The Supremacy Of Jesus Christ (pt-1) - [Hebrews 1:1-3]

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Today is a pastor's dream. The sermon topic today is what pastors drool about when they think about preaching.
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If you'll turn your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 1, we're going to take a look at Jesus Christ.
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Who is Christ? What is He like? What has
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He done? Paul said to the church at Corinth, I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
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And today we get to preach Christ high, lifted up. Last week we talked about sometimes our propensity might be to love theology.
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And love the nuances of great theologians.
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How do you fall back in love with Christ? You get to see Him. And today this is one of those passages that just shows
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Him for who He is. It's almost like I want to say this, here's Christ, be in awe.
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If you are bored today with today's sermon, you're bored with Jesus Christ.
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Here is Christ high and lifted up. We've just sung about Him, we've extolled
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His virtues, we've talked about how wonderful He is. And now you get to see in the revelation of Scripture how great
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Christ Jesus is. I believe people in America are starving for the greatness of Jesus Christ.
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Do you believe that? I believe they'll settle for anything but Christ. Give me 15 ways
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I can change my oil, I want something practical. And how about Christ high and lifted up?
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Jamel years ago used to say those shows where you'll see someone on TV and the poor children emaciated.
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And you can see their ribs but their stomachs are huge and distended because they're starving to death.
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He said that's the local church in America. Massive numbers, thousands upon thousands and programs and skits and dramas and everything else.
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But they're really starving from the inside. And Hebrews chapter 1 is a great prescription for those who want some meat.
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I don't know about you but this Atkins diet thing that I'm not on anymore but I loved it when I was on it.
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Give me some meat. I have meaty trials. I don't have fluff trials,
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I have hard trials so give me the meat. Because when I drive home at night I don't need to have some little snippet or some kind of Christian phrase or some slogan to get me through the day.
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I want to see Christ because my life falls apart often. Hebrews chapter 1 will show us that Jesus Christ is majestically superior and worthy of our worship.
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Hebrews chapter 1 will show us that God isn't like us. Remember Luther said to Erasmus, your thoughts of God are what?
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Too human. And when you look at this passage today you'll just say God you are not like us.
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Your son is not like us and we therefore are glad and we rejoice. Psalm 50 verse 21
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God said you thought that I was like yourself. But I want a God who gives me the response of awe.
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You know we go around as kids all the time we'd say awesome it was kind of the catch word in the 80s. That's awesome man. Christ in this passage is truly awesome.
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Cotton Mather the great preacher back in the days of old here in New England said the great design and intention of the office of the
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Christian preacher. What's the pastor supposed to do? What's the preacher to do? Is to restore the throne and dominion of God in the souls of men.
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Did you get that? That's exactly what this passage does. My job today is just to get out of the way.
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I don't want you to see me in oratory. We know that won't happen but we want to see Christ. We're running a race and we say
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I look forward to the prize. And Hebrews chapter 12 says we are fixing our eyes on not ourselves but on Christ Jesus.
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Hebrews chapter 1 gives us an affirmation of Christ is great. And if you want to be reformed baptistic today and after every point say mmmm.
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Oh that's sweet. Dave Jeffries and I email each other and sometimes at the end we'll say something good and we'll just go just like a string of m's.
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You know you push down m on your keyboard. Depends how your computer is set. It just goes. And if you keep pushing it, it goes all the way over and then comes back and all the way over all these m's and you just want to say
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God you're so good sometimes. God reveals himself and we're to respond.
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That's why it's okay when you hear a song or you hear a scripture reading and there's just something in you that wants to say amen.
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We don't have to say it out loud necessarily but God says here's who I am and our response is message received.
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God you're good. And by the way that's what we'll be doing in heaven our whole lives right?
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Just be sitting in heaven all day long thinking God you're awesome. You're transcendent. You're holy.
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How could you love me but you did. Look what your son did and today's almost a mini picture of what you get to do in heaven.
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You say pastor that's a long introduction. My introduction isn't done and I'm not going to try to finish Hebrews 1, 1 to 3 this week anyway.
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By the way Hebrews 1, 1 to 4 is one sentence and so we'll get part of a sentence today. How's that?
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I'm a deep believer that Christians need to be fed from the pulpit the deep things of God so that you might grow.
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There was a speed reading course in the 60's or 70's Evelyn Woods speed reading course.
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Now if you read through the Bible in a year God bless you. But I hope you also study where you just want to get the meat and you want to just like a cow chewing on the cud just getting right down in there.
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We were doing this in discipleship class today from 8 .30 to 10 and you could just see the guys. They weren't going oh ho hum it's kind of boring all this little minutia about how great
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God is. They were captivated. What captivates you? What really turns you on?
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What do you get up for in the morning? If you're like me many times it's not the glory of Christ.
