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00:00Let us find our way to the book of Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 7. Hebrews 13,
00:167. Two weeks ago we started a lesson entitled, Living Sacrifices. We'll finish
00:25that up today. Paul said, I beseech you, I beg of you, family, present your bodies
00:40as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable before the Lord. What is a living
00:47sacrifice? How can I live as that when I live a life that is dead to sin and
00:54alive to God? I am living out the living sacrifice kind of life. And Paul also
01:03said, don't be conformed to the world. That will help as well. Not being
01:08conformed to the world, rather we are to be conformed to the Word. And when we're
01:16conformed to the Word and we're renewing our minds daily, we can't just renew our
01:22minds once. Again, that would be so simple. Just a one-time process. Renew
01:29your mind and you're good for life. But that's not how it works. We must renew
01:33our minds daily. That is the salvation of the soul. And it's our reasonable
01:40service. We don't live as these sacrifices alive to God solely for the
01:47purpose of gaining something from Him. But it's because it's our reasonable
01:53service. Now in the process of it, He's a generous God. He's a loving God. And He
01:59will pour upon us blessing in abundance. But that's not why I'm doing it. I'm not
02:06living right so I can get something from God. I'm living right because, well, He's
02:12God and there was of no necessity, again, for Him to make me in order for Him to
02:20be God. He was God before the beginning. So I'm grateful for the life that I have.
02:26I'm grateful for the life that I can live. The fact that salvation was
02:30provided for me, that He would not see that mankind would spend an eternity
02:34apart from Him. That is enough for me to live as a living sacrifice. But again,
02:40He's so good to us that He will, in abundance, pour out blessing over our
02:46lives. Let's continue on with this lesson here in the seventh verse of Hebrews 13.
02:56The sacrifices that we now partake in as believers under the new covenant, one
03:04we've already established, the lifestyle we live, but then also in the arena of
03:10praise. Hebrews 13 7 says, Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the
03:21Word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.
03:28We see this word, who rule, and one might think of the crown and the scepter, but
03:34that's not what it's referring to. Individuals like myself and other men
03:39and women that are ministry gifts, those who have been given to be, called to the
03:46ministry to shepherd the flock of God. The word rule is a word that has to do
03:53with responsibility and leadership. Those whom Christ has called to be pastors and
04:00teachers and evangelists and apostles and prophets are to stand in front and
04:07lead, just like the husband. The husband being the head of the wife means he is
04:11to stand in front and lead. And so ministry gifts are to stand in front and
04:16lead. There is authority that we have from God, but it is not authority that is
04:22to be used and abused to Lord over you, so that I can get what I want. That's not
04:28what this position is about. That's not what this platform is for. To have
04:35authority over, to command in the Word, to command in the Word. Remember those who
04:40rule over you, who have spoken the Word of God to you. Those who are leading you
04:46are not speaking the Word of God to you. You need to find someone else to follow,
04:52right, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. So my
05:01conduct, it doesn't mean that I'm not entitled to privacy. We all are
05:05entitled to privacy, but my life is a bit more of an open book than the average
05:11person. Individuals like myself get judged on just about everything that we
05:17do and say. This job is not for the faint of heart or this calling, I should say.
