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I'd like to look at the Hebrew letter in the tenth chapter. In study and in preparation on this, I will admit uh I feel like there's a lot of this uh one chapter in particular that I would like to look at. So I'd like to look at a couple other places too. And I don't I don't want to direct it. I want the Lord's Spirit to direct my thoughts. So we're gonna lean heavily on the Spirit that uh it would be his message, the Lord's message to his people. Um very much, I'm gonna be honest with you, this is not what I wanted to preach on, but I really felt like the Lord placed it in my lap and said, this is what you're gonna speak on. I know that's an experience that it might not, and I see that, but I'm telling you, this is so I'm gonna trust the Lord is guiding me in these these words and these thoughts. Hebrews chapter 20. It says, for the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never, with those sacrifices which they offered year by year, continually make the comers thereunto perfect. The comers thereunto perfect. For then would they have ceased to be offered, because that the worshipers, once purged, should have had no more conscience of sins. Right here in these first two verses, um, I trust the Apostle Paul writing this portion of this letter is directing their minds to something that they were very um familiar with, acquainted with, which was the law service. Something that their people, that um the children of Israel, had participated in and were very familiar with, which was the law service, and he was pointing them, their minds, to look at that in particular. Now the theme of Hebrews very much is uh let's look at the law. Now, pause, let's look at Jesus Christ and how he is a better, whatever it was that he brought forward. Whatever he sets forward in thinking about the Jewish way of life, the way that the children of Israel would go about, he would point and say, That verily was true. Now let's look at Christ. He is the fulfillment of those things. He is a better of those things. You had a law, he is the fulfillment of the law. You had a high priest, year by year. You had a high priest, and you have a better high priest. Now, those high priests sacrificed um animals, he was the sacrifice. Those uh priests had a priesthood that would come to an end and they would die naturally. You have an everlasting, he is an everlasting priesthood. That was the theme that ran, that runs through this letter. When he gets here to this 10th chapter, he's already established the fact that we right now continually have a high priest. But that high priest isn't one that's in Jerusalem, but rather one who is in heaven making intercession for us. He's very clear the fact that Jesus Christ is our ever-living, perfect high priest. One that's not after the order of Aaron, but one that's after the order of Melchizedek, on and on. But what he points uh their minds to, what he points our minds to, right here at the 10th chapter, is that the law, the law, which was a shadow of good things to come, of better things to come, he points their mind to the activity. I would say it would include everything that was included in the law, but most uh more precisely to the Day of Atonement, which was a time of year once a year. It was, Brother Aubrey, it was like on the calendar for them. They didn't have to, it didn't bounce around. It was like it was that time of the year, and that Day of Atonement was a big gathering. A big gathering. The people would come from wherever they were, because not everybody lived right there in Jerusalem. Some lived out. And they would have to purposefully get their stuff, gather their family, everybody's gonna be involved in this thing, and they all would be called to Jerusalem to that time, to that place, for a reason, on purpose, to do an activity together. Though it was one, the the high priest was the only one that was authorized to do the work, and we'll go and look at that in Leviticus here in a second. Actually, let's go ahead and go there. Um, but what I would like to kind of highlight in our minds this morning is this phrase that jumped out to me was the comers thereunto. The comers thereunto. That there were people, there were individuals that would come on purpose to a place. That that denotes uh a willingness to go on purpose to be in one place and then to go to another place. These people were the comers thereunto, unto Jerusalem, unto a purpose, unto a work, unto an activity that they would all be party to, the comers thereunto. Okay. But it all was a shadow of good things to come. We all we know that no matter how clear a shadow is, there's shadows in this room. There's shadows outside. And the thing is, you can look at a shadow, and what you'll find is no matter how clearly it is defined of what that object might be, it's not the object. The object is the thing that the light is on and it's casting forth the shadow. The shadow is never actually the thing. If it was a flagpole with a waving flag on it, no matter how clear the thing, you even see the shadow of the flag whipping, as it were, that shadow is not the flagpole on the flag. It's just the shadow of that thing. Well, the law is that shadow. The law is never the thing or the figure or the truth, but rather something that would point forward or hint towards something that would actually be coming. That's what he's talking about. Uh could never, with those sacrifices, so there's sacrifices involved, offered year by year, year after year, the same thing, annual gathering there in Jerusalem on the Day of Atonement to do this law activity, continually would never make the comers thereunto perfect. Let's go look at Leviticus, chapter 23. And what's described here is this gathering. Is this coming, coming together of people who were the comers thereunto. The comers unto Jerusalem for a purpose. And