1 00:00:00,160 –> 00:00:06,720 I want to introduce you to four friends of mine. I’ve given them these names, 2 00:00:06,720 –> 00:00:14,880 Drifting, Defiant, Doubting, and Disciple. And you may find as we move through the four sessions, 3 00:00:14,880 –> 00:00:20,719 one on each of these characters… You may find yourself identifying with more than one of them. 4 00:00:20,719 –> 00:00:26,719 You may say, I see something of him, I see something of her in my own life. And in each 5 00:00:26,719 –> 00:00:32,320 case, what we’re going to do is we’re going to look at what God has to say to these characters 6 00:00:32,320 –> 00:00:40,000 and therefore to us from the scriptures. Now let me introduce to you Drifting. Drifting 7 00:00:40,639 –> 00:00:49,119 thinks of himself as a good person. And in many ways he is. He’s, like so many of us, 8 00:00:49,200 –> 00:00:54,959 kind and thoughtful and considerate, always interested in other people. 9 00:00:56,160 –> 00:01:04,080 Over the years he sort of drifted in and out of church. Growing up, he liked his pastor and the 10 00:01:04,080 –> 00:01:09,760 pastor often said things that made him think, but he never really sort of settled. There was 11 00:01:09,760 –> 00:01:19,120 something that wasn’t really fully engaged. At college, Drifting met some new friends and began 12 00:01:19,120 –> 00:01:26,000 to explore some new ideas. Over time, his questions about Christianity increased. 13 00:01:26,879 –> 00:01:31,199 Is there really a God? And if there is, 14 00:01:32,080 –> 00:01:36,320 why doesn’t he do something about the suffering and starving children of the world. 15 00:01:36,320 –> 00:01:42,320 Drifting would come back home at Christmas and during the summer and his pastor would 16 00:01:42,320 –> 00:01:48,959 always be interested in how things were going with him. Glad to see him, and at times my friend 17 00:01:50,320 –> 00:01:55,199 thought that maybe he should ask some of these questions to the pastor, but you know what, 18 00:01:55,919 –> 00:02:00,959 Drifting’s a kind and thoughtful and considerate person, he didn’t want to ask the pastor a 19 00:02:00,959 –> 00:02:06,959 question that might embarrass him or be difficult for him to answer. So over time what happened, 20 00:02:06,959 –> 00:02:15,440 is that my friend Drifting became convinced that Christianity is basically for those who need it, 21 00:02:16,240 –> 00:02:22,399 and therefore, he concluded, not for him. He’s come to see his life as a journey, 22 00:02:23,039 –> 00:02:27,520 a journey in which he is always exploring something new, he is quite convinced 23 00:02:28,479 –> 00:02:37,520 that life holds more than he has yet found, but he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for. 24 00:02:39,119 –> 00:02:46,160 Drifting really likes to talk about faith, but even though he sometimes sounds as if 25 00:02:46,160 –> 00:02:53,119 he might be a Christian, his faith is not stable, and that’s why I’m calling him 26 00:02:53,679 –> 00:02:57,839 Drifting, and maybe straight away, there’ll be some of us here this morning who say, 27 00:02:57,839 –> 00:03:02,479 you know, I do recognize a little bit of that in myself. You may have professed faith, 28 00:03:02,479 –> 00:03:08,080 your family may think that you are a Christian, but while others have such great, great joy 29 00:03:08,080 –> 00:03:13,919 in Jesus Christ, somehow you have not quite found it. So let’s get a little summary and 30 00:03:13,919 –> 00:03:18,160 a profile of Drifting. The first of four characters we’re going to look at in these 31 00:03:18,160 –> 00:03:25,279 four sessions together, Drifting thinks of himself as a good person but lacks clear convictions. 32 00:03:25,279 –> 00:03:32,080 They’ve never become settled for him or for her and is therefore searching for something 33 00:03:32,080 –> 00:03:42,639 but still feels that he or she has not found it. Now, most of you will know someone who 34 00:03:42,720 –> 00:03:47,759 at one time professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and then has wandered away. 35 00:03:48,880 –> 00:03:53,199 At one time they were very enthusiastic perhaps in youth group but now no longer. 