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But thankfully Christ Jesus our perfect example he lived for the glory of God.
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In fact he was the glory of God but he lived for the Father's glory. You say Lord I fall short of that but I have someone in my stead in my place who's my vicar and he is perfectly loving you like he should and therefore you see me as someone who does that and I want to live out who
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I really am and I want to live out for your glory too. This week
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I was listening to my old pastor and he came to a panel of four different people. They were all megachurches.
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This was some time ago. Four megachurches and they asked John to show up just because he would give a dissenting opinion.
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How do you grow a church? And so all these questions were asked and megachurches and all the huge bus ministries and buildings and everything else.
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And they said well panel we'd like to know your study habits. How do you prepare a sermon?
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Well first pastor said I do my devotions every morning. That's how I prepare a sermon. That's it.
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Pastor number two true story. I try to read one sermon that someone else has preached throughout the week.
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Devotions are fine. Reading sermons are fine. The third pastor. I believe that the spirit of God controls me so I don't study at all and when
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I get up to the pulpit I just preach what I feel like preaching. Then they asked John what do you do?
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And he said I study the text for five to seven hours every day. You what? One of the reasons why
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I want to preach slowly and with depth is so you study that way too. Right?
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The way you see the word preach from the pulpit is the way eventually as God works in your heart you study.
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And even though daily bread is something good. It's a good introduction. I am after here more than daily bread
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Christians. You know the little daily bread things. I don't mean manna.
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I mean you know the little daily bread thing where you just kind of read through and you read the one verse. I got my devotions done today.
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God will bless me for sure. Now let's go for the depth. You can't but read
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Hebrews without thinking this is a weighty book. There are things that are way beyond my imagination.
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What can I do? Let's read
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Hebrews 1 1 to 3. And as I read it beloved. The English doesn't do it justice.
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But the Greek is very musical. The Greek is very elegant. There's all kinds of alliteration.
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All kinds of words that start with the English word P in Greek. And it just kind of rolls. It's almost poetic.
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You'll get some of the cadence in English. But I wish I could read it to you in Greek because it is just pregnant.
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It is noble. God. After he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways.
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In these last days has spoken. To us. In his son.
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Whom he appointed heir of all things. Through whom also he made the world. There's no period there in the
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Greek. He's the radiance of his glory. And the exact representation of his nature.
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And upholds all things by the word of his power. When he had made purification of sins.
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He sat down at the right hand of majesty on high. Let's stop right there.
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When you preach. I think you preach answering this question. So what? The pastor gets up to preach.
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And if he doesn't answer the question or bring it up. So what? I don't think it's preaching. It might be a lecture. It might be a
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Bible institute. It might be a Sunday school. But it's not preaching. What would the so what be here in Hebrews chapter 1.
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1 to 3. If you read this. What's the so what? He doesn't tell you to stop coveting money until chapter 13.
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He doesn't say the marriage bed is undefiled until chapter 13. He doesn't say don't forsake the assemblies of believers until chapter 10.
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There is nothing what Americans would call practical yet. So is this practical at all?
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The answer is. It is very practical. And the writer of Hebrews. We don't know who that might be.
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I think if I had to guess, I'd guess Paul. But he doesn't start off the book like he normally does. Because the Jews probably wouldn't listen to him.
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And his focus isn't on him either. Paul an apostle or grace or peace. He just starts off.
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God. Just right out of the get go. Like Genesis chapter 1. In the beginning.
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God. And that's how Hebrews starts off. Just with this bang. God. And he's writing to the
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Jews. Some who believe. Some who don't believe. And some who need to know about Christ. And he's writing to them and saying.
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Listen. Jesus is so exalted. You should hear him. Remember the mount of transfiguration? God says with a voice like thunder.
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This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And then what does he say? Hear him.
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Jews. The writer says. Jesus is so great. He's greater than any kind of institution.
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Any kind of high priest. Any kind of sacrifice. Better than Moses. Better than the angels.
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Better than any old covenant. He is so great. Hear him. Now the way I could preach it today with so what is.
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This kind of God deserves worship. Number one. Why study a passage like this? Is because this is the
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God who deserves your worship. Number two. This is the God that demands to be obeyed.
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If this is God who shows himself this way. He's so great. He's so above us. Well that should make us want to obey him.
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Of course by the spirit's grace. But still obedient. And then lastly if you want another purpose today.
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This is the kind of book when you see it. It should automatically make you want to praise him. It doesn't say praise
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God. It doesn't say praise God from whom all blessings flow. But when you see God so great.
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What do you want to do? There's that paradigm again. Revelation. Here's who God is. Try holding your breath and see how long you can do it.
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Do that in swimming lessons. And I try to swim 25 yards underwater and come back. And eventually your lungs are burning.
