Trinity Road Chapel Evening Service, 11/16/2008

Thank you very much. Unfortunately, now we'll be blinded by the light reflected off the head, but that's okay. That's why the first four rows are abandoned, because both Doug and I have some of the reflective problem when it comes to the lights.

I'll be hearing about that one for a while. But it is indeed good to be with you. I do appreciate the time that I have been able to spend with you. It's a little bit odd getting to know some folks when their first exposure to you, in general, is in the form of a debate.

Generally, I get to preach in a place, and maybe at the end or something like that, we have a debate. But to start as we did is a little bit unusual. It does give you somewhat of an introduction into what I do regularly.

I think by the time I finish this particular trip, I'll be getting close to 80 debates that I have done beginning in August of 1990. And only recently have the majority of those been on the subject of Islam.

But when I first started doing this, I had no inkling of the idea that someday I would stand in London in defense of the gospel. But it is truly an honor to be here. Beautiful building. And once I get a few moments, maybe next week, I'm not sure that I'm gonna have them next week, but I know that at least the week after that, whoever's sitting on the incendiary device, the pew back there, I'm gonna be blogging that.

I'm gonna make you all famous. You'll get people standing outside the door wanting to get in and take pictures of the incendiary device indentation in the pew. I just think that's really neat. Some of you are looking and you're like, what are you talking about?

I thought that would be general knowledge to everybody. But someone back there is sitting right near where a German incendiary device came through the roof many, many moons ago. So, I know my church is almost old enough to have been around during World War II, but that's about all the history we have, I'm afraid.

About the only thing I can say about our church is it's survived a lot of heat there in the desert. That's about the most we can say. We just don't have the kind of history being the colonials, as you know, that's broke away.

Hebrews 1 and the Supremacy of Christ

It turned me pleased that Hebrews chapter one, I was hearing from Doug that he's been outdoing even the Southern Baptist United States. He's been covering one entire book of the Bible in one shot. Now, I don't know how you do that.

It drove me crazy when I was at a Southern Baptist church many years ago that we tried to cover the entire book of Romans in about five weeks. And so, I'm not sure how you do it in one shot. But I was, just a few weeks ago at my own church, I wanted to cover all of Hebrews chapter one.

And in two sermons, I got through three verses. So, I was rather unsuccessful at that point. But I will attempt this evening to summarize the entire first chapter for you. So, that will sort of fit into the mode of the Sunday evening sermons.

Before we read this text, I want to address probably the most important element any time you're preaching the book of Hebrews. It seems to me in the evangelical church today that this book is a closed book.

That for many people, the book of Hebrews strikes them as exceptionally difficult and hard to follow and somewhat troubling in the things that it says. There are a few books, or proof texts more often, where one little verse here, one little verse there is pulled out and odd things are taught on the basis of it.

But I really do believe that Hebrews demonstrates for us our absolute necessity to be fully canonical Christians. What do I mean by that? We need to know the entire canon of scripture. When Paul said, in 2 Timothy 3 .16, when he said, all scripture is theogonous thoughts, when he spoke to Timothy and said, Timothy, you've known these things, he's talking about the Old Testament.

And anyone who has read the book of Hebrews, especially if you have an English translation that puts Old Testament citations in italics or bold or in some way gives you an idea just by looking at the page, just leaf through Hebrews right now and see how much of this book is citation of the Old Testament.

The writer assumes, as we can tell by the title, that the people to whom he's writing are well aware of the Old Testament background of all of the texts that he's citing. And I think that's why it seems to be somewhat of a closed book to many people today.

It talks about the tabernacle and the various things that were in the tabernacle and a lot of folks just are like, okay, that may have been relevant to somebody, but I just don't know how that's gonna help with my mortgage payment, so they move on to something else.

And the problem is that there are few, there is no book in the New Testament, I would even say Romans, does not spend as much time specifically laying out the mechanism in sacrifice by which redemption takes place as we find in the pages of Hebrews.

The purpose of Christ, the glory of Christ, the supremacy of Christ over all of the Old Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant, all of this is laid out for us in the book of Hebrews, and so we are greatly impoverished when we do not find the delight in studying this book.