36 00:03:54,160 –> 00:03:59,039 Something changed over time he or she lost interest. 37 00:04:00,479 –> 00:04:08,960 What is the position the spiritual position of a person who once makes a profession 38 00:04:08,960 –> 00:04:14,000 of faith and then drifts away and denies the faith that they once professed. 39 00:04:15,119 –> 00:04:24,959 Are you saved because you once professed faith? Well I’ve called this series Faith That Lasts 40 00:04:24,959 –> 00:04:30,559 and the first thing to say is that a faith that lasts is the only kind of faith that is worth 41 00:04:30,559 –> 00:04:39,359 having. The book of Hebrews makes this especially clear. We have come to share in Christ. We read 42 00:04:39,359 –> 00:04:44,320 in Hebrews 3 in verse 14. How do you know that you’ve come to share in Christ? Well we’re in 43 00:04:44,320 –> 00:04:53,760 Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. In other words the evidence 44 00:04:53,760 –> 00:05:00,880 that a person has true faith and belongs to Jesus Christ, that they really share in Jesus Christ. 45 00:05:00,880 –> 00:05:09,119 The evidence that a person is in Christ is that their faith last. Genuine faith endures firm to 46 00:05:09,119 –> 00:05:16,079 the end. Its distinguishing mark is that it perseveres. A faith that does not last very 47 00:05:16,079 –> 00:05:24,480 simply is not saving faith, and you have that very clearly in First Corinthians in chapter 15. 48 00:05:24,480 –> 00:05:29,760 I would remind you, brothers of the gospel I preached to you, Paul says, which you received, 49 00:05:29,760 –> 00:05:36,480 on which you have taken your stand, and by which you are saved if you hold fast to 50 00:05:36,480 –> 00:05:44,959 the Word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. So, no one is saved by a passing interest 51 00:05:44,959 –> 00:05:56,799 in the gospel. You are saved if you hold fast to the truth. Now, there is a phrase that is 52 00:05:56,799 –> 00:06:06,000 often used among Christians that both contains a wonderful truth and also conceals 53 00:06:06,559 –> 00:06:11,279 a dangerous error, and that phrase, all of us will have heard it, is, 54 00:06:12,019 –> 00:06:18,480 Once saved, always saved. Let me tell you the wonderful truth that is in that phrase. 55 00:06:19,440 –> 00:06:26,239 The wonderful truth that is in that phrase is that Jesus Christ guards and keeps his own. 56 00:06:27,440 –> 00:06:34,640 John chapter 10, here are the words of Jesus. My sheep hear my voice I know them and they 57 00:06:35,119 –> 00:06:42,640 follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish. That’s an amen moment by the way, 58 00:06:42,640 –> 00:06:46,160 isn’t it? Amen. They will never perish my sheep says Jesus, 59 00:06:47,200 –> 00:06:53,760 and no one will snatch them out of my hand. Christ’s sheep will never perish. 60 00:06:54,640 –> 00:07:00,160 That’s a marvelous truth, but then that raises the question, who then are Christ’s sheep? 61 00:07:00,959 –> 00:07:04,239 And notice that Jesus answers this in these very words. 62 00:07:04,239 –> 00:07:10,799 He says they are those who hear his voice. And they are those who follow Him. 63 00:07:11,920 –> 00:07:16,959 Now that brings us to the dangerous error that is concealed within this popular phrase, 64 00:07:16,959 –> 00:07:22,000 one saved and all was saved. It is the idea that anyone who has ever at any time, 65 00:07:22,000 –> 00:07:26,640 in any way made any kind of profession of faith will be saved even if they no longer 66 00:07:26,640 –> 00:07:29,519 hold to the word of Jesus and no longer follow Him. 67 00:07:31,279 –> 00:07:36,079 And that error is dangerous because it encourages people to hold in their minds 68 00:07:36,079 –> 00:07:40,640 the idea that everything is okay even if I allow myself to drift. 