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For trying to get oxygen. For lack of oxygen. And you come up to the top of the water.
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And sometimes I would come up a little too soon. And there was another problem.
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If you learn about Jesus today. And he's so great. With these seven superior characteristics and attributes.
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And you don't praise him. It's going to be. Or it should be. That burning in your lungs. Where you go. I can't help it.
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It's just natural to breathe. And when you hear about Christ. It's natural for the Christian to praise him.
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And if you don't. There could be two things. Number one. You're not a Christian to begin with. Because Christians by nature praise
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God. And number two. There could be some sin issues in your life. That God will freely.
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And graciously. Based on the merits of Christ at Calvary. Forgive you of. So then you could properly praise him.
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God wants a people who praise him. To long to sing. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.
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And this book here is all about Jesus. It starts off with a bang God. But it goes right to Christ Jesus.
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Romans might talk about why Christianity is necessary. Hebrews talks about why
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Christianity is superior. Superior to everything. In every religion.
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Let me just give you a few names of Christ in the book of Hebrews. By the way. You may be thinking. Are we starting officially. The book of Hebrews.
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As a Sunday morning series. No. What we'll do is a few selected weeks. Between now and the
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Labor Day holidays. Soon after that. We will start a series on the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew chapter 5, 6 and 7.
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We won't start in chapter 1. We'll just go 5 to 7. For three and a half years. I've been working on my doctorate in preaching.
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I've read 50 books maybe on preaching. And I just want to sit for about two years. And study the most famous.
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Greatest preacher who was ever born. And I want to study what I think is his best sermon. Christ Jesus. So we're just going to go to Sermon on the
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Mount right after this. What's Jesus called in this book? Just listen to some of these. Alphabetically.
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Author. Apostle. Captain. Christ. Finisher.
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Firstborn. God. Heir. High Priest.
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Lord. Mediator. Shepherd. Son. It's all about Christ.
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This book, for those who are lethargic, I think it will be a wonderful cordial for you.
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A great little tonic. A great little... You get a little Alka -Seltzer. Sometimes if you don't feel good.
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And plop, plop, what? Fizz, fizz. And you say, you know what? I just need a little bit of that kind of Alka -Seltzer to just fire me up.
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Today's sermon passage in Hebrews chapter 1, 1 -3 is like Alka -Seltzer without the water. You just put it in your mouth and let the saliva take over.
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It'll just foam. It's going to make you foaming, raving, mad about Christ. And if it doesn't,
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God forgive me or God grant me eternal life. Children, do not try that at home.
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Everything about Hebrews is set up in a way so you can't turn your back on Christ.
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You have to turn your back on yourself and your life to follow this great one who deserves worship. He is preeminent and he demands worship.
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By the way, we don't have time to get into it, but as you study the book of Hebrews, there's not a vice list like Galatians, Ephesians, 1
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Corinthians, where fornicators and adulterers and homosexuals and others will not inherit the kingdom of God.
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The main vice, as it were, in Hebrews is God deserves worship and you're not giving him worship.
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Yes, there are some things that he says in chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13 that we shouldn't do, but the overarching theme of the book of Hebrews when it comes to sin is dealing with the sin that the
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God of the universe is to be loved with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And Hebrews chapter 7, if you're looking for an outline, gives you seven of those reasons why you should praise
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Jesus. Or in fact, you could say seven ways to praise Jesus. When you get down and pray on your knees, you could say,
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God, this is why I'm praising Jesus. The acronym, adoration, here's seven ways you could adore
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Christ in your own personal, private prayer language. And as I said before, this is just one powerful sentence packed full of all kinds of things.
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But before we get to the seven, let's look at a little introduction. Verse one, please. Introduction of the text.
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God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
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God spoke. And God spoke in all kinds of different ways, literally having spoken.
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Can you think of some of the fathers that God spoke to? I can. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Isaiah.
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God is a very variegated God. That is to say, he's a
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God of variety, and he speaks in lots of different ways back in the old days. He spoke long ago in the olden days, and he spoke in prophets.
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I could say from Moses to Malachi, he spoke in those prophets. And if you look at the text, he spoke in many ways.
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By quantity, bit by bit by bit, little by little. Some to Moses, some to Abraham, some to Ezekiel, some to Daniel.
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39 books. In many ways, can you think of some of the ways in which God has spoken? I can.
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Dreams, visions, verbal, pillar of fire, Urim and the
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Thuman. He used all kinds of varieties. What does King James say? And in diverse manners, he spoke.
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And Paul, I'm going to keep calling him Paul because I probably think Paul did it, but you probably shouldn't say that because then you're going to be saying, no, it was
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Barnabas, and you're trying to work through who wrote this book. The author of Hebrews said right here that it's not a problem of, well, the
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Old Testament was evil or wrong, but more so it was partial, fragmented, not complete.