they didn't come for, like you came for the Day of Atonement, this other person came. They were coming with the intent and with the mission statement, as it were, the mission of what we're gonna do, why are we going to Jerusalem? What are we gonna be doing? We're all coming to do the same thing, which was to uh witness and to participate in this law service. Leviticus chapter 23. We'll start reading here in the 27th verse. I'll say on the onset of this thing, this is um a service or a this is an activity that they would be doing, witnessing, um, acting, doing things. It's very solemn. It's not a jubilant uh feel to it. The feeling of this activity is one that's kind of a somber uh type feel. Now we have a um there's times in which our worship service is very spirit-filled and we feel very uh overflowed with joy and and we'll rejoice in those things. And sometimes our service is very solemn in its nature, and I think about the communion service. That's a time that our our attitude and our minds are very focused. You're thinking about the symbols in the communion service, you're thinking about the bread being picture of the broken body of Jesus, you're thinking about the wine as a picture and a token of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. That's a service that has a feeling to it, that's one that's very somber and solemn. The Day of Atonement was like that. It was a time that their minds were to focus on a picture that was a that pointing towards the fact that they knew that they had sin, that sin was a problem for the people of God, that they had inherited that sin by a natural means by their father Adam. And that that consequence of sin was death and always death. And they knew by experience, um, and even by the same way we know that we um are we have sin. God had written his law in their hearts as well. They didn't have to look at the table of stones, they knew because the Lord had revealed to them as well. Um, but nonetheless, nonetheless, they knew that they had sin. And they were called together, they were convened together to Jerusalem, and they brought with them. Um, allow me to try to illustrate it in this way. It's like they brought their sins with them. Like as if there was a burden. Like it was all packaged up. They brought their sins. They knew that that was their sins. Like Sister Sabrina, they knew I brought my sins with me, you brought yours too, right? Brother Bobby, we you brought yours because we none of us came empty-handed. We know that we are bringing our sins here to Jerusalem on the Day of Atonement. Okay, and then when they came, it was a time of not just a solemn uh service, but one that would also be one that was a worship service. Because they knew the answer to sin was the sacrifice of an animal. They knew at the end of this thing there was a going away from this place and there was relief. That they had brought their burden of their sin and they went away unburdened by that sin. Now that their sin didn't ever take, was taken away. That's what Hebrews most certainly made clear. Never once, year by year, these sacrifices were made continually. Never once did it actually take away sin, but rather brought about a remembrance of sin, but nonetheless, you think about from their mindset the the mindset of the comers there unto Jerusalem. Think about their mindset. They came burdened with their sin, and they went away relieved by the answer and the taking away of their sins. Okay. Verse 27 of Leviticus 23. It says, also on the tenth day of the seventh month, there shall be a day of atonement. It shall be a holy convocation unto you. And ye shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, and ye shall do no work in that same day. For it is a day of atonement to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God, for whosoever soul it be that shall be afflicted shall not be afflicted in the same day, he shall be cut off from among the people, and whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in the same day, the same soul will be destroyed from among the people. Ye shall do no manner of work, it shall be a statute forever throughout your generation and all your dwelling. There's the description, the prescription of how they were to approach this gathering, this place, this time where the comers thereunto, which was who? Everybody. It was like everybody is going to be included in this coming thereunto Jerusalem. And they all came for the same purpose. And one thing he makes clear is that your part is to do no work. This is a no work day. Now there will be work being done, but the idea is works are excluded. That there's going to be something that happens, and it's not going to be because you're so great and you're so strong, and you have your part where you're participating in this. No, there's going to be the work of the high priest, there's going to be a sacrifice, you're going to witness these things, and you're going to benefit from these things. Um, something that I would like to consider is this description that this day is a holy convocation. A holy convocation. Um I would not consider myself one that gets all wrapped up in words and definitions and meanings, but this word is certainly something that we need to consider, which is the word vocation. And also with it, convocation. That word vocation means calling, right? And con means with, or like together. And so this calling and with, you're calling together the people. That's something they can't do separate in their different places. It's a convocation. They're calling together the people. You know, when we're in the Lord's house, this is also a holy convocation. There's a holy ground that we're called unto by his people. And he gathers together his children even here in his place. This is a holy convocation. That day of atonement was a holy convocation. And they were summoned unto that place. Uh, I think about