69 00:07:42,079 –> 00:07:44,720 But God says in Hebrews in chapter two, 70 00:07:44,720 –> 00:07:50,320 we must pay more closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 71 00:07:51,760 –> 00:07:56,320 For how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? 72 00:07:56,320 –> 00:07:59,920 So these verses that we’re looking at in Hebrews in chapter five, 73 00:07:59,920 –> 00:08:05,519 were written to challenge drifting believers, 74 00:08:06,959 –> 00:08:11,760 and what we read this morning in Hebrews 5 verse 12 is this, 75 00:08:11,760 –> 00:08:15,359 by this time you ought to have been teachers, 76 00:08:15,359 –> 00:08:17,040 writing to those who’re drifting you see. 77 00:08:18,399 –> 00:08:20,399 By now with all of the opportunities you have, 78 00:08:20,399 –> 00:08:23,040 you should be in a position where you can teach others, 79 00:08:23,040 –> 00:08:26,320 but you need someone to teach you again, 80 00:08:27,600 –> 00:08:33,940 the basic principles of the oracles of God. 81 00:08:35,520 –> 00:08:39,440 Now do you see there that there are some basic principles 82 00:08:40,159 –> 00:08:42,159 of the word of God? 83 00:08:42,159 –> 00:08:44,640 That’s what oracles means the word of God. 84 00:08:44,640 –> 00:08:47,039 There are some basic principles of the word of God, 85 00:08:47,039 –> 00:08:50,239 that every believer needs to grasp 86 00:08:50,479 –> 00:08:54,679 and if you are drifting it may be that these basic principles of the word of God 87 00:08:58,659 –> 00:09:02,340 are what you need to build more clearly and strongly 88 00:09:02,340 –> 00:09:06,820 into the very foundation of your faith and of your life. 89 00:09:08,179 –> 00:09:10,179 Well, what are they? 90 00:09:10,820 –> 00:09:12,820 Chapter 6 verses 1 and 2 91 00:09:12,820 –> 00:09:16,580 Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ 92 00:09:16,780 –> 00:09:22,000 and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works 93 00:09:22,000 –> 00:09:26,239 and of faith toward God and of instruction about washings, 94 00:09:26,580 –> 00:09:32,020 the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and the eternal judgment. 95 00:09:32,020 –> 00:09:35,020 Wow, that is a long sentence. 96 00:09:36,820 –> 00:09:39,580 And at first sight that list of 97 00:09:39,739 –> 00:09:43,840 basics seems a very strange list. 98 00:09:43,840 –> 00:09:50,919 And why in the world would the writer to Hebrews say, 99 00:09:51,000 –> 00:09:56,080 let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ? 100 00:09:57,080 –> 00:10:01,400 What in the world does that mean? 101 00:10:02,719 –> 00:10:07,520 Well, literally translated, the elementary doctrine of Christ 102 00:10:07,539 –> 00:10:12,840 means the beginning of the word of Christ. 103 00:10:13,559 –> 00:10:15,880 Or you could put it this way. 104 00:10:15,900 –> 00:10:20,640 The road that leads you to Christ. 105 00:10:20,679 –> 00:10:23,039 The road that leads you to Christ. 106 00:10:23,059 –> 00:10:28,820 The entire argument of the letter of Hebrews that many of you will be familiar with 107 00:10:28,900 –> 00:10:33,880 is that Jesus is God’s final word 108 00:10:33,900 –> 00:10:36,719 that is stated right in the opening verses of Hebrews. 109 00:10:36,820 –> 00:10:40,799 And therefore by definition no one can ever move beyond 110 00:10:40,820 –> 00:10:43,859 the Lord Jesus Christ. 111 00:10:43,859 –> 00:10:46,340 So when the writer to Hebrews says, 112 00:10:46,340 –> 00:10:49,099 let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ. 113 00:10:49,099 –> 00:10:51,299 He is certainly not saying 114 00:10:51,320 –> 00:10:55,059 that Christians should move on from Jesus. 115 00:10:55,059 –> 00:11:03,380 No the elementary doctrine of Christ is the starting point for faith in Jesus Christ. 116 00:11:03,460 –> 00:11:10,039 And that is that we need a clear grasp of why we need him. 117 00:11:10,039 –> 00:11:12,979 And when you have a clear grasp of why you need him, 118 00:11:12,979 –> 00:11:16,359 when you’ve got the road that leads to Christ, 119 00:11:16,380 –> 00:11:18,979 the very beginning the most basic principle of all, 120 00:11:19,000 –> 00:11:20,820 why you need Jesus Christ, 121 00:11:20,840 –> 00:11:24,479 when that’s clear and settled in your mind then you will come to Christ, 122 00:11:24,500 –> 00:11:28,380 then you will have a faith that lasts. 123 00:11:28,380 –> 00:11:33,919 So we’re talking today about things that are absolutely foundational 124 00:11:33,940 –> 00:11:35,979 to a lasting faith. 125 00:11:35,979 –> 00:11:39,599 We’re talking about what will lead you to Jesus Christ 126 00:11:39,619 –> 00:11:45,919 and to a faith in him that lasts a lifetime. 127 00:11:45,940 –> 00:11:52,460 Now, God made clear in the Old Testament 128 00:11:52,500 –> 00:11:55,460 why we need Jesus. 129 00:11:55,460 –> 00:12:00,419 Long before Jesus was ever born into the world. 130 00:12:00,419 –> 00:12:03,099 And so what is described in these difficult verses 131 00:12:03,099 –> 00:12:06,140 at the beginning of Hebrews, in chapter six 132 00:12:06,140 –> 00:12:09,419 is not the New Testament revelation of Jesus. 133 00:12:09,419 –> 00:12:13,700 It’s the Old Testament anticipation of Jesus, 134 00:12:13,719 –> 00:12:15,780 the preparation for his coming, 135 00:12:15,780 –> 00:12:19,799 the basic principles of the oracles of God, 136 00:12:19,799 –> 00:12:22,340 chapter 5 and verse 12. 137 00:12:22,359 –> 00:12:24,580 Or another way of saying that is 138 00:12:24,580 –> 00:12:27,020 the elementary doctrine of Christ, 139 00:12:27,020 –> 00:12:28,359 chapter six and verse one, 140 00:12:28,359 –> 00:12:31,460 they’re two phrases that mean the same thing. 141 00:12:31,460 –> 00:12:34,500 They’re not a summary of the Christian faith. 142 00:12:34,500 –> 00:12:39,380 They are a clear explanation of why we need Jesus 143 00:12:39,380 –> 00:12:43,099 drawn from the Old Testament scriptures. 144 00:12:43,099 –> 00:12:45,500 And Hebrews describes these basic truths, 145 00:12:45,500 –> 00:12:49,700 the basic principles of the word of God, 146 00:12:49,700 –> 00:12:54,700 describes these as milk, chapter five and verse 12. 147 00:12:55,260 –> 00:13:00,260 Every Christian needs the milk of why we need Jesus. 148 00:13:01,140 –> 00:13:05,979 And then we must go on from the milk of why we need Jesus 149 00:13:05,979 –> 00:13:10,479 to the meat of who Jesus is, and of what Jesus has done. 150 00:13:10,479 –> 00:13:13,299 This is how we go onto maturity. 151 00:13:13,299 –> 00:13:15,059 But before you get to the meat, 152 00:13:15,059 –> 00:13:16,140 you’ve got to get to the milk, 153 00:13:16,140 –> 00:13:19,200 you’ve got to know why you need Jesus. 154 00:13:20,539 –> 00:13:24,099 And the burden on my heart today, friends, 155 00:13:24,099 –> 00:13:29,099 is that my experience is that there are many, 156 00:13:29,320 –> 00:13:31,260 even who have been brought up in church world, 157 00:13:31,260 –> 00:13:34,479 who are not clear about 158 00:13:34,479 –> 00:13:36,520 why it is that we really need Jesus. 159 00:13:36,520 –> 00:13:39,400 And so you then end up looking at the faith 160 00:13:39,400 –> 00:13:41,599 in a sort of depersonalized way, 161 00:13:41,599 –> 00:13:44,400 and assessing it, and assessing whether it’s for you, 162 00:13:44,400 –> 00:13:47,539 and you don’t have a sense of why you need Jesus, 163 00:13:47,539 –> 00:13:48,979 and therefore you’re drifting, 164 00:13:49,020 –> 00:13:52,140 and therefore the danger is that your faith won’t last. 165 00:13:53,580 –> 00:13:57,880 So I want you to see today why you need Jesus. 166 00:13:59,460 –> 00:14:01,299 And when you do, you’ll stop drifting. 167 00:14:02,659 –> 00:14:04,340 You’ll come to faith in Jesus 168 00:14:04,340 –> 00:14:07,179 when you see why you need him, 169 00:14:07,179 –> 00:14:12,080 and your faith in Jesus will be a faith that lasts. 