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It was piecemeal. God speaks progressively. A little bit here and a little bit there.
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And so what the author is trying to say, but Jesus is superior. What does the text say? Verse 2, I'm so thankful for this.
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Even though there was prophet and priest and other spokesmen who gave a little bit here and there, nothing can add up to this fullness.
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Verse 2, in these last days has spoken to us in his son. When I drive around throughout the neighborhood,
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I look at churches. When your wife first becomes pregnant, you realize, boy, everybody in the world is pregnant.
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Seemingly, wow. You see people in strollers, little tiny children. You think, wow, there's all these kids in strollers.
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You think it's a new thing, but they've always been around. You just have never seen so many. Your eyes have not been attuned to that.
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So I like to drive by churches. And before, I never really cared about them. And now I'm a pastor and I drive by and sometimes I say,
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God, if they won't preach the Bible, we will. Give us that building. Sometimes I pray, God, revive the heart of that pastor so he preaches the word and not some kind of purpose -driven fluff.
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God, burn that place down. No, I don't do that too often. I have not done that.
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I've already had enough of religious spokesmen calling for assassinations of people or buildings in one week.
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So you drive by these churches and I just look at them. And I think and pray.
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And there's one particular group, the UCC, and it says on there, God is still, what?
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Speaking. That's a lie.
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God is no longer still speaking. If they mean he is continuing to speak through his word because his word isn't dead,
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I would affirm that. What does the text say in Hebrews chapter 1? Don't believe me.
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If you had to go back to English grammar class and diagram this sentence and you put the little cross there and the subject is here and the verb is here and the direct object is here, what would you do?
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God has spoken. It's a done deal. God has spoken. There's finality.
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God isn't still speaking. How does God speak to me? God, the text says, has spoken.
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He has spoken through his son with finality, with completeness, with adequacy, with sufficiency. God has spoken assuredly and finally in Christ Jesus.
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To date myself, is that your final answer? Of course, through the apostolic messengers of Christ.
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But here with the past tense, God has spoken. That could be a whole sermon, by the way.
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Aren't you glad God has spoken? How would you like to go around worshipping a pagan idol for your whole entire life, never hearing anything except your stomach growl because you don't have any food because you gave it to the little monkey paw deal and the
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Chinese deal? What is going on? God has spoken.
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The idols can't hear, the idols can't see, the idols can't speak. God has spoken. Now, before Christ, when was the last time
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God spoke? Before Jesus came to earth, what did God say the last time he spoke?
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Does anybody remember? Was it a promise? Was it a blessing? Oh, you're doing such a great job.
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I'm going to send you my son. When God spoke before Christ, what was the last thing uttered from God's messenger's mouth 400 years before Jesus was born?
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Let's go there. Keep your finger on Hebrews and would you go to the last book of the Old Testament called
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Malachi. The book of Malachi. We have a little
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Malachi in our own congregation. He's not
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Italian. Malachi. Malachi. Now, we're going to just slow things down a little bit and I want you to see the book of Malachi in an overview fashion and here's going to be my point.
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Jesus speaks. The incarnate son. Last days.
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But the last time God spoke, what did he say? And we're going to see it right here in the book of Malachi.
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400 years God was quiet before he spoke again through Christ. What was the last thing God said to his people?
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You're going to be shocked. Now, we're going to skip around a little bit so we're going to look at every chapter of Malachi.
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After I read this, I want to preach through Malachi. It's amazing to think what God said and how different it is from what
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Christ said in many regards. Malachi 1 .1. If you don't have your
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Bibles, there should be a Black Pew Bible. Malachi is about three quarters of the way into the
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Bible. The oracle of the word of Yahweh, the covenant keeping God, to Israel through Malachi.
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Just imagine. Verse 2. Have you ever seen anything like this? God says,
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I have loved you, says Yahweh. But you say, how have you loved us? How about that?
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God says, I've loved you. And Israel says, sure.
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Can't really remember. You've really loved us? Verse 6, please.
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A son honors his father and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is my honor?
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If I'm a master, where's my respect? Says the Lord of hosts to you. And where does he go,
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O priest who despised my name? But you say, how have we despised your name? He goes right to the priest.
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Fathers get honor. Masters get respect. And you didn't give me any of that, Israel. Verse 10.
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Oh, that there were one among you who would shut the gates that you might not uselessly kinder fire on my altar.
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I am not pleased with you, says the Lord of hosts, nor will I accept an offering from you. Judgment, justice, wrath.
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Verse 13. You also say, my, how tiresome it is. And you disdainfully sniff at it, says the
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Lord of hosts. And you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick. So you bring the offering.
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So shall I receive that from your hand? Oh, I can't believe we've got to go to church again. I can't believe we have to go worship.
