people. We have a High Priest to represent us to God with His own blood, for it says, to make propitiation for the sins of the people, we were by nature children of wrath, just like the others but Jesus Christ stood in the place of everyone who believes on him and took the full wrath of God. To satisfy the wrath of God on the cross, dying for our sins. Therefore, we are fully, completely saved to the uttermost from every sin, including sexual sins.

So finally, why speak on sexual morality, marriage, or any sin at all? Because we need desperately, a faithful High Priest. So many of the priests of the past failed. So many of the high priests didn't do their duty. But Jesus, Jesus, God the Son, became a High Priest whom we can trust. I purposely skip the example of the poor high priest Eli, and I move to Hebrews 10. In Hebrews 10:19, we find the homologia that confession, even more of the confession as to what we are to confess about our "High Priest, Jesus Christ. About his work, about his leading us to the cleansing in His blood. Hebrews 10:19, and I read

"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest of Holies by the blood of Jesus". No one was to enter the Holiest, no one was to go in there, except once a year, the high priest and not without blood, and he could die in there. But now, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, access to God, by a new and living Way, which he, our High Priest consecrated for us through the veil, that is His flesh, when He paid the price with His own flesh. "Take, eat, he said, This is My body which is given for you." He is acting as our High Priest. When He takes the cup He says "This is the cup of the new covenant in My blood. This do in remembrance of me." He is accessing the way to God with His blood and reminding us never to forget it's the new and living Way, which he consecrated for us through the veil that is, His flesh and having a High Priest over the house of God.

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of the faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with Pure Water. Christian, if you want to minister to the impure and the unclean and their sexual sin, be pure and unclean and clean in your daily walk for you've been delivered. Live like it! Let us hold fast the confession of our hope.

Back to homologia to confess and say the same things. Holdfast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised His faithfulness. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

Let's pray. Blessed be the name of the Lord God on high. All Praise be to You Father God and Your Son Jesus Christ. Oh Holy Spirit that dwells in us. It innervates us to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. We entreat you today to glorify Yourself in Canada, glorify yourself in the church. Make these laws which the world, prince of the power of the air would put against your church, make them as the grease upon the skids for salvation for those who are lost and dying. Raise up for Yourself boldly in Your church. And finally, may we speak and be a fragrance of life or a fragrant scent of death, You decide Lord. Thy will be done. But let us not be complacent. Please, Lord, protect us from being silent. And even more Lord, protect us from joining the sexual revolution that leads to destruction. Help our brothers and sisters in the coming days and help us as well Lord. For your namesake use us. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai