Somebody out here said, good effort. That was very nice, and one of our beloved hymns, isn't it? It's the first time I've heard Stefan sing a solo since the time I married them, and in the middle of the ceremony, he had arranged that if he felt capable of it, he would sing a solo to his bride soon to be his wife. A surprise to Linda. And he gave me that signal and sang some kind of a love song. What was it, Steph? I don't remember. You better remember, my man. Friends for life. And Linda took a little... Would you like to come and sing me? It was a touching moment for all of us. And this is another hymn of a bride and a bridegroom, isn't it? and a more touching hymn for all of us, speaking of our eternal home. We have some free literature for you from Amass. Dave Rogers does a lot of service for Amass in his years of retirement. He is an assistant to the president and goes around the country representing Amass at different places and works hard for us. relationship to some extensions of schools that have been established within the driving reach of the college. And he brought along all of this literature, and I'm sure he doesn't want to take it back. Is that right, Dave? Dave, you all know Dave, but Dave, why don't you stand? Because I would like to particularly recognize him for the hard work that he does for the college on a voluntary basis. And he travels all over the country. He represents us. Now, I'm suspicious that some of his travels because in January he likes to go to the Park of the Palms. and spend some time there. But hey, that's smart. We two times a year produce the Amass Journal. We have a whole supply of those. They're free of charge. Like all, you take one, as many as would like one, take one of those. Some discussions of biblical subjects. There's a separate one I wrote some years ago on the centrality of the Lord's Table. There are some copies of that available and other literature representing the college. And we encourage you to avail yourself of that free literature as well as buying some good books from our good friends of Bennett's as they come and set that up. The girls that came over with us from school were looking forward to getting some fresh supply of head coverings. Yes, we still believe that, don't we? Yes, we do. In this little handout that I have, I'd like for you to Turn to that passage. It's in Hebrews chapter four. It's here listed under three, but really is four. Four fourteen. Seeing them, we have a great high peace who passed through the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession. And this is the verse we're hoping you will memorize. Somebody asked me, what translation are you quoting for us? And it's probably a composite of a lot of them. So I guess we better pick one. and come down on it, and you can pick whatever one you would like particularly. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin, that is therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Just above this section in chapter three, there has been that extended discussion of the rest warning passage in which the author encourages those who were thinking about recanting an empty profession but going back to Judaism to enter into rest and was encouraging people who were tired of working to labor. This is our time of laboring that we might enter into rest. And having finished that, he goes on to this passage of priesthood, and he is now going to get into the priesthood proper. I view these verses in chapter four and fourteen, fifteen, sixteen as the devotional introduction to the main theme of priesthood that will be developed then in five, seven, eight nine and ten and in this passage he says in verse fourteen seeing then that we have a high priest who has passed into heaven jesus the son of god and notice the the two names that are used he uses that name we do not see all things subject to him but we see jesus a human being you know this fan reminds me of the way our students read the bible we have a bible qualification in the first year, you have to read the Bible all the way through. It's the best way to do it. Have a fan blowing while you're reading. And the pages just turn so quickly, you know. If I start speaking out of Second Timothy, it's because the pages turn there, you know, and we'll just pick it up and go on from there. But don't turn it on, please. Jesus, the Son of God. It is significant that these two names come together here as he is going to be talking about the priesthood particularly. In this devotional thought, he is telling us that we have this priest that we've talked about already. He has made purgation for sin. He has seated himself at the right hand of God because the work is done. He is one who has totally identified with humanity so that he can understand. Seeing that we have that kind of a high priest at the right hand of God. He is Jesus who has experienced it all. He knows. Jesus knows how you feel today. He knows the kind of trouble you're having today. He knows the burden. He's been there, done it. But he is also the Son of God. And that means he can give us grace and mercy to help. He can do something about it. He is the omnipotent Son of God. All things are held together. Remember the introduction. He designed the ages, all those periods of time through which history would go. And then he has the world in his hand. He is not only the architect, but he is carrying the world alone to its appointed destiny. He is omnipotent. He does that by the word of his power. And he's our high priest. He knows because He's Jesus, He's experienced it. He can do something about it because He is the Son of God. Consequently, we are never helpless. Do you hear it? Never helpless. We have all the help we ever need. There is no temptation befallen you, but such as is common to man, and God will with that temptation provide a means of escape. My grace is sufficient for you. You can take it to the bank. We are never helpless. And He is always ready. And He is always able. He is never blindsided by some new event. We are never out of His sight. He is never overwhelmed by something that is too powerful, some other force. Be it Satan or the world system or our own propensity to sin. The Christian never has to yield to temptation. Never. God has given to us, along with our salvation, all we need for godly living. Yes, I believe once we are saved, we never have to sin again. Do you believe that? Does anybody believe that? That's right, because He has given us certain precious promises by which we are able to escape the corruption that is in this world, and we are able to become, listen to this, partakers of the divine nature. Second Peter, chapter one. He's given us all we need for godly living from the get-go, from the moment we're saved. He has given us the Holy Spirit. He has given us prayer in his name. He has given us the word of God. He has given us the support of the saints. He has given us the open invitation of the high priest to come rushing into his presence to get grace and mercy to help at the appropriate time. We never have to sin. There's only one reason any of us ever sin because we want to. Nobody can make us do it. He's given us all we need. for godly living. And we have a high priest who knows how hard that is. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace. Rush into the presence of God. We come boldly. When Artaxerxes, the king asked Nehemiah, why are you so downcast? He prayed to God and said to the king, that was not a very long prayer, was it? He rushed into the presence of God. When Peter's faith is waning, he says, Lord, save me. Not a very long prayer rushes into the presence of God. Yes, we can rush in a moment of time into the presence of God. There's nothing we have to do to get his attention. It's always ready for us. Come boldly to the throne of grace. Lord, help me. I need it now. If I don't get the help now, I'm going under. You ever thought that way? And you get it now. I referred to Jim Cajun earlier one time in the hospital room. He says to Dave McLeod and Ken Fleming who were visiting, where is the mercy of God? Where is this grace? Would you pray for that, guys? And two of us dear friends pray for mercy and grace. And Jim, who was in deep pain, got mercy and grace to help at that moment of time. And this has become his favorite verses I've already told you. As he continues to suffer greatly, he calls out for mercy. and grace to help. Now notice it's in the time of need. No way to store up mercy and grace. We don't have a bank account. We can't anticipate it. Lots of time we say, if that would happen to me, I could never bear it. You ever said something like that? Well, when we're at a distance from a struggle, a pressure, a trial, when we see other people going through things and are amazed at the way in which God gives mercy and grace. We say, well, I can never do that. If it comes your way, you can do it. God gives grace and mercy to help at the appropriate time. You can't anticipate it. You can't store it. But at the appropriate time it comes. The next section dealing with priesthood is chapter five. And it is only a few years ago in looking at this passage that I understood the connection. And I hope we all understand this connection. It is not easily seen. The first ten verses of chapter five, the author of this epistle gives us the qualifications for priesthood. There are two qualifications to be a priest. You must be called of God. and you must be human. Now let's put that to a test. How many of you are priests of God? Ken Daughters and I were flying back from Seattle on one occasion on Northwest Airlines and we were taking a little puddle jumper from Minneapolis to Dubuque and it had been bad weather. And there were about fifteen passages on this plane and Ken and I got on and everybody was troubled that it was lightning and rain and all the rest of it. And I said, if any of you have any trouble, I'm not really very bashful, you know. If any of you are troubled, we're both priests. Thank you, Father. Well, we are. Now, when Emmaus purchased the Catholic seminary that we had, we found out that the facility was owned by the Dominicans. That's the order that owns the buildings. Catholic property is owned by the orders, not by the cardinals and bishops, but by the various orders. And when I was looking through the yellow pages to try to find some property for sale, I had to look under the orders, and I called up the Dominicans in Chicago, and eventually we found this lovely facility in which we're located. Now, we are all priests. But do you know what order of priest you are? Are you a Franciscan priest or an Augustinian or a Paulist or a Dominican? What order of priest are you? Our high priest is of an order. What order of priest is he? His Melchizedek. And we are of that same order of priest. We are priests of God. We believe in the priesthood of all believers. He is our high priest. We are priests. That fly is going to be in my mouth soon. and it will drown. We are priests. We are of the order of Melchizedek. So if you can say, hey, we're all priests. And if they say, what order are you, what is it? Melchizedek, and isn't that neat? You've learned that at least this weekend. Melchizedek and priests, we are. The qualifications for priesthood are that you be called. Now, when were you called? My sheep hear my voice. And I know them. And they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life. Do you remember when the shepherd summoned you? That's when he called you. He called you his sheep to himself. Calling relates to our salvation because we are priests from the get-go. We are not only saved, we are gifted, lots of things happen, and one of those things that happens at the moment of our calling is that we are called to be priests. We are called to be priests. All of us are called, all of us are human. Now listen to what it says in chapter five. For every high priest, verse one, Taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. See, he's taken from among men. So that he can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself to offer up sacrifices for sin. And no man takes this honor to himself. but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not glorify himself to become high priest, but he who said to him, You are my son, that's in chapter two, from Psalm two, chapter one from Psalm two, today have I begotten you, said in another place, Psalm one, Psalm one, you are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. So there's this call. Jesus is called, just like the Aaronic priests were called, in the beginning. And now we see his humanity, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death and was heard because of his godly fear, though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. And having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him. That is his human experience. As the priests of the Old Testament could have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since they are subject to weakness, so Jesus, was encumbered with the struggles of human experience when he offered up prayers. Now this passage is an exegesis of an earlier event in the life of Christ. Do you know what event in the life of Christ verse seven is describing? Does anybody know? I'm rolling through the life of Christ. What's being described by this? when in the days of the flesh, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death and was heard because of his godly fear, though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things. What event is that? The Garden of Gethsemane. The Garden of Gethsemane. He takes three of his disciples. late Thursday night, early Friday morning. He takes three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, and goes into this garden and says to them, Stay here and pray. Why? That you enter not into temptation. And he went a stone's throw deeper, and he himself prayed. Now look. We're going into a theological landmine when we go into the Garden of Gethsemane. Do you understand that? If I say the wrong thing, you won't let me eat supper. If I really say the wrong thing, you'll write letters to people. And they'll get to the president and he'll call me into the office and say, well, Dave, what in the world are you preaching on over there? It's a landmine. And just as earlier I said, we kind of back off of the humanity of Christ. When we get into the Garden of Gethsemane, we will not allow Holy Scripture to say what it says. And I want us to do that today. I'll try not to violate doctrine and theology in the process of doing this. He goes into the Garden, goes this Don't throw deeper into the garden than his disciples. And he prays three times. He prays, Father, if it is possible, let not this cup pass from me. Right? Is that what he prays? Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. He prays a second time. It's a little different. Father, if it is not possible, do you see the movement there? Father, if it is not possible, let this cup pass from me. Thy will be done. Not my will, let thine be done. And it simply says he prayed again a third time. Later he will say, when Peter wants to cut off the ear or cuts off the ear of Malchus. He says, that is enough. Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given to me? He is working his way as a perfect man, working his way through a struggle that he is having. He knew this was the hour for which he came into the world. He knew it from the very beginning. I must needs go to Jerusalem, he says to his disciples, and suffer many things at the hands of the scribes and the Pharisees, and be put to death, and on the third day be raised. He made that clear statement to them a number of times. He started to tell them about that at Peter's confession. From that time he began to show them how he must go to Jerusalem. and die and be raised. He will say, My hour is not yet come. My hour is not yet come. He says it over and over again. He comes to the last week. And he says, My hour has come. And now he is facing that. He is going into the garden late Thursday, early Friday. And he is anticipating the cross. He is anticipating being made sin for each one of us. He is anticipating the wrath of God being poured down on him. He is anticipating his father forsaking him. God, why hast thou forsaken me? He is anticipating all of that and certainly the pain which of that time is the least significant of all the suffering you understand it's what we identify with most but he identified most with being made sin for us and the horrible implications of that he anticipated not only being made sin but fearing and bearing our guilt as Hebrews will tell us he despised the shame he not only paid the penalty But he felt the guilt of the penalty. He was so closely associated with being made sin for us that he felt as though he were guilty of it. That's part of what we have to have cleansed too. All but one. He's anticipating that. And yes, he prays, Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Hebrews exegetes it. He cries out in prayer to him that was able to deliver him from death. He is praying to the right person. Don't think that this means he's praying for resurrection. That's not what he's praying for. He is praying, Father, some other way if it's possible. Isn't that what he's praying? Isn't it? Let him say that. It's what it means. His father says no. There's no other way. And that should secure for us once and for all the concept that there is only one way of salvation. What an insult of God the Father to the Son to cause his death. if there were any other way. In a time of diversity, when on many Christian liberal arts colleges, there is the concept of either salvation or annihilation, where evangelicals are presently debating, is there a hell or not. That is an insult to God to raise those issues. Why should his son die? for salvation if there's no judgment, if you can come any way as long as you're genuine. And unfortunately, that's not something that just liberals are talking about. I expect them to do that. But those that we will read and rub shoulders with are pursuing that now. No, there is no other way. And this passage tells us what Jesus learned through the Gethsemane experience. And that's what I want us all to learn this afternoon. What did Jesus learn when he is saying, Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. What does Hebrews say he learned? Can you tell me? What is it? Though