The Gathering Surf City

Oh, wow.

This week we've had the opportunity
to celebrate many things,

to be honest and quite,

you know,

I'm thankful for Doris bringing red,

white, and blue flowers this morning
and the opportunity that we've been

given, this foundation of liberty,

freedom, you know,

those things that we like
to acknowledge,

particularly around the 4 July,

quite honestly,

based on a grant from God,

if you want to know the truth.

The fact is that as we developed,

we were,

as it is quoted,

endowed by our creator.

He gave us the choice to be free,

to have liberty,

but to honor him.

There's a difference between
liberty and license.

And so we need to be careful because
we live in a culture now.

That's all about license.

So our nation is racing
to honor humanity.

I remember the first time in school
when I heard the word secular

humanism. The elevation of me.

I'm in charge.

I am my own authority.

Ultimately, what that saying is,

is I am my own God.

Secular humanism is the
doctrine of self,

and it derives from all
kinds of selfish,

garden fall philosophies.

We see it evidenced in our
culture and our society,

you can call it by a number
of different philosophies.

I just choose to go back to the one that
rose up in our sort of century

and call it Marxism,

the power and purpose
of the individual.

It does not honor God.

It seeks to disregard and to destroy
the concept of goddess and his

authority. And in the mortal
words of Forrest Gump,

that's all I got to say about that.

Folks, we gather this morning
to honor God.

We gather this morning to worship.

We want to lift high
the name of Jesus,

not the name of the individual or
the identity that the individual

happens to choose today.

Okay, last week we were in the park.

How many of you joined with
us in the park last week?

It was a nice time,

all, but for one thing,

it was 97 degrees at 10:00 I told people
I felt much like the wicked

witch of the west.

I'm melting.

I'm melting.

But it was a great time,

and I shared with you about the
new entrance God's given us.

It's a faith trust,

trust entrance we have,

and we are in this relationship with
God our creator in the book of

Hebrews, as we've made our way.

We're in the summation now,

y'all. We're in chapter ten.

We're finding out and
learning what it is.

God has actually given to us what
it is he's provided for us,

what he's offered.

And then there are the warnings that
come throughout the book of Hebrews.

You see,

he made a way for us to come
into his presence.

He's pointed it out from Hebrews chapter
one all the way up into the

beginning of chapter ten.

He made that way through his son,

his heir,

the creator,

the sustainer of all the universe,

the radiance of God's glory,

the exact expression of
the essence of God.

He is king,

he is the highest priest.

And he died in our place.

He died for me.

You know what God knows?

You. Y'all know what I hear.

I want to share something with y'all.

I am a good judge.

Y'all know that.

I'm not saying I'm a fair judge.

I'm just saying I'm good at judging,

man. I can look around and go,

that ain't right.

I can look at people
doing something,

go, you meant to do that.

You chose to do that.

That's how good a judge I am.

Don't y'all want me following
y'all around all weekend?

Man, I've been at this
for a long time,

you know?

And as we were singing,

and as Lois mentioned,

the fact that,

you know,

God's mercies are new every morning.

And God knows you,

and God knows your heart.

He knows your faith better
than you know your faith.

He knows when you run to him.

He knows when he's running to you.

You see,

he tells us in the beginning of chapter
ten to approach with boldness,

not fear.

You know what?

I've told y'all the story of my wayward
early life when the fire got out

of hand and I dreaded my daddy coming
home that day and he found me

behind the door,

right? I was scared of him.

Well, see,

the message of Hebrews and the message
of the whole Bible from the Old

testament to the new,

is this message of confidence
and boldness.

Because we are adopted into the family
of God and we approach our loving

heavenly father in relationship.

Because guess what?

I remember in 1982 when I
surrendered to ministry,

God called me and I was running
and I didn't want to do it.

And he called me.

And I remember a preacher saying,

you know what?

You can't disappoint a God
who knows everything.

Grieve, maybe,

but he already knew you
were going to do it.

Okay, so this message today is based
on probably one of the most

difficult passages,

at least in the book of Hebrews
and possibly in the Bible.

Here's what it says beginning
in verse 26.

For if we deliberately go on sinning after
receiving the knowledge of the

truth, there no longer remains
a sacrifice for sins,

but a terrifying expectation of judgment
and the fury of a fire about to

consume the adversaries enemies.

Anyone who disregarded the law
of Moses died without mercy,

based on the testimony of just
two or three witnesses.

How much worse punishment do
you think one will deserve?

Who has trampled on the son of God,

who is regarded as profane,

the blood of the covenant by
which he was sanctified,

and who has insulted the
spirit of grace?

For we know the one who has said,

vengeance belongs to me.

I will repay.

And again,

the Lord will judge his people.

It's a terrifying thing to fall into
the hands of the living God.