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I want to keep that good cow and that good lamb and that good ram and that good goat and that good turtle dove.
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I'm just going to give God what I give to missionaries. Oh, blankets with holes in them. God bless you. Okay, it doesn't say the missionary part.
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If you ever give something to the missionary, give the best, by the way, because you're giving it to God. Verse 14.
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But cursed be the swindler who is a male in his flock and bows in it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the
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Lord. For I'm a king, a great king, says the Lord of hosts, and my name is feared among the nations.
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Chapter 1, judgment, justice, the wrath of a thrice holy God. Well, let's look at chapter 2.
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Can it get any worse? This is the last time God spoke before Jesus. You could say, well,
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John the Baptist and the precursor and stuff like that, but chapter 2 of Malachi.
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And now this commandment is for you, O priest. He goes right to the leadership, and that's the way it should be. If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the
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Lord of hosts. Do you see that theme, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of hosts? Then I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings.
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And indeed, I have cursed them already because you are not taking it to heart. Verse 3, behold,
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I'm going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feast, and you will be taken away with it.
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You gave me refuse for worship, and now I'm going to smear it on your faces, priests. Wow.
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Clear a church out with that if you preach verse by verse through Malachi. Verse 17, please.
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You have wearied the Lord with your words, yet you say, how have we wearied him? In that you say, everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the
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Lord, and he delights in them, or where is the justice of God? Chapter 3, he says, you want me to come and show up?
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I'll come and show up, and I'm going to be like a refiner's fire. And now go to chapter 4. Justice, judgment, holiness, wrath.
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There's a little bit of restoration and promises for that, but overall, it's a book of judgment.
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And look at chapter 4, verse 1. By the way, I like Ted Tripp and his book, Shepherding a Child's Heart.
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And Ted Tripp says if you have teenagers, teach them the minor prophets, the theme of every minor prophet.
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God always judges sin, and you can never get away from his holy gaze. You might get rid of your parents, and they might not find out, but God will.
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What's the theme of Malachi? God judges. And look at the final chapter. For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant and evildoer will be chaffed.
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And the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
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But for you who fear my name, the Son of Righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You will go forth and skip like the calves from the stall.
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You will tread down the wicked, and they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on which the day of appearance is, says the
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Lord. Remember the law of Moses, verse 4. Verse 5,
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I'm going to send you Elijah the prophet. And then verse 6, how does the Old Testament end before we hear from Christ?
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He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a, what's the last word?
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Curse. The last time God speaks before Christ shows up is judgment, holiness, wrath, anger, and curse.
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And what's the next thing you hear from the mouth of God incarnate? A little baby's cry.
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A little baby's cry in the wilderness. Very vulnerable, very human, fully human.
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And the next thing we hear is the sweet, tender Savior of sinners crying, the one who will seek and save those that are lost.
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The Savior who cries out, who will one day save the tax gatherers, the Gentiles, the down and outers.
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And now the holiness of God and the curse that rested on the Old Testament is gapped, the communication gap is closed, if you will, with the
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Savior, holy God, and sinful man coming together by Christ Jesus. And I am very glad that God has spoken because here's what
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I deserve. And the next time God shows up in His Son, He's preaching words of repentance and good news and heaven.
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Did Jesus preach hell? Certainly He did. But He preached the good news of how God saves sinners.
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God has spoken, and He's spoken in a good way. Words of life, reconciliation, redemption, propitiation.
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Is God still speaking? No. Has God spoken? Yes. And all the
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Jews should read that and say, God in the Old Testament, it's a curse. Israel has not done the right thing.
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What will God say next? And a baby cries in a stable. Well, that's a long introduction.
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Let's go back to Hebrews 1 to look at the seven reasons why Jesus is great. Seven praises that you can offer to God for how great
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He is. True or false?
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It's good to know the one you worship. Is it good to know about Him? There's no commendation for people giving worship without knowing the one that they worship.
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Jesus said to the woman at the well, You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know for salvation is from the
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Jews. Here is a good way to get to know Jesus even better so that you can worship
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Him. And when I look at this kind of Jesus, I don't think He's kind of the flimsy Jesus. I call this
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Jesus in Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 to 3, the pewter Jesus. Not because He's a little figurine.
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He's got a little Jesus figurine pewter. No, pewter because what happens? When somebody puts pewter in your hand, what do you do?
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I'm losing you. I thought this was a good illustration, but I can tell everybody's going, What is going on with this pewter thing? Pewter is a metal alloy.
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It's got about 85 to 96 percent tin, and it's super heavy. You pick up an aluminum can, it's this big, and you go,
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Oh, no problem. You pick up something pewter that that's big, and you go, The weight. Remember the Old Testament?
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The glory of God was heavy. The Hebrew word was kavod. It was just so weighty.
