Equipping Eve: The Incomparable Christ

1 view

Who is Jesus Christ? He is the image of the invisible God. He is the Creator. He is God incarnate.He is the head of the Church. He is the Savior. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is incomparable.

0 comments

00:00
Is the church today doing everything it can to provide women a firm foundation of truth in Christ Jesus?
00:12
Well, it's true, there's no shortage of candy -coated Bible studies, potluck fellowships available to ladies.
00:19
But beyond Sunday morning, are Christian women being properly equipped to stand against the same deceptions that even enticed
00:27
Eve in the garden? In an attempt to address the need for trustworthy, biblical resources for women,
00:34
No Compromise Radio is happy to introduce Equipping Eve, a ladies -only radio show that seeks to equip women with fruits of truth in an age that's ripe with deception.
00:44
My name's Mike Ebendroth and I'm pleased to introduce your host, Erin Benzinger, a friend of No Compromise Radio and a woman who wants to see other women equipped with a love for and a knowledge of the truth of God's Word.
00:55
Well, hello ladies, and welcome to Equipping Eve. I am your host, Erin Benzinger, and as always, this is the show that seeks to equip you with fruits of truth from God's Word.
01:05
God's Word is the only objective truth. We know this, don't we? If you've listened to me for any amount of time, even just one previous episode, you know that that is the topic of the day every day.
01:17
The truth of God's Word. God has revealed Himself to us in the Bible. That is how we come to know
01:22
Jesus. That is how we come to know the way to salvation. Praise God that He has given us such a clear, clear, unambiguous
01:32
Word. Such a gracious Gospel is revealed to us there in that Word, the
01:37
Gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. And we're going to look a little bit at that today.
01:47
But first, I wanted to read a blog post to you. I read this recently, and it struck me.
01:55
It's a short and sweet post with a lovely, lovely story.
02:01
And so this is found over at The Outspoken Tulip, written by my friend
02:07
Debbie Lynn. And she posted this on January 26, 2018, and it's called
02:13
The Unexpected Bible Scholar. And I think you'll appreciate this as we think and reflect and praise
02:18
God for His clear Word. Debbie Lynn writes, Chronically, she was in her mid -30s, just a few months younger than I was at the time.
02:27
Her moderate intellectual disability, however, left her unable to read beyond a 7th grade level and unable to carry on a conversation that didn't relate directly to her immediate circumstances.
02:38
She attended our Bible study group primarily because she could walk to it from her home. Since everyone else had bachelor's or master's degrees, she never participated in the actual discussions, though she always had prayer requests and sometimes asked if we could sing
02:50
What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Did I say she never participated in the discussions?
02:56
Typically she didn't. After all, we tended to get quite cerebral at times, pretty much excluding her by default, though not maliciously or deliberately.
03:05
But one night, we hid a verse in Mark's Gospel that, for all our collective brainpower, none of us could figure out.
03:12
We must have spent a good 10 minutes flipping to cross -references and asking the teacher what the commentary said.
03:17
He replied that none of them shed much light on the verse, leaving us puzzled and frustrated. Then she spoke, her voice betraying her surprise at our inability to understand the very obvious meaning of the verse.
03:31
Using just one simple sentence and her limited vocabulary, she explained the verse with an accuracy that left us speechless.
03:41
We followed her uncomplicated reasoning, amazed that she was right, merely by relating the verse to its immediate context, she resolved the mystery.
03:50
Proud of our college educations, we cluttered our study of God's Word with fleshy attempts to interpret it, whereas that simple lady read it at face value and rightly understood the
04:01
Holy Spirit's intent. Psalm 19, 7 says, The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
04:07
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Debbie Lynn goes on and says,
04:14
I share my favorite memory of the sister in Christ to demonstrate that for those willing to believe the
04:19
Word of God for what it plainly says, interpreting Scripture needn't be arduous.
04:25
The Lord gave us His Word in order to reveal Himself, not to play hide -and -seek or to increase our intellectual pride.
04:33
Sadly, we delude ourselves into thinking that the Bible is difficult to understand, and while diligent
04:38
Bible study definitely enhances our understanding of God's Word by drawing out its richness, we need to acknowledge its clarity and simplicity.
04:48
Even children and people with cognitive disabilities can comprehend it. Can I just say amen?
04:57
And when I read this, I shared it all over social media because it's just, it's so simply true.
05:04
This blog post even, in its clarity and simplicity, shares the reality of the clarity and simplicity of the
05:12
Word. And I just love the story of this dear woman and would love to meet this lady that Debbie Lynn speaks of.
