The Angel of the Covenant | Sermon 07/24/2022

Apologia Utah

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It's turned on here connected to the Internet All right, go ahead guys and open your

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Bibles to Hebrews chapter 1 We're not gonna have a bunch of verses on the screen today

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I thought we could kick it old -school right and just do Bibles Bibles Bibles except for me.

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I'll be doing a new school with my laptop so Anyways, turn to Hebrews chapter 1 and then we will begin

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All right So as an introduction guys This sermon is titled the angel of the

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Covenant. There's a specific reason for that We want to understand who Christ was prior to his incarnation how he was there in the

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Old Testament And it's extremely important to understand that We must not take it lightly because Jesus was there

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We live in a world that has a fundamental Misunderstanding of government whether it be self government family government church government or the state government

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We have clearly lost the point of reference in whom any of these spheres derive their authority

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They derive their authority through a person and his name is Jesus in whom not in what right?

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These aren't abstract Thoughts they have a justification and that justification is

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Christ We also live in a world that has the fundamental misunderstanding of life and death of sin and of salvation

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We have distorted what it means to be redeemed and through whose headship is the world being made new again

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The answer is in Jesus We have even defiled the historical basis for reality

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Therefore we live in a society that is literally living in cognitive dissonance It's one that is living in rebellion, it's a dissonance that is at odds with its creator a

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Rejection of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords does not simply mean that he is no longer in control

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Just because you bury your hand your head in the sand Doesn't mean that he's not in control

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That is why it is called delusion and his control the control and reign of Jesus Christ It's predicated upon his nature

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Which was displayed in the incarnation his love was also shown on the cross and his power

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Ratified in his resurrection in our fundamental denial in our sticking our heads in the sand

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We reap what we sow and the judgment we face today like Colts governmental overreach homosexuality

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Transgenderism disharmony in life even dysfunction between the church body And even the destruction of the family unit itself is

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Derived from the one who judges it's actually proof that he is in control That he has always been in control and that he will always be in control.

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Those things are called judgment Those things are called judgment. You can read Romans 1 18 through 30

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But guys in order to understand history Redemption family and even ourselves even ourselves

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We must understand the source in which that is all derived and again that is Jesus Christ our

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Creator the Word made flesh who dwelt among us the one who was and is and Hallelujah, it is to come right?

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That's the point of this brief sermon series that I'll be going through this Sunday and next Sunday Pastor Wade as you know, just finished up an amazing expository series on the path on the epistle of James And now

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I don't know if he told you guys I think he did but we're gonna be going into the book of John Pastor Wade will be going through the book of John expository style and that's gonna be beyond amazing

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So that's why I wanted to do this brief sermon series, right? Because the book of John highlights in so much great great detail the deity of Jesus, right?

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If you don't understand the deity of Jesus in John 1 1 through 3. Oh, I mean, it's right there right the beginning

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John tells us that's why we're doing this sermon series so we can understand that he has been God from all eternity the

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God of Whom Isaiah spoke in Isaiah 9 6 for to us a child is born to us

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A son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called

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Wonderful counselor mighty God Everlasting father prince of peace don't confuse everlasting father with the person of the father

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No We're talking about the father of time the creator of all things and the father as the leader of Israel That is the logos the pre incarnate

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Christ Therefore it is imperative that we must understand the

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Word made flesh and his governing governing of Israel Prior to his incarnation and how that relates to us today

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Because understand this guys we live in a world that is post cross post resurrection of Jesus However, there was a time when the pre -incarnate

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Christ the Word was king of the nations So before pastor what way dives into the book of John?

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We need a solid grasp of the pre -incarnate Christ his kingship and how that applies to us today

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Historically and covenantally Headship right in order to live in reality and to understand what it truly means to be in Christ Do you hear that in order to live in reality?

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You must understand its creator when you fundamentally deny the creator of the universe

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You are not living within the confines of reality. And that is what sin does to the mind.

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It distorts our thinking So we're gonna first look at Hebrews chapter 1 and you guys are already there, but before we begin we're going to pray

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Dear Lord, I thank you for your word I Thank you that you have given us a revelation that is outside of ourselves that you have preserved throughout time that brings to us a sinful

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Human beings who are deserving of nothing but wrath you have given us grace upon grace upon grace

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And it is shown to us in not only your word, but the Word made flesh who is Jesus So Lord in this sermon get me out of the way

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Let your text shine through let your truth Shine through it's to glorify your name

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Jesus and how you have always been king The king that is the best king the king who died for his servants

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You taught us how to serve Jesus. So please keep me from error And help me to speak clearly and truthfully today through your word in Jesus name.

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Amen All right Hebrews chapter 1 Long ago at many times and in many ways

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God spoke to our fathers by the prophets But in these last days he has spoken to us by his son really listen

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Whom he appointed the heir of all things through whom he also created the world He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds the universe by the word of his power

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After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high

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Haven't become as much superior to the angels as the name that he has inherited is more excellent than theirs

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For to which of the angels did God ever say you are my son

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Today I have begotten you Or again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son

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And again when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says let all

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God's angels worship him of the angels He says he makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame of fire

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But of the Sun he says Your throne Oh God is forever and ever the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom

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You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness therefore God your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions and you

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Lord laid the Foundation of the earth in the beginning and the heavens are the works of your hands

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They will perish but you will remain they will all wear out like a garment like a robe You will roll them up like a garment

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They will be changed but you are the same and your years have no end Into which of the angels has he ever said sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet

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Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

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Quite beautiful. That's Hebrews chapter 1 But we should first ask ourselves

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Before diving into the pre -incarnate Christ. What what is the purpose of the book of Hebrews?

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The purpose of the book of Hebrews wasn't to encourage the audience whether it be people who are listening to a sermon that were that was penned down by Luke a sermon given by Paul or It maybe it was authored by somebody else, but let's just listen the purpose was to tell people

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To not rush back into Judaism because of the persecution that they were currently facing because of Christ Right to run back into Judaism and there was massive

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Persecution going on remember in the book of James when pastor Wade told us about how James was pushed off the top of the temple

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Legs broken went over stoned and then he wasn't even killed and they beat him over the head with a club to kill him

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This is a very real persecution All right And the people who are the audience in the book of Hebrews would have been very well versed in the

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Old Testament Why well they were thinking about running back They were thinking about running back and the author of Hebrews is appealing to their knowledge of the

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Old Testament by showing them the supremacy and fulfillment of Christ in all aspects

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You can you can't get away from that in Hebrews chapter 1 of all of the beautiful things that is being said about who?

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about Jesus Really think about that in these last days is how it starts

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That's what it says in the book of Hebrews that he has spoken to us by his son Why? Because in all reality there was a coming judgment and many of those who would run back to Judaism would go back to Jerusalem and Jerusalem was soon going to be destroyed by the

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Romans with the sacking of the temple in 70 AD There's a very real implication spiritually right and physically as well.