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It's like you could cut the glory of God in a temple with a knife. It was just so heavy. In the 60s, hate
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Ashbury, if something was really weighty, they would say, Wow, that's heavy, man. Right? This is a
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God, I don't mean a little trinket God, I mean this is the pewter God where you think, This is the kind of God that I want to worship.
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He's heavy. He's full of glory. He's great. Number one, if you want to worship
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Jesus properly, see Christ as superior because He's the heir of all things.
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There are just seven here. I didn't make up the number seven. There are just seven nice little clauses that talk about how
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Jesus is superior to everything and everyone, and number one, because He's the heir of all things.
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He's the possessor. He receives a portion. Now, if you're thinking like a Jew would think back in those days, and you would have children, you would want to have sons, first of all, and you would give a special portion or allotment to that third son, correct?
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No, to that first son. You would actually give a double portion of your inheritance to that first son.
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If there were no other sons or daughters, what portion would that one inheritor receive?
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All of it. Did you see the text? He's the heir of all things. He possesses all things.
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An heir back in those days had a connotation of dominion. He possessed all things, and if you own something, you're not just the possessor of all things, but the disposer of all things.
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You have all things, and you can do what you want with those things as you wish.
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And He's the heir of all things. He owns everything. You look around,
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God owns it all. Everything you look at, God owns. That's why, by the way, we are called what?
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Stewards. Matthew 11, 27. All things have been handed over to me by my
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Father. And it's this great title of dignity and honor and control.
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Dominion. Leon Morris, the excellent commentator, said, quote, This is a title of dignity and shows that Christ has the supreme place in all the mighty universe.
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His exaltation to the highest place in heaven after His work on earth was done did not mark some new dignity, but His re -entry into His rightful place.
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Great commission. All authority has been given to me. Psalm 2. I will surely tell of the decree of the
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Lord. He said to me, Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee. Ask of me and I will give the nations as thine, what?
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Inheritance. Think about it. When Jesus was on earth, what did
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He own? Nothing. Did He have a place to lay His head? They took
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His garments after He was crucified. He was buried in a grave that He didn't own. Poor to the very last.
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No tax money. There's a fish over there. Go fish. Get the tax money out of that. Yet He inherits all things.
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In Revelation, what happens? I saw between the throne and the elders, a lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, and members of the seven spirits.
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He came out and took it out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. He owns everything. He's the only heir that can properly open the scroll.
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And to think, Christian, if God is an heir, what does that make you? If Christ Jesus is an heir, who are you?
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The 17th century man named John Trapp said, to be married to this heir is to have all.
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Romans chapter 8 says what? What does Romans chapter 8 say about you and your connection with Christ regarding inheritance?
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It'd be one thing if Jesus was the heir of all things. It's quite another thing when I read Romans chapter 8, and it says children, if we are children of God, we are heirs also.
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Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ Jesus. Here's this great heir who owns everything, who can dispossess everything, who possesses everything, and we're co -heirs with him.
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Well, number two, let's look at another one. If you've got seven, you need to get done more than a few before the part two series comes.
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Number two, we not only see Christ as superior and worthy of praise because He's the heir of all things, number two, because He made all things.
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Christ is superior and should be seen that way because He is the creator. Look at verse two. Through whom also
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He made the world. How many people have an interlinear Bible or a
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Bible that will show them the Greek word? Anyone? A few. Wow. That's like saying sick him to a mad dog for a pastor.
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That's great. Typically, the word world is kosmos. It's a world like cosmology.
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It means to arrange. We get the root word in cosmetics because people have faces not arranged in the morning.
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They put cosmetics on and arrange their faces. It's a true story. And kosmos is translated in a lot of different ways, but typically, it's kind of the stuff.
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It's the matter. You think Siberia, the moon, the Milky Way, Grand Canyon, laws of gravity, caves.
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God made all the stuff. And it's true. In fact, it's true. Yes? Jesus Christ even says that He...
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Paul said He did in Colossians chapter one. He made it all. And this implies that, but this is not the primary word here.
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See if you can figure out the English word when I give you the Greek. Through whom He also made the aeons.
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Through whom He made the eons. Through whom He made the ages.
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Of course He made everything that's out there, but He also made the ages. Boy, that's amazing to me.
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Jesus Christ made the ages. He made time. He made space.
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He made everything. He's the instrumental cause. Can you imagine the periods of time?
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Christ Jesus made time past. Christ made time present. Christ made time future.
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I about gagged when I saw Michael Jackson's album years ago where he said, you know, history is his story,
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Michael Jackson. God of history is Christ Jesus, and that's what the text is talking about here.
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Very comprehensive. The created order and how it exists, including time.
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The Hebrews would call it olam. Does this make
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Jesus God, by the way? Is Jesus God? Can God... Can anyone less than God create?