05:20
And I just think that we can get so bogged down with our knowledge.
05:28
You know, maybe you don't have, maybe you didn't go to Bible college and your degree isn't in biblical studies or you don't have a master's, you didn't go to seminary, but you've read all of the
05:39
Puritans and that's all you read is the Puritans. You just read the Puritans and, you know, other learned men.
05:50
And we can become puffed up with the knowledge that we've instilled in ourselves.
05:56
Maybe your pastor preaches like a seminary professor and so you clearly know more than so many others.
06:04
And while we may not consciously have that attitude in ourselves, can't we kind of tend toward it?
06:11
Well, I've read Calvin's Institutes. You haven't. But you don't need to read
06:19
John Calvin's Institutes to understand the Bible. I'm not saying you shouldn't read the Institutes.
06:24
I'm not saying we shouldn't read the Reformers and the Puritans and some of the wonderful Bible scholars that God has been good to give to the church.
06:32
I am not saying that at all. In fact, I encourage you to read books that expand on, not expand on the scripture, but expound the texts and help you understand the texts.
06:42
But never, never let that replace diligent study of the actual Bible. Because you will not grow.
06:54
Reading about the Bible will not grow you. It may expand your head knowledge, but it will not help you apply the
07:02
Word to your life. And that is because it is reading the Word. It is when we read the
07:07
Word that the Holy Spirit applies it to our lives and helps us to practically live out the faith that God has been so gracious to give us.
07:21
And so I loved, I loved the story that Debbie Lynn shared. So thank you, Debbie Lynn, if you're listening, for sharing this post with us and this story because I think it just brings us back to reality, doesn't it?
07:32
And she makes a good point. Yes, diligent Bible study, that is so important. Commentaries are good.
07:37
Reading these books are good, but never should it replace study of the Word of God. And never should we allow the knowledge that we've accumulated to convolute the clear
07:52
Word of God. God didn't stutter. God didn't stammer. As Debbie Lynn says, He's not playing hide and seek.
07:59
It's not a word search, word find, word jumble thing. There's no secret codes. God spoke clearly in His Word.
08:07
His Word reveals His Son to us, the Lord Jesus Christ. So thank you,
08:14
Debbie Lynn, for that post and ladies, we'll link to that at the blog. Please go take some time to read it.
08:20
And so I start with that. I start with the fact that that clear, unambiguous
08:25
Word reveals Christ and points us to Christ because today I want to talk about Christ.
08:35
I hope that's okay with you because it seems to me that there's not really anything else worth talking about.
08:45
And so before we get into the meat of our discussion,
08:50
I'm just going to throw it over to my pastor with this little soundbite, and then we'll talk a little bit more when this is done.
09:03
He is completely sufficient for all matters of life and godliness. He is sufficient for creation.
09:10
He is sufficient for salvation. He is sufficient for sanctification. He is sufficient for glorification.
09:18
So pure is He that there is no blemish or stain or spot of sin or defilement or lying or deception or corruption or error or imperfection in Him.
09:30
So complete is He there is no other God beside Him as He is the only begotten
09:35
Son of God. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Him and all the fullness of deity dwells in Him bodily.
09:43
He is the heir of all things. He created all things and all things were made by Him and through Him and for Him.
09:53
He upholds all things by the power of His word. He is the firstborn of all creation. He is the exact representation of God and He is the only mediator between God and man.
10:05
He is the son that enlightens, the physician that heals, the wall of fire that defends, the friend that comforts, the pearl that enriches, the ark that supports, the rock that sustains under the heaviest of pressures.
10:18
He is at this very moment seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. He is better than the angels.
10:24
He is better than Moses. He is better than Aaron. He is better than Joshua. He is better than Melchizedek and all the prophets.
10:31
He is greater than Satan and stronger than death. He has no beginning and no end.
10:37
He is the spotless Lamb of God and He is our peace. He is our hope.
10:44
He is our life. He is the true and the living way. He is the strength of Israel.
10:50
He is the root and descendant of David. He is the bright and morning star. He is faithful and true.
10:58
He is the author and perfecter of our faith and the author of our salvation. He is our champion.
11:05
He is the chosen one. He is the high priest of our confession. He is the righteous servant.
11:11
He is the Lord of hosts, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth, the man of sorrows.
11:17
He is light. He is the son of man. He is the vine, the bread of life. He is the door.