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Not only if you leave What have you you have been taught in the gospel to run back into Judaism if you go to Jerusalem, you're soon going to face

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Tribulation and it is going to be utterly utterly horrible therefore the arguments laid forth in the book of Hebrews leaves the audience without excuse if they apostatized and run back into Judaism because they would have to deny the very fact that it was

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Jesus who was the one true king of Israel in the Old Testament That's about the preeminence of Christ the supremacy of the

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Sun in chapter 1 if they were to run back into Judaism They're running into nothing you get it They're running into nothing if you deny what is being spoken of of Jesus You literally have nothing to run back into Just like today if we deny the incarnation of Jesus and we try to run somewhere else in our lives

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We run to nothing we run into judgment remember delusion delusion So the first chapter of Hebrews Outlines the very points that we are going to dive into and you can miss these points that the author of Hebrews is making if you're not familiar with the titles and Words used in accordance with God as the angel of the

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Lord in the Old Testament Which are used to describe Jesus in the book of Hebrews words like this son air

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Glory word power right hand name These are all things coming from the Old Testament through the fulfillment of Jesus Christ right in the first chapter

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The author of Hebrews is challenging He's challenging the preconceptions of the people who were still questioning the deity of Jesus and his superiority to all creation

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Furthermore what we have so amazingly in the author of Hebrews through 1 chapter 1 verses 5 through 14

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We have many Old Testament scriptures, which are being cited right? These are many of them are

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Psalms They're hitting hard at the fact that Jesus Christ as the word was actively present throughout the

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Old Testament History and his hand Was engaged in guiding

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Israel to bring about the Messiah Messiah to preserving the seed of the woman who is to crush the head of the serpent

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It's it's quite amazing guys Like when you look at Hebrews chapter 1 just go back and take a look at it and it says

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Right here. It says for which of the angels in verse 5 did God ever say?

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You are my son today. I have begotten you Right and again,

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I will be to him a father and you shall be to me a son This is a quotation from Psalm 2 in 2nd

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Samuel 7 13 through 14, but ask yourself who's speaking here? Who's speaking here? It's God the

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Father and we know that why because you are my son today. I have begotten you

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Psalm 2 7 says this this is one of the quotations that's being used in Hebrews chapter 1 It says I will tell of the decree the

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Lord said to me you are my son today. I have begotten you That's Psalm 2 7

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What is Psalm 2 about the royal? rule of the Son of God Who is judging the nation's in the present crushing them like a potsherd when they do not bow down and give allegiance to Jesus?

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This is what's being quoted in Hebrews chapter 1 We must understand that and then 2nd Samuel is also being quoted 2nd

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Samuel 7 verses 13 through 14 It says he shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever

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I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son At first it sounds like maybe it's speaking of Solomon There's a bigger a bigger picture actually being spoken of here.

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It was speaking to the coming of the king who was not fallen in Adam the true king the true king of Israel But we hear titles like sons son of God But clearly both of these verses speak of the supremacy of the unique son of God We must understand that the titles of sons of God though is used throughout

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Scripture for not not just the title the Son of God, but sons of God is used for angelic beings and Christians as well.

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You can write these down if you want to look these up later It's just useful to understand the difference between the title the

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Son of God and sons of God All right, so there's scriptures that use the title sons of God for angelic beings and this is in Job 1 6

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Job 2 1 21 1 in Psalm 29 1 but today for the sake of this sermon

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We're just gonna look at two of them quickly that relate to angelic beings as being sons of God Job 1 6 says now there was a day when the sons of God Came to present themselves before the

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Lord and Satan also came among them in Job 2 1 and again Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the

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Lord and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord Pretty clear. It's just a term that is being used and then there's a scripture reference to believers as being sons of God There's three you can write them down if you want to look at them later.

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It's Matthew 5 9 Romans 8 14 Galatians 3 26 There's probably more it's not an exhaustive list exhaustive list shall

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I say but here's Galatians 3 26 for reference For in Christ Jesus, right?

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We're telling being told how for in Christ Jesus. You are all sons of God through faith

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Right. It's only through the blood of Jesus Christ Like it says in Ephesians chapter 1 that were adopted into the family of the sons of God So what's being noted here is there's a distinction between angels and Christians sons of God does not mean sameness in being

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Angels and men are not the same beings We're not of the same nature that Christians and well are sons of daughters of God But only through the adoption through the blood of Christ but to digress the point being made in Hebrews Hebrews is the uniqueness of Jesus that is he is the unique son of God higher than the angels higher than man that in nature

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He is God as an agreement with John 1 1 in John 1 18

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Right John 1 18 No one has ever seen God the Father but the unique son in the bosom of the

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Father has made him known Hold on to that. No one has ever seen God the Father except the unique son who has made him known

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To us remember that we're gonna be diving into that He's not just a son of God.

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That's the point, right? He is the son of God the one whom Psalm 2 shows will restore the nation's through his revealed and glorified governance headship and again in verse 6 of Hebrews When he brings the firstborn into the world

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He's quoting now in this section of scripture where it says let all of God's angels worship him.

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He's quoting from Deuteronomy 43 but again who is speaking here? This is the father as he brings the firstborn into the world

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Let all of God's angels worship him It is absolutely amazing Deuteronomy 32 43 in the

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Septuagint states, but all God's angels worship him But why is Deuteronomy being quoted?

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I challenge you guys We don't have the time today to get into the Song of Moses and Deuteronomy 32 and 33

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But it details the poetic history of Abraham and then the exodus of a people blessed by the rock the foundation of their salvation for the people of Israel who were then a stubborn and Ignorant people who had forsaken the rock of their salvation and went after other gods the song itself in the

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Song of Moses and Deuteronomy 32 and 33 Shows the supremacy of the Lord who has always guided his people and you can see that through the inspiration of the

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Holy Spirit The God who is being spoken of that is in so intimate of a relationship of his people is the

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Messiah This is Jesus. The father is clearly here speaking of Christ Meaning that when we go back into Deuteronomy 32, we should understand that scripture as it's speaking of Christ No one has ever seen

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God the father except the unique son who has made him known Hallelujah, Jesus was there in the

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Old Testament It's it's absolutely mind -blowing guys like real quick. We like to think of the road to Emmaus and In the road to Emmaus.

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That's when Jesus appears to some disciples and they're like Who is this guy who's talking to us on the road?

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And then Jesus explains who he is all throughout the Old Testament all the theophanies and all of these things we go, man

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That must have been the best Bible study ever. I agree. I agree But what we take light of is the fact that guess what?

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We've got God's completed word and we have the Holy Spirit living within us we must not take light of the fact that through deep study and living with the

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Holy Spirit and Sanctification being conformed to the image of Christ We have the very same thing to see our

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Lord and Savior in the Old Testament the road up to Emmaus can happen to you Read your Bible Read your

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Bible, right? Oh So good. Anyways going back to let all

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God's angels worship him The point is that there's no mere creation that is given the honor and inheritance of Jesus Instead the angels they worship

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Jesus They worship Jesus and this is the God This is the father speaking to the son as he brings the firstborn into the world and then we go into verse 7 of Hebrews There's a quotation from Psalm 1044 in reference to the angels because if you didn't get it yet if you didn't get that Jesus is better than the angels here

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Here's the the killer of the angels. He says he makes his angels winds and a minister his ministers a flame of fire

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That's quoting from Psalm 104 for he makes his messenger winds and his ministers a flaming fire and Quickly the word messenger in the

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Hebrew is malak, which can also be translated as messenger and also angel but the point of this passage is to show the subservience of the angels and Psalm 104 in itself refers to the one who

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Created the heavens and the earth all the things on land and in the sea The one who put the heavens in place

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Even the last four verses of this psalm Speak to the majesty and kingship of the one who created all things later go back and read it.

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You've got homework You've got dude army 32 33 Psalm 104 But it doesn't even end there guys.

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It's so amazing Now in Hebrews 1 8 through 9 we have quotations talking about the eternality of Christ Quoting from Psalm 45 which we actually read right?