Remember the earlier days when,

after you had been enlightened,

you endured a hard struggle
with sufferings.

Sometimes you were publicly exposed
to taunts and afflictions,

and at other times you were companions
of those who were treated that

way. For you sympathized with the prisoners
and accepted with joy the

confiscation of your possessions.

Because you know that you yourselves
have a better and enduring

possession.

So don't throw away your confidence,

which has a great reward.

For you need endurance,

so that after you have
done God's will,

you may receive what was promised.

For yet in a very little while,

the coming one will come
and not delay,

but my righteous one
will live by faith.

And if he draws back,

I have no pleasure in him.

I like the last verse,

verse 39.

But we are not those who draw
back and are destroyed,

but those who have faith
and are saved.

Pray with me.

Father, we thank you for your word.

We thank you,

God, that you didn't hide
anything from us.

God, you're not trying to
be deceptive in any way.

You're telling us exactly
that which you desire.

And so,

God, let our hearts be surrendered and
willing and broken before you.

And let us understand and know,

God, that it's your incredible love
for us that allows us to have

entrance and to approach
the throne boldly,

and not as enemies or adversaries,

but to know that you are our heavenly
father and that you love us.

And so,

God, we bow before you.

And I,

even today I just confess
my own sin before you,

knowing God,

that you've said,

if we confess our sin,

you are faithful and you are just.

You forgive us our sin.

Cleanse us from unrighteousness,

God, cleanse me this morning.

We pray it in Jesus name.

Amen. I want you to know I've
wrestled with these verses,

man.

This is this section,

verses 26 through 31.

I've been studying and working
out for a month or more.

And here's what I realized faith is
that which preserves and possesses

the soul.

You see,

when we surrender ourselves to God,

when we receive the good news,

the gospel,

the message,

and obtain the confession of faith
before the throne of God,

you see,

God possesses us,

preserves us,

and then I see as sinners like.

For if we deliberately go on sin,

y'all know what I can
almost tell you.

Well, no,

I can absolutely tell you I deliberately
sinned sometime yesterday and

probably this morning,

too. Okay,

so does that mean that if I
go out here and choose to.

Thank you,

Kyle, for the reminder,

but I go out here and choose
to do 62 down highway 17,

that I have lost my salvation because
I have deliberately chosen to speed

down the highway,

is that the relationship
that I have with God?

Is that the faith that
possesses my soul?

Is that the judge?

Now, I'm not a good judge.

I lied to y'all earlier,

and I did it willfully.

I'm not a good judge.

See, God is a righteous judge.

And God knows my heart.

And see,

from the day that I became aware of God's
love for me and Jesus death on

the cross and the sacrifice
that was made,

that I might have adoption
into the body of Christ,

into the family of God,

God's view of me changed in that because
he sees me through the shed

blood of his son,

Jesus Christ.

I belong to him.

I'm his.

And I become aware of that.

And when sin enters my life,

the first response always is,

sorry, God.

I didn't.

I pray like David prayed.

I didn't just let myself down.

I let you down.

I wasn't holy as you are holy.

So what does he mean by this?

For if we deliberately go on sinning
after receiving the knowledge of

what is willful sin,

what is it?

Is it just simply that you chose
to do the wrong thing?

Well, yeah,

that's a form of willful sin.

But what is this referring to?

See, here's what I want
you to understand.

This is the book of Hebrews
is a message for the ages.

Remember, the Old Testament
is all about Jesus.

The Old Testament,

everything in the Old Testament,

the law,

the prophets,

the angels,

the covenant,

the sacrifice,

the temple,

the Tabernacle,

all of it points us to Jesus.

The New Testament reveals Jesus.

The book of Hebrews shows us
how it all fits together.

And we see JesuS throughout
the book of hebRews,

and we see JesuS elevated to this
point of priority and purpose.

And so when we see this,

we see in the book of Hebrews this
message that God has given to the

ages. But it's in the context
of God's wilderness people.

These were the people
who saw God work,

who received the blessing
of God's work,

saw the plagues.

Can you imagine hanging out in Egypt
when the plagues are going on?

Y'all wouldn't drink that water,

right? You know what?

I've had my field of grasshoppers,

frogs, just the legs.

Thank you.

See what I mean?

And they received and they enjoyed
the blessing of God.

And yet when they got to the boundaries
of the promised land,

they said,

no, God.

We would rather go back to Egypt.

A rejection of God.

So what is this deliberate sin?

It is this choosing to reject God,

to say,

I don't want you,

God. I've heard the story of Jesus.

I see what happened on the cross,

and I don't want anything
to do with it.

Do you know,

I've only met a few people who
have actually said that to me.

I don't want anything
to do with God.

Most people.

You know,

I love it when couples sit down in my
office and start telling me their

life story,

and I go,

really? Well,

tell me,

is your relationship God honoring?