11:23
He is a prophet, a priest, and a king. He is our Sabbath rest. He is our righteousness. He is the wonderful counselor, the mighty
11:30
God, the eternal father, the prince of peace. He is the chief shepherd.
11:36
He is the Lord God of hosts. He is the Lord of the nations, the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the living word, the rock of our salvation, and the ancient of days.
11:46
He is the creator and the comforter. He is the Messiah, and he is the great
11:52
I am. Well, should
11:59
I just end the show right here? Because I feel like I could. So, that was
12:04
Pastor Bill Vine of Cornerstone Bible Church, and that sermon was preached probably about 10 years ago.
12:12
I've been listening through some of his old sermons and clicked on a series of Colossians because the book of Colossians is one of my favorites in the
12:22
Bible, and that is from the first introductory sermon. That is how he started his sermon, and I was just floored.
12:30
You think about the names of Christ, and you think about the attributes of Christ, and who he is, but when you hear it just listed out like that, just boom, boom, boom.
12:39
This is Jesus Christ. This is who he is. This is our savior, our friend, our redeemer.
12:47
This is our creator. This is the judge of the world. This is the one who will return.
12:54
This is the one who died for the wrath of God so that we would not have to. It just struck me.
13:04
So I had to share that with you ladies because today we are going to talk about Christ, the incomparable
13:11
Christ. As I said, that was part of an introduction to Colossians, and I opened up my Bible to the book of Colossians.
13:17
And so I am going to take the title of this episode from the column headings in my
13:25
Bible, and those are not inspired. I hope you understand that, that the chapter headings and breaks and chapter numbers, those are not inspired biblical texts.
13:35
That's something that the interpreters included for us just to kind of help lump ideas together as they did interpret the text here for us.
13:44
But what richness, the incomparable Christ, says my
13:50
Bible. And Colossians, if you'll turn there ladies, chapter 1, verse 13, I'm going to read the incomparable
13:57
Christ. Colossians chapter 1, verse 13. For he rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved
14:06
Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible
14:12
God, the firstborn of all creation, for by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him and for him.
14:28
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church, and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself will come to have first place in everything.
14:44
For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, through him
14:54
I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.
15:16
If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven and of which
15:26
I, Paul, was made a minister, that, ladies, is the incomparable
15:31
Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, as Pastor Vine said, the bright morning star, the
15:39
Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. Jesus Christ is incomparable.
15:49
He is unique. He was here in his time on earth.
15:58
He is God in human flesh, fully God, fully man, eternal from eternity past.
16:08
As part of the Trinity, not created, the Son of God, the
16:13
Son of Man, he is God, yet in his humanity he serves as the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins.
16:21
We rightly call Christ incomparable. Who is this incomparable
16:29
Christ? Why is he incomparable? Ladies, to demonstrate that today,
16:34
I'm going to take you to some texts, and we are going to largely just read the Bible today, and I hope that's okay with you, because the only way that we can truly know
16:47
Christ, as I said at the start of the show, is in his word. It's by reading his word.
16:53
I can sit here and tell you about Christ, but it's going to be so much greater for me to read the word that God has written.
17:02
So we're going to turn to a few texts. Many of them are familiar to you, but ladies, do not let that dull you to them.
17:10
Do not let that inoculate you to them, because the truth of the word is so rich, and it doesn't matter how many times we've read the same verse over and over again.
17:21
How many of us have heard and studied those names of Christ that Pastor Vine read off? And yet sometimes when you hear it afresh, it strikes you, and you just want to drop to your knees in prayer and praise, don't you?
17:39
So turn with me, ladies. Get your Bibles, or get a pen and write these verses down, and you can turn to them later.
17:51
Get your Bibles and turn with me to Micah 5, verse 2.
17:56
Who is this incomparable Christ? Why do we call Christ incomparable? Because his birth was prophesied long before it happened.
18:07
Micah 5, 2. But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrata, too little to be among the clans of Judah.
18:13
From you one will go forth for me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.
18:23
Christ's birth in Bethlehem was foretold. In Matthew, we switch over to the
18:31
New Testament, chapter 1, verse 21, the angel says to Joseph that Mary will bear a son, and you shall call his name
18:41
Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the
18:49
Lord through the prophet, the prophet Isaiah, as we will see. Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name
18:56
Emmanuel, which translated means God with us. The Old Testament prophesied
19:02
Christ's birth in Bethlehem. Isaiah prophesied that the virgin would give birth, and in Luke 2, we see that Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem.
19:19
Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.
19:28
In verse 4, Joseph went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called
19:33
Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child.