It is written, and it's very important, most of the misinterpretations of this book come from the fact that we don't keep in mind the audience. What is the context of this book? This book is being written to those Hebrew Christians in those early years, and I'm firmly convinced that this book is quite early on, certainly before AD 70, there's no question in my mind that the writer, speaking of the ongoing sacrifices, that the temple had been destroyed, would have clearly impacted the kind of argumentation you find here, so this is in the early decades of the Christian faith, the writers writing to those Hebrew Christians who were experiencing such tremendous persecution and pressure being placed upon them to go back to the old way, go back to the old ways of Judaism, offer the sacrifice.

You know that from, for example, the Gospel of John, we're told that they were already in the days of Jesus putting out of the synagogue those who would confess him as Messiah, and so especially from one's family, great pressure would come upon you, you've joined a cult, you've joined a movement, nothing's gonna come of this, come back to the old ways, think about all the generations of those who've been faithful to the call of Abraham and Moses, come back and offer the sacrifice.

Why offer the sacrifice? Because of course, to offer the sacrifice is to say that the final sacrifice has not been given, and so when we read those very sobering words in the 10th chapter about those who would trample on the blood of Christ, what they're talking about is offering that sacrifice, which would say Christ was not a sacrifice, he was a false Messiah, he did not come to do what he said he did, and that is how a person would enter back into the Jewish fellowship, and so what is Hebrews but an entire work of apologetics?

It's an entire work of apologetics, and how does it accomplish this task? The writer, whoever he might have been, and there's been much discussion about who wrote Hebrews, the early church, many of the early church did believe it was Paul, there's no question whoever wrote it was very familiar with his thinking, but the language, the language is not Paulian language, it is much more like Luke, and one very interesting theory that has been put forward is that actually, Paul originally wrote this in Hebrew, and Luke translated it into Greek, that would at least give you why you have Paul's thoughts being expressed in Luke's language, the level of the Greek in Hebrews is very, very high, very similar to Luke and Acts at the very top end of the spectrum in the New Testament as far as difficulty is concerned, and so how does the writer go about his task?

He demonstrates the supremacy of Christ. He's demonstrating the supremacy of Christ to press the argument there's nothing to go back to. There's nothing to go back to. Everything that you knew, look at each of the chapters, if each of the chapter visions aren't too bad, sometimes they break in the middle of the thought, but look at each of the chapters, and each one presents to us another aspect of the supremacy of Christ.

You have his supremacy to the Aaronic priesthood in the presentation of the Melchizedek priesthood. You have the supremacy of the high priest over the many high priests who would die and so they could not continue in their office, but he's able to save the uttermost because he ever lives to make an assessment for those who draw nigh unto God by him.

The supremacy of Christ is always the theme all the way through to the faith chapter in chapter 11, and then, as you have in the Book of Romans, you then transition into a presentation of moral, ethical exhortations based upon what you've seen in the theology that comes at the beginning.

And so what we have here in Hebrews chapter one is the first element of this argument that the writer is presenting to the Hebrew Christians. What is the first element? What is the first thing that is presented?

And it is an amazing chapter when you look at it and you consider it. Let's read it together, and again, I will expand on a few thoughts as we're going along, and then I will try to sort of summarize it for you and make application.

After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he created the world.

The Son is the radiance of his glory and the exact representation of his person or his essence, and he sustains all things by the power of his word. And so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.

Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name superior to theirs. For to which of the angels has God ever said, you are my son, this day I have begotten you? And again, I have become to you as a father and you to me as a son.

And when he again brings the firstborn into the inhabited world, he says, let all the angels of God worship him. And indeed, verse seven, he says of the angels, he makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire, but in contrast to that, but of the Son, he says, your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness, you have hated lawlessness, so God, even your God, has anointed you over your companions with the oil of rejoicing. And, and please note, this continues the introduction of verse eight, in other words, to the Son, he says, you of old, Lord, founded the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands.

They will perish, but you continue. They will all as a garment grow old, and as a robe you will fold them up, and as a garment they shall be changed, but you are the same, and your years will never come to an end.

They will never be exhausted, but to which of the angels has he ever said, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?

And so here we have the opening salvo, the opening presentation and representation of the supremacy of Christ. There's so much here, like I said, I only got through three verses of preaching my own church, so I'm gonna have to be disciplined this evening.

Let's try, first of all, to look at the first four verses and summarize them, what is presented to us here? First of all, we have the fact that God has spoken in various ways, some of the commentators suggest that the first verse is saying to us that in certain ways and at certain times in the past, in an incomplete way, through one prophet here, one prophet there, one prophet in Israel, one prophet in Judah, God has spoken to us by the fathers.