05:24And again, I have always articulated this, that anyone who says they want to do this,
05:29they're not called. Now again, what you want to do is what God's called you to
05:37do. And so in that sense, if the Lord's called you to function as a ministry
05:42gift, well then you want to, you want to obey Him and you want to, you want to
05:48fulfill the call that He's placed on your life. But apart from that, anyone
05:52seeking this, as a matter of fact, 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 talks about
05:56apostles who seek the glory. Paul refers to them as false apostles and then
06:04immediately follows that up with the devil who's able to transform himself
06:07into an angel of light for the purpose of deception and therefore so can his
06:12ministers of unrighteousness do the same. Again, anyone seeking this for the sake
06:19of just seeking this, you need to seek something else. Verse 8, Jesus Christ is
06:27the same yesterday, today, and forever. Did you know that? Of course you did. What is
06:33yesterday, today, and forever to Jesus? Not quite the same as what it is
06:39for you and I in this earth realm, but meaning always and now Jesus is the
06:45same. Verse 9, do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. You
06:52ever heard a strange doctrine? A weird teaching? You ever notice how suddenly a
07:00group of believers are following this certain someone and their certain weird
07:07teaching? Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines for it is
07:14good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not
07:21profited those who have been occupied with them. And some of these strange
07:26doctrines have strange teachings about food. Again, food is mentioned in the
07:31Scripture quite a bit because it's something we can all relate to. Everyone
07:35can relate to food, whether you like the same foods or you don't. We all need
07:40sustenance to survive, so it's something that we can relate to. But it's
07:44interesting how over time there have been strange and weird doctrines to come
07:50out of those who claim to be a part of the body of Christ or the family of God,
07:55and they'll tell you what you shouldn't be doing in order to please God. None of
08:00that's found anywhere in the New Testament. Strange, again, and various
08:05doctrines. Verse 10 says, We have an altar from which those who serve the
08:11tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is
08:17brought into the sanctuary by the high priests for sin are burned outside the
08:21camp. Now, why are we reading about this when this is the New Testament? It's
08:25because, again, this is an epistle written to who? Hebrews. But which Hebrews
08:31specifically? Hebrews that got born again. Hebrews that got saved, that received the
08:37Messiah. But many began to do what? They began to leave the ways of the Messiah,
08:43attempting to go back to the ways of the law for their justification and for their
08:48righteousness. So some of the things that we're reading were happening in real
08:53time when the writer was writing to this specific audience. Verse 12, it says,
08:59Therefore Jesus also. Well, let's look at verse 11 again. It says, For the bodies of
09:04those animals. So we know about animal sacrifices. We read about animal
09:08sacrifices in the Old Testament. We know that God called the Israelites or called
09:14certain sacrifices to be made. The innocent lamb was to be slain to atone
09:20for sin, for example. So the bodies of those animals, right, whose blood is
09:26brought into the sanctuary by the who, by the high priests for sin, well, they're
09:31burned outside the camp. That was the way of Israel. Well, verse 12 says what?
09:35Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood.
09:41Jesus, our great high priest, and he was a priest according to a very specific order,
09:46an order that has no beginning or ending. That was the order of Melchizedek.
09:52And being that we have been made to be priests because we've been washed in the
09:56blood of Jesus, we're in the same order, a priesthood that has no beginning and has
10:02no ending. And so we have a great high priest in Jesus who did what? With his own
10:07blood, because he was the perfect sacrifice, the perfect lamb, his blood did
10:12what? It sanctified us. It set us apart. You and I, as believers in the Lord, we
10:18are set apart. He set us apart by way of his blood. It says, therefore Jesus also,
10:25that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered outside the gate.
10:32Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach. This is what
10:40it means to be identified with Christ, what it means to be identified with Jesus.
10:45We've been buried with him, we've been baptized with him, raised with him, made
10:48alive with him, seated with him, but also we suffer persecution with him. Today,
10:55Jesus is suffering persecution. And when Jesus suffers persecution, it's his church
11:03in the earth realm suffering that persecution. Now, I was told by a number
11:09of people that I don't need to bother going back to watch the opening of the
11:14Olympics. However, I was told that there were some things that were a bit of a
11:19mockery of our Savior and Lord and ultimately our faith. These are the kinds
11:26of things that Jesus still suffers today. He's at the right hand of the Father,
11:32flesh and bones, making intercession for the saints, and he's still suffering
11:35persecution. How do we know that? Because his body in the earth realm is suffering
11:40persecution. And when the body of Christ suffers persecution, the head suffers
11:44persecution. We know this to be fact because when Saul encountered Christ on
11:50the road to Damascus, and where was he going? He got permission from the
11:54council to go and persecute believers in Syria, in Damascus. And on his way to
12:00Damascus, he encounters the Lord. And what did Jesus say to him? He said,
12:05why are you persecuting me? When did Saul ever persecute Jesus? He didn't
