Jesus Christ Is Exalted Through His Humiliation

God Centered Theology

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I do want to say two things to you before I get started. One, I see a lot of new faces.

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Many of you I don't know so don't take what I'm gonna say to the ones

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I do know is that I somehow don't care about you it's just I don't know you as well as the other ones but for those of you that I do know well it is always you know when it's home when you return and you feel like you were never gone so I always feel like this is home and it will be a part of my life forever.

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I don't get yelled at but I get some stares when I refer to this place as home when I'm in Emporia because they want

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Emporia to be my home what they don't understand is I was trained and view myself as a missionary. I was sent from this church to Emporia so in a lot of ways

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I see myself as that but many of you and have as Jay said played a big role and where I'm at now now two years and we're in the fourth month of the third year so when

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I think back to sitting on Mooney Row which Gina you're on the wrong row the

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Kane family sits on Mooney Row. I'll forgive it this one time for sitting so many

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Sundays and thinking I want to do what Jay's doing I want to be up there and thinking for so long it would never get there and many of you and what

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I have found and it's gonna be the sermon for the day about humility. Lord has to take people that have my personality type and we need a little extra humbling before we're ready so it took a long time a lot of I always tell people it's like a ice sculptor you start with a block and Lord just has to keep chipping away and but most of you know my appreciation and admiration for Jay and while all of you have played a major role in where I'm at I do want to say a huge thank you to him because I don't see my buddy

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Jim but somebody tell him and I'll tell him when I see him he was up here probably about a month and a half ago now he preached and he was talking about how

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Jay and many of the men here play a Paul to his Timothy what he needs to know is that doesn't end once you leave

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Jay has continued to be that Paul to me I probably talked to him once or twice a week and I can tell you it's the most the highest appreciation

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I have is probably for that he's definitely one of the best friends I've ever had in my life you will not find a more humble and even keel never

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I'm the kind of guy I'm up here I'm down there I'm just everywhere he's just steady and I need my personality

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I need that steady hand and it's so nice now as a pastor to be able to talk to him as a pastor and say man what do

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I do about this I got this thing going on what in the world do I do and he's like oh yeah you know that I'm like like stop pretend like this is your first time and then tell me what to do because I feel like it was

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I was training somebody at food line I'm like oh yeah you know like what whoa man it's my first time so and then number two one thing

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I've realized recently that I want to make sure I say to you because I know you've heard this many times I always and I'd be sitting out there when

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I'd hear this always cognitively you know in my mind would understand and get it but if you ever notice and think back you'll you remember him doing this but anytime we would honor

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Jay or he'd be like pastor appreciation or something like that he'd always every single time he'd stress say look you know

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I appreciate it yada yada whatever but he'd always say this one thing say the best way you can show appreciation for your pastor is to let him know how it's preaching and teaching the

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Holy Spirit's using that in your life and is sanctifying you and working in you that encouragement takes you farther than anything else well

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I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt I now experientially know what that means I know what that feels like it is the greatest joy to have people that are under my teaching every week say

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Andy you know you said something like four weeks ago and I'm sitting thinking what did I say am I about to be in trouble and they're like no no you said something a sermon and you probably don't remember it but it caught my ear and it forced me into the scripture and now

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I've learned I'm like yes and so now

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I know what that feels like so if whenever you hear him say it trust me is a real thing so well let's have a quick word of prayer and we'll get started father

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I do ask that you would bless the preaching of your word and Lord it is good to be with these people once again

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Lord I've preached my first sermon here from this very place

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January 4th 2009 it's been a long time since then and in my life and while there

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I'm still the same person there's a lot about me that has changed and I've certainly grown in the knowledge of the

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Lord Jesus Christ and how to present your word faithfully and consistently

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Lord and that obedience is for all Christians we are all to be faithful and obedient to your inspired word and Lord it is mocked it is disregarded so often in our society but your people we are always faithful we will be we want to be obedient to your word is beading to our

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Savior and this is one way I get to do that Lord and the role and the gifts in the way you've brought me up and I thank you so much for putting me into this ministry

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Lord I do ask that these next few moments that we are together that the people will be attentive that will be receptive and that you will give me clarity of thought and speech as I preach your word we thank you for it in Jesus name

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Amen if you want to turn your

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Bibles to Hebrews chapter 2 verses 5 through 9 and if you won't be planning ahead

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I'm gonna take a stop at Philippians 2 and Isaiah 44 so we'll be in three spots but I want to start here dr.