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We read that at the beginning of worship service in Psalm 102 25 through 27 First Psalm 45 6 through 7 says this about who if you're listening about who about Jesus Your throne

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Oh God is forever and ever the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness

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You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness Therefore God your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions

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Psalm 45 the one we read earlier is a royal wedding song There's always read at weddings in the

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Jewish customs back in the day However, when reading this song through the lens of Christ through the lens of the book of Hebrews telling us what it's really about We see the eternal kingship of Yahweh the power and the glory of the one who is to come

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Excuse me is the one who is to come Jesus Christ is the one who made his bride spotless who has placed them in positions of power

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Through the lens of Christ we see this text foreshadowing the Christians you union with Christ through the work on the cross

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It's quite amazing. And the next section is quoting from Psalm 102 25 through 27

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Which states I love to read the biblical text like we're getting to our Bibles today. We're going back and reading them

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Psalm 102 25 through 27 states of old you laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the works of your hands

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They will perish but you will remain they will all wear out like a garment You will change them like a robe and they will pass away, but you are the same and your years have no end

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Just stop for a minute who is speaking here again. This is the father speaking of the

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Son How amazing is that and how confusing would that be if you denied the pre -existence of the logos?

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How confused fusing would that be if you're a Unitarian? At the point he's bringing the firstborn into the world.

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He's speaking to the Sun we have two persons here We have two persons here. We must understand guys that the author of Hebrews under divine inspiration is relaying

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The mystery of the gospel from the Old Testament There was a mystery Paul talks about it all the time

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Colossians chapter 1 and in Ephesians There's the mystery of the gospel the Gentile inclusion of the faith right the incarnation of God himself

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This was a mystery, but it was not that people shouldn't have an understanding

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They should have known just like those who wanted to run back into Judaism Should have known if they were to run back that they'd have nothing to run in run into Unless they ran into the arms of their

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Savior who was their creator? Who was their creator? We're just seeing here that that mystery has been so clearly revealed that when we deny the eternality in Pre -existence of Jesus we stand even more condemned than the fathers of old get it.

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We're more condemned now This is post cross post resurrection. The mystery has been revealed.

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The Sun is reigning you deny him now You are more condemned than ever before Really think about it

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Finally the writer of Hebrews ends his citations quoting Psalm 110 1 the most quoted verse from the

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Old Testament into the new Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a

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Footstool for your feet Psalm 110 1 you've been going to apology a long enough You know, that's probably like our favorite verse from the

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Old Testament as well But we must understand guys that the purpose we find with Psalm 45 and Psalm 110

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They're being quoted here for a reason right again. These people were to be knowledgeable of the

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Old Testament They should have already been understanding the logos For each one of these texts shows to Yahweh to Yahweh not in being not in being but distinct in person

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Psalm 45 hear it your throne Oh God is forever and ever the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness

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You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness therefore God your God, so we have

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God speaking to God Even back in the Old Testament has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions

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And then again to which of the angels has he ever said? Sit in my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet

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Psalm 110 1 the Lord Says to my Lord Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool

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Again, hear me clearly. I'm not stating that they're two separate beings of Yahweh Never that's heresy.

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That's damnable heresy I'm stating what the pipe the Bible clearly demonstrates is that even in the

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Old Testament? There were clear examples of the Trinity on display for the Jewish readers of the Old Testament Therefore these texts are being quoted specifically by the author of Hebrews to display the fact that this is not

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Something that should be new to them if they were familiar with their scriptures Remember Jesus always condemns the

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Pharisees the same way. Have you not read have you not read? Here's another to Yahweh text example

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Genesis 1924. This is a text. I like to go to a lot when actually Going on preaching the gospel to LDS people because they believe that there's only one

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Jehovah right in being But this is what Genesis 1924 states this confuses them a little bit

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It says then the Lord Yahweh reigned on Psalm Gamora sulfur and fire from the

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Lord Yahweh Jehovah out of heaven How is Yahweh in two places at one time in Mormon theology can't be it can't be it's a good text to use

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But again, it's to it's a to Yahweh text Even Jesus himself quotes from Psalm 10 1 in Matthew 22 44.

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Let's read the whole section You can turn to Matthew 22 with me if you want Matthew 22 41 through 46

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Now while the Pharisees were gathered together Jesus asked them a question saying what do you think about the

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Christ? Whose son is he? They said to him the son of David He said to them.

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How is it then that David in the spirit calls him Lord? Saying the

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Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet If then David calls him

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Lord, how is he his son? And this is the the first reformed thug life moment of all time

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This is what it says in verse 46 and no one was able to answer him a word nor from that day

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Did anyone dare to ask him question any more questions freeze -frame glasses come up Jesus drops the mic there. It's great

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The point in reference though Is that Jesus is making in Matthew 22 is that the

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Pharisees they were continuing to challenge in question Jesus So before Jesus even asked them a question, he's answering theirs man.

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How humble is our Savior? How humble is our Savior God himself humbly answering questions He answers in all authority and even corrects them consistently with have you not read?

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But then he challenges these smart religious leaders of their time with a question that they should have already known the answer to Jesus was not merely a son of David He was in fulfillment, but he was the only

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Unique son of God as was shown to come by the prophets the prophets of old who even

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Intervened throughout all human history as the angel of the covenant or angel of the

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Lord. They should have known already therefore we are going to see how Jesus mediated for his people prior to his incarnation again.

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We must remember John 1 18 no one has ever seen God the only God the monogamous

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They asked the unique son who is at the father's side. He has made him known So using

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Hebrews 1 as a springboard to get us back into the Old Testament We're gonna look at the revelation of the

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Word made flesh We're gonna walk so to speak on the road to Emmaus and see how Jesus has always been the one to make the father known

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How he is the same yesterday today and forever So first we're going to start building the argument that the angel of the

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Lord is the pre -incarnate Christ We must understand that when we hear the word angel it is derived from the

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Hebrew word again malak Which is either human or spiritual therefore the angel of the Lord can also be translated as messenger of the

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Lord However, we must understand that the context of the scripture also determines the meaning of the word in light of Hebrews 1 in John 118 in John 1 1

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We find that the messenger in the Old Testament is not merely a created servant angel

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But that he is the one angel in which Yahweh's name is The one who is interceding for his people on behalf of the father the unique messenger who is

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Christ Who is Yahweh the second person of the Trinity making the father known? It's quite amazing

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We read that quote earlier from Herb and Bob Inc Let us first look at Exodus 23 20 through 33.

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So go ahead and turn there to build context This is right after the Ten Commandments have been given to Moses and that the law has been explained

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The Lord now gives a contingent blessing upon the people of Israel That means you you will be blessed if you do this right a contingent blessing however what we are going to look at is the identity of the angel who will guard the people of Israel and lead them into the

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Promised Land here's Exodus 23 20 through 33 again, we're going through a lot of scripture today, but if we're not going through a lot of scripture

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It's not a good thing, right? So let's let's keep it. Let's keep going through scripture Exodus 23 verse starting in verse 20

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Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared

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Pay careful attention to him And obey his voice Do not rebel against him.

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Listen, really listen for he will not pardon your transgression For my name is in him but if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say then

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I will be an enemy to your enemy and an adversary to your adversaries when my angel goes before you and brings you to the

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Amorites and the Hittites and the Parasites and the Canaanites the Hivites and the Jebusites and I blot them out

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You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them nor do as they do But you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.

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You shall serve the Lord your God Referring to the angel and he will bless your bread and water and I will take sickness away from among you

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None shall miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the peoples against whom you shall come and I will make all your enemies turn their backs on you and I will send hornets before you which shall drive out the

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Hivites the Canaanites the Hittites from before you I will not drive them out before you in one year lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you

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Little by little I will drive them out from before you until you have increased and possessed the land And I will set your border from the

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Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines and from the wilderness to the Euphrates For I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand and you shall drive them out before you

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You shall make no covenant with them and their gods They shall not dwell in your land lest you lest they make you sin against me

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For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you First go ahead and look at verse 21 there in Exodus God is speaking about his angel and he states that the angel has the authority to forgive sins and to pardon

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Transgressions only God alone has the authority to pardon transgressions mark 2 7 states this why does this man speak like that?

