In this sermon, Jason Dohm speaks about the importance of the machinery and structure of our faith, such as the local church, scripture reading, prayer, and taking the Lord's Supper. Although these aspects may seem cold and mechanical, they are necessary means of grace that God has provided. However, these means should not become the end goal; instead, they should lead us to a relationship with Jesus, the fairest of 10,000, who should thrill our souls. Some people may be orthodox in their beliefs but lack a personal connection with Jesus. Dohm encourages believers to seek Jesus and not be satisfied with the trinkets of the world, reminding them to linger in His presence and experience the soul-thrilling love of the Savior.

Philippians chapter 3 verses 7 through 11, the apostle Paul writes, But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness which is from the law but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. A number of years ago, we hosted a couples dinner, the married couples in our church. And I titled my remarks that night, Dome Incorporated. My last name is Dome.

And I wanted to talk about sort of the business aspects of marriage. And when you think about marriage, you think in terms of business aspects, that sounds Cold, sterile, unattractive, but the truth is, without business aspects, without some machinery, marriage can be monstrous. Marriage actually does need structure, patterns, disciplines. But if it's all and only structures and patterns and disciplines, machinery, then that is what is truly, truly monstrous. This morning, or this afternoon, I want to talk about Jesus Incorporated.

I want to talk about the machinery of our faith. I want to talk about things that are necessary, that they're actually God's ideas like the local church, like scripture reading, like prayer, like taking the Lord's Supper. These things, It might sound cold, mechanical, but they are necessary. They are God's ideas, but they are means and not the end. It is monstrous when the machinery becomes the end And not the means that God is taking us to.

Last week, last Sunday, our congregation sang what is fast becoming one of my favorite hymns, All That Thrills My Soul. Let me read to you the chorus. All that thrills my soul is Jesus. He is more than life to me and the fairest of 10, 000 in my blessed Lord I see. That chorus is taking up Song of Solomon chapter 5 verse 10 where the beloved is called the chief of ten thousand.

What's happening there in Song of Solomon chapter five is that the bride can't find the beloved and she's lovesick so she entreats her friends, she recruits her friends to help her find the beloved, but her friends react. They essentially ask what's so urgent about her finding her loved one that their help should be sought. And she responds by saying that he is the chief of 10, 000. That is why this line in the chorus, and the fairest of 10, 000 in my blessed Lord I see. In other words, if you lined up 10, 000 clamoring for her affection, she could immediately identify and dismiss the other suitors because he is the fairest of the 10, 000.

Her soul is thrilled by one in ten thousand. Let me say this. There are people in this room who are wonderfully orthodox. I could pass a baptismal interview with flying colors. They fit seamlessly into Jesus Incorporated, into the machinery of our faith, but they have no frame of reference for that.

They have no frame of reference for it. Ten thousand side by side, He's the one! He's the Pharise of ten thousand! It's Him that thrills my soul! Her soul has never been thrilled by Jesus, even though they're wonderfully orthodox and they fit seamlessly into Jesus Incorporated.

Oh friends, let me either call you to it, if you have not a frame of reference for that. Jesus has never thrilled your soul, no matter your relationship to Jesus Incorporated. Or let me call you back to it, maybe have a frame of reference for it, like this is bringing you back to the days when you were first saved and it was all fresh and it was all sweet. Not the machinery which is necessary, but the presence of being near the chief of ten thousand, the fairest of ten thousand, just to be with him, being lovesick. Does that language belong in your theology, being lovesick, to go and to be with him?

You say, well, what do I do? I have no frame of reference for that. Or how do I get back to that? You cry out like Jacob cried out, Lord, I will not let you go until you bless me. Show me yourself.

I'll linger until you do. I'll wait on you until you do. I'll walk away from the trinkets that I've been so easily satisfied with. I don't want that anymore. I want the fairest of 10, 000.

I know me. I know I haven't been what I should have been. I know my progress has been slow, but this much I know. He thrills my soul. He's the fairest of 10, 000.

He's the chief of 10, 000. Of all the suitors that have clamored for my affection. When you line them up, I say, it's Him. God, give us this. I thank you for the means of grace.

I need the means of grace. But there are means to the end of knowing the fairest of 10, 000. Oh God, let us linger, Let us linger and not be satisfied until He has thrilled our souls. I pray in Jesus' name, amen. You Thank you.