That's the first look I get.

Well, explain it to me.

You know what?

And I'll tell you what.

I don't know if it was the puritanical
spirit of the founding of our

country, but I always get to that point
where you hear this phrase,

living in sin,

right? And I go,

okay, what you gonna do about it?

Right? Because the deliberate
sin is nothing.

I don't care what God says about
how I should live my life.

What is the proper response
to sin in our lives?

Forgive me?

Repentance. Confession.

Right? Does it mean you're
perfect after that?

No, but we've been given this opportunity
of relationship with God.

See, we're given the gospel,

the good news,

and some people are given
the gospel and say no.

And here's the spirit of the deliberate
sin or the willful sin.

It's wrong,

and I don't care.

God, I know what you expect,

but I don't care.

I don't want you.

I don't want anything
to do with you.

Remember I showed y'all what my little
sister did once upon a time?

And she might be watching
this morning,

but.

Or listening at least.

So you're not the boss of me,

right? I remember that as a child,

my little sister looking
at me like that.

Right? She's a little bitty thing,

too, but that's that.

That's the.

That's the deliberate,

willful sin of God.

You're not God over me.

See that?

Watch out.

So, so what is this rejection?

This rejection is to
be an enemy of God.

And that's why he goes on
down there to say that.

He says,

but a terr.

Alright, so for if we deliberately
go on sinning after receiving the

knowledge of the truth,

there no longer remains
a sacrifice for sins,

but a terrifying expectation,

expectation of judgment and the fury
of a fire about to consume the

enemies, the adversaries,

those who set themselves
up in opposition to God.

You know what?

I bet if I walked around this room,

ask everybody in this room,

are you an enemy of God?

I dare say people would go,

but yet we remember the verse from
romans five eight that says,

while we were yet enemies,

Christ died for us.

You see,

that's good news.

That's the gospel.

And like I said,

I've known very few people who were
confronted with just a statement.

I remember sitting at a restaurant
in Edgewood,

Maryland. I asked this guy,

I said,

so would you say that you're
an adversary of God?

And he actually said,

yes. One of the few times that I've actually
had somebody bold enough to

say that to me.

Now, I've seen people live as if
they were adversaries of God.

That's where the good
judge comes in.

Right? But you know what?

There are a lot of times when I see people
living as adversaries of God,

where I confront them with
the gospel and I say,

did you know that goddess loves you?

Well, he's never shown me.

Oh, really?

Let's talk about that a minute.

Let's talk about how God has shown
his love to you and for you.

Wow.

You start to see a melting
taking place.

Kind of like 97 degrees at
10:00 on Sunday morning.

They just start to wow,

you know,

if you can convey the love
of God to somebody,

I had somebody ask me,

when was it?

Wednesday? I was eating breakfast
somewhere and somebody asked me,

think when we get to heaven,

God's going to be standing there waiting
with his stick to punish us for

sin.

I said,

you know what?

I said,

we're going to walk into
heaven full of shame.

I said,

but we're going to be confronted,

surrounded by the almost
tangible love of God.

See that?

So what is this rejection?

This rejection.

And I remember as a kid
hearing that phrase,

the unforgivable sin,

right? To reject God and to reject him
as the authority over all things.

You know what?

In chapter ten where it says,

approach the throne of
God with boldness,

what does that mean?

Here's what I know.

I love God and I want my life to be
a testimony of that love for God,

not a testimony of my
love for myself.

Okay? We live in a world where there's
a testimony of love for oneself.

I want my testimony to
be love for goddess.

I want people to see I love God.

I want to be near God.

I want to pursue God.

I want to run after him.

I want that.

And so guess what?

I need more gospel.

I need more good news.

Every day I like to run into people who
want to share with me good news.

I like to talk to people who want to
share the Bible and Jesus and talk.

Let's just sit down and talk.

There's a song.

Let's talk about Jesus.

It's one of Scott's kind of songs,

right?

You know the one I'm talking about?

Yeah. See,

I love talking about Jesus.

It's fun.

Do y'all remember what
happened last Sunday,

right at the end,

when we.

When we finished preaching and.

And gathering,

worship, came up to finish the song,

there was a young man walked
right over there and said,

I want to be saved.

I was like,

whoo. What a way to worship
in the park.

Y'all see what I mean?

That's the point.

We run to Jesus.

Those who are deliberately sinning
are running from Jesus.

They've rejected God,

you see?

And some of you remember the
song by the Gaithers.

He's still working on me.

I mention it from time to time.

We sang it as a children's group
when I was a kid in church.

Now I'm 61,

about to be 62.

And guess what?

He's still working on me.

First youth camp I did as a youth
pastor about 30 years ago.

Now.

This was the passage
for the week from.

I call him Grandpa John because he calls
everybody beloved in his whole

letter. This is the message we have
heard from him and declare to you,

God is light.