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James White said in his teaching on Hebrews that the only true path to exaltation and being commended by God is that of humiliation the person who seeks exaltation will be humbled the person who is humbled or is humble will be exalted by God instead of exalting

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Christ in our life and humbling ourselves we so often exalt ourselves bring

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Christ down from where he rightfully belongs and that is the

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Lord and God of all instead of exalting Christ we exalt idols after our own imaginations and fleshly desires and we worship them which means that we are ultimately worshiping ourselves instead of God because you see you really only serve one or two master you serve

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God or you serve yourself now you say Andy that sounds a little strange wouldn't you say God or man think about it if you're serving man aren't you gonna do to that person what is ultimately gonna benefit you you're not gonna be thinking about anyone by yourself in that situation when

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Hebrews chapter 2 verses 5 through 9 we really pick up in earnest here when he's in the whole entire book the writer of the

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Hebrews is making it plain that Jesus Christ is supreme Jesus Christ is exalted above all

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Jesus Christ is everything he is the exact representation of the father he's the second person of the

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Trinity he's God in human flesh at the point in time you know and ultimately the Trinity is revealed in the

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Incarnation and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit we see the second person of the Trinity in human flesh we see the

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Holy Spirit which now indwells all of us and he's finished up this section in chapter 1 where he's made it abundantly clear that Jesus Christ is superior to angels this is something that the

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Old Testament people would have recognized and understood because they had they put a big premium on angels to the point that many of them would fall into angel worship you see this in Colossians which your pastors going through he probably touched on this when he went through section there about legalism it talked about those there were angel worshipers so this writer here's touching on that and saying look don't waste your time worshiping angels because Jesus Christ is superior to all of them in fact he created them they wouldn't even exist it wasn't for Jesus Christ so why are you gonna worship the created being we're the creator but we're really not so different are we well he comes down here in verse 5 of chapter 2 he says for he did not subject the angels to the earth subject subject to angels the world to come consider it concerning which we were speaking the world to come the eternal state when all sin is done away with when all the righteous of the ages are with God for all eternity that eternal state that new heavens that new earth will not be subjected to angels none of it everything will be subjected to Jesus Christ he says in verse 6 but one is testified somewhere saying what is man that you remember him or the

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Son of Man that you are concerned about him and then notice this phrase is we're gonna look at this and it's again in verse 9 he says you have made him for a little while lower than angels you have crowned him with glory and honor it's always fascinating to me when you encounter inerrancy deniers because I always tell them the

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New Testament writers you see how they quote the Old Testament you see their view of Old Testament Scripture you see how

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Jesus dealt with Scripture he saw it as being inspired and inerrant you do with the patristic writers the early church fathers all these people throughout all the ages

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Reformation even the Saints today the true people of God are gonna understand it to be the Word of God and so when an

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Old Testament quotation pops up you really need to pay attention because they're trying to tell you something about what it said and usually it's because it's that Jesus Christ is the summation and the fulfillment of all

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Scripture and we're gonna see that with this little quotation about them making him a little lower than the angels it pops back up in verse 9 so the hymn of verse 7 when he quotes

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I believe it's I forget the psalm I will say it's like Psalm 8 he when he quotes psalm in verse 7 he repeats the phrase in verse 9 but this time he's not quoting it he's just repeating the quote and then attributing it to someone well who does he attribute it to when verse 9 it says but we do see him who was made for a while lower than the angels namely

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Jesus he completely and in every way possible connects

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Jesus Christ to what that psalm was talking about so what he is saying is this psalm when it says you have made him for a little while lower than angels said that was talking about Jesus Christ he says it's

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Jesus because of the suffering of death notice some of the similar language that he attributes to Jesus that's quoted from Psalms he says crowned with glory and honor so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone but then notice also if you back up to verse 8 it says for in subjecting all things to him he left nothing that is subject subject to him but now we do not yet see all things subjected to him so let's unpack that at this current place in time all things have not been subjected to Jesus yet now he is crowned with glory and honor but when he returns he will do away with all sin he will judge his enemies he will put all sin and all death into the lake of fire and then all things will be permanently subjected under his feet we see this in Ephesians which talks about every knee will bow every tongue will confess all these things some of it are still yet future but we see

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Jesus Christ and it says it in verse 1 of chapter 1 God after he spoke long ago in the fathers and the prophets many portions many ways now in these last days or in these last days of Revelation because the canons closed he says he has spoken to us in his

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Son whom he has appointed heir of all things to whom also he made the world so everything all

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Revelation not just and it's not revelations it drives me nuts not look

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I say it too but the last book of the Bible is not revelations it's the revelation it's just like I do it either way they call it

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Psalms when you're I probably just did a minute ago but Psalm when you tries me nuts it's one of those things trying to work out but that last book of the