170 00:14:13,119 –> 00:14:14,979 Three reasons then why you need Jesus, 171 00:14:14,979 –> 00:14:17,380 taken just straight out of these verses 172 00:14:17,400 –> 00:14:19,559 in Hebrews 6. 173 00:14:19,559 –> 00:14:21,340 First, you need Jesus 174 00:14:22,460 –> 00:14:24,679 because your best efforts 175 00:14:25,820 –> 00:14:27,500 are dead works 176 00:14:28,460 –> 00:14:31,280 that cannot win the favor of God. 177 00:14:31,280 –> 00:14:33,200 That’s the first reason you need Jesus, 178 00:14:34,219 –> 00:14:37,419 because your best efforts, 179 00:14:39,460 –> 00:14:41,659 they are dead works, 180 00:14:41,659 –> 00:14:43,179 that’s the phrase that’s used here, 181 00:14:43,179 –> 00:14:47,080 that cannot win the favor of God. 182 00:14:47,080 –> 00:14:47,900 Notice what he says, 183 00:14:47,900 –> 00:14:51,039 a foundation of repentance from dead works 184 00:14:51,039 –> 00:14:53,080 and faith towards God. 185 00:14:53,080 –> 00:14:56,320 Now, repentance means turning away from something, 186 00:14:56,320 –> 00:14:57,760 and this verse is telling us 187 00:14:57,760 –> 00:15:00,960 that we need to turn away from dead works. 188 00:15:02,280 –> 00:15:03,559 Now, understand what dead works are. 189 00:15:03,559 –> 00:15:06,619 Dead works are the very best you could offer to God. 190 00:15:07,719 –> 00:15:11,599 So we will have in our hearts and in our minds 191 00:15:11,599 –> 00:15:16,599 great passion about making the world a better place 192 00:15:17,739 –> 00:15:20,359 and what we can do to accomplish that. 193 00:15:20,359 –> 00:15:22,059 And it’s absolutely marvelous. 194 00:15:23,799 –> 00:15:25,900 But if you think that you can offer 195 00:15:25,900 –> 00:15:28,400 what you do, the good you do in the world, 196 00:15:28,400 –> 00:15:30,880 and that you can offer this to God, 197 00:15:30,880 –> 00:15:32,659 and that somehow, the good that you do 198 00:15:32,659 –> 00:15:36,520 in the world will win the favor of God, 199 00:15:36,520 –> 00:15:39,340 that is a desperate and deadly mistake. 200 00:15:40,679 –> 00:15:43,599 Our best works are best works. 201 00:15:43,599 –> 00:15:46,080 Our dead works, in this way, 202 00:15:46,080 –> 00:15:50,239 that they cannot win the favor of God. 203 00:15:51,200 –> 00:15:54,299 Please don’t drift through your life 204 00:15:55,219 –> 00:15:59,539 assuming that, because you are a good person 205 00:15:59,539 –> 00:16:04,539 doing good things, that are God-honoring in your life, 206 00:16:04,719 –> 00:16:07,599 that somehow, this will outweigh everything else 207 00:16:07,599 –> 00:16:09,960 and all will be well in the end. 208 00:16:09,960 –> 00:16:13,840 The Bible is telling you, here’s why you need Jesus. 209 00:16:14,840 –> 00:16:19,159 Your best works will be dead on arrival 210 00:16:19,159 –> 00:16:21,919 in the presence of God. 211 00:16:21,919 –> 00:16:26,479 So stop telling yourself 212 00:16:26,479 –> 00:16:28,059 that you’re a good person. 213 00:16:29,500 –> 00:16:31,599 The world’s telling you this all the time. 214 00:16:33,000 –> 00:16:35,919 Stop telling yourself what a good person you are. 215 00:16:37,159 –> 00:16:39,520 This is the most basic principle 216 00:16:39,520 –> 00:16:41,119 of the Word of God. 217 00:16:41,119 –> 00:16:45,840 It is foundational to any faith that lasts. 218 00:16:45,840 –> 00:16:48,640 As long as you hold onto the idea 219 00:16:48,640 –> 00:16:50,179 that your heart is basically good 220 00:16:50,179 –> 00:16:51,799 and therefore, you have the capacity 221 00:16:51,799 –> 00:16:53,919 to produce a life that is pleasing to God 222 00:16:53,919 –> 00:16:55,200 and to win His favor, 223 00:16:55,200 –> 00:16:57,299 you will never really, deeply see and feel 224 00:16:57,299 –> 00:16:59,380 why you need Jesus. 