the beginning of the school year, Sister Heather, we have at our school district. I think every school district tries to do their version of this. And it's a big deal. Kind of kicks off the year. We have our convocation, right? And they make a big thing about it, and they have they they rent out this big venue, and everybody comes together. There's t-shirts involved, and there's this big hoopla about it. But the people are called, everybody, all the teachers and the admins and the tech people and the bus drivers and the custodian, everybody is called together to this place. And you know, they don't let departments sit it out. Like we tried that. We're like, we're not really into this whole thing. It's pretty silly, the activity is kind of a waste. We have work to do. No, convocation is a day. Everybody's gonna come together because we've been called by the authority as a district. We want everyone there. So the expectation is on convocation day, beginning of the school year, everybody's going to be there. So you're expected to go, you're expected to go and participate and just be there, right? That's convocation. We're being called together. Now, also, we also know that word vocation. That um those of you who have uh secular jobs, which is adults, vocation is something that we use kind of interchangeable with our jobs. That's what's your vocation? For my vocation, I work in technology, and that's my vocation. But you know, it's more that that word is calling, right? It's something you're called to do and to work in your life. That's your vocation. Well, for these um, for these people, for these children of Israel, they've been called together. I would say that even in our place in the kingdom of God, this is we can consider this to an extent, our place in the kingdom, our um role in the church, our participation in his church. Um, we can consider this our vocation. And when we're gathered together, it's our con vocation. We're being called together, and it's something that we're called to do in our work in the kingdom of God. In Ephesians uh, the apostle Paul actually talks very much on that point. He says that I beseech ye that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye were called. The calling wherewith you were called. To walk worthy of that, I'm not gonna say job, it's a calling. This is our place in the kingdom, is most certainly not a job. We never would characterize it that way. We would we that's not our experience, because this place is a blessing unto us. It's a place that I don't come to arduously work, but rather I come and I have a place of rest, where I'm able to come out from the work and the hardness and the things that would be taxing them to me in the world, and I would be able to come into his house of rest and find peace and comfort and lifting up and edifying. That's not my experience in my natural vocation, but most certainly that has been my experience in the house of God. That this is the place where we're able to come and we're able to hear the gospel of grace, that we're able to be reminded again that Jesus Christ has been the one who has offered the work, and in this vocation, what are we called to do? This is a day of rest and Sabbath and just sit and enjoy the sweet unburdening of the sin that you feel sometimes. Now, our sin nature is ever with us until we are um depart this world. But when you hear the gospel of grace and you're told that your sins, that burden, that package, right, that sin has been dealt with. That it's not being that it's not that it's being dealt with. Brothers and sisters, that sin has been taken away from you. It has been dealt with. It has had an answer to that sin. There's been a sin sacrificed on your behalf. There's been one that has stood in your stead and taken that sin upon. He has taken it off of you, and he has placed it upon himself, and it's been dealt with. Now, going back to Leviticus and this beautiful law service, this beautiful shadow, this beautiful thing that would point us towards the actual true thing that it's representing and pointing towards, which is Jesus Christ our Lord. Let's look at some of the details. Um we'll go back to Hebrews where uh he's talking about those things. Um that day of atonement, on that day of atonement, with all the comers thereunto, you know what they witnessed? Well, I'll say this. It it lines up perfectly with the gospel that we enjoy of the finished work of Jesus Christ our Lord. What they saw was a picture of those things, in that they all came together in one place. All his people, all his family came together, and then there would be two goats in particular. There'll be two goats that they would be, that would be brought, there'd be lots cast, one would be uh slain, one would be led away. First, the one that would be slain would be slain by the high priest, it would be killed, the life would be taken from it, the high priest would take the blood of that goat that was slain, and the high priest would, by his authority alone, would walk through the whole the uh the temple, and he would walk through the that veil that was between that first section of that temple and then the holy of holies, that place, and the high priest, Sister Maddie, he would not go in that area without blood. He would not dare go into that holy of holies without blood. And he would go in and he would take the blood of that slain animal and he would sprinkle it upon the mercy seat. Now, you know what was in that mercy seat? You know what was in that ark was the tablets that um God had written on and that the law had been broken. The blood was covering the broken law. That's a beautiful picture. See, there's so many pictures that they uh they weren't witness to what happened in that Holy of Holies, but they knew about it. And then another part of that worship service, that that holy convocation day, was that that second goat that the lot