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Bible the Revelation isn't the only revelation of Jesus Christ all of it it's all revealing

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Jesus Christ Old Testament's looking forward to the coming Messiah New Testament's talking telling you about the

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Messiah that has come and then all the part is still looking forward it's specifically in the book of Revelation is talking about when that full summation of all things has occurred everything will be subjected to Jesus Christ because he is all in all he is the supreme

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Colossians talks about how he everything upholds and has its consistency in him imagine for a moment if Jesus Christ turned his head for but a moment if that were possible and all the universe would just fall apart he upholds all things by the word of his power and it's the same

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Jesus that all things will be put in subjection to him so why would God allow his son to be humiliated in that point in that way to be humbled to be brought low to be beaten to be spat upon to be crucified because if we were

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God we would certainly not allowed ourselves to go through that now would we how many times you hear people say man

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I tell you what if I had power let me tell you what I would do boy stump on my enemies

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I'd put them in jail I'd do it I'd wipe them out it'd be complete destruction and then

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I would rule and reign I'd have a really nice throne too I'd have a cup holder for my sweet teeth

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I'd have Bojangles brought to me I wouldn't have to go get it but not too much that's that's not good for you never have too much

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Bojangles but you know we'd be on high we'd be sitting in a throne we'd be you know we'd be tough and powerful right just look at the powerful men of history the only thing they fear the most is losing their power and the very creator of the universe says yeah

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I could stomp them all out right now the very second you sin your first sin he could wipe you out so does that or at least it should really clue you in to just how graceful and merciful our

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God really is I struggle when I hear Christians say hi you know I don't sin so much

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I'm doing pretty good job like really what part and I've cautioned is always on my mind

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J's I know he's going through it I've been through it's like I'd live and breathe it I didn't Colossians it talks about how you were formerly hostile rebellious sinners what part of that don't you understand it doesn't change when we're saved we were still that now we're obviously transformed were made righteous but the fact of who you were but the here's the key

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Paul says is Ephesians 580 says you were formally darkness formally you're not supposed to be that anymore we're supposed to be like our

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Savior what he do he humbled himself you see man has to be humbled Christ humbled himself he also is the only being in the universe that can sanctify himself you ever read through John 17 where he says

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I sanctify myself we can't say that Christ has a sanctifies and righteousness positionally in our salvation but in our walk with walk with him as we walk in Jesus Christ as we walk in the truth as we walk in the word is still the

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Holy Spirit's power that sanctifies us practically that part doesn't change you look at all the man -made religion their idols their gods are always exalted without any humiliation sure they may feign humility they may at times huh look at and see when they humble themselves they're still they doing it privately humble humble myself and show these people who

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I am man is a humble himself think about all the gods and idols in this world it's never through humiliation it should be no wonder that man's idols all we see is man exalted you ever think about that look at man's idols pick anyone you want to every single idol that man has he's exalting himself

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I don't care if it's a block of wood he's still exalting himself in some way but you need to understand this it wasn't plan a it wasn't plan

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B wasn't plan C it was the only plan this was the only plan it was going to be was the only thing it was ever going to be and we notice this you turn with me to Philippians chapter 2 we're gonna be here quickly then we'll finish up in Isaiah 44 but Ephesians chapter 2 one of my favorite passages of all

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Scripture it says in verse 5 to have this attitude the King James says let this mind it's a word that means mind attitude it's a word that means to direct the mind in some way so what you're doing is you're directing your mind you're directing your attitudes in the same manner as the subject so when it says let this attitude be in yourselves or let the same mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus it's saying that now as a regenerate person holy spilled

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Holy Spirit filled person a righteous person direct your mind and your attitudes and everything that you have everything you are to in and to be like Christ and if you remember

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Christ humbled himself so we are to continually be humble and continually humble ourselves in fact the context here in Philippians 2 is talking about churches and how

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Christians are supposed to be in submission to each other and give preferential treatment to each other you always see the other person as being that higher rank and being more needful and wanting to meet those needs and this is what

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Jesus did we regulate this from within with a new man and he says in verse 6 who although he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped

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I'm not going to dwell delve on this long but as you should know Jesus Christ did not cease to be

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God when he took on human flesh it was just at that point in time the incarnation he added flesh to his deity he came down from heaven's throne added flesh to his deity he did not cease to be

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God but he did while he was on earth willingly humbly and voluntarily set aside his independent uses as in of his powers as God and was perfectly submitted to the will of the

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Father while he was on earth and it is that example that we are to be following after and he says he emptied himself taking on the form of a bondservant made in likeness of men and they skipped down to verse 9 it says for this reason also