225 00:17:01,159 –> 00:17:02,359 So you gotta turn from that. 226 00:17:02,359 –> 00:17:04,280 You gotta repent of that. 227 00:17:06,000 –> 00:17:07,479 And then, when you repent of that, 228 00:17:07,479 –> 00:17:08,500 what are you to turn to? 229 00:17:08,500 –> 00:17:09,479 Well, it says here, 230 00:17:09,479 –> 00:17:12,339 you’re to turn to faith towards God. 231 00:17:13,180 –> 00:17:16,020 In other words, the basic principle 232 00:17:16,020 –> 00:17:21,020 is that your best effort to win the favor of God 233 00:17:21,219 –> 00:17:22,540 will not work and therefore, 234 00:17:22,540 –> 00:17:26,119 you have to turn from trusting yourself 235 00:17:26,119 –> 00:17:29,199 and the good that you hope to do in the world 236 00:17:29,199 –> 00:17:32,079 to trusting God Himself 237 00:17:32,079 –> 00:17:35,400 and what He has done for you in and through Jesus Christ. 238 00:17:35,400 –> 00:17:36,640 Now, here’s my question. 239 00:17:36,640 –> 00:17:38,540 Is this basic principle, 240 00:17:38,540 –> 00:17:40,280 it’s a basic principle, 241 00:17:40,280 –> 00:17:42,300 foundational of the oracles of God, 242 00:17:42,300 –> 00:17:43,920 it’s at the very root of the word of God, 243 00:17:43,920 –> 00:17:47,439 it’s the beginning of what will take you to Jesus 244 00:17:47,439 –> 00:17:49,479 and a lasting faith. 245 00:17:49,479 –> 00:17:52,920 Is this basic principle settled in your life? 246 00:17:53,979 –> 00:17:58,079 Have you ever really come to the place 247 00:17:58,079 –> 00:17:59,640 and are you at the place now 248 00:17:59,640 –> 00:18:01,400 where you have come to see 249 00:18:01,400 –> 00:18:05,020 that you really are a sinner? 250 00:18:05,680 –> 00:18:10,680 I really am a sinner. 251 00:18:12,760 –> 00:18:17,260 And my only hope is not what I want to do for God. 252 00:18:18,959 –> 00:18:23,819 My only hope lies in what he has done for me. 253 00:18:25,400 –> 00:18:28,780 Will you lay this foundation in your life today? 254 00:18:30,640 –> 00:18:32,219 You need Jesus, 255 00:18:33,219 –> 00:18:36,540 and you need him to give you what you do not have 256 00:18:37,859 –> 00:18:42,859 and when this basic principle is settled in your life, 257 00:18:43,619 –> 00:18:46,680 then you will come to faith in Jesus 258 00:18:46,680 –> 00:18:49,939 and your faith in Jesus will be a faith that loves. 259 00:18:51,660 –> 00:18:56,020 Second reason, you need Jesus because 260 00:18:56,020 –> 00:18:58,439 your sins defile you 261 00:18:58,439 –> 00:19:00,819 and exclude you from the presence of God. 262 00:19:00,819 –> 00:19:01,859 Notice what it says here. 263 00:19:01,859 –> 00:19:06,339 A foundation of instruction about washings 264 00:19:07,900 –> 00:19:10,020 and laying on of hands. 265 00:19:10,020 –> 00:19:12,479 Again, the key to understanding these verses, 266 00:19:12,479 –> 00:19:14,660 I’m convinced is that they are referring, 267 00:19:14,660 –> 00:19:15,719 this is the book of Hebrews, 268 00:19:15,719 –> 00:19:18,359 they’re referring to what happened in the Old Testament. 269 00:19:18,359 –> 00:19:21,040 They’re referring to the road that leads to Jesus. 270 00:19:21,040 –> 00:19:23,260 The foundation that needs to be laid 271 00:19:23,260 –> 00:19:26,140 by which we will come to the Lord Jesus Christ 272 00:19:26,140 –> 00:19:29,699 and the Old Testament as you know 273 00:19:29,699 –> 00:19:32,640 was full of ritual washings 274 00:19:32,640 –> 00:19:36,880 that would’ve been very familiar to these Jewish believers. 275 00:19:36,880 –> 00:19:38,099 And the washings, of course, 276 00:19:38,099 –> 00:19:42,939 were a constant reminder to people that sin defiled them 277 00:19:42,939 –> 00:19:44,719 and that they could not therefore 278 00:19:44,719 –> 00:19:46,380 come into the presence of God 279 00:19:46,380 –> 00:19:49,619 unless and until they were cleansed. 280 00:19:51,280 –> 00:19:53,420 Now, God says of His heaven, 281 00:19:54,420 –> 00:19:59,420 nothing unclean will ever enter it. 282 00:19:59,660 –> 00:20:02,459 That’s Revelation 21, 27. 