This is the way that he has, by the prophets, he's spoken to the fathers of the past. But now in these last days, in this final work of God, in these last days, he has spoken in a new and radical way.

He has spoken unto us in his son. Not through prophets, but now one who is intimately familiar with the father. Reminds me very much of John's language in the prologue, where he describes in those first 18 verses of his gospel, the Logos, and he wraps things up in verse 18, and he tells us that no one has seen God at any time.

The unique God who is in the bosom of the father, he has exegeted him. He has explained him, he has made him known. That's what the son has done. And here the writer of the Hebrews is saying the same thing.

In these last days he has spoken unto us in the son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. Or literally, that's not the word world we would think of the cosmos. It is the ages.

He has created all things through this one. And again, we think of John, we think of Colossians. These are the themes of the early church concerning the Messiah, that he is the one through whom all things have been made.

And so there's a new revelation that has come, and it is a fuller revelation, because it is in one who knows the father intimately. Notice this description of the one through whom all things are created.

This son, verse three, is the radiance of his glory. The radiance of his glory. Now some people have said, well, that means he's secondary, see, because he's just the reflection. But really, how do you even know what the glory of the son is if you do not see its light?

How can you separate the two from one another? The one reveals the other. And again, I see the prologue of John here, because here, he is the radiance of his glory, but we know his glory. Remember the Old Testament, people were afraid to even look upon God, for they might die in seeing the fullness of his glory.

But we see the radiance of his glory in Jesus Christ. What we know of the father's glory, we know because we've seen him. Even in John chapter 12, and I don't have time to open it up to you this evening, but look sometime at John 12, 39 through 41, where there in the gospel we're told that the one that Isaiah saw in his temple vision, Isaiah six, was actually Jesus.

When you ask Isaiah, Isaiah, whose glory did you see? He says, I saw the glory of Jehovah, Yahweh. And then when you ask the same question of John, John, whose glory did Isaiah see? His response is, he saw the glory of Jesus.

And so he is the one who is the very radiance of his glory. He reveals to us the glory of God. But then he is called, and listen to the Greek word, the charakter, the charakter, from which we get, not translation, but a transliteration into our language, character.

He is the very charakter of his essence or his person. Now what is the charakter? Well, I remember many, many moons ago, my mother loved to send out Christmas cards. She had a huge Christmas card list, and she still has beautiful, beautiful handwriting, just, she also played the organ and the piano during musicals and things like that.

But anyway, she would send out Christmas cards, and so she loved to write letters. The internet has destroyed most of that for most of us, I'm afraid, but she loved to write letters, and I remember as a young person, she had this set of stationery, and she had these little candles, and she would light this candle, of course, as a little kid, I'm fascinated by this, and she would drop some wax on the back of the envelope, and then she had this piece of, it was a W, my last name being white, a metal imprint that she would wait for him to sort of blow on it, so I had to practice to do this, and then you would press it into the wax, and when you lifted it up, there was this beautiful W put into the wax.

The sad thing is, those wax things get ripped off by all the machines we use for our posts now, and so people just don't do this kind of thing anymore, but back then, it was all done by hand, and so that's what she would do.

Well, in the olden days, they might have a ring, they would have a signet on the signet ring, and you would do the same thing. If you were sending a shipment, you would put the wax or something on it, and you'd press the ring into it, and it would leave an exact representation, a character of the original, and that's what the word refers to.

Jesus is said to be the very exact representation of his essence or his being. Now, people say, see, that means he's just a copy. That means he's secondary. Please, think with me for just a moment. Outside the realm of those who just absolutely do not want to believe, how can any mere creature be an exact representation of the very essence of being of the infinite God?

It's an impossibility. Instead, you have here that relationship between the Father and the Son, that eternal, intimate relationship that exists between them, being pictured for us. The radiance of this glory, the exact representation of this person, clearly distinguishing between the Father and the Son, and yet clearly telling us we cannot live with the Son to some mere human being, to just a prophet who had thoughts about God.

No, this is one through whom all things have been made. He is the one who has made known to us God. Indeed, it is described by his powerful word. He sustains all things. Is that not a description of Jehovah God of the Old Testament?

By his word of power, he sustains all things. This is Paul's saying, in him all things hold together. So when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, when he himself had made that sacrifice that removes the stain of sin, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.

