O Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, the majestic,
sovereign ruler over all, we bow before Thee. We bow before
the throne of grace, coming to Thee in need. We who are Your
people are needy sinners. And oh Lord, we need thee. We
need to hear from thee through each message, Lord. We need thy
Holy Spirit to illuminate the scriptures and teach us the things
of thee. So I pray, Lord, if it be thy
will that you would open the ears of your people, give us
sight through thy illuminating power, show us the things of
thee, oh Lord, And teach us, Lord, just to rest and trust
in thee. Teach us to wait upon thee, to
trust in you no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. And Lord,
you know the circumstances that we've been going through with
this coronavirus, not being able to meet. But Lord, we pray that
if it be your will, that we will be able to meet next Sunday,
and that we will worship thee in spirit and truth, and that
we will be able to see the saints once again and rejoice as we
look at one another and knowing that each believer in Christ,
each born-again, blood-washed believer is a trophy of your
grace and a trophy of your mercy. May our eyes be lifted up to
thee, Lord, through the preaching of thy word. And may you receive
all the glory and all the honor and all the praise. In Jesus'
name, amen. Open your Bibles, if you would,
to Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. The book of Hebrews is a wonderful
book. It's an absolute wonderful book. It sets forth supremacy
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It sets him forth over the supremacy
of Christ over angels. It sets forth the superiority
of the Lord Jesus Christ over Moses. It sets forth the superiority
of the Lord Jesus Christ as priest over God's people, over Aaron
and his sons, over all the priesthood of Israel. And it shows the superiority
of of Christ's priesthood over the Old Priesthood. It also shows
the superiority of Christ's sacrifice over all the other sacrifices
in the Old Testament. It also shows the superiority
of Christ's covenant, the everlasting covenant, over the Old Covenant. And it teaches us the true knowledge
of the mysteries of the law of God, and the design
of it, and the use of it, and the meaning of the ceremonies
that the Israelites did. They all pointed to Christ. They
all pointed to His holiness. They all pointed to Him. And
in this book, there's warnings against apostasy. This book brings
forth the true glory of faith in Christ Jesus, and the fact
that Christ saves those who come to Him. Guilty, guilty sinners. Guilty before God, guilty before
the law of God, and guilty before the justice of God. And it shows
that he's able to save to the uttermost all them that come
to him. All them that come to him. Who
is he? Well, let's read Hebrews chapter
1, verses 1 to 8, and we see a very description of who the
Lord Jesus Christ is Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 to 8 God who
at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto
us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also
he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory in
the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the
word of his power, when he had by himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high,
being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance
obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of
the angels said he at any time, thou art my son, this day have
I begot thee. And again, I will be to him a
father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he bringeth
in the first begotten into the world, he saith, let all the
angels worship him. And of the angels, he saith,
who maketh his angel spirits and his ministers a flame of
fire, but unto the sun. The one spoken of in verse two.
The one spoken of who is the heir of all things. The one spoken
of who is the creator of all things. The creator of all that
we see, visible and invisible. Unto the sun, he saith, thy throne,
O God, Thy throne, O God, is forever
and ever. A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of thy kingdom. Listen to this quote by Brother
Jack Shanks on this wonderful book. He writes this, Hebrews
is the most difficult New Testament book to understand, clearly. Someone said that in order to
do so, the reader must have a pretty thorough knowledge of the Old
Testament, especially of Leviticus. This probably rules out, he wrote,
a good percentage of today's Christians. So we have a great
need for this study. I do not know all about this
book yet. Do you, he asked? It is not difficult to grasp
its overall theme. It is the one who is the brightness
of God's glory and express image of his person. Look at verse
1 again. God, who at sundry times and in divers
manner spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophet. We
see the first word of verse 1, first word of this book, God. God. In the Greek, this is theos, which is defined as properly
God, the creator and owner of all things. Well, this is brought forth,
we know, in both the Old Testament and the New. In Genesis chapter
1, it says, in the beginning, God, Elohim, created the heaven
and the earth. And the earth was without form
and void. Darkness was upon the face of
the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God, Elohim, the Mighty One