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He is blaspheming for who can forgive sins, but God alone I'm told here that the angel can forgive the sins furthermore.

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We find a unique identity of the angel For God states that his name is in him

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It's the end of verse 21 prior to this contingent blessing upon Israel. God has already given his special name to Moses It's the authority and power in which the angel is acting the character of Yahweh is the angel get it

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He is the messenger of the father to the people of Israel Humble submission of the logos acting as that mediator between God and man.

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It's it's Quietly, it's it's quite astonishing Now look at verse 22.

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We find that Yahweh Jehovah is telling his people to obey the voice of the angel But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say then

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I will become an enemy to your enemies and an adversary To your adversaries. There's a note noticeable distinction between the angel and God.

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Remember there's still distinction here. We're not blurring two peoples However, there's also unifications between the commands of the angel and the judgments from God on Israel's enemies

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It's quite amazing one being two persons They're distinct but one being in verse 23 we see even more of a blur between what the angel does and what

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God does when my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the parasites and the

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Canaanites the Hivites and the Jebusites and I blocked them out if a Distinction but a blur because the angel also is the one who does the judging

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However, the most amazing correlation between the angel and God is when God calls the angel

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Yahweh Your God in verse 25 you shall serve the Lord your God and he

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Will bless your bread and your water and I will take sickness away from among you. How can you understand this?

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outside of the Trinity It's very confusing. I'd say it's very confusing Do you see it again in that verse?

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There's a changing of sub subjects The angel is now being called the Lord your God in whom they are to obey

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And that the angel will bless the bread and water of the Israelites. Well God Will take the sickness away from among them

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It is quite clear and utterly astonishing that we find the identity of the angel to be the one unique Messenger of the

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Father the one in which the name of God in the voice of the Lord is We're talking about Jesus So great

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We also find in Exodus chapter 15 a few chapters earlier the same warning to the

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Israelites about Obeying the voice of the Lord with the same subject switch from his to I from third person pronouns to first person listen to this

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Exodus 15 26 if you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God and Do that which is right in his eyes and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes

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I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians for I am the

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Lord your healer It's quite amazing. So let me reiterate Exodus 23 is not the first time that we see the angel of the

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Lord in the Old Testament But this is a section of Scripture that is a great starting point before we dig further back into the

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Old Testament to show the authority and Deity of the angel of the Lord. However, though if you're not sold yet Let's look at Judges chapter 2 verses 1 through 5 to see the parallels between the

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Exodus Between Exodus 23 20 through 33 Okay, this is how

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Israel failed to uphold the contingent blessing in Exodus chapter 23 But even more importantly for the sermon, it's how the angel is speaking as Yahweh Who is the angel of the

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Lord? Remember, this is the condemnation for the failure of Exodus 23

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Judges 2 1 through 5 now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bacchum and he said

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I brought you up from Egypt and You into the land that I swore to give your father's parallel with Exodus 23 20

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I said I will never break my covenant with you and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land

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You shall break down their altars. They were told to do that Exodus 23 22 through 24

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But you have not obeyed my voice. They were commanded to obey the voice of Yahweh Exodus 23 21

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What is this that you have done? So now I now I say I will not drive them out before you

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But they shall become thorns in your size and sides and their God shall be a snare to you Exodus 23 26 through 27 and verse 33 it was promised to them that would happen if they did not obey as soon as the angel of the

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Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel the people lifted up their voices and wept and They called the name of that place

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Bacchum and they sacrificed there to the Lord It's quite amazing what happened right?

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How did they fail to fulfill? Well, they failed to fulfill because they forgot who their

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Lord was They had fear of man and not fear of God think about how we live today in society

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Have we not forgotten who God is have we not forgotten who Jesus Christ is?

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The only way we can live the way we live is when we forget our Lord It's quite amazing

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So the same angel of the Lord This is the same angel from Exodus 23 20 through 33 the one whom the name of Yahweh is in remember that angel of the

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Lord will either bless or curse the Israelites and Remember up here when it says in Jude 2

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I believe the verse 1 says I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give your fathers

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It's the angel of the Lord speaking Okay, but if we cross -reference that with Jude 1 5 it states that Jesus was the one who led them out of Egypt The angel says he did it and then in Jude 1 5 we're told that Jesus did it regardless Of the difference in text.

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It's either Lord or Jesus in Jude 1 5 we can still Through John 1 18 and other parts of Scripture see that it was the unique Son who was the messenger of the father the messenger of the

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Covenant in the Old Testament Who was making the father known that was the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt?

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We can then therefore conclude that the pre -incarnate Christ led the Israelites out of Egypt it was also the pre -incarnate

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Christ who destroyed those who do not believe as Hebrews 8 through 9 states this

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But of the son he says remember this is a father speaking guys Your throne Oh God is forever and ever the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom

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You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions

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He was even doing that in the Old Testament. He was hating wickedness and loving

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Righteousness making the father known to the people. Do you see it guys? Do you see it? The author of Hebrews is

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Appealing specifically to the knowledge of his audience. He's stating Jesus has always been there not as a mere angel

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But as the angel of the Lord He had been guiding Israel throughout all of time again.

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He had loved righteousness and hated wickedness He judged Israel with his scepter. He was the ruler protector and healer from the beginning

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Right, even in Genesis chapter 3 at the fall of man Man is separated from relationship with the father in that moment

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Christ was there for us He is the one Killed the first animals and clothed

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Adam and Eve the wrath of the father could not look upon man We would be utterly destroyed

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But Jesus Christ and his redemptive work was there from the beginning to make a sacrifice to us

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Why because the sacrifice makes us holy no Because it was pointing to the one who was to come

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Jesus himself So amazing. So now that we have hopefully successfully shown the deity of the angel of the

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Lord Let's digress and look at some more amazing examples of the pre -incarnate Christ in the

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Old Testament prior to Exodus 23 Guys, this is not an exhaustive list of Christophanies The Christophany is an appearance of Jesus in the

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Old Testament If so, we agree to do an exhaustive list we would be here for days You'd be here for days, but these are some of the most important I think examples that show us the scope of the majesty and the glory of Christ prior to his incarnation

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And here is the Lord when he meets Abram We're gonna go to Genesis 11 31

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Which is typically a chapter before which you would would think when the Lord first appears to Abram But we're actually gonna go into detail.

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This is really amazing Genesis 11 31 states this Tara took Abraham his son -in -law the son of Haran his grandson and Sarai his daughter -in -law his son

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Abraham Abram's wife and they went forth together from Ur of Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan Well when they came to Haran they settled there

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When I read that you're probably thinking Andrew, I didn't hear about the angel of the Lord So you're right. You're right.

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But let's cross -reference that scripture with more scripture We're gonna go to Stephens Condemnation of the Pharisees right before his death to get a better idea of what is happening in Genesis 11

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Acts 7 2 through 5 tells us this the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia Before he lived in Haran right that verse is talking about before he lived in Haran Instead to him go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you

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Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran And after his father died God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living yet He gave him no inheritance in it

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Not even a foot's length but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him though He had no child

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What is Stephens condemnation to the Pharisees about Their denial of Jesus Christ as being the

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Lord of all that he was the Messiah That was their denial and Stephens condemnation is going back

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Talking about Christ. He says the God of glory appeared to Abraham. He's condemning them

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He's saying Jesus you Pharisees you should have known the God of glory appeared to Abraham Prior to him living in Haran and the

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Greek word used in Acts for appears Harao I'm probably pronouncing it wrong, which means to become visible to see appear to look at So the

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God of glory is appearing John 1 18 no one has ever seen God the father except the unique son who was at the father's side has made him known

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So we can conclude that Abraham is indeed looking at something or shall I say someone but who you know it

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It's Jesus, this is the pre -incarnate Christ What is amazing here is that Stephen is giving us a deeper look into the life of Abram It's logical to understand that the

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God of glory that appeared to Abraham was the pre -incarnate Christ This was the angel of the Lord the messenger of the father quite amazing.