Later on, that's a text that's gonna come up again in the demonstration of the perfection of Christ's work, that though the high priest would go in every year repetitively, there was no place in the inner tabernacle for him to sit, because his work was never completed.

But Christ is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. His work is done, his work is finished. In that sense, it does not admit a repetition over and over and over again. And so you have immediately these assertions of the divine being of Christ.

And so in the Jewish way of thinking, what are the next beings below God but the angels themselves? And so to demonstrate that Christ is not merely just some Galilean prophet, we now have a comparison, a supporting of these assertions made about him, beginning in verse four, demonstrating the superiority of Christ to the angels.

And so you have prophetic words brought forward here and applied to Jesus Christ. For to which of the angels of God did God ever say, you are my son, today I have begotten you. This coming from 2 Samuel, Psalm 2, 7 we read this morning.

And then also 2 Samuel 7, 14, I will be his father, he will be my son. And then he describes in verse six, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, let all the angels of God worship him. Deuteronomy 32, 43, Psalm 96, 7, and Psalm 103, 4 are all cited in this section where he contrasts the one who is Jesus Christ, the one who is worshiped by the angels with the angels themselves.

Now I just pause for just a moment to sort of warn you. When those folks wake you up on Saturday morning, ring the bell to your front door, and they want to hand you a Watchtower or Wake magazine, they're carrying a Bible which is not actually truly a Bible, it is a perversion of the Bible called the New World Translation.

And when it comes to verse six, and when he again brings his firstborn into the world, he says, all the angels of God worship him. That is the Greek term proskyneto. And proskyneto can refer to non-religious worship.

Soldiers would proskyneto before a more superior soldier. It just simply refers to bowing down. But whenever it is used in a religious context, it refers to worship. For example, people tried to proskyneto the apostles.

And they said, do not do that, worship God. In the Book of Revelation, at one point, John tries to give proskyneto to the angel who showed him all these things. The angel says, do not do that, proskyneto only God.

And so this is the same term that's used here. And ironically, in the New World Translation, whenever proskyneto is used of God, Jehovah God, and they translate it as worship. But here, since it's used of Jesus, they come up with the, oh, it's just an everyday word we all use all the time.

It's just a synonym, right? Do obeisance to. Do obeisance to him. It's purposely trying to hide what is truly going on in this text. Unfortunately, that happens a lot in the New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses.

You need to be aware of that, should you ever have conversations with these folks. But then notice what verse eight says. But of the Son he says. And I emphasize when I read this, that in verse 10, you have the same thing, and introducing another continued quotation going on referring to Jesus Christ.

Now, this text is one of the two texts that I highly recommend to you, that you have ready to use when you have opportunity of explaining why you're a Trinitarian, especially to those folks who pass out at the watchtowers in the wake of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Those of you who have been at the debates know that in both debates, I raised this particular issue. But in the debates, I had to do it very quickly. I couldn't do it in such a way that it would have quite as much weight as it normally would.

Here is what I would recommend to you as you might want to utilize this text in your own witness. If you are talking to one of Jehovah's Witnesses, you don't want to go to Hebrews chapter one first. What you want to do is something along these lines.

I met with some elders of the Witnesses a number of years ago, and they just honestly asked me, well, we just don't understand why anyone would be a Trinitarian. We just don't see it. Why do you believe the doctrine of Trinity?

And I explained to them, I said, well, let me put it this way. There is a reality in the scriptures that you need to understand. I believe that there is one true being of God that is shared by three divine persons that follow the Son and the Spirit.

I differentiate between the word being and persons. And I would like to illustrate why I believe this by using a word that you're quite familiar with, and that is the word Jehovah. Now, I realize the more appropriate way of pronouncing what's called the Tetragrammaton in the Old Testament is Yahweh.

But Jehovah's Witnesses are pretty stuck on the pronunciation Jehovah, so there's really no reason to argue about the issue particularly with them. As soon as they hear you say Jehovah, you're going to catch their attention.

Many times, Jehovah's Witnesses who go door to door so much in their life, they're not really listening to much of what you're saying. That's why I never deal with John 1 1, the Jehovah's Witness, at the door of most Jehovah's Witnesses to respond to John 1 1 in a comatose state.

There is absolutely no thought process going on in their mind as they start droning on to you about the lack of a definite verb in John 1 1c. They're thinking about groceries and the laundry, and they're not even listening to you anymore.