had fell upon would be the scapegoat or the one that would be led away. And you know what the high priest would do symbolically? He would take the sins of all the people that had been gathered together. Remember, I had my burden that I came with, and you Had doors, and the high priest would take that burden from them, and he would put it upon the head of that second goat. Think about that. Now, did it actually take away their sins? Like no, they were still no, it was symbolic, right? But man, in their experience, they came heavy, burdened. And then the high priest takes it and he puts it upon the head of that goat. And then that goat was taken by a fit man, and that fit man would lead that goat away, and then they would all watch that fit man lead that goat away with all the sins of all the people that was placed upon the head of that goat, and they would see that goat be led, and it would go and it would go away, and then all of a sudden it'd be gone. With it, all their sins were away from them as far as the east is from the west. And that goat never came back, ever would come back. That's a beautiful experience for the comers there unto Jerusalem. What a wonderful thing to experience. The goat didn't come back, but you know who did come back? The fit man. At some point or another, that fit man came back. And he entered right back into the camp. You know what that was a picture of? It's that God had taken away the sins. That God had um he was satisfied with the taking away of the sins of the people. That fit man returned, and it was a declaration that God was satisfied. What a wonderful experience for them to be a party to and witness of. And how much different they must have felt leaving Jerusalem than they did when they were coming to Jerusalem. And year after year the people would do that. What a wonderful holy convocation. I mean, that's really that that's the gospel experience, that's the gospel message that they received in type and in shadow. And then back to Hebrews chapter 10, where he is talking to them, and they he didn't have to go. I don't trust I need to go through the explanation with you, but um they certainly didn't need to have the explanation either because they knew these things. They were familiar with this. But what he points to is that never with those sacrifices and offerings could it ever make those comers thereunto perfect. They did it every year. And never once did it actually cleanse them. Never once did it ever answer for some of the sin andor any of the sin that it would just be something that would be a remembrance of sin. Okay, so we'll get back down here and we'll continue reading. Verse 3. But in those sacrifices there is remembrance. Remembrance. Again, made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, there's difference. You have the children of Israel who were the comers thereunto Jerusalem, the ones that would be the comers thereunto, and they would do that, and they would do so willingly, they would do so on purpose and for a cause, and never once did it actually take away the sin. Oh, but there is one comer thereunto. There was one that came into this world that came into Jerusalem, and this comer thereunto would do something that most certainly would take away the sins of the people. This is a different comer thereunto. We're talking about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God made manifest in the flesh, this comer unto would actually accomplish the work that all those types and figures and law shadows and beautiful things that we see were nothing more than pointing towards a remembrance of there needs to be an answer for the sins of the people. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifices and offerings thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. And his body is different than the body of the high priest, his body is different than the goats, then the bullocks, than the doves, than the pigeons, then the whatever it was. This is a special body, this is a perfect body. This is a pure, unspotless Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. This is God made manifest in the flesh, not a piece of sin in this body that was prepared for his people. Made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law. His body came there and into this world for a purpose. This purpose was to save you, to take away your sins, that we would be redeemed, bought, purchased, and taken to heaven with him. That body was prepared for you. Sacrifices and offerings thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. And burnt offerings and sacrifices for sins. Thou hast had no pleasure in all that work, and all those year by year, the comers there unto Jerusalem, the sacrifices of two goats that year, the next year two goats that year, so on and so forth. Um, no pleasure in those things. That was a remembrance that the sin had to be dealt with, but there most certainly was pleasure in the sacrifice of his son. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. It pleased the Lord for his body be an answer for sin, a sacrifice for sin, a fit man to carry away sin, a goat to bear the burdens of the sin. The Lord was pleased. God Almighty was pleased with that body being sacrificed. Not pleased in the pain and the suffering that he would endure, but rather what it would wrought, what it would yield, which was you, which was you in your position with him, and now and throughout all eternity, he was pleased with the result of the sacrifice of his son. Verse 7, it says, Then said I, Lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do thy will, O God. That's a parenthetical statement. So I've heard this many times. It's good when you see a parentheses in a verse, is to read it in its fullness, including the parentheses, because it's important enough for you to stop, pause, get that extra information, and then go on. But it's also good to read