12:11encounter Jesus before that Damascus road experience. When did Saul persecute
12:15Jesus? When Saul was persecuting the body, when he was persecuting the church of
12:21the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus took that personally. He takes it personally. So
12:25when you and I suffer persecution, he suffers persecution. Let us go forth to
12:34him outside the camp bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing
12:40city, but we seek the one to come. We do know that a new Jerusalem will come in
12:46the very end. Verse 15, therefore by him let us continually do something. First
12:54off, what does the word continually mean? Continually. Non-stop. Keep going. Keep
13:04doing. Let us continually do what? Offer the sacrifice. Stop right there. Don't
13:12read the rest. Now, if I was to take you to the Old Testament, I can take
13:17you through a number of scriptures in the book of Leviticus alone. And you'll
13:22read about certain practices that the Lord commanded Israel to partake in, and
13:28he told them to do these things continually. He said as an everlasting
13:34ordinance. He said for perpetual generations. But what did that mean in
13:40detail? It meant until one came to fulfill. And Jesus satisfied. He met all
13:50the requirements of the Old Covenant. Now here we are on the other side of
13:54Calvary. Here we are on the other side of the crucifixion and the suffering. Here
14:01we are as his ecclesia, his community of believers in the church, in the era of
14:07the church, in the earth today. And what kind of sacrifices are we to offer? Are
14:14we supposed to sacrifice animals? No, we are not. We're supposed to sacrifice our
14:19flesh. And we're supposed to do this. Look here, verse 15, therefore by him let us
14:25continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. Let us never stop doing
14:33what? Offering the sacrifice of praise to God. So that means, that means in
14:41order to, in order to offer sacrifices to God, in order to offer sacrifices of
14:48praise to him, you have to die to self. And then, and then look at what it says,
14:55look at, look at what it says next. The fruit of our lips, doing what? Giving
15:03thanks to his name. So there's praise, there's thanksgiving. So our praise and
15:08our worship and our thanksgiving is continued sacrificial offerings to him,
15:15right, with the fruit of our lips. But then look at verse 16, but do not forget
15:22to do good and to share. All right, don't, don't, don't miss this part. Don't gloss
15:30over this. Look at this. Do not forget. Why would I need to be reminded of this?
15:38Is it possible that one could be so caught up in the demonstration of praise
15:44they can forget to do good? Can we get so caught up in being a spectacle that
15:56we forget to do the things that are generous? It says don't forget to do good
16:02and to share. And then look at what it says next. For which, for with such
16:09sacrifices, God is well pleased. Which sacrifices? Not just the sacrifices of
16:16praise to him with the fruit of our lips, not just the giving thanks to his name,
16:23which we do with our lips, but also what? Doing good and sharing. Those two things
16:34are also included in the sacrifices we're to engage in and to offer up on this side
16:42of the cross. The scripture says with those sacrifices. So not just the fruit of
16:48our lips, not just giving thanks to his name, but also doing good and also sharing
16:54with such sacrifices. Plural, God is what? He's well pleased. And we also know that
17:02he's well pleased when we are presenting our bodies as living sacrifices. Because
17:09when you're presenting your body as a living sacrifice, you're operating in
17:12faith, not in the flesh. You're saying no flesh. You're saying I'm putting you down
17:18and I'm keeping you under. You're saying no flesh. You don't get to tell me what
17:25to do. You don't dictate to me the direction we're going. I tell you. Which
17:31is why Paul says, you present your body, you present your body, you be in control.
17:40And we know that when we're doing that, we're operating in faith. And we know in
17:44addition to that, that without faith, it's impossible to please God. That's Hebrews
17:5211, six Romans eight, eight tells us those in the flesh can't please God, which tells
17:56me that when I'm in the flesh, I'm not in faith. And when I'm in faith, I'm not in
18:00the flesh. Because if when I'm in the flesh, I can't please him, but without faith, it's
18:06impossible to please him. That means I can't be in faith and be in the flesh. I'm either
18:12in faith or I'm in the flesh and watch this. Romans 14 tells us the latter part of that
18:19chapter tells us whatever is not a faith is sin. Whatever is not a faith is sin. So, so
18:28walking by sight is actually sin. That's sin because we're supposed to walk by faith
18:36and it doesn't mean we deny what we see. We're just not moved by what we see. I'm not denying.
18:47I'm not saying it's not there. I'm just not moved. I'm not moved by it. When the word
18:52of God says differently, it's the word that moves me. I see what I see. I smell what I
18:58smell. I hear what I hear. I touch what I touch. I taste what I taste, but I'm not,
19:03I'm not moved by those things. And I'm definitely not moved by those things when those things
19:09speak differently than what the word has established. I'm moved by the word. With such sacrifices,
19:19plural, God is what? He's well pleased. How many of you want to be well pleasing to God?
19:26I know I do. I'm making it, I'm making that my aim. Look at verse 17. Obey those who rule
19:35over you. We've already established what that, that kind of ruling is. Obey those who rule
19:42over you and be submissive. Again, ministry gifts have to be careful with scriptures like
19:47this or we'll pervert them and we'll turn, we'll turn the ministry that God has called
19:54us to operate in and function in as a kingdom for ourselves. Obey those who rule over you.
