Outward Bound Experience

The butt box.
It was a ropes course before anyone had ever heard of ropes courses.
I bugged out.
The instruction made a really good point.

Could I see the person who’d gone ahead of me safely on the ground?

Yes, I could.

Could I see the person who’d gone ahead of him, safely on the ground?

Yes, I could.

So, he got me to the point where I could have faith.

I could “See” myself on the ground laughing and having a good time.

Hebrews material

The primary theme of Hebrews is the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. The author presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament law and sacrificial system, emphasizing His superiority over angels, Moses, and the Levitical priesthood.  The book is essentially a theological treatise, urging Jewish Christians not to abandon their faith in Christ and revert to Judaism due to persecution or doubt.
7-10 emphasize.

Jesus as High Priest.

Mediator of a better covenant between us and God the Father.

Hebrews really goes a long way to show us that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

In fact, Jesus is the full flower of that longstanding tradition.

Faith is also front and center.

The Christian life is all about faith in Jesus Christ.

Faith

Justifies us.

Romans 3:21 – “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
So, when we talk about faith, we must see that it is the thing that shows us that we are saved.

It’s that easy.

Have faith in Jesus Christ?

You’re in. No worries.

It is a gift.

This is the most important part for us to see.
That we believe in Jesus Christ is proof that Jesus Christ is in us.

Why?

We are just too broken to see this without the powerful workings of the Holy Spirit.

We see a world filled with people who think that they themselves are sufficient.

That world is bleak.

The gift of faith regenerates us.

Makes us followers of Jesus Christ.

Faith opens the doors of hope.

Because we believe in Jesus Christ, we know that all things are going to end well.

New heavens and a new earth.

Prayer time excursus.

Heaven

We don’t talk about heaven very much in the church.
There’s a reason for that.

There isn’t a book or even huge sections of the Bible that deals with life in the Kingdom of God.

That is to say that we don’t talk with specificity about heaven because we don’t have tons of source material.
BUT WE DO HAVE SOME.

Isaiah 11:6-9

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.  They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters covers the sea.”

What this passage tells us about heaven is that it will be a place of peace.

Revelation suggests that further

Revelation 21:1-4 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’”

Heaven is a place where…

There is no insufficiency or lack.
There are other people.
The marriage supper of the lamb.

Ever been to a wedding they’re wonderful affairs, aren’t they?

There’s good food.
Good company.
Dancing – a spirit of celebration.

The celebration is the removal of sin from our bodies and the ability to dwell in peace with one another forever and ever.

Because we have faith, we act.

Faith is also another word for trust.
For me to say that I have faith in something means that I believe enough belief in a thing to take action.
Faith without works is dead, right?

The letter of James tells us that, right?

Return to the Butt Box

See yourself in heaven.
NOW, PUSH THE BUTTON AND ACT.