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Apart from Him being perfectly righteous, this is almost the most wondrous statement of His godness.
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Colossians 1 that I referred to just a minute ago, For by Jesus all things were created, both in the heavens and the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.
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All things have been created by Him and for Him. Genesis 1 .1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
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Christ Jesus is God. He made it all. I guess
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I probably won't try to work in my road biking in every sermon, so I don't want to do something dumb like that.
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But I get so busy. Are you busy like I am? Zooming around here and there. Got to be there at 5 o 'clock.
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Got to be there running around, rushing. No wonder my hairline's like it is. I mean, just think rush, rush, rush, rush, rush, rush, rush.
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Everywhere we go. Somebody, some wife just looked at their husband's hairline.
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That's why I looked up. Don't identify, don't identify who that was. I was just riding my bike the other morning.
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Got up really early. Oh, dark 30. It was like 5 .30 and I thought I should probably have some kind of helmet on with some kind of floodlights or something.
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It's dark. And all of a sudden I'd be riding. I was right up over by the reservoir and there's this huge flock of wild turkeys.
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God, you're awesome. That's so unbelievable. I would be at home snoozing. I'm thinking,
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God, you created all that. Then I go a little bit farther and there's all these geese and then I come over the reservoir and I want to go,
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God, this reservoir's beautiful. Then I go, well, it's a man -made reservoir, but it's still beautiful. God, you gave the men the mines to flood
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West Boylston and you just look at the beauty of it all.
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And when you realize God owns everything and he's included me, God, I want to praise you for that. And here God created it all.
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Why do you think Darwin is so kind of satanically energized, if you will?
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Because evolution takes away both honor and thanks for a God who creates.
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Roman chapter 1 says what? They just said, you know, God didn't make all that stuff and so they didn't give him honor and they didn't give him thanks.
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And God said, is that the way you want to act? That's crazy. Anybody that can look at the world and say, God didn't make that, that's crazy.
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God says, well, if you're going to act crazy, you won't crazy. You're at 8 crazy, I'll give you 10 on crazy on the volume control and then you'll be like Nebuchadnezzar walking around saying,
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Moo. God didn't create it all. Moo. Try that in an evolution debate sometime online.
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There are no such things as atheists. No such thing as an atheist. Because Roman chapter 1 says they all have seen
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God clearly. They understand God. They know that he's powerful. They don't know he's necessarily a savior, but he is creator.
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And what people cannot live with is that if he's a creator, he's also there. And a
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God who creates is a God who can order and a God who can demand worship. Think about even worship.
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John sees an angel. He's down on his face. Holy is the worship that he gives.
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And the angel says, that's not holy worship. Get up. I don't deserve that. When they fell down before Jesus, he just let them kiss and kiss and pour oil on and Jesus is worthy of worship for many reasons, but one is because he made it all.
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I can't stand evolution because I think it takes away from God's glory and honor. Romans 1 says, professing to be wise, they became fools.
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Jesus Christ created it all. And so for those that say, well, it's all evolution and I'm going to kind of put science and evolution together and God can kind of make the big bang and all these other kind of things,
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I just want to say, Jesus Christ, does he get all the honor for that? Does he get all the blessings for that?
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Is he the one who's highly exalted because of that? He should be. Let's just do one more.
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Why should you worship Jesus Christ and listen to only him? Why not Confucius? Why not the
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Talmud? Why not Ganesh? Why not Allah? Why should you listen to Jesus?
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If he's the one who's the heir of everything and owns it all and possesses it and has dominion, I think he's probably a pretty good one to listen to.
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How about if he made you? I think that'd probably be pretty good to worship the God who made you.
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And number three, Jesus is worthy of worship and you must see him that way because he's the radiance of God's glory.
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He's the radiance of God's glory. All right, you're going to have to put your thinking caps on.
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Demerits for those who have already taken them off. They should still be on. By the way, I love
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Christianity because I have to think. I love it that when I'm 85, if the Lord deteriorates and I'm not dead already,
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I'm going to be saying, God, let me just learn the deep things of your word and I want to study and learn and use my mind.
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And that's why Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength. In the
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Old Testament, New Testament, heart, soul, mind, and strength because in the Old Testament, heart meant mind too and what was implicit in the
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Old Testament, use your head to worship God. Jesus makes it explicit in the New Testament. Use your mind to worship
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God. We have to use our mind here. He's the radiance of his glory. I wonder what that means. Radiance means outshining, a flow of lights out.
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We use this word all the time in theology and so you might as well just get used to saying it sometime. Effulgence.
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Isn't that a cool word? The effulgence of his glory. It means literally the
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Greek word to send forth light. Jesus here is the effulgence of divine glory.