20:03Be submissive for they watch out for your souls. When I'm giving you this word, I'm
20:10looking out for your soul. The soul man is the middle man. Right in between the flesh
20:20man and the spirit man. Because the whole of us to be sanctified completely, Paul said
20:27to the Thessalonians in chapter five of the first epistle, he said, spirit, soul, and
20:34body. May your spirit, soul, and body be sanctified. Well, that's three parts. And then it's Hebrews
20:40chapter four, right? Verses 12 through 16 that tell, tell us that it's only the word
20:45of God that can make a distinction or divide between spirit and soul. Now there are some
20:52who believe that spirit and soul are interchangeable words, but according to Hebrews and first
20:57Thessalonians five, Hebrews four and first Thessalonians five, there's a difference between
21:02the two. And when you really study out the spirit and you study out the soul, you come
21:08to understand that spirits are what we are. We are spirits, right? Made in the image of
21:15God. Weren't we made in the image of God according to his likeness? Didn't Jesus tell the woman
21:20at the well in John four 24, God is a spirit. Well, if God is a spirit and I've been made
21:26in his image, then I too must be a spirit. But since I'm like God, I have a mind. I have
21:32a soul. And that's what it means to be spirit, soul, and body. I am a spirit. I possess a
21:40soul. I live in a what? I live, I live in a body. Well, the spirit is saved and the
21:48body will be saved. What's going on with the soul? The soul is being saved. The soul is
21:53being saved. If we commit ourselves to a life of mind renewal, the soul is being saved.
22:01And so, and so notice specifically that the scripture says that I am to do what? Based
22:07on the, the word of God that goes forth. I'm watching. I don't have to watch out for your
22:13spirit. Your spirit is secure. Your spirit was secure when you said yes to Jesus. I don't
22:21have to watch out for your spirit. Your spirit is good. I need to watch out for your soul
22:27so that your soul can follow the leading of your spirit and arrest your flesh. The flesh
22:35will be taken care of if we, if we submit to the new nature, knowing that one day our
22:43bodies will be saved. Do what? Obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they
22:48watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy. I would
22:54really appreciate to be able to experience joy and not grief when watching out for your
23:04souls. It says for that would be, for that would be unprofitable for you. And, and some
23:16of those times when I'm, when I'm missing and I'm not here, it's not just because I'm
23:21on vacation or because I'm out of town. It's because I need a minute. And, and, and, and,
23:36and the needing of that minute comes from what all of this is. It is, it's a, it's a,
23:46it's a, in the natural, it's a taxing and thankless job. In addition to that, if you're
23:54not careful, you'll, you'll, you're, you will grow weary. And then I'm forced to pull a
24:02David and do what? Strengthen myself in the Lord. I'm not going to go to God and ask for
24:07more strength. He's given me all the strength that I need, but I can strengthen myself in
24:12Him. Let them do so with joy and not with grief for that would be unprofitable for you.
24:22What sacrifices are well-pleasing to God? The fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His
24:29name, sharing and doing good. Let's look at first Peter chapter two, verse four, first
24:40Peter two, four. We are living sacrifices. That is what we are. First Peter chapter two
24:58and locate verse four. When you have it, say, I have it. I noticed what it says here
25:06coming to him as a living stone, a living stone coming to him as a living stone, a stone
25:16that is alive. That's what I'm reading here. All right. Can we, can we make sense of this?
25:21Let's keep going. Rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. You also,
25:32as living stones are being built up a spiritual house. Let's stop right there for a second. Okay.
25:39A living stone. Then it was made plural living stones. And then I'm reading about this spiritual
25:46house. All right. I'm a living stone. You're a living stone. Those of us in the Lord. Well,
25:53we also know that Jesus is the rock of our, I'll try to remember the song. Do we need to sing the
26:04Sunday school song right now together? Jesus is the rock of my salvation. There you go. All right.
26:15You haven't forgotten. Jesus is the rock. Okay. Not only is he the rock of our salvation,
26:24but he's also, if you recall, he is the rock in which he built his church on. We're reading from
26:34Peter. Peter wasn't the rock. He built his church on again. I submit to you that if Jesus built his
26:41church on Peter, we all need to get saved again. No, no, no. The rock of truth that came out of
26:51Peter's mouth. You are the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus built his church on that. He
26:59built his church on himself. And we can read about it in Ephesians two, first Corinthians,
27:04chapter three. Jesus is the what? The chief cornerstone. Everything and everyone else is
27:14built on him. So it would then make sense that I too am a living stone after having believed in him
27:22and that all of us collectively are living stones and we're being built up a what? A spiritual house.