There's absolutely no
darkness in him.

If we say we have fellowship with
him and yet walk in darkness,

deliberately walking in darkness,

we're lying.

We're not practicing the truth.

If we walk in the light,

as he himself is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another.

And the blood of Jesus,

his son,

cleanses us from all sin.

We say we have no sin.

We're deceiving ourselves.

We're liars.

Truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins,

he's faithful and righteous to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from

all unrighteousness.

And if we say we have not sinned,

we make him a liar.

And his word is not in us.

His word is not in us.

To say we have no sin and
to say there's no God.

To ignore our own sin is to disregard
the blood of Christ.

Listen to what it says here.

I mean,

it goes on down.

Anyone who disregarded the law of
Moses back in the wilderness.

Remember I mentioned the wilderness?

The context of the wilderness.

They died without mercy.

Just based on two or
three witnesses.

How much worse punishment do
you think one will deserve?

Who is trampled on?

The son of God.

Who has regarded as profane the blood
of the covenant by which he was

sanctified. And who has insulted
the spirit of grace.

For we know the one who has said,

vengeance belongs to me.

I'll repay.

And again,

the Lord will judge his people.

It's a terrifying thing to fall into
the hands of the living God.

Remember the earlier days when after
you had been enlightened,

you endured the hard struggle,

suffering.

Sometimes you were publicly exposed
to taunts and afflictions.

And other times you were companions of
those who were treated that way.

For you sympathized with the prisoners
and accepted with joy the

confiscation of your possessions.

Because you know that you yourselves
have a better and enduring

possession. So don't throw
away your confidence,

which has a great reward.

For you need endurance so that after
you have done God's will,

you may receive what was promised.

For yet in a very little while,

the coming one will come
and not delay.

But my righteous one
will live by faith.

And if he draws back,

I have no pleasure in him.

And now,

verse 39.

You ready?

We are not those who draw back,

folks. Don't draw back from the
confession of your faith.

Don't draw back from the boldness to
enter the very presence of an all

powerful, all holy,

all righteous creator.

God who knows you and
knows your heart.

We are not those who draw
back and are destroyed,

but those who have faith
and are saved.

God knows you.

Does that give you boldness or fear?

That's a good checking
point right there.

Does God know you?

Give you boldness?

I hadn't planned to tell this story,

but I'll tell it,

because Eli reminded
me of it this week.

He went back.

I don't know if I told y'all.

No, I didn't tell y'all.

He went back to Pisgah Forest Baptist
Church last Wednesday night.

So all those people who knew
him when he was five,

he went back up there.

And here's how it went.

I don't know if I.

I don't think I told you all this.

Anyway, he said,

they said,

hi.

A nice lady that I know.

She comes up,

and she says to Eli,

she says.

She says,

hi, my name's Jerry.

And he said,

I'm Eli.

This is my wife Lillian.

She says,

where are y'all from?

He says,

surf city.

She says,

oh, do you know Bobby Owingsh?

No. Do you happen to know Bobby Owings
is the way it was worded?

And Eli goes,

well, he happens to be my father.

So every one of them began
to tell the story.

He said he heard it probably ten times
before he left that night.

The day that I was doing
children's time,

and I used to.

Would sit on the steps.

And Eli,

as they were getting to worship,

we're not always right on time,

but as they got there,

the double doors in the
back opened up,

and my little boy came running
down that center aisle.

Cause I had kids all around me.

My little boy came running
down the aisle going,

I'm coming,

daddy. I'm coming,

daddy.

Man, is that how you approach
the presence of God?

I'm coming,

daddy.

I just want to be close.

I just want to be near.

I want to chase after God.

If you don't know Jesus,

you need to know Jesus.

Pray with me.

Father, thank you for today.

Thank you.

That. That's your kind of love.

I don't know how to love like that.

I love it that my son
loves me that way.

But I don't know how to
love like you love.

And yet,

God, I know you know me.

You know my failures.

You know my sin.

You know.

You know all of those
things about me,

and yet I.

You welcome me into your presence,

not because I'm worthy,

but like the song says,

there's a mercy.

And so,

God, we enter your presence
with boldness.

We are not your adversary.

We are not your enemies.

And yet,

while we were enemies,

Christ provided a way.

He died in my place.

He died for me.

So I run into your presence,

God, I thank you for everybody
here this morning.

I thank you for folks who just
come out to worship God.

My prayer would be that we draw near
and draw near with boldness,

because you love us that much.

And if there's even one person in this
room that doesn't know Jesus,

God, we want to introduce them.

We want them to know Jesus.

So help us to tell people
about Jesus,

not just in this room,

but everywhere we go.

Help us to have Jesus conversations
all day long,

and we pray it in Jesus name.

Amen. I.