19:41
While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. Verse 7, and she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
19:55
Jesus Christ, the coming, the first advent of the
20:00
Messiah was prophesied long ago and fulfilled perfectly. This is the incomparable
20:05
Christ. Turn, ladies, to John chapter 1. This is the baby in the manger.
20:14
This is the Savior on the cross. This is our King who will return.
20:19
John chapter 1, verse 1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
20:24
Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
20:35
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
20:43
Verse 14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the
20:51
Father, full of grace and truth. This is the incomparable
20:58
Christ who humbled Himself and came to earth as a man so that He could save sinful men from their sins, from the wrath of God, from the punishment that they justly deserve.
21:18
This is the incomparable Christ who saves sinners.
21:23
Romans 5, ladies, turn with me to Romans 5, verse 12.
21:30
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.
21:37
For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who was a type of him who was to come.
21:55
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man,
22:03
Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned.
22:09
For on the one hand, the judgment arose from one transgression, resulting in condemnation. But on the other hand, the free gift arose from many transgressions, resulting in justification.
22:19
For if by the transgression of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who received the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one,
22:28
Jesus Christ. So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
22:40
For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous.
22:48
Jesus Christ fully kept the law that we would have to keep in order to save ourselves and we cannot keep it.
22:58
We cannot keep the law. We are born sinners and then even as we act day to day we cannot keep the law perfectly.
23:11
It's impossible. And if we sin in just one point of the law, we are guilty of transgressing all of it, says the
23:19
Word of God. We are sinners who need a perfect Savior.
23:30
And Jesus Christ was sinless. Second Corinthians 521, He made
23:35
Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
23:43
Upon repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, His righteousness is imputed to you.
23:49
Your sin is imputed to Him at the cross. His righteousness is imputed to you so that when you stand before God, He sees you cloaked in the righteousness of Christ because your righteousness doesn't exist.
24:03
My righteousness? Nope. There is none. Even our best deeds are as filthy rags before the
24:10
Lord. We must be cloaked with the righteousness of Christ.
24:18
First Peter 221, For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you as an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin nor was any deceit found in His mouth.
24:32
Again, affirming the sinlessness of Christ, verse 23, And while being reviled,
24:37
He did not revile in return. While suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.
24:44
And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds you were healed.
24:54
And so that takes us to the next point, ladies. We are sinners.
25:00
Christ was sinless. Hebrews 9 .22 says, Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins.
25:10
And so this sinless Savior, as we've seen already, died the death that we deserve.
25:18
And even this, even this was prophesied. Turn back to the
25:24
Old Testament with me, ladies, to Isaiah 53. Again, a familiar text, but one that we should not become, our senses should not become dulled toward this.
25:37
So don't glaze over what's here. Isaiah 53, Who has believed our message?
25:43
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of parched ground.
25:50
He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
25:56
He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
26:02
And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised and we did not esteem Him. Remember, Peter just said that He did not revile and return.
26:11
Surely our griefs He Himself bore and our sorrows He carried, yet we ourselves esteemed
26:16
Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions.
26:22
He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well -being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
26:31
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
26:39
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open
26:50
His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of My people to whom the stroke was due.
27:02
His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
27:12
But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief. If He would render
27:18
Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
27:25
As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied. By His knowledge, the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.
27:35
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong, because He poured out Himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors.
27:43
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many and interceded for the transgressors. This is the incomparable
27:50
Christ prophesied before He was even born. This is the
27:56
Lamb led to slaughter. And John the Baptist in John 1 at 29 says,
28:03
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
28:09
Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. Christ had to die.
28:16
He was the only acceptable sacrifice turned to, Hebrews 10, ladies, for the law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.
28:34
Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshippers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?
28:40
But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
28:50
Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, Sacrifice an offering you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for Me.
28:57
In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sinning, you have taken no pleasure. Then I said,
29:02
Behold, I have come, and in the scroll of the book it is written of Me, to do your will, O God. After saying above,
29:09
Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have not desired, nor have you taken pleasure in them which are offered according to the law.
29:16
Then He said, Behold, I have come to do your will. He takes away the first in order to establish the second.
29:24
By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
29:31
Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices which can never take away sins.
29:38
But He, Jesus Christ, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.
29:50
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
30:00
The perfect offering for sin. Jesus Christ. This is the incomparable
30:07
Christ. The one who lived the perfect sinless life that we cannot live, keeping the law perfectly.