27:30Now the scriptures give us a number of illustrations, parallels, descriptive terms,
27:49adjectives to describe what we are as believers or what we are as Christ's body. As a matter of fact,
27:57his body, that's one of them. We are the body of Christ. The Bible also tells us we're God's
28:02building. We are the building of God and we are also the household of God. Well, you need materials
28:09to build a building. You need materials to build a house. And we see that we are the stones of this
28:18building, of this house. Again, coming to him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men. Who cares
28:24if men reject you? I don't care if man rejects me when God has chosen me. If I have to choose
28:34between the rejection of men and the choosing of God, I'm going with the latter every single time.
28:40I don't want to please men. I want to please God. Rejected indeed by men, but chosen by
28:54God and precious. You also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house. A, look at that,
29:02a holy priesthood. Pay attention to that. He's talking about us. Peter's talking about us by
29:08inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He says we are a holy priesthood. Well, wait a minute. To be a part
29:17of a priesthood means you've already been set apart. And the word holy means set apart. So, so
29:27what will be the difference between a priesthood and a holy priesthood? Well, I mean, we can go
29:36technical and we can, we can go very natural. In antiquity, numerous cultures had priesthoods
29:43because numerous cultures and numerous kingdoms and ethnic groups had, had religious systems,
29:52right? They had religious systems. They worshiped a number of, of what we know as false or pagan
29:58deities. And they had priests and priestesses. They, they had priesthoods. And even in those
30:03Gentile heathen nations, there had to be a group set apart for the priesthood to those deities.
30:09But this is a particular priesthood. Now we know that the, the priesthood beginning with Aaron was
30:18set apart, set apart unto the true and living God. And we know God is holy by Jesus. He's made us
30:26holy. Our spirits are holy. Souls are being made holy. Body will be made holy. So, so spiritually
30:34speaking, which is the most important part, because that, that part is what secures eternity,
30:39we're holy. Looking through spiritual lenses, we, we're holy. We're not trying to become holy. We're
30:48not looking forward to being holy. Spiritually speaking, we are holy. Again, the soul part being
30:55made holy right now, real time, present tense. The body, we know the body will be saved. It'll be
30:59resurrected. That's when it'll be made holy. But, but, but our spirits, the realist part of us,
31:05already holy through Jesus, our great high priest, who those whom he washed in his blood,
31:16he's made to be kings and priests. So if you, if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus, you're a
31:20priest and Jesus is holy, is he not? So you've been made holy by God through Jesus. Therefore,
31:27it would make sense that under the new Testament, those called or who have called in the name of
31:34the Lord are a part of this holy, this set apart group of set apart folk, this holy priesthood. And
31:44we're being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to do what? To offer up something.
31:47Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Spiritual sacrifices. Okay, we read
31:57about presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice. We read about the sacrifice of praise and the
32:02giving of thanks to his name. And we read about doing good and sharing. God considers those
32:09sacrifices as well. And when we engage in those things, it's well pleasing to him. So when I'm
32:15walking as his workmanship, that's what, that's what Ephesians chapter two, verse, verse 10,
32:21Ephesians chapter two, verse 10 says, we are God's workmanship. That literally translates into we,
32:28we are, we are God's work of art. That's what the word means. It means we are God's, we are
32:36God's poetry. That's what we are. We are, we are God's, we are God's magnum opus. We are God's
32:49definitive work. Where's workmanship. And we have been created for good deeds. That's the doing good.
32:57That's the sharing. We have been created for good deeds that we should walk in them 24 seven. Well,
33:03that's pleasing to God. Those are sacrifices unto the Lord. Well, now we have here that we are
33:10living stones being built up as a part of this spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up
33:19what spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through who Jesus Christ spiritual sacrifices.