it without the parenthetical, to get like the starting phrase, and then expand it out. So we'll we'll do that. It says, this is the this is Jesus um being able to speak these things. Then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. I come to do thy will, O God. Bobby, you know Jesus Christ came to do the will of the Father? He tells us in John 6, he makes it very clear that he came down from heaven to do the will of the Father. And then he's even more clear with that, and he says that the will of the Father is that all that the Father hath given him, that he would lose nothing but raise it up again at the last day. He came for that very purpose. His name, Jesus Christ, uh itself testifies to the fact that he would save his people from their sins. He came to do the will of the Father. Do you think that Jesus Christ being that perfect uh sacrifice, that spotless Lamb of God, that um slain goat, that uh goat that would bear the sins and take him away, one a picture of uh God's divine justice in the sacrifice of that first goat, and a picture of God's perfect mercy and grace in that second goat. Do you believe that him coming to do that work, that he wouldn't uh bring forth all his people that the Father hath given, that he would do to its completeness the will of the Father? I contend with everything in me that he did in its fullness the complete, perfect will of God. And all of that was written in the volume of the book. Like, from the first part of the book all the way to the very end of the book, the volume of the book. Every bit of it, do you know what the theme? What he's saying here is the theme of the book that is written? It's talking about him. It's talking about that Jesus Christ would come and he would do the will of the Father. What about this other part, this small part over here in like Exodus? Is that talking about Jesus Christ coming to do the will of the Father? Yes! What about in Numbers when it's talking about all the different tribes and the different things? Is it talking about Jesus? All of it in its theme is talking about him that he would come. He is the theme of the volume of the book. Jesus Christ tells his disciples that search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, for they are they that testify of me. And all of the book is talking about him. He says, This um everything that we read, he is the theme. His mercy and his grace is the theme. The will of God being completed in Jesus Christ's work is the theme of the volume of the book, and he came to perfectly fulfill that, to show that every bit of what we read in scriptures, what they read in scriptures was fairly true, that he would down to the smallest punctuation mark be what they were looking for, be the exact thing that they expected. That all those years that they gathered their stuff together and their family together and they came forward to do that service year by year, that it wouldn't uh fall short, that his work wouldn't fall short to what they were expecting, that what they they saw that day, what they experienced that day, and the conversations that I most certainly think they must have had. And you can imagine it wasn't just the adults that came together to those places, it was everybody. It was the children were also in tow. The parents brought them as well. It was everybody came together, and I can imagine the conversations that they must have had on the way there, maybe while those things were happening on the way home from that coming there unto. I can imagine the children asking questions about what they were witnessing. Because maybe the parents had they'd seen this year by year, but maybe it was so-and-so's like fifth time to come, and they were just now starting to like ask questions like children would do. Like, what is the what is the high priest about to do with that goat? And the parents would have to lovingly explain they're going to kill it. Right? They're gonna you're gonna explain those things to your children. And maybe that was uncomfortable at first, but whenever they got the theme of the message that their sins were being taken away, that there was an answer to those things, and it wasn't your death or my death, but the death of one that would stand in your place and in your stead. What a wonderful blessing that it was that those children were comers thereunto as well. Right? Sometimes the gospel is hard for some of us to understand at times portions of it. Um it's good for us to have someone to well explain those things, and then the picture just gets more perfect and more beautiful in the finished work of Jesus. The volume of the book, it is written. Pray that I'm able to get through some of this. Verse 8. It says above when he says, sacrifices and offerings and burnt offer uh burnt offerings, uh, offerings for sin, thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein, which are offered by the law. Verse 9 it says, Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first to establish the second. Jesus Christ came not to destroy all that solemn service and worship and things. He didn't come to destroy those things, but rather he came to fulfill them. That the first would be put away very purposefully and lovingly put away, that the second would be established. I'm telling you, we are in the second that's been established. We are in the New Testament church of Jesus Christ, which is not us to look at uh a natural man being a high priest and going in and slaying one goat and having another one led away and then a holy of holies. That's not the one that we're witness to, but we're witness to a better covenant, a New Testament church, which we are on this side of the cross of Calvary. Our eyes should not be towards some goats. Our picture where we draw our comfort and strength should not be towards goats. It should be towards the Lamb of God who was slain some 2,000 years ago on Calvary's