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Remember he's guiding all of human history Harken back to the beginning of this sermon as well.

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Remember Hebrews 1 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and in John 1 14

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It states and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory glory as of the only son from the father

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Full of grace and truth John bore witness about him and cried out cried out This is he of whom

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I said he who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me the God of glory

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Jesus Christ It is Stevens and Stevens Holy Spirit inspired address to the

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Sanhedrin that he is condemning those who killed Jesus He is stating that they always resisted the spirit and never knew the son nor the father

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Remember as John states that we have seen his glory glory as the only son Stephen furthermore goes and states you stiff -necked people

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Uncircumcised in your heart and ears you always resist the Holy Spirit as your father's did so to you

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Which of your prophets did your father's not persecute and they killed those who announced beforehand of the coming of the righteous one

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Whom you have now betrayed and murdered The smart religious leaders of their time did not know

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Christ What should that say about us? How smart are we really right?

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Do you see it? The ones who denied Christ are the ones who should have known their own history in scriptures since they denied

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Jesus Stephen condemns them with their own history Showing them that they truly didn't even understand the scriptures or their faith to begin with they should have known that the

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Messiah had come They should have known that their righteousness was nothing but filthy rags before God that the sacrifice

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Sacrificial system and the law was not something to make them holy But it was commanded of them because God is holy

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He will not dwell among them unless they do as they are told and that there were a foreshadow Pointing to the sacrifice of Christ in whom every way

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Christ fulfilled Have you not read? Which then brings us to our next section of Scripture.

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We're going to look at Genesis 15 1 through 21 And this is another appearance of the pre -incarnate

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Christ the logos Genesis 15 1 through 21 and after these things the word of the

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Lord came to Abram in a vision Fear not Abram. I am your shield your reward shall be very great.

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But Abram said O Lord God What will you give me for I continue childless in the heir of my house is

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Eliezer of Damascus and Abram said Behold you have given me no offspring and a member of my household will be my heir and behold the word of the

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Lord came to him This man shall not be your heir your very own son shall be your heir and he brought him outside and said look toward heaven and number the stars if you are

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Able to number them Then he said to him so shall your offspring be and he believed the

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Lord and it counted to him as righteousness And he said to him I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of Chaldeans to give you this land to possess but he said

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O Lord God How am I to know all that I should possess it? He said to him says the word of the

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Lord speaking to Abram He said to him bring me a heifer three years old and a female goat three years old and a ram three years old and A turtle dove and a young pigeon and he brought him in all these cut them in half and laid each half against the other

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But he did not cut the birds in half But when the birds of prey came about upon the carcasses Abram drove them away verse 12 as the

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Sun was going down a deep sleep fell on Abram and Behold dreadful and great darkness fell upon him

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Then the Lord said to Abram know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be

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Servants there and they will be afflicted for 400 years. It's a prophecy of the coming Of being captive in Egypt, but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve and afterward

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They shall come out with great possessions as for you. You shall go to your father's in peace You shall be buried in good old age and they shall come back here in the fourth generation for the iniquity of the

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Amorites is Not yet complete 17 when the Sun had gone down and it was dark behold a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces on That day the

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Lord made a covenant with Abram saying to your offspring I give this land from the River of Egypt to the

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Great River the River of Euphrates the land of the Kenites the Kenizzites the Cadmium Knights the

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Hittites the Parisites the refeam the Amorites the Canaanites the gira sites and the Jebusites The Implications of this passage though long.

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It's a long passage are immense and at first glance It's hard to see exactly how Jesus is there, right?

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however Let's take a deeper look into this section of Scripture to see where the pre -incarnate Christ and the amazing works of God's sovereignty are on display

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There is a phrase that you might have noticed in the verse the first verse the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision

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In this sentence the subject here is the word the word is actually the subject Notice that it is the word not words as plural and this is a phrase that is used many times throughout the

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Old Testament So what I'm trying to make known to you here is when the word came to Abram It's not like he has in a trance and he's just seeing words appear telling him these things

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He wasn't looking at a stone in a hat with words appearing. No the word singular appeared and was talking to Abram And there's so many times throughout

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Old Testament prophecy to mark a point where this is about to occur The phrase commonly is used the word of the

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Lord came or the word of the Lord came to You can write these examples down to look at them later But the same examples are used in 1st

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Samuel 15 10 2nd, Samuel 7 4 2nd Samuel 24 11 1st

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Chronicles 22 8 1st Kings 6 11 1st Kings 16 1 2nd Chronicles 11 2 2nd

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Kings 17 1 if you want more on that list, you can see me after But what's beautiful is that most of these references to the word of the

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Lord? Are in the Septuagint the Greek word for logos for the word of the

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Lord Which brings me to my next point? During the Babylonian exile.

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The first temple was destroyed, right? And the Jews were dispersed all over Babylon for about 70 years

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They remained in captivity and after the decree of Cyrus many of the Jewish people went back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple however, many

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Jewish people stayed all throughout Babylon and Palestine and There we find the first translations of the

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Hebrew Bible in Aramaic. These are called the Targums We have these things today the

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Targums though were not to be written They were supposed to be oral translation given for the people who did not speak

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Hebrew, right? So the rabbis they would speak in Aramaic think of it as the message translation

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Right in terms of how the translation was being given there's paraphrases So they were not to be viewed as authoritarian in nature authoritative my apologies.

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It was more of paraphrases Anyways, eventually these things got written down and we have copies of them today but the

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Targums always Emphasized the word of the Lord and you're gonna understand why I'm bringing this point up and the word of the

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Lord was a personified expression Therefore many scholars believe that John was not just combating

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Gnosticism in John 1 1 in the prologue of John or John 1 through 18 Or the

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Greek belief that the Logos because the word Logos is what's being used in in the beginning was the word

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Word there is Logos. That's the Greek translation It's not the belief that the

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John was not only combating again Gnosticism in the Greek belief that the Logos was the non personal force in Greek philosophy, but here's the thing

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Many scholars also believe that John's emphasizing the fullness of the word of the Lord And as the

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Logos now took on flesh in the fullness of John's gospel For this was the popular belief of the

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Jews a few centuries prior and up to the life of Christ Up into the life of Christ. This is a thing that many

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Jews believe they believed in the personification of the word of the Lord Here's an example of it

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Psalm 33 6 by the word of the Lord the heavens were made and by the breath his mouth and all their hosts

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Therefore it is possible when looking at Genesis 15 1 through 22, which we looked at earlier We can see the personification of the word of the

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Lord visiting Abram in a vision This was the pre -incarnate Christ who also visited the prophets of old and John highlights

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Beautifully that the Logos is now taking on flesh Now not speaking in many times in many ways like the like in Hebrews, but fully taking on sarks

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Which is the Greek word for human flesh for taking on Adam, which is the Hebrew word for the nature of man

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But what's most amazing about this part of text in Genesis 15? Is that the pre -incarnate

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Christ walks in between the three young heifers goats and ram? Along with the young pigeons and turtle doves the text may say a smoking pot and a flaming torch.