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God highly exalted him notice Jesus Christ humbles himself

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God then exalts him it's how it works if you want to be exalted if you want to have power if you want to be you know out front if you want to be this if you want to be important all these things and that's the focus of what you want to be well the

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Bible tells you you have your reward leaves in Matthew chapter 6 it talks about you know the the people that pray a certain way and do things certain ways to be seen by men it says don't worry about them they have their reward it's the ones that do things in secret that nobody knows about when characters really tested you don't even care if anybody knows because you're doing it for God that's when that true character

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Christian characters forge it's also when the greatest reward stands to be gained because your motives are pure but he said for this reason

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God highly exalted to him and bestowed on him name which above every name so on so forth you see man likes to think himself to be

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God is there anybody in here that never I mean never watches the news anybody you can raise your hand don't be don't be shy never

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Dennis is she lying do we need to have repentance right here in the service God bless you your stress levels are probably far lower than mine my friends if you watch the news

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I don't really care what channel it is watch whatever you channel you want you watch it long enough you're gonna see that if man was in the place of God he would have never done what

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Jesus Christ did during his time on earth would never happen the very second the

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Pharisees had a question me I'd be like boy I want to smite him I it's who we are there's a reason

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God had to enter his own creation to save us because we could have never saved ourselves could have never done it we can't even produce the righteousness to enter the kingdom the very righteousness we have is saved

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Christians is Christ's righteousness given and credited to us you'll never stand before God with any righteousness of your own and say hey here

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I can get in right filthy rags filthy rags but Christ's righteousness pure white perfect our last stop this morning

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Isaiah chapter 44 I love this chapter love Isaiah 44 very convicting

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I encourage you to tread carefully if you want to do some Bible studying Isaiah 44 because it tends to reveal things to you about yourself but Isaiah 44 we get a description here of what man does we've seen what

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Christ does we'll see what man does well in verse 6 and chapter Isaiah 44 it says thus says the

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Lord the King of Israel and his Redeemer and just in passing notice this is Lord God the

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King of Israel and his Redeemer nah the Trinity is not in the Old Testament you got the

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Father and the Son pictured and obviously in Isaiah you he talks about his my suffering servant my servant who will come it's all throughout

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Isaiah a lot of places but it says Lord God of Israel and his Redeemer it was always the plan it didn't change

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New Testament's not a separate thing and oh you know that Old Testament God no same God says

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I never change same yesterday day and forever his Redeemer I'm the first and the last and there's no

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God besides me well there you go let's close up and go home cuz that's it why can't man accept that right he didn't want to be humbled who is like me let him proclaim and declare it yet let him yes let him recount it to me in order from the time

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I established the ancient nation so and so forth it's basically saying look since you think you're so big and bad tell me where were you at when

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I created the world where were you at when I spoke universe in existence where were you at when I formed it and when

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Adam and Eve were created where were you I just get what he's saying you think you're God okay tell me how to do it can't verse a do not tremble do not be afraid have

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I not long since announced it to you and declared it and you are my witnesses is there any

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God besides me or is there any other rock I know of none none there is no other there's not another and you can spend your whole life worshipping idols worshipping false gods and you'll be in hell for all eternity now that may not be tolerant but it's true you'll find out you'll certainly find out one day because every knee will bow verse 10 who is fashion to God or cast an idol no prophet behold all his companions would put the shame for the craftsmen themselves or mere men think about this idol creators are created things so we're gonna worship something that's created by a created thing yeah that's gonna work out verse 12 the man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals fashioning it with hammers and working it with a strong arm he also gets hungry and his strength fails he drinks no water and becomes weary another shapes would he extends a measuring line he outlines it with red chalk he works it with planes and outlines it with a compass and makes it like the form of a man like the beauty of a man so that may sit in the house notice in this example one of the idols that was crafted had the form of a man are you convinced yet that man's idols is just really him exalting himself you convinced yet it's in the form of a man to sit in a house he's worshiping no no doubt it probably looked like him as much as you can make would look like you and he's worshiping himself you need to be careful what things we put the highest priorities on people go to what they want to go to it's the truest thing in the well

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I mean there's death and taxes but look the third thing is that people go to what they want to go to because what you go to what you put your time on I think

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Peter did this one time it's been a long time ago they did a Sunday school lesson on tithing he probably don't even know if you remember this

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Peter I remember it was so good they said we're not even gonna talk about money which about time and he broke down what 10 % of your time looks like and I'm sitting there thinking oh crap