30:15
The one who died the death that we deserve, bearing the wrath of God for all those who will believe in Him, for those who are sanctified, says
30:24
Hebrews. This is the one who rose again.
30:34
Back to the Old Testament, ladies. Psalm 1610. For you will not abandon my soul to shale, nor will you allow your
30:41
Holy One to undergo decay. Jesus Christ would rise again.
30:49
John 20. John 20, ladies. Again, familiar passages.
30:55
Don't let them become too familiar. Now, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was still dark and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.
31:05
So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, They have taken away the
31:11
Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him. So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.
31:17
The two were running together, and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first. And stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.
31:27
And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb and saw the linen wrappings lying there. And the facecloth which had been on his head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.
31:39
So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the
31:47
Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. It was prophesied, ladies, that He would rise again.
31:56
Verse 10, The disciples went away again to their own homes, but Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying.
32:08
And they said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid
32:16
Him. When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was
32:23
Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?
32:30
Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid
32:35
Him, and I will take Him away. Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, Rabboni, which means teacher.
32:45
Jesus Christ was prophesied to rise, and Jesus Christ did rise from the dead.
32:52
Remember, Psalm 1610, You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, and you will not allow your
32:59
Holy One to see decay. This verse was explained in the early preaching of Peter and Paul.
33:12
If you turn to Acts 2, 24, Peter is delivering his magnificent sermon, and he says in verse 24,
33:19
But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
33:26
He goes on and explains Jesus Christ again in Acts 13, verse 33.
33:37
Paul preaches the same thing. Verse 32, We preached to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children, and that He raised up Jesus.
33:49
As it is also written in the second Psalm, You are my Son, today I have begotten you. As for the fact that He raised
33:55
Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way, I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.
34:02
Therefore, he also says in another Psalm, You will not allow your Holy One to undergo decay.
34:09
Jesus Christ rose again, and He is the firstfruits of the resurrection.
34:15
Turn to 1 Corinthians 15, and I'm turning with you ladies.
34:24
15, verse 23. Actually no, go back to verse 20. Now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who are asleep.
34:33
For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
34:41
But each in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming.
34:47
Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
34:55
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. We saw that in Hebrews, didn't we? The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
35:04
And that takes us to the next reality of this incomparable
35:10
Christ. His return. His return, ladies. Again, prophesied in the
35:17
Old Testament over and over again. And we're just touching on these things. We are not exhausting the verses that are here.
35:29
In Zechariah chapter 9, verse 14, We see much of that prophesied there in Zechariah.
36:04
We see it prophesied in places like Amos and Daniel. We see the return of Christ.
36:12
We see the end of the story. We see even
36:18
Jesus Christ telling us that He is the fulfillment of these prophecies.
36:27
In Matthew 24, verse 31, we see an allusion here to the
36:37
Zechariah passage that we just read. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet. And they will gather together
36:42
His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. That is Jesus speaking, telling us of His return.
36:50
But let's turn to the most obvious place to read and understand and marvel at the return of Christ.
36:57
And that is the book of Revelation. 19, verse 11, Jesus Christ will return.
37:56
And He will finally, ultimately defeat
38:02
Satan. It's not that He can't do it now. It's that God has a preordained plan.
38:08
And so we read in the book of Revelation how that will happen. We read about the judgment. And then we read in chapter 21, verse 1,
38:20
Then I saw a new heaven, and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
38:27
And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
38:34
And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be
38:41
His people. And God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
38:47
And there will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.
38:52
The first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new.
38:58
And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true. Then He said to me,
39:04
It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
39:13
He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God. And he will be my son.
39:21
Jesus Christ is coming again. His birth, His life,
39:29
His death, His resurrection were prophesied long ages ago, and all happened just as God said it would.
39:39
His second coming was prophesied long ages ago, and all will happen just as God has said it will.
39:46
This is the incomparable Christ. This is why
39:51
He is indeed incomparable. And this is why we echo the words of the
39:57
Apostle John when we say, Come quickly, Lord Jesus, so that we may be with you forever.
40:11
Alright ladies, that's all I have. Until next time, get in your
40:17
Bibles, get on your knees, and get equipped. Thanks for listening.
40:58
No Compromise Radio is happy to introduce Equipping Eve, a ladies -only radio show that seeks to equip women with fruits of truth in an age that's ripe with deception.
41:08
My name is Mike Abendroth, and I'm pleased to introduce your host, Aaron Benzinger, a friend of No Compromise Radio, and a woman who wants to see other women equipped with a love for and a knowledge of the truth of God's Word.