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However, someone was holding each Though the glory of the pre -incarnate Christ was veiled there It was smoke that was foreshadowing the

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Exodus right just as Abram was in a deep darkness in this vision So too with the Israelites after their 400 years of captivity until it was the angel of the

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Lord That would deliver the Israelites from captivity through fire and smoke

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Exodus 14 19 19 through 22 states this Then the angel of God who is going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them

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This is when God is protecting the Israelites from the Egyptians before he passes them into the

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Red Sea says the angel of God Was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them

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Coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel and there was the cloud in the darkness and it lit up the night

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Without one coming near the other all night Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the

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Lord Drove the sea back by the strong east wind all night made the sea dry land and the waters were divided and the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left

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How amazing is that when we think of Jude 1 5? How amazing is that to think that that was the pre -incarnate

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Christ who is the one who puts it? He's the one who separates the waters. He's the one they're protecting the

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Israelites. This was Jesus This was Jesus, but the most amazing part of this passage is that the

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Lord is actually making this covenant predicated upon himself

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He's the one walking through he is the one making a covenant with Abraham Because what is

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Hebrew 613 tell us guys for when God made a promise to Abraham since he had no one greater

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By whom to swear he swore by himself So Jesus I will fulfill my promise you will fail all throughout time all throughout history

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It's not about you It's about Jesus This is quite amazing guys the success of Abraham and his descendants was predicated upon the pre -incarnate

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Christ The Logos who is Yahweh that would guide and use his sovereign hand throughout history

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Ruling Israel and judging the nations until he took on flesh Which brings us now to the angel of the

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Lord in the sacrifice of Isaac. This is a lot of people's favorite passage And rightfully so so we're gonna look at three sections of scripture here in Genesis 22

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We're told of the account of Abraham and the sacrifice of his son Isaac However, we're gonna look at the three sections from that because it's quite long

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We're gonna hit Genesis 22 1 through 2 then Genesis 22 11 through 12 then

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Genesis 22 15 through 18 starting with 1 through 2 After these things

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God tested Abraham and said to him Abraham and he said here I am He said take your son your only son

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Isaac whom you love and go To the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which

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I shall tell you So we know in this moment that God has already blessed Abraham Telling him that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars

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But now God is asking for his one descendant the one of promise to be sacrificed to God.

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I Can only wonder what was going through Abraham's head at the moment However, regardless of what he's thinking he gets his son ready and it takes them how many days to travel to the land of Moriah?

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three days Abraham then takes a bundle of sticks and places it on Isaac's back to carry up the mountain

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Isaac then asked Abraham. I see the wood to make the fire for the sacrifice, but where is the lamb?

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Abraham then responds God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering my son

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They travel up the mountain with the one son of promise with wood on his back for the sacrifice

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Isaac entrusting his father follow suit and the two make it to the top of the mountain Abraham then takes the wood off Isaac's back makes the altar lays his son of promise down and pulls out his knife to slaughter

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Isaac but wait Verse 11 through 12, but the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said

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Abraham Abraham and he said here I am How did God call him

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Abraham here I am before him now. We have the angel of the Lord same way Abraham. Here I am

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Also with Saul on the road to Damascus, right Saul Saul. Why do you persecute me?

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That's how Jesus has always been calling his people. It's quite amazing He said verse 12 do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him for now

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I know that you fear God seeing that you have not withheld your son your only son from me

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God required the sacrifice now the angel of the Lord is speaking. He's saying you didn't require you didn't withhold him from me

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The angel is God Not a created being the unique messenger, right? It's not confused that in that moment

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Abraham notices a ram caught in the thicket and the second sacrifices the ram instead of his only son verses 15 through 18 state this and the angel of the

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Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said by myself I Have sworn declares the

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Lord Hebrew 613 Because you have done this and not have with have not withheld your son your only son

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I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the

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Seashore and your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because You have obeyed my voice

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This section of Scripture is one of the most amazing foreshadows of Christ and his sacrifice Think about it first We're told

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Abraham was to sacrifice his only son that God demands this then we are shown that Isaac in submission to his father

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Trusts him and follows him to the land of Moriah then when Abraham sees the mountain he and Isaac travel upwards and Remember Isaac's carrying a bunch of wood on his back enough to be able to light him on fire if he were to be sacrificed

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Isaac was no mere child at this point. He could take his father He could probably kill his father if he wanted to but he humbly submitted to him

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Carrying a large pile of wood upon his back up the mountain Understand this guys that this mountain is the very same place where Solomon erected the temple this is the very same place where Jesus Christ was crucified just as Isaac the son of promise for Abraham carried wood up to the top of the mountain

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Jesus the Son of God and of promise for all who believe carried his cross of wood to the top of Golgotha Isaac was then placed upon the wood and before Abraham could slaughter

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Isaac the angel of the Lord intervened Whereas the father did not stay his hand when Jesus was nailed to the cross

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The angel of the Lord provided Abraham the ram whereas the angel of the Lord also gave himself the spotless lamb

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Do you see it? It's quite amazing guys. It blows my mind It blows my mind and again in verse 1 we find that God called

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Abraham by saying Abraham you go or here I am here I am right then in verse 12

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The angel of the Lord tells Abraham that he knows that Abraham fears God Stating that you have not withheld him from me

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God here is referenced as distinct from the angel of the Lord, but then the angel of the Lord also refers to himself

01:00:04

Here we go two distinct persons one being God has been a Trinitarian God throughout the

01:00:10

Old Testament and into the new he has never changed It's absolutely mind -blowing

01:00:16

Jesus also talks the very same way in the book of John referring to the father as being separate from himself

01:00:22

But then stating that they are one Not only that we see the same language of the angel of the Lord as being referenced in the contingent blessing upon Israel in Exodus 23 20 through 33 the text that we read earlier

01:00:33

But let's not stop there the angel of the Lord in verse 15 states that by himself.

01:00:38

He has sworn Hebrews 6 13 Remember God swore to Abraham by himself since there was no one greater that God himself would fulfill the covenant

01:00:47

This section of Scripture is clearly clearly foreshadowing the gospel The pre -incarnate

01:00:53

Christ was being shown to Abraham that a sacrifice would be promised

01:00:59

Only through a promise though that in his offspring Singular all the nations will be blessed.

01:01:05

So what does that mean as in Abraham's offspring were told in Galatians 3 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring

01:01:13

It does not say and to offsprings referring to many but referring to one and to your offspring who is

01:01:20

Christ The offspring were being referred to here Jesus he is the one through whom all the nations would be blessed

01:01:29

The error of the Pharisees was to think that Abraham was more important than he was.

01:01:36

Do you see it the God of all history? The angel or messenger of the covenant the malak of the covenant who is

01:01:43

Christ was making known to his people Specifically to Abraham in this case the will of the father

01:01:50

Remember the blood of rams and bulls never satisfies fully the wrath of God Abraham was justified

01:01:57

He was declared righteous by a promise believed and that was the coming sacrifice of the

01:02:02

Messiah The word made flesh to fulfill the covenant. He swore to fulfill on himself So when

01:02:07

Abraham literally believed the Lord who spoke to him, he believed in Jesus who was talking to him So it's absolutely mind -blowing in order to truly understand the deeper meaning and the point of history

01:02:19

We must first start with its source, which is Christ since they did not understand the

01:02:24

Logos They did not understand the gospel whom is the Pharisees. They didn't even understand history.

01:02:29

They were living in delusion Looking at the sacrifice of Isaac without the lens of Christ We find that this is only the story of a man with faith

01:02:38

But when looking at what happened in history through the lens of Christ We can see the deeper meaning the purpose of which this occurred

01:02:46

But only through the source can we have eyes that see To the

01:02:52

Jew who denies Christ this text though beautiful is dim It cannot be seen as Abraham viewed it for in his promise.

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He was blessed by Christ Let's look at some more examples of the angel of the Lord and his sovereign hand throughout history.