33:27Remember under the new covenant, God is not dealing with our flesh. He's dealing with our
33:35spirits. The word of God is a word to your spirit. It's up to you to arrest your flesh. You, you
33:46take the, remember what Jesus said, my words are spirit and they are life. So it's up to us to
33:51take his words that are spirit and life and speak his words that are spirit and life over our flesh
33:59and get control of our flesh. That's why when you're walking through the new Testament, you
34:02don't read anything anywhere from any new Testament writer where any of them are telling you
34:08to go to God and pray about your flesh. Now we can pray the prayer of faith when our flesh is
34:16attacked by way of sickness and disease. But as far as lifestyle, as, as far as the nature of the
34:24flesh, you don't pray to God about him removing that you operate in self-control put to death the
34:34members, put off all of these, put off the old man, put on the new man. See, that's our
34:42responsibility. A guy's talking, he's talking to our spirit and you'll, and, and, and I could take
34:50you through the new Testament and I can show you certain words that under the old covenant meant
34:55something material or something sense realm, like, like an offering. There are all kinds of
35:03offerings under the old covenant, wave offerings, heave offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings,
35:10all kinds. And these were, these were external things, but, but under the new Testament,
35:16because Jesus has, Jesus has, Jesus has offered up himself, which satisfies all offerings. So
35:28what do we offer up? Sacrifice the praise, right? What we offer is something spiritual. First fruits
35:34were something material under the old Testament under the new Testament is spiritual because the
35:41new covenant is, is a covenant speaking to the spirit of man, the saved part of man. So we're
35:52this holy priesthood, this set apart priesthood offering up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to
35:58God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion,
36:06a, there it is, a chief cornerstone. The, the, the chief cornerstone was the stone placed at the
36:20extreme corner. It was the foundation stone. Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone elect
36:32precious, watch this, and he who believes on him. See, notice what it didn't say. Notice it, notice
36:42how it, how it doesn't read. It doesn't read like this. Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone
36:48elect precious. And he who believes on it, that's not what it says. It says he who believes on. So
36:56him must be the chief cornerstone. According to this scripture, the chief cornerstone elect chosen,
37:04precious, and any who believes on him, the chief cornerstone will by no means be put to shame.
37:13Therefore, to you who believe, Peter is writing to who? Those who believe. See, you don't have
37:24to believe the word and you can ignore everything it says. You can make a choice. Many people have
37:31made choices in the, in the hour we live in and the hours in which the apostles lived in. Many
37:39heard the word and rejected it. They mocked it. They scoffed. They said, no, they said, I'm not
37:46interested in it. Many chose not to believe, but many chose to believe. And if you're one of the
37:54ones who chose to believe, it says verse seven, therefore, to you who believe he is precious, but
38:03to those who are disobedient, it's not talking about believers who are disobedient. It's making
38:13a difference between to those who believe and to those who choose not to believe. The will of God
38:23is that all know Jesus. That's the will of God that all know Jesus. If you don't, if you don't,
38:34if you don't accept that, if you don't, if you don't walk in that direction, his will, believing
38:45on the son and you, and you reject, keyword reject. All right. We're not talking about those who have
38:52never heard the gospel. Those who have never heard you leave them in the hands of God. You leave them
39:00in the hands of God. Every, every single person in scripture in the new Testament, specifically in the
39:08book of acts, the history of the new Testament church, every single person that will spend an
39:13eternity in hell, according to the book of acts are those who rejected they rejected. Well, I have
39:23to first hear in order to reject. I have to first hear in order to receive. So again, look at what
39:30he says here. He says, look at verse six again. Therefore it is also contained in the scripture.
39:36Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone elect precious. And he who believes on him, the chief
39:43cornerstone will by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe, believe in what?
39:50Believe in who? Jesus, the Christ, a savior Lord. Therefore, to you who believe he's precious, but to
39:57those who don't believe or who are disobedient to the will of God, that is that all be saved and
40:03come to know his son. It says the stone, which the builders, what rejected rejected has become
40:13the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. The majority of Israel,
40:23this was applicable to when this was written. And, and even today there, there, there are,
40:33there are plenty of, of, of Jews, of, of, of, of every tribe, of, of, of, of a plethora and
40:42sea of colors and F and, and, and, and shades and hues who have accepted the Messiah, but a greater
40:52majority who have not. That's why we read in the scripture about, about the blindness of Israel.
40:58For example, Romans 11, 26 says blindness in part has come to Israel until what? Until the fullness
41:05of the Gentiles comes in. When, when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, then the blinders will
41:10be removed from national Israel, corporate Israel, and the fullness of Israel will come in. But we
41:18know clearly there were, there were those of Israel who believe Peter. We're reading Peter.