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I'm like it for like I'm nowhere near 10 what people put their time into what you prioritize reveals your heart you don't even need a block of wood sitting on your mantle to have an idol you don't verse 17 he says now he goes through and talks about how half of it he had this big old tree half of it he used to make a fire so he could have some food you know half of it he made for this half up made for that so on so forth and verse 17 says but the rest of it meaning the rest of the wood that was left over he makes it into a

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God a graven image he falls down before it and worships he also prays to it and says deliver me for you or my

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God now skip down to verse 19 no one recalls nor is their knowledge or understanding to say

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I burned half of it in the fire and also baked bread over its coals I roast meat and eat it what he's saying is when they get to the point of having the idol that they're falling down and worshiping it's like they forgot the fact that all of it came from the same tree think about this now let's finish this verse first he says then

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I make the rest of it into an abomination I fall down before a block of wood I love scripture

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I don't know this I have no way of knowing I'll ask Isaiah one day when I see him in heaven I just picture him laughing the whole time he's writing this fire he's falling down for a block of wood huh that's like a knee slapper

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I just that's what I picture I mean I could be wrong and if I am and I'm sinful Lord I apologize but I'm telling you

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I just how I picked think about the the insanity of falling down before wood this pulpit right here

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I love it it has a lot of attachment to me you could take it out back and burn it you know what God's still on his throne

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I'm sorry everything I'm trying to convince my people that back home they had a church fire they lost the building but they

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I've been telling them about it they don't seem to get it I mean look we could beat now God I wouldn't want to worship outside today but we could theoretically worship outside and look

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I don't care how trivial this sounds you can ask my wife for verification I think the good Lord above for air conditioning every day of my life there's not a day that good

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I think the Lord for my wife and kid too don't y 'all go thinking weird of me okay but I think the good

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Lord for air conditioning I'm not a person that can handle the heat I get hot I'm like good

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Lord wears a food line ice cream freezer because I would love to get it in one right now but I do that I'm thankful for it

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I'm trying to tell him it doesn't matter where you're at you could have a building or not you can have a nice piano not pulpit it's just stuff it's just things in this example they took a tree which would not have existed had it not been for God the man that took the tree had nothing to do with the tree being there he cuts it apart uses some for fire to make food he uses some for other purposes he's having to rely on the

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God of the universe for everything involved in making the idol that he's now going to bow down to and worship are we so different are we honestly ask yourself that question are we so different now obviously with the indwelling of the

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Spirit and if you're walking in righteousness yes you can live a life free of idols that's that's certainly scriptural but you still have to be careful don't think because you're saved that you're free from idol worship it's very very easy to slip back and all of a sudden you've taken

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God off the throne you put replaced it with something else career children sports entertainment whatever it is all things that in and of themselves are not evil things

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I love entertainment all of my teams never win but I still love it and I root now look just in passing let me say

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I have been a lifelong lifelong Cubs fan and they I used to tell everybody I am going to die having never seen them win a

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World Series well the Lord does work miracles so they won one but look none of these things food anything fill in the blank with anything and of itself not bad it's what you do with it how do you prioritize it is it more important to you than God lastly notice in verse 22 and 23 says

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I have wiped out your transgression like a thick cloud man can't say that the idol he got from that tree can't say that God can he says in your sins like a heavy mist return to me for I have redeemed you shout for joy oh heavens for the

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Lord has done it shout joyfully you lower parts of the earth break forth into a shadow joy you mountains oh

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I tell you what I love the irony here Oh forest and every tree

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I'm not seeing enough laughter and smiles in this do you not see what the ins the writer under the inspiration of Holy Spirit's doing here

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God comes in and God says look you think you're so great worship me oh and by the way oh you made an idol

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I have a tree guess what all the earth including the forest and the trees are gonna worship me look y 'all

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God's a cool dude now be careful because you don't want to be disrespectful that's you know but you'll get what

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I'm saying he ain't some guy that's boring look outside during the fall

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Lord Jesus come fall quickly look outside during the fall and the turning and the colors of the leaves you don't think we have a wonderful God a creative God an imaginative

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God a God a variety it's man's idols that are boring it's man's idols that are one -dimensional have no life and they won't wipe out your sins they won't wipe out your transgressions but the

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God of the universe did because he entered his very own creation to save you to die for you compared to the one true

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God man is nothing now we obviously have worth in the eyes of our Savior but understand this and compared to God we're nothing we're dust particles we're dust boom

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God is Savior God is eternal God is Lord over all we shout joyfully to the

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Lord of heaven and earth so remember this Christ made a little while lower than the angels

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Christ humbled himself lower than beings that he created took on human flesh so that by the grace of God he might taste death for all those who believe in him