283 00:20:02,459 –> 00:20:06,599 Nothing unclean will ever enter it. 284 00:20:08,060 –> 00:20:13,060 And that means that no gossip, no greed, 285 00:20:15,579 –> 00:20:20,199 no pride, no laziness, no jealousy 286 00:20:21,180 –> 00:20:24,920 will ever enter the presence of God ever ever. 287 00:20:26,160 –> 00:20:31,160 And that if the slightest tint of the stain 288 00:20:31,260 –> 00:20:32,979 of such a sin or of any other 289 00:20:32,979 –> 00:20:37,099 were to be found on me or on any of you, 290 00:20:37,099 –> 00:20:41,760 that that would exclude us from the presence of God 291 00:20:41,760 –> 00:20:44,959 forever unless and until it was washed and cleansed away. 292 00:20:46,099 –> 00:20:49,439 And God has provided a way to wash us 293 00:20:49,479 –> 00:20:51,560 from what defiles us and He does this 294 00:20:51,560 –> 00:20:53,680 in and through the sacrifice of Jesus. 295 00:20:53,680 –> 00:20:56,760 That’s why I need Jesus, I need to remember that every day. 296 00:20:58,280 –> 00:20:59,699 And then the laying on of hands, 297 00:20:59,699 –> 00:21:00,959 what’s that a reference to? 298 00:21:00,959 –> 00:21:03,459 Well you remember in the Old Testament 299 00:21:03,459 –> 00:21:05,079 on the Day of Atonement 300 00:21:05,079 –> 00:21:08,680 that’s described in Leviticus and chapter 16, 301 00:21:08,680 –> 00:21:12,479 a live goat was brought to the high priest 302 00:21:12,479 –> 00:21:17,119 and the high priest laid his hands on the live goat 303 00:21:17,119 –> 00:21:20,920 and confessed all the sins of the people of Israel. 304 00:21:20,920 –> 00:21:22,920 And as he laid his hands on the goat 305 00:21:22,920 –> 00:21:25,020 and confessed all of these sins, 306 00:21:25,020 –> 00:21:28,780 there was an act of transfer that was actually taking place. 307 00:21:28,780 –> 00:21:31,660 He shall put them, Leviticus 6, 21, 308 00:21:31,660 –> 00:21:32,760 on the head of the goat 309 00:21:32,760 –> 00:21:35,719 and send it away into the wilderness. 310 00:21:35,719 –> 00:21:40,400 Now this transfer of guilt onto the head of the animal 311 00:21:40,400 –> 00:21:42,660 of course is pointing forward to what happens 312 00:21:42,660 –> 00:21:44,239 when Jesus dies on the cross 313 00:21:44,280 –> 00:21:47,599 and our guilt is actually laid on and transferred to him. 314 00:21:47,599 –> 00:21:50,040 Here’s why we need Jesus. 315 00:21:50,040 –> 00:21:52,880 So lay this foundation in your life today. 316 00:21:54,439 –> 00:21:58,920 You need Jesus because sin defiles you, 317 00:21:59,959 –> 00:22:02,680 because unless you were cleansed it would be impossible 318 00:22:02,680 –> 00:22:05,479 for you ever to enter the holy presence of God. 319 00:22:07,400 –> 00:22:10,839 And the basic principle of the Word of God 320 00:22:10,839 –> 00:22:13,640 is to be settled in your mind 321 00:22:13,640 –> 00:22:17,239 that this cleansing comes from Jesus and from Jesus alone. 322 00:22:17,239 –> 00:22:19,160 That is why I need Jesus 323 00:22:19,160 –> 00:22:22,939 and I need him every day of my life. 324 00:22:22,939 –> 00:22:23,780 I really do. 325 00:22:24,640 –> 00:22:27,319 Then the last thing is very simply this, 326 00:22:27,319 –> 00:22:30,319 you need Jesus because your life is eternal 327 00:22:30,319 –> 00:22:32,839 and one day you will face the judgment of God. 328 00:22:32,839 –> 00:22:36,079 A foundation of the resurrection of the dead 329 00:22:36,079 –> 00:22:37,920 and eternal judgment. 330 00:22:37,920 –> 00:22:39,959 This is the road that leads to Christ. 331 00:22:40,619 –> 00:22:43,880 These are basic principles of the Christian faith 332 00:22:43,880 –> 00:22:46,359 that will lead you to the Savior. 