41:24He was of Israel. Paul was of Israel. They were believers in the Lord. Okay. So it says the stone,
41:32which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, Jesus, the Christ who was rejected
41:36and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. And again, it wasn't just Israel. It wasn't just
41:41Israel who rejected. Greece rejected. When Paul was in Athens in Acts 17 on the Areopagus and,
41:47and on the Areopagus, that's where everybody, they just wanted to talk about new stuff. The philosophers
41:54were up there engaging each other and Paul engaged them and he preached the gospel to them. And some
41:59of those Greeks rejected, but some of them received. Others reasoned. They said, we'll hear you again.
42:06I like what you're saying. I'll hear you again on this matter. So it wasn't just, it's anyone who
42:13rejects of all nations have rejected. Look at this. Verse 8, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of
42:21offense. They stumble being disobedient to the word to which they also were appointed. He's really
42:29targeting Israel now because they were the ones appointed. It's why Jesus said, preach only to the
42:36lost sheep of the house of Israel. It's why we read in Romans, the salvation is for the Jew first
42:40and then the Gentile. But what happened? They were disobedient to the word to which they were
42:47appointed. He says, but you. So clearly, because I believe I'm a part of the you. I'm not a part of
43:01the ones who rejected because I didn't reject, I received. So here's what he says. He says, but you,
43:09he says, you're a chosen generation. And then he says this, we get upgraded because in verse five,
43:21I read, we were a holy priesthood, but, but, but, but now, now I'm reading here in verse nine,
43:28that we are a royal priesthood. Well, royalty has to do with the monarchy that has to do with the
43:38king and the queen. And I'm being called here. You're being called here. Those of us who have
43:44believed in the sun, we're being called a Royal priesthood. Now royalty also is set apart. Kings
43:53are set apart. Queens are set apart. The Royal family is set apart. We are all a part of the
43:59Royal family. The reason why we're a Royal priesthood, which means we're a holy priesthood.
44:07It's just, we're not only a holy priesthood, but also a Royal priesthood. And why are we a Royal
44:14priesthood? Well, I mentioned the scripture to you before in revelation chapter one, we read about how
44:20those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus, those who have been washed in the blood of the
44:26lamb, he has made them to be what Kings and priests. Does that sound like a Royal priesthood to you?
44:35Does, does a priest who also happens to be a King sound like a Royal priesthood to you? If I have a
44:45group of priests who are also Kings, that to me sounds like a Royal priesthood and we are a Royal
44:55priesthood and you're not a, you're not a part of a Royal priesthood or you're not a kingly priest
45:02based on anything that you did, any works you did. This is the thing about being in covenant with,
45:10about being in covenant with, with, with Jesus. Individuals who sincerely got born again. The
45:20gospel was preached. They heard the word like, like, like maybe some people at their deathbed.
45:28The gospel was preached before they passed away and with sincerity of heart, they believed. The
45:37moment they believed, even if they died five minutes later, the moment they believed, they
45:40became Kings, priests, Lords, anointed and sanctified and healed and delivered and redeemed
45:50and set free and made more than, made to be more than a conqueror and victorious. I mean, all of
45:56that, it all comes with being born again. The reason why we don't see a lot of us as believers
46:02living in, in living color, what we read here is, is because of a lack of knowledge and a lack of
46:12equipping. Way too many saints, they don't know anything about their covenant promises. They know
46:18they're saved. They know Jesus is Lord and they know that if they were to pass away, they would
46:23miss hell. But there's so much more to this life. But you won't know if you're not instructed, if
46:32you're not equipped, equipped, if you're not informed. He says, you're a chosen generation, a
46:38royal priesthood. And see, I've said this before. There are two nations in this world. When you look
46:46at it through the lens of scripture, there are two nations. It's the kingdom of God and the kingdom
46:51of darkness. You're a part of one or the other. See, this word nation is applicable because remember
46:58our commonwealth, citizenship, Philippians 3.17, polytouma in the Greek. The word citizenship has to
47:06do with, with, with being a republic, being a commonwealth, being a part of a government. Well,
47:12that commonwealth republican government is holy. The nation is holy. What's the holy nation that
47:19we're a part of? The kingdom of God. This scripture is not talking about Israel. It's talking about the
47:24kingdom of God. You are a chosen generation, a royal priest. He has not forgotten Israel. The
47:33church hasn't replaced Israel. Let me be clear about that. There, there are, there are some, there
47:38are some, there are certain scriptures that, that, that when applied to, to Israel are, are natural.