cross, and the picture has not changed since and never will. That's where your eyes on this holy convocation, we get to witness, we get to see and rejoice, and that picture is the one of a slain savior, but not just a slain savior, but a victorious risen Savior on the third day, having shown himself victor over death, over the consequence and wage of sin, he is that answer, and we get to witness that and rejoice in that picture. It says, by the which will, that being the will of the Father, that he would come and do that work, by the which will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Talk about something different. That's a great contrast to what they were experienced year by year. How often did they have to do theirs? Every single year. But this sacrifice of Jesus was a once for all. Once and for all. One time needed to be done, and once for all his family. And every high priest standeth daily ministering and offering off times the same sacrifices which could never take away sin. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. What again, a wonderful contrast between those high priests and this high priest. Those sacrifices need to be done year by year and this one time by this one man, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that were sanctified. Now, his sacrifice was one that would be applied to you. The blood of Jesus Christ would be uh applied to you and your dead, benignited soul, to your your evil conscience, as uh we read in this chapter. We had an evil conscience, but the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the blood that was applied was applied to you, and your dead conscience was purged from you. And in what came forth was the His light, which took up residence in that uh very cell, in you. Um, and now we have a good conscience towards God. Brother Aubrey, we had a dead, evil conscience. It was purged by Jesus Christ in regeneration, and now you have a good conscience towards God. You have a you have his holiness and his pureness and his righteousness dwelling within you. You have him within you, the very hope of glory. Our sins and iniquities have been pardoned, have been taken away, have been paid for because of what Christ has done. And we don't have time to go there, but we also read in uh John 6 where he's talking about him coming to do the will of the Father. We also hear Christ teach that no man can come unto him except for it the Father would draw him. So the people of Jerusalem at that time were comers there unto Jerusalem to see a picture and a shadow of good things to come. Christ was a comer thereunto into this world to do the work that only he was authorized and able to do. One thing that we got to understand is we do not have the ability, we wouldn't have the will to do this, we cannot come unto Christ. We cannot be comers there unto Christ except he draws. You know why we can't come unto him? I'm talking about like being before he takes up abode in us and then after. Us being dead and trespasses and sins, alive in Christ Jesus. That coming unto we cannot come unto him except the Father which is sent Christ, draw us to him. We can't do that because we're dead. A dead individual cannot be a comer thereunto. We don't have it within us to be a comer there unto Christ except he draws us. We don't have the will, we don't have the ability, we are dead. But by his grace, he finds us in that place where we're dead and polluted in our own sins, and he comes to us on his appointed time. He speaks life where there was no life, and he brings us to him, and we're ever with him from that very point forward in a spiritual, in a uh legal sense, we are with him. Now, there is another extent to where I would think that we can be comers there unto him. Not in a sense where we're uh saved, as some might say, like saved. Are you saved? I'm saved because Christ has saved me, because he has drawn me to him. But then in our fellowship with him, in our discipleship with him, we can be comers thereunto. We can be comers thereunto. Or we could not becomers there. Like it it at that point it's something we can do or we cannot do. Now, the effectual call, 100% success. But then there is an obedient following after him as a disciple, as a believer, follow after him. That includes everything. That includes our study, that includes our prayer life, that includes our activity in the church, our attendance in the church, our financial support of our church, our love towards the brethren, our all of it is included in being a comer thereunto, in his kingdom. I would submit to you that you could be in the church and yet be absent from the kingdom. Has that been your experience that in your life that you've been at church? You've been at a church meeting when other people seem to be very much in the kingdom, and somehow you're far off from the kingdom. Yes. That's been my experience as well. He has called us to be a comer there unto even his kingdom. He tells us in uh Matthew chapter 11, he concludes that chapter by saying, Come unto me, all ye that are uh laden, or all ye that are burdened and heavy laden. And you know what we'll find whenever we come unto him in that place where we're uh burdened and heavy laden, as the people felt in Jerusalem as they came into that day of atonement? It says, For you will find rest. It says, Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. He has bid us to be a comer there unto him, that we won't find hard work, but rather one that unburdens us, one that takes off that heaviness, that that that maybe that guilt, maybe that that fear, that anxiety. That will oftentimes, that uncertainty that we'll feel. He calls us to be comers there unto him. That we'll find his yoke is easy and his burden is light. That we get to be yoked up with him. The one who is our strength and our hope and our comfort. We'll continue on here. Verse 19 of Hebrews 10. Having