he were the very Son of God, as a human being, he became perfected through learning obedience to the hardest thing ever that he was called upon to do. When he was praying, if it's any other way, let it be. Not my will but thine be done. Look, it's but. It's not my will and thine be done. It's but. It's a contrast. You must let grammar say that. He prays it three times. Though he were a son, through fear, he learned obedience. Application. This is my new thought. And it means a lot to me. Because I have one trouble in my life walking as a Christian. Do you know what the trouble is? Obeying God. Is that your struggle? Really is. I can tell how I should act in any circumstance of life virtually. I know how I should respond to people. I know how I should witness. I know I should be a patient father, husband, grandfather. I know I should be characterized by love. I know, I know, I know, I know, I know. Do you? If we all lived up to what we know, we'd turn the world upside down. How can we know all these things and not get along very well? How can we know these things and not speak to other believers? I don't mean other evangelical believers. I mean other strange believers like ourselves. I grew up in assemblies. I was carried there as an infant. And I knew from the beginning, we were weird. You know? Hey, we were unlike any other church. Don't be ashamed of it, because we're right. I grew up that way. I grew up when the Lord's people were us. And the rest of the evangelicals were believers, but they weren't the Lord's people. Now, that's really narrow. You understand that. That's unbiblical. But that's the way, well, it's great to be with the Lord's people. What do we mean when we say that? You know what we mean. Narrow use of the Lord's people. How come we have such struggles getting along? How come we have struggles of husband and wife and our Christian young people? It's not we don't know. Seems to me from early on, my children knew how they were to behave. That's not the struggle. It seems most of my life I've had a pretty clear idea of how God would like me to respond in any kind of situation in life and how I am to act and what character traits I'm supposed to have and what is the truth about lying and stealing and morality and hard work and honesty and cheerfulness and politeness and all those things. I know what that's all supposed to be. My trouble is I don't obey God. It's hard to obey God, isn't it? Isn't it? It is really hard to be what we're supposed to be. Separate from the world, not involved in their kind of entertainment and junk that's out there. Young people, is that hard? That's hard. Not to dress the way the world does. not to be driven by the same thing that drives it. We know that's all true. Once we're saved, the tough job is obedience. Be kind one to another. Study the word. Pray without ceasing. Rejoice evermore. Be forgiving. And don't hold grudges. We all know those things. So hard to do it. I can go to Jesus, my great high priest, and say to him, Hear me because this is what I want you to learn. Jesus, do you know how hard it is to obey God? I can hardly do it. You know, I don't want to be a missionary. I want to be rich. I don't want to go on another visitation as an elder. I'm so weary. I don't want to go to meeting again. Do you know how hard it is to obey God? It is so hard. He has such a high standard. Do you know how hard it is to obey God, Jesus? What's he say? Let's go to the chapter that describes Gethsemane, where I prayed three times over. Father, if there's any other way, I prayed to him who was able to deliver me from death, to tell me if there was any other way. I prayed three times over to him, and he said, No, no, there's no other way. You must obey me. And Jesus says, I'm a son, and I'm equal to God, and yet I had to obey him in this terrible death. It was hard. Yes, I know how hard it is to obey God. Harder than it's ever been for any one of us, because we will never, never, never be made sin. We'll never pay for the penalty of our sin. That would be hard. Jesus did that already. And though he were a son, through fear, he learned obedience. And when I'm having a struggle being kind to you, Or responding to you in a way that's not polite or brotherly in Christ. Or you're having trouble getting along with another brother or sister in the Lord. Or you've been treated unfairly. And you want to retaliate. Any of those things that are so hard when we know the right thing, we go to Jesus and say, I need your help. It's so hard to obey God. Do you know about that? Yeah, he knows about it. And he'll come and give us grace and mercy to help in the time of need. He learned the big test of his human experience was being obedient to God. And because he learned how to be obedient in the worst of situations, we have a priest who can help us in the worst of our situations. And we can have victory. Victory over sin as a result of that. Never have to give in. We have a priest who will rush alongside and enable us to obey God. Wouldn't that be a great life? Marked by consistent, regular obedience to God. according to all that he has instructed all of us. And we have a high priest who will help us do that. You want his help? Do I need that? We certainly do. And all we need to do is rush into his presence and say, Boop, Boop, S-O-S, I'm having trouble obeying. And he'll give us the grace and mercy to help at that most important time because he's been there, he's done it, He knows how hard it is. Isn't that good news? We don't have to sin. We have a high priest to give us all the help we need, and his has the toughest time of any human being in obeying God. Though he were his son, through fear he learned obedience and was perfected to be our high priest. He's a great high priest. Let's pray. Father, thank you for giving us everything we need to live like Christians, to live like citizens of heaven. Help us to do that through the empowerment of the Spirit, through the mercy and grace of our great high priest, through all the avenues of help you provide to us so that we may be, like your son, obedient to your every wish. We pray in his glorious name. Amen.