So I just don't suggest using that particular text with Jehovah's Witnesses until you've established more of a foundation and have them listening to you. But they will listen to you when you use their language.

And so I said to them, I would like to explain why I'm a Trinitarian, because I would like to talk about the name Jehovah. And there are many of them, especially if they were raised in Jehovah's Witnesses, that don't think any of the rest of us, even though that word exists, but they think they're the only ones proclaiming the name Jehovah in the world.

And so I knew I had their attention. And I said, the word Jehovah, as you know, is found many thousands of times in the Old Testament. Your own translation actually uses the name Jehovah. The word Jehovah is not found in the New Testament.

In their translation, it is. They've inserted it, by the way, 237 times into the text of the New Testament. But I say to them, the name Jehovah is used in the New Testament of the Father. There are Old Testament texts that were about Jehovah that are applied to the Father in the New Testament, and you would agree with me on that.

Well, yes, yes, yes, we would. But you see, the name Jehovah is also used of Jesus. And the name Jehovah, who is the Spirit of the Lord, but the Spirit of Jehovah. And so it is the fact that the one name Jehovah is used of three distinct persons, and you'd agree with me, the Bible distinguishes between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

But if they're each described as Jehovah, then is that not exactly why I believe in the Doctrine and Trinity? And I had their attention. And so what you do at that point is you ask, could I ask you to read a text from your Bible?

Jehovah's Witnesses are normally willing to read texts in their Bible for you. And so I ask them to begin by reading Psalm 102, verses 25 through 27. I ask them to turn in their Bible to Psalm 102, verses 25 through 27.

And I have them read the text, and I ask them, who is this about? And in their own translation, and just a few verses before that, you'll find the name Jehovah. And if you read the text, it's about how Jehovah is the unchanging creator.

He's the creator of all things, and all things grow old, but he does not grow old. And here's an important thing to do, if you're writing this down, if you're thinking about this. It's an important thing to do.

Ask them this question. Could these words be said of anyone but Jehovah? Is there anyone but Jehovah who is eternal? Is there anyone but Jehovah who is the creator of all things, who does not age, who does not change?

And if they're Orthodox Jehovah's Witnesses, they will answer no. These words can only be said of Jehovah. And then I say, well, keep your finger there in Psalm 102, 25 through 27, and let's look at Hebrews chapter one.

And so I'll take them to Hebrews chapter one, and here's a little insight for you. If they question that this is the same text, once you read it, it's impossible to do so, but even if they question that it is, their own study Bible has a little reference note next to the beginning of verse 10, the center column, that will direct them to Psalm 102, 25 through 27.

So you can use that publication in that way if you so choose to do so. Though, be warned, only use that if you have to, because if you show familiarity with their Bible in that way, they'll probably be packing up their stuff really quickly to get out of there.

I've had Jehovah's Witnesses accuse me of being a former Jehovah's Witness. No one can know the things you know about us unless you're a former Jehovah's Witness, and of course, they're not allowed to speak to former Jehovah's Witnesses, and so they were out the door in no time whatsoever.

So, I have in turn, to Hebrews chapter one, ask them to read, and as they begin to read, you founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you continue.

They will grow old like a garment, and like a rope, you will fold them up, and like a garment, they will be changed, but you are the same, and your years will never run out, clearly, clearly. These are the exact same words of the Greek Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament of Psalm 102, 25 through 27, but that's why I emphasized when I read it, the introduction at verse 10 says, and.

That goes back to the introduction at verse eight, which says, but to the Son, and so these words are being said to the Son. Now, how can we even begin to understand how a monotheistic Jew seeking to write to Hebrew Christians, Hebrew Christians who know the Shema of Deuteronomy 6 .4, Shema, yes, that I am, Yahweh, we're learning Yahweh our God, Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one, how could a monotheistic Jew take the words of Psalm 102, which are so plainly and clearly about the unchanging nature of the creator God himself, and say to the Son, he says, you founded the earth in the beginning.

They will perish, you continue. They will all grow old, your years will never run out. These words are addressed to the Son. There is only one possible way to understand these words, that the author is communicating to us that as to his nature, as to his essence, Jesus Christ is truly the entity, he is Yahweh.

You do not take the unique characteristics, unique characteristics, why do I emphasize that? Little insight here very quickly. When I wrote my book, The Forgotten Trinity, there was a Jehovah's Witness, he's no longer a Jehovah's Witness, interestingly enough, but one who defended Jehovah's Witnesses, I debated in Tampa, Florida in 2003 by the name of Greg Stafford, and he had written a book in defense of Jehovah's Witnesses.