therefore brethren, this is what you have now. This is what we have now. Having therefore brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Man, he still has his uh, he's still using their understanding of the law service, of that day of atonement, of how things worked there in Jerusalem year by year. Who could enter into the holiest in that day? Only the high priest. Never once did any of those children make it into the Holy of Holies. Never once did any of those parents who brought their children ever go into the Holy of Holies. Only one could go into that Holy of Holies. Into that place where God would meet with man, where that would be that meeting place. He says that you have access into that place. Not that natural place in the temple, but a much higher, better thing. That that was just a shadow of the real thing. We're talking about heaven and a mortal glory. We're talking about the throne room of God, the judge, the father, the creator, that we have access into that holy of holies, and we have so not by the blood of the goats that were slain or the bullocks or anything else, but we have access unto him by the blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord, that was shed for us on Calvary. You have access to him that we can go. To go so boldly into that throne, that throne room of grace, says, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, is flesh. He tells us in John 14 that there's not just a bunch of ways, and there he's one of them. No, he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. The way that we have unto the Holy of Holies, where God meets with man, where we find him, the only way there is through him, through Jesus Christ, who is the way. He is the way through the um through the veil. And having an high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, he has purged our sin conscience and placed within us a good conscience towards him. That deserves time to be looked at and spoken on as well. It's so such a wonderful thought about this change. There's a change that this individual has gone through, that you've gone through. And it never was from animals, but rather Jesus Christ, and he is the reason why you are different and why you are changed. You have a good conscience towards God. Verse 24. Oh, sorry, no, verse 23. It says, let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. For he is faithful, that promise. It points towards him and saying, let's look at him for a second. He is faithful, who has promised. And all that Christ has promised, and all that God has promised his people, is he with some things upholds upholds what he says, and in other things he'll let him slip. No, there is no slack when we're talking about with him and his promises. Um, there is no slackness as men when we consider how men is, but it tells us, since he is so faithful, we can look at him as the example of how he is faithful. It tells us here to be faithful, to do all that we can to uh let us hold fast our profession. But you know what that's telling? Be faithful, be faithful as he is faithful. Let us hold fast our profession of faith, uh the profession of our faith without wavering. Without wavering. It says, and let us consider one another and provoke unto love and to good works. Can you do that by yourself? No. You cannot provoke one another unto love and to good works by ourselves. If we can't do that by ourselves, what does that require? Other people. That requires a convocation. It requires the people coming together, being called together, being gathered together by Jesus Christ under his wings. That's how he gathers his people in worship. The way that they came together to worship God in Jerusalem there on the Day of Atonement, every year on schedule, not as a suggestion, but as a summoning unto that place. He has called us together to come together in a holy convocation in his kingdom and to do so faithfully, and to do so with everything that we have and the best efforts that we have to come together. Verse 25, it says, Well, also thinking about how much of a benefit that is, uh, that we're called together, that you're an encouragement to me, and I am, I trust, an encouragement to you in whatever small way, that we come together not to point our fingers at each other and say, you need to do better, but you do better, and I witness that, and I try to do better, and you witness that, and we're an encouragement together, and that together we're strengthened, and together we're we're fueled forward to do more faithfully in the work in his kingdom. Verse 25, it says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. What does that sound like? A convocation, a holy convocation, being called together, and not to forsake that. To never forsake that. Could the people in Jerusalem uh year by year be like, hey, are you are you going to uh Day of Atonement? I don't know what I don't know how they would say it. Are you going to the holy convocation? Are you going up to Jerusalem this year? No, well, I went last year, so I don't know if we're going to make it this year. No, they faithfully went because they were summoned unto that. And they understood that they needed to go and to be there to do so faithfully. The encouragement here in verse 25 is don't forsake our holy convocation. The Lord has given it to us. It's a wonderful blood-bought opportunity to gather together in his house, in his sanctuary, in his place of rest and restoration. We need this place. And it's of a wonderful blessing to us that I'm edified by the songs of Zion and the praying and the preaching when I'm under the sound of it. And sometimes by a miraculous means, that sometimes even when I attempt to preach God's word, that I'm fed by it. It's a miracle. It boggles the mind that even I might feed upon what God attempts me to speak to you in even the smallest sense, those things are good for us. They're a benefit to