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And we can look at it one of two ways. Glory can be literal brightness where you see the pillar of fire and the pillar of clouds or you see, here's a good one, the
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Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus is on the mountain. What happened there? Jesus as it were took his humanness and ripped it off and what was underneath Jesus was what?
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Glory. And out comes the shining glory. And all of a sudden, what did the disciples do? The disciples were going, we're going to make a, just before this, we're going to make a little tent for Moses, a little tabernacle, maybe a little altar, who knows what we'll do.
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We'll make one for Elijah. We're going to have a good old time. Two or three witnesses are gathered in my name. We're going to just do it all right.
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That wasn't in my notes, by the way. Sorry. That's exactly what happened.
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They were stuttering. They didn't know what to do. It was I see the glory of God and the drool comes out because they're in awe of this glory.
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They weren't talking about what kind of tent they were going to make or what they were going to do with Moses. Moses and Elijah were gone basically because they could only see the glory of God.
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The kind of glory that probably God somehow covered their eyes because you can't see God and live. Like when
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God put Moses behind the rock and said, you can't even see my face and live. I'll let you see my back parts a little bit.
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And that's just going to kind of come over and Moses' face was just shining. But how is
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Jesus the radiance of his glory when only that one time that I know of did Jesus shine out his glory and you could see the effulgence of his glory?
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I think that's true, but there's another nuance that we miss. Do you notice the text there?
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He's the radiance of his glory. The focus of the writer of Hebrews is trying to show you that God the
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Son has the same essence as God the Father. That's the point. He's the radiance of his glory, not even his own glory.
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Christ had glory that came out of him. It's true. But how can Jesus be the radiance of God's glory?
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How can you have the sun, S -U -N, emit light rays out and light beams out and somehow are they together?
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Are the beams the same essence as the sun? This verse is written here so we might see how exalted
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God the Son is because he's of the same essence as the Father. One man said,
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All that you can see of God shines through Christ. Commentator Brown said,
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Nowhere has the glory of God been more perfectly manifest than in the person of God's Son. In Christ all the majesty of God's splendor is fully revealed whether he shows his out -forth shining or whether he's just the incarnate.
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One -year -old, 13 -year -old are dying at Calvary on the cross when no one can see his apparent glory.
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When you look at Jesus, you see the nature of God as the point.
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How about Charles Wesley when he said, Eternal beam of light divine, fountain of unexhausted love, in whom the
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Father's glory shine through earth beneath and heaven above. Wonderful commentator
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Phillip Edmund Hughes said, It is not so much the glory of the
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Son's deity shining through his humanity but the glory of God being manifest in the perfection of his manhood completely attuned as it was to the will of the
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Father. Let me repeat that. It was not so much the glory of the Son's deity shining through his humanity but the glory of God being manifest in the perfection of his manhood.
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The glory of God, the Father, is shining through his Son. They are of the same essence.
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Is that true by the way? Do we believe that of the Trinity? Is God the Father? God the Son? No. Is God the
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Son? God the Holy Spirit? No. Is God the Holy Spirit? God the Father? No. But are they co -equal?
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Are they co -existent? Are they all God? And do they have the same essence?
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Yes. So Jews, you think the old covenant is good? You think angels are good? You think Moses is good?
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I'm telling you, when you look at Jesus, you see the glory of God the Father. Worship Him. Serve Him. Believe in that.
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One. Well, there's more. If I was in India, I'd just keep going.
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When are you done preaching, Pastor? Well, when you're done. Better to be here with the church saints than go home.
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But we'll pick this up next Sunday. How about this? Would you come, beloved, on Wednesday morning at 6 .15?
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And we can get down on our faces if we're able to. And if not, you can just sit. And let's have a worship service on Wednesday morning at 6 .15.
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About 12 or 14 came last time. And we'll get down on our hands and knees, and we'll pray for things like Chris Bowman's ankle.
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But we'll also just be praising the incarnate Son of God and say, God, the Son, you own everything.
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You can do whatever you want. I praise you because you're the creator, and I praise you because the Father has glory, and you have that same glory, and you are worthy of worship.
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Would you come? Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for our day today. And Lord, what a great passage it is to see.
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And just think the best is yet to come, purification of sins. We don't have to die in our sins.
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We don't have to go to hell. We don't have to do anything except worship you the rest of our lives. Lord, I pray for this dear group of Christians.
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I pray that you would work in their hearts this week, that their mouths might be quick to praise your Son. Father, would you take away our complaints, our grumbling.
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And Lord, thank you that we're not Israel. When they complained, they got quail and manna coming out their nose.
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And Lord, when we complain, you grant us forgiveness because your Son has paid for those sins already.
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Thank you for that. And Lord, now would you help us to sing, and we'll just stand on the promise that if your
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Son has paid for our sins, we never ever have to pay. So help us to be more of a praising people because your