333 00:22:46,359 –> 00:22:49,979 Your life began the moment you were conceived 334 00:22:49,979 –> 00:22:52,359 and your life will never end. 335 00:22:52,359 –> 00:22:55,380 Oh, yes, you will die but when that comes, 336 00:22:55,380 –> 00:22:56,239 whenever it is for you, 337 00:22:56,239 –> 00:22:58,719 it will be a door through which you pass 338 00:22:58,719 –> 00:23:03,719 into the immediate conscious presence of Almighty God 339 00:23:05,640 –> 00:23:08,219 and the ultimate reality that all of us young and old 340 00:23:08,439 –> 00:23:09,280 have to deal with, 341 00:23:09,280 –> 00:23:12,800 is that it is appointed for a person once to die 342 00:23:12,800 –> 00:23:14,959 and after that comes the judgment 343 00:23:14,959 –> 00:23:19,119 and the problem does not lie in the event of death, 344 00:23:19,119 –> 00:23:22,000 the problem lies in what is on the other side, 345 00:23:22,000 –> 00:23:25,819 the grim prospect of coming into the presence of God 346 00:23:25,819 –> 00:23:28,859 and being held accountable for every offensive thought 347 00:23:28,859 –> 00:23:31,500 and word and deed in the whole of your life 348 00:23:31,500 –> 00:23:33,000 and it’s all known before God 349 00:23:33,000 –> 00:23:36,180 and then to be sentenced to an eternity in hell itself. 350 00:23:37,180 –> 00:23:40,479 But it does not need to be like that 351 00:23:40,479 –> 00:23:44,239 for any student in this auditorium today. 352 00:23:45,939 –> 00:23:47,680 If you will have Christ, 353 00:23:49,060 –> 00:23:52,339 if you will have Christ as your Savior and as your Lord, 354 00:23:52,339 –> 00:23:56,319 he will stand with you on the judgment day 355 00:23:58,199 –> 00:24:01,900 and will say, she’s mine, 356 00:24:03,319 –> 00:24:05,239 he’s mine 357 00:24:07,180 –> 00:24:09,719 I died for her sins 358 00:24:09,719 –> 00:24:14,359 and all that justice could ever bring to her fell on me. 359 00:24:14,359 –> 00:24:19,359 I bore it on her, his behalf on the cross. 360 00:24:19,400 –> 00:24:21,319 Now lay this foundation in your life. 361 00:24:22,400 –> 00:24:26,400 You need Jesus because death will not be the end for you. 362 00:24:26,400 –> 00:24:28,920 There is an eternal judgment that you cannot avoid 363 00:24:28,920 –> 00:24:30,739 and Jesus Christ is your only hope 364 00:24:30,739 –> 00:24:33,219 and when this foundation is settled 365 00:24:33,219 –> 00:24:35,900 clear in your mind, you will come to faith in Jesus 366 00:24:35,979 –> 00:24:40,819 and your faith will be a faith that lasts. 367 00:24:41,719 –> 00:24:44,800 So my prayer for all of us today 368 00:24:44,800 –> 00:24:46,900 and the prayers of those who are praying 369 00:24:46,900 –> 00:24:49,040 for us over these days is very simple, 370 00:24:50,339 –> 00:24:54,479 that the foundation of a lasting faith, 371 00:24:54,479 –> 00:24:56,859 a faith that will last a lifetime for you, 372 00:24:56,859 –> 00:25:00,619 will be clear and settled in your mind 373 00:25:00,619 –> 00:25:02,959 and that perhaps if it wasn’t settled before 374 00:25:02,959 –> 00:25:04,180 you will look back and you will say, 375 00:25:04,719 –> 00:25:08,339 it was in that spiritual renewal week 376 00:25:08,339 –> 00:25:10,040 at the beginning of 2020, 377 00:25:10,040 –> 00:25:12,800 I really saw clearly for the very first time 378 00:25:14,180 –> 00:25:17,520 why I need Jesus and since then I’ve not been drifting. 379 00:25:18,500 –> 00:25:20,859 There’s been a stability about my faith 380 00:25:20,859 –> 00:25:25,859 because I cling to him and thank God he clings to me. 381 00:25:28,420 –> 00:25:29,420 Let’s pray together. 382 00:25:31,140 –> 00:25:31,979 Father, 383 00:25:35,140 –> 00:25:39,180 arrest the one who is drifting 384 00:25:39,180 –> 00:25:43,579 and let it be in all of our hearts and minds 385 00:25:43,579 –> 00:25:48,140 that there is a settled faith in Christ. 386 00:25:49,459 –> 00:25:54,459 Thank you so much that needing him as we do, 387 00:25:56,920 –> 00:26:00,060 the savior offers himself to us 388 00:26:00,060 –> 00:26:03,739 in all of his love and in all of his mercy. 389 00:26:04,839 –> 00:26:06,500 Let there not be one student 390 00:26:06,500 –> 00:26:08,739 who would turn away from Jesus this week, 391 00:26:10,199 –> 00:26:12,380 but let us embrace him and walk with him 392 00:26:12,380 –> 00:26:14,060 all the days of our lives 393 00:26:14,979 –> 00:26:17,160 for these things we ask in Jesus’ name. 394 00:26:17,160 –> 00:26:19,839 And everyone who agreed together said, 395 00:26:19,839 –> 00:26:20,780 Amen.