And so as I was writing my book, I read his, I wanted to know what are the best arguments, I wanted to know what the best arguments against my position are so that I can provide the best defense to the people of God.

And one of the things he said in trying to get around texts like this, he said, well, you know, if you look at Hebrews 1 .8, these were words originally written about the Hebrew king. And so if you try to argue the way the Trinitarians argue, you basically be proving that every Hebrew king was Yahweh, if you apply these things to Jesus in this way.

And I had to sit back and I had to think about that, and I had to clarify my own thoughts in light of that, and that's when I realized, well, the problem is, kingship is not unique to Yahweh. There have been many Hebrew kings, Solomon and David, there's just two right there.

There have been many Hebrew kings, so applying kingship in one context might not prove identity, but that's what makes Hebrews 1 .10 -12 so vitally important, is that the attribute that is ascribed to Jesus is absolutely unique to Yahweh.

We're not talking about Hebrew kingship here, we're talking about being the unchanging, eternal creator, and there's only one of those. And so to apply these words to Jesus in this way is to demonstrate without question that the inspired scriptures are identifying for us our savior as the incarnate one.

As John said in John 1 .14, the word became flesh. He dwelt among us, we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten father, full of grace. We beheld him, John even emphasizes in the beginning of 1 John, which our hands have touched and handled.

He wasn't just a phantasm, he truly entered into human flesh. What condescension, and it is that condescension, it is that condescension that the Muslims cannot begin to understand. But then again, can any of us begin to understand that condescension outside of the work of the spirit of God in our hearts?

Remember the text this morning? Jesus opened their understanding so they might understand the scriptures. He opened their minds. If you hear this evening, are somewhat taken aback by the fact that here we are, sitting so many thousands of miles away.

Brother Doug's gonna be heading over toward the Mideast where so much of this took place. It's a long flight. You're going a long ways that way, I'm going a long ways that way. It's a long ways. It's a long ways geographically, it's a long ways time-wise.

We speak a language today that did not exist in that day. Our culture is so much different, our technology is so much farther advanced. And yet here we sit this evening in what binds us together. Our common faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, that these words are true, that God has invaded his own creation and fundamentally altered the relationship of man and God by what he himself did upon the cross of Calvary.

That should make you stop and think once in a while. What an amazing claim is Christianity. And what an amazing thing it is. That Jesus promised, I will build my church. Here we are folks. Sometimes we look around and we say, well there's not many of us here.

But does that mean something? Does that somehow mean that Christ has failed? Here we are so far away, temporally and geographically, and yet we believe. There's only one explanation for that. There's only one explanation.

It is the spirit of God that causes anyone to be able to say, Jesus is Lord. And the great consolation to me is I look at a Western culture that is growing in its hatred of our God and his law. The great consolation is Christ is the one who builds his church.

I don't build it. I seek to edify it, but I can't build the church. Christ does, the king of the nations. As we read in Psalm 2, Psalm 22, long, long ago, God revealed prophetically what he was going to do in Jesus Christ.

And here we are today, and we believe because he by his spirit has changed our hearts. I encourage you to spend more time with Book of Hebrews. I encourage you to learn the Old Testament so well that the argument becomes, your own argument becomes precious to you.

This book has really become a precious possession to me. This is just the start. There's so much more, especially when you start entering into the mediatorship of Christ and his high priesthood and the finished work of Calvary, oh, it's just so rich.

I would highly recommend it to your in-depth study because it truly is a gem in the New Testament, a pearl of great price, shall we say, to use Jesus' language. So I highly recommend it to you. Thank you very much for your listening.

Prayer and Closing Hymn

The word of God, let us go to him now. Indeed, our Heavenly Father, we do thank you for your scriptures. We thank you for your preservation of them down to the ages, despite the hatred of men, the attempt even of the Roman Empire of old to destroy your scriptures.

You have decreed that your people will possess them and will love them and will preach them. And so we thank you that we have them in such abundance. We thank you that we have the freedom this evening to gather here and to speak freely of your truth.

We ask that you would help us to continue to use the freedoms that we have to your honor and glory. And even if the day comes when we must count the cost for being able to speak the whole counsel of God, may we be people who are far more concerned about what you think about us than anyone else.