47:48And when applied to the church are spiritual. And in that sense, the church could be likened to a
47:54spiritual Israel, but the church has not replaced Israel. Paul was very clear. He says, as God cast
48:00away his people, certainly not, but, but Jesus came so that all could be saved, not just Israel, but
48:11Gentiles as well. And when all, whether Jew or Gentile enter into him, we, we become a part of
48:16this holy nation that is the kingdom of God. You're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood.
48:23What do Kings do? Kings decree. Kings decree and priests stand in the gap. Priests represent,
48:35priests represent the people to God. You get to represent yourself. You get to go before the throne
48:44of grace yourself. You don't need a priest to enter into a holy place to atone for you. You can
48:51go see God yourself. You can go talk to God yourself. His own special people, holy nation,
48:58his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness
49:04into his, his marvelous light. Why is his light marvelous? Of course, because he's marvelous,
49:15but I mean, it would be enough to read that we've been called out of darkness into his light. I mean,
49:24the light of God is enough, but, but the marvelous light is the wonderful light. It's the light
49:34worthy of admiration. It's the excellent light. It's the light that causes both amazement and
49:42terror. Because if, if, if, if angels, if, if Michael, the archangel descended right now,
49:51and we could all see him, we would both be, well, first we would be shook. We would be afraid.
50:02And if it truly was Michael, he would say what? Fear not. And I'm telling you a piece that you
50:10could not explain would just overtake you and you'd go from terror to awe. And that's what it
50:17would be like to be in the presence of God. Not, not, not a, not a, a binding, crippling terror
50:24or fear, but a whoa, wow, but then awe. Because imagine, I mean, have you ever just felt the rays
50:37of the sun? Like, like on a certain day, you just, you just, some of you like going to the beach and
50:45you like wasting your life at the beach. You like that. And so, and some of you will, will commit
50:53you are diligent to commit numerous hours on the beach. And certain times, especially if you do full
51:03days, like my family, they do full days. They clock in, they go to the beach, they clock out
51:08eight hours later. Right? There are, there are, right? There are certain times of the day where
51:16it's a bit hot and then, but there's a time when it's just perfect. Right? And you just,
51:21oh, the rays of this, what, what do the rays of God's glory feel like? Right? We first,
51:26we stand in his presence and there is that terror, but then it's peace. And it's a feeling
51:32that we can't describe or put into words. That's his marvelous light. His marvelous light. Again,
51:37he says his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him. How do we proclaim
51:43the praises of him with the fruit of our lips, which is, which is the sacrifice who called you
51:50out of darkness into his marvelous light in God. I am now in light. I'm a child of light. I'm no
51:57longer a child of darkness. And Paul, Paul words, he words the world and, and, and, and believers
52:05in a number of ways. And one of the, one of the things, one of the, the, the, the titles that he
52:11gives to the, to the world, he, he calls them, refers to them as sons of disobedience. Well,
52:18if you and I have been called out of darkness and into his marvelous light, and we're no longer
52:23sons of disobedience, we must now be what we must be sons of obedience, right? So we have been called
52:29out of darkness. We're no, we're no longer now a believer. They can have, they can have their,
52:36their minds darkened, but they're not in darkness. They're in his light. It says what verse 10 who
52:46once were not a people, but are now the people of God, man, that's, that's pretty rough. Who weren't,
52:54who, who once were not a people. I mean, when I wasn't in, in the kingdom of God,
53:01I was in the kingdom of darkness. And so wasn't, wasn't I a people of darkness? Wasn't I a person
53:08of darkness, but look at how this is worded who once were not a people, but are now the people
53:14of God who had not obtained what mercy, but now have obtained mercy. And not only have we obtained
53:24the mercy we've, we've obtained it all justice, mercy, and grace, mercy, and justice that follows
53:30grace. Actually, thank God that justice didn't come first. They got his grace came first. Since
53:36grace came first, the justice we experience is on this side of grace
53:44because he justices when you get what you deserve.
53:48So I'm glad I didn't get what I deserve before his grace. I'm glad I encountered his grace,
53:54bathed in his grace, was fully immersed and baptized in his grace. And now on the other
53:59side of this grace, I get what I deserve because on this side of grace, I deserve it all. You deserve
54:05it all. Sinners deserve death and hell. Believers deserve it all. We deserve every covenant right,
54:18every covenant benefit, not because again of anything that we've done, but because of what
54:26he did and therefore has done. Amen. Father, we thank you for your word. It's life and truth.