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This is a fun one Jacob wrestles a man and I think this one's actually extremely important We all know the story in Genesis 32 of how

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Jacob wrestled with a man and the man Touched Jacob's hip socket ended up beating

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Jacob It's easy in that section of Scripture to see how this man was God for he blesses

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Jacob and renames Jacob to Israel Because he was striving with him and God had won The text simply shows us here that it was

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God of whom Jacob was wrestling with However, it should be noted that the Hebrew word for man here is ish

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This term can be used for both man and angels This is why I want to get into you real quick But a term for man that is only ascribed to humanity and the

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Bible is the Hebrew word Adam So you may be asking yourself the question which I asked myself

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This question is like well, what's so important then about the incarnation of Jesus Christ if he's appearing taking flesh in the

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Old Testament? Well, you're missing the point. There's two words for man one refers to nature one refers to it refers to appearance in The Old Testament when

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Jesus Christ takes the form of a man He's appearing in the form of a man not taking upon himself human nature

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The promise looked forward to the Logos taking on human nature becoming fully

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Adam Also having sarks which would be the flesh It's actually quite interesting to look at but it's extremely important to understand that just because Jesus Was appearing as a man in the

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Old Testament in many different places That's not the same as his incarnation and actually taking upon himself

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Human nature, I thought that was an interesting point to make but let's go back at looking looking at The end of Jacob's life and how he recounts the saving hand of the

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Angel of God Genesis 48 15 through 16 states this and he blessed

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Joseph and said The God before whom my father's Abraham and Isaac walked

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The God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day the angel who has redeemed me from all evil bless the boys and in them let my name be carried on and The name of my father's

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Abraham and Isaac and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth This is when

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Jacob is blessing Joseph near the end of Jacob's life. Did you hear it the angel who has redeemed me from all evil?

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John Calvin comments on this section of Scripture. This is a quote from John Calvin here He who so joins the angel to God as to make him equal

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Truly, he offers him divine worship and asked the same things from him as from God If this be understood indifferently of any angel, whatever the sentence is absurd

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It is necessary that Christ Be here meant who does not bear in vain the title of the angel because he had become the perpetual

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Mediator he had not yet indeed been sent by the father to a preach more nearly approached more nearly to us by taking our flesh

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Adam and nature But because he was always the bond of connections between God and man there was always so wide a distance between God and man that without a mediator there could be no communication and Because God formally manifested himself in no other way than through him.

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He is properly called the angel It's quite beautiful guys. I love it so much.

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Let's go to our next example. It's Moses and the burning bush Exodus chapter 3 verses 1 through 7

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Now Moses was keeping flock of his father -in -law Jethro the priest of Midian and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness

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The mountain of God and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out the midst of a bush

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He looked and behold the bush was burning It was not consumed and Moses said I will turn aside to see this great sight

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Why the bush is not burned when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see God called to him out of the bush

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Moses Moses who's in the bush the angel of the Lord God called to him

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Amazing how'd he call him Moses Moses? And he said here

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I am Then he said do not come near take your sandals off your feet for the place that which you are standing is holy ground

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And he said I am the God of your father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the

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God of Jacob Who's the one who made the covenant Jesus And Moses hit his face for he was afraid to look at God Then the

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Lord said I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cries because of their

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Taskmasters, I know their sufferings in verse 2 We find that the angel of the

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Lord is the one who appeared to Moses the angel of the Lord was not the fire But he was in the fire at many times throughout scripture.

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We see that fire is used to symbolize God's presence Genesis 15 remember the burning pot

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Also when the tabernacle in the temple were built the Lord signifies his presence there with the flame of fire coming down from heaven

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Also the presence of the Lord in the pillar of fire and of smoke Excuse me.

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We find it interesting that in verse 4 we see the angel of the Lord is now called God And God calls

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Moses just like he called Abraham in Genesis 22 1 and 11 remember Abraham Abraham Here I am

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Moses Moses here I am What is even more amazing is that the angel of the

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Lord already foreshadowed this occurrence to Abraham? Jesus already told Abraham what was going to happen. The Exodus was no surprise to God The point being made here is that the angel of the

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Lord who is Jesus Christ is again fulfilling his covenant with Abraham This is the

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God of Abraham Isaac and of Jacob who is reiterating his promise with Abraham to Moses and Moses is to tell the people

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What Yahweh will deliver us that the angel of the Lord will redeem us Logos or the pre -incarnate

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Christ has always been in control the success of the Exodus relied not on Moses but on Christ The faults and mistakes of the

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Israelites made them suffer judgment, but God never left them The success of the coming

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Messiah was predicated on the work of God all throughout human history on Myself, I have sworn and I will fulfill

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It's amazing this is the same Messiah who also appears in Joshua chapter 5 verse 13 through 15

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Where Joshua is coming to Jericho? He looks and sees the commander of the

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Lord's army with sword drawn Joshua asked him are you for us or are you for our adversaries?

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The commander replies no, but I am the commander of the army of the Lord now

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I have come This reply Shockingly shows that the Lord who delivers

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Israel from the hand of their enemies is not at the command of Joshua He's not at Joshua's command, but as the angel of the

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Lord, he is the messenger of the covenant So it is that he is the commander of the Lord's army submitting to the will of not

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Joshua, but the will of the father This commander then receives worship from Joshua and Joshua is then told to remove his sandals for he is standing on holy ground

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Remember guys John 1 18 and that's the point of this sermon series, right? No one has ever seen

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God except the unique and only Son who has made him known. This was the pre -incarnate

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Christ This was the Logos receiving worship So amazing the one in which numbers 2016 states this and when we cried to the

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Lord He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt Jude 1 5 who was that?

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That was Jesus How could we not that think that this is the same angel that appeared in the fire in cloud that led the

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Israelites from the hand of the Egyptians in Exodus 13 and 14 the one who led the

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Israelites in their dysfunction for 40 years in the desert this

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Logos is Yahweh distinct from the father who is also God but fully God Nonetheless the

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Old Testament guys is a monotheistic Trinitarian collection of writings that speak to the second person of the

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Trinity all throughout it. This was the purpose of the Old Testament This is the same

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God who in Judges chapter 6 calls the cowardly Gideon for the angel of the Lord appears to him and Blesses him and tells him that the

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Lord is with him for it was this messenger of the Covenant The reminder of the promise of Abraham the reiterator of the gospel whom delivered

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Israel from the hand of the Midianites with only 300 men this was

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Jesus Guys, the Old Testament is about Jesus. Yes, there is

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Israel There are a people but the story is of one of deliverance by the mediator

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Through who which his promise was fulfilled in his incarnation, which he swore on himself.

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He would do Consistently throughout the Old Testament we find a sinful people Consistently delivered by who the angel of the

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Lord. What are we? What are we? We are sinful human beings dead in our trespasses and sins

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We have been delivered by the the Word of the Lord made flesh Do you see the gospel in the

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Old Testament? It's all throughout it. It's all throughout it. Have you not read?

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Even there was a people who rejected his kingship in 1st Samuel 8 Who were then given over to the headship of a king of Adam of human nature yet Still he delivered them in times of hardships for though they rejected him as king by his nature.

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He was still ruler of the universe as God but in time he would even redeem the kingship over his people through his rule and Through his

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Adam his human nature all will be blessed Do you see it? He even fulfilled the kingship of Adam Adam was to take dominion and Adam failed all kings fallen under Adam Whereas Jesus not only mediating all throughout the

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Old Testament who is then rejected as king by his people And they wanted a fallen man to lead them

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Jesus Christ Also redeems kingship the people suffer under wicked kings.