us, but they're also a benefit one to another. Don't forsake that. Don't forsake that. Time gets hard in our lives, so don't forsake that. When we get busy with young children and they're busy with us, don't forsake that. We've been summoned. We've been called to be a comer thereunto this place, this sweet, sweet place. And to do so with joy, with gladness, not looking that our sins would be taken away. Let's get our remission of sin. No, the message is your sins have been remitted. They've been taken away forever and ever, as far as the east is from the west, never to return to you again. And because of that we come boldly into this place with a joy unspeakable and full of glory, rejoicing in the fact that our sins have been taken away with praise and adoration to the one who deserves all these things, forsake not the assembling of ourselves, as a manner of some is, but exhorting one another. And so much more as you see the day approaching, is there when's the best time for us to come to this holy convocation, to pour ourselves into this place, not just physically, not just physically, but with our hearts and our minds and our intents and our focus. It's again, it's not just being here, but it's being here. And I am going to admit to you, I have been here and not been here. I don't even know how it's how I would even survive it, Brother Lloyd, but I've been here in this place of standing behind a pulpit attempting to preach for 40 minutes to an hour, like whatever it was, and have not been here. There have been days I have absolutely found myself not in the Spirit, not seeking him, relying on myself, or just doubting and not believing, kind of phoning it in. Find myself in that place that we read about a lukewarm church. I have been a lukewarm place. What he tells us is don't forsake the assembling of ourselves. Come together, not just physically, but be here. Be here. If you'll give me just two more minutes, I feel inclined to say this. Um it's been heavy on me lately. Maybe this is why I feel like I need to try to speak on this subject. Um some of you know my work situation and how it has not been uh as good as at other times. It has been kind of rough. It's been kind of rough. And it's been scary, and um, I have found that I have to really, really rely on the Lord to get me through like day by day. He has shown himself faithful. He has shown himself faithful. Uh and I'm not here to talk about myself, but this is I think this applies. I have found myself having to like walk the line. Like, don't mess up. At any point, if I step even the wrong step, I'm gonna step on a landmine and this could go bad for me. So with every email that comes in, I carefully, quickly read it. With every message I get on Teams, I can't I'm glad that these people are not gonna hear this. They don't tune into this, so I can speak freely. Every Teams message that has come in, I have quickly, carefully read it. And if it's an action that maybe it has to do with me, I jump on it because I'm I'm worried about my job and my position. Right? And if it has my name on it, like do this thing, I stop what I'm doing and I jump right in and I do it. And if I'm given a task, especially by the boss, the boss has given me, hey, do this thing. I'm not I'm not doing anything else that I've been working on. I stop what I'm doing, jump right on in. Right? I'm there and I'm gonna do everything I can to please these people. And I'm not gonna take a day off of work even though I feel overworked and I just needed a little not the time for that right now, because I'm worried about my position. I I've been called to do this vocation, that that vocation, that vocation. I'm thankful it's a blessing unto me, and I'm gonna do everything I can to protect it, and I'm gonna pour myself into it. But you know what I found myself thinking about a lot of times is I have actually poured myself way more into that vocation than I have into this vocation. I believe God has called me. I don't know why it makes it make sense to me, Brother Paul, but I trust that the Lord has called me into the work of the gospel ministry. I've seen it in my work, in my effects. I don't know why he called me into his kingdom at a young age, and he's called you into his kingdom at a young age. You might not have a vocation where you get a paycheck, but children, you have a vocation in that school. Do you take uh time off or do you pour yourself into it? You make it a high priority to turn your energy and to do well and to do get the right scores. We pour ourselves into our secular work and our jobs, don't we? It's important to us, and sometimes we maybe it's because we want to do well, we want to get high grades, and sometimes it's fear that something bad will happen. That either way, sometimes we pour ourselves into our natural vocation. We have been called into this vocation by God's mercy. Brothers and sisters, pour yourself into this one. Imagine what this congregation and this church would be like, not only here, but at Spring Grove and in Little Vine, if we poured ourselves into this vocation. To answer every email and answer every team's message metaphorically, he's called us to work. I don't know why he called us to work here, but he's called us to work in his vineyard. And it's not for fear that something bad will happen, but by his mercy and grace and we get to hear the sweet gospel of Jesus Christ and his finished work. Pour yourself into this vocation. Show up early, stay late, work hard, make the boss not proud, be thankful that you're here. I've said anything that's offensive or anything, but please can you have mercy and if you've received anything that's a blessing, give God all the glory, the honor, the praise. There's one more that habit was our to answer that. All of the good conscience that God has placed within me. There's to answer that, and that's the comfortable church being baptized.