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Do you Christian? No Your king is fully human in nature and sits on a throne

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Not built by human hands who is judging the world in the present and you do not suffer under the sins of a wicked king

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Understand that that's a real reality that which we live in as people of the one true and living

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God but again This should not have been a surprise to the people of Israel for it was promised over and over again

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Here's a prophecy from Zechariah in Zechariah 3 1 through 10. This is really awesome I've it's bliss blew my mind when

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I was reading it says this Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the

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Lord so Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord in Satan standing at the right hand of the angel of the

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Lord to accuse Joshua and The Lord said to Satan the Lord rebuked you Oh Satan The Lord who has chosen

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Jerusalem rebuke you is not this a brand plucked from the fire now Joshua was standing before the angel clothed in what filthy garments

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He's but a man and the angel said to those who were standing before him This is the angel of the

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Lord remove the filthy garments from him and to him He said behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you and I will clothe you with pure vestments whose righteousness

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Whose righteous robes do we wear when we stand before God in heaven? The righteous robes of Christ and how do we get to wear that righteousness by the work of God himself on the cross and I said

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Let a plea it let them put a clean turban on his head So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments and the angel of the

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Lord was standing by This is so cool guys and the angel of the Lord solemnly assured

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Joshua Thus says the Lord of hosts is the angel of the Lord speaking if you walk in my ways and keep my charge

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Then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts and I will give you the right of access among those who are

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Standing here here now Oh Joshua the high priest you and your friends who sit before you for they are men who are assigned

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It says behold I will bring my servants the branch and is believed that the branch is actually a messianic title combining both offices of priest and king

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So the angel of the Lord saying behold, I will bring my servant the branch For behold on the stone that I've set before Joshua on a single stone with seven eyes referring to the omniscience of God We see it in the book of Revelation a single stone

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I will engrave its inscription declares the Lord of hosts and listen and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day

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In that day declares the Lord of hosts Every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree

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This is a prophecy of the atonement of God because he removes the sin of his people in one one day

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One day when he dies on the cross the perfect work of Christ completed on the cross Absolutely amazing.

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This is a messianic prophecy Shows that the angel of the Lord speaking on behalf of the

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Lord The angel removed the iniquity from Joshua clothed him in new garments and then reiterated

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That he will remove the iniquity from the land in a single day Pointing to the atonement and Again, it says into every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree in reference to The branch the perfect prophet priest and King It's the gospel.

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It's the power of the gospel in the gospel of the kingdom at work Furthermore furthermore were told in Malachi 3 1

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Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me Referring to John the

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Baptist and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple and the angel of the

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Covenant in whom you Delight behold, he is coming says the Lord of hosts. They should have known

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It will be the angel of the Covenant in whom they were to delight that will come to his temple Jesus Christ the

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Word made flesh who has guided his people throughout human history to bring about salvation and restoration of the world the gospel

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Right and then the gospel of the kingdom For by one man sin entered into the world by one man sin is defeated and all men can have peace with God Peace with God through Jesus Christ, and this is why

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Jesus says so distinctly in John 5 30 through 47. I Can do nothing on my own as I here

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I judge if my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me if I alone

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Bear witness about myself. My testimony is not true There is another who bears witness about me and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true

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You sent to John and he has borne witness to the truth Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things that you may be saved

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He was a burning and shining lamp and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John for the works that the father has given me to accomplish the very works that I am doing their witness about me that the father has

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Sent me and the father who sent me has himself borne witness about me his voice You have never heard his form

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You have never seen and you do not have his word abiding in you for you do not believe the one whom he has sent

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The messenger of the covenant was there throughout the Old Testament as well You have not believed the one who he has sent if you don't believe in the

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Sun You don't believe in the father either, right? You search the scriptures because you think in them that you have eternal life.

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This is Jesus He says and it is they that bear witness about me Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

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I Do not receive glory from people, but I know that you do not have the love of God within you

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I have come in my father's name and you do not receive me if another comes in his own name You will receive him

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How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only

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God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the father There is one who accuses you Moses on whom you have set your hope

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Here's Jesus's clincher for if you believed Moses, you would believe me For he wrote of me

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But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe? my words

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Verse 18 here in John we're told the Jews were looking to kill him because he made himself equal with the father

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In this section of scripture Jesus is now condemning them for if they truly knew their own history their own scriptures

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They would have known Jesus for he had made himself known as the God of their fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob as the angel of the covenant the one who was

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Prophesied to take on flesh and redeem his people for that from their sin one day He had previously been making the father known yet.

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They rejected him. He was their king, but they wanted another he was their shepherd yet They pierced his hands.

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They were his people yet They handed him over to be slain But he is our God and it was the will of the father to crush him to bruise him for us

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The messenger of the covenant became the initiator of the new covenant The one whose blood was spilled on the mercy seat the one who then

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Resurrected from the dead who rules and reigns as fully Elohim in nature fully

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God in nature and fully Adam Human in nature in which the future of the universe is predicated on the success of his covenant fulfilled as king of the nations and king of our hearts and That is what we will be going over in the next sermon the fundamental covenantal headship

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Change I should probably drink the water. I have under here the covenantal headship change from Adam to Christ reigning in sin in death to reigning in the perfect one

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That's what we're gonna go over in the next sermon, but to close their sermon off I'm gonna read a long quote from Jonathan Edwards from history

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This is a one of his works history of the work of redemption from 1793 It's long

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But it's quite amazing and we know Jonathan Edwards was given a gift From God to be one of the greatest theologians that we've been blessed with As soon as man fell

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Christ entered into his mediatorial work then it was that he began to execute the work and office of a mediator

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He had undertaken it before the world was made He stood engaged with the father to appear as man's mediator and to take on that office

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When there should be occasion from all eternity, but now the time was come Christ the eternal

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Son of God clothed himself with the mediatorial character and there and presented himself before the father

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He immediately stepped in between a holy infinite offended majesty in offending mankind

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He was accepted in his interposition And so wrath was prevented from going forth in the full execution of that amazing curse that man had brought upon himself

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It is manifest that Christ began to exercise the office of mediator between God and man as soon as man ever fell

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Because mercy began to be exercised toward man immediately When Satan the grand enemy had conquered an overthrown man the business of resisting and conquering him was committed to Christ He thenceforward undertook to manage the subtle powerful adversary

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He was then appointed to captain of the Lord of hosts the captain of their salvation Hence forward this lower world with all its concerns devolved upon the

01:22:51

Son of God For when man had sinned God the Father would have no more to do immediately with this world of mankind

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That an apostasize from and rebelled against him he would then henceforth act only through a mediator either in teaching men or in governing or bestowing any benefits on them and Therefore when we read in sacred history what

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God did from time to time Towards his church and people and how he revealed himself to them We are to understand it especially of the second person of the

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Trinity When we read of God appearing after the fall in some visible form or outward symbol of his presence

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We are ordinarily if not universally to understand it in the second person of the

01:23:32

Trinity. Let's pray Lord you are Amazing your name be glorified

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Jesus. You have never left us. You you will never forsake us you Are the

01:23:45

God of the universe? You have always been at work and you are working now all things are being placed under your feet

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You rule in the midst of your enemies there are still those who are fallen in Adam that rule

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But you are placing them there being placed under your feet by the father your kingdom come

01:24:06

Lord the kingdom of God is conquering and Hearts are being transformed from stone into flesh by the proclamation of the gospel and you say how beautiful is it?

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The feet who shed the news of the gospel and how are they to know unless someone goes and proclaims it to them

01:24:24

Jesus let us Be so excited about the richness of you and the scriptures from old into new

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Let us Lord have a renewed hearts in love for this Bible that we hold in our hands this divine revelation

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Which makes you known? You are so good to us Jesus We praise you and we thank you may our hearts be humbled in the position that we are as man

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Who has sinned in front of a holy and just God? But let our hearts then rejoice in the fact that it was

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God himself Who stood between the father and us to begin a mediatorial work to redeem us purchased through your blood

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Jesus? And what that means for redemption of all human history Predicated through your headship

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Jesus, so we praise you and we thank you in Jesus name. Amen All right

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So now it's time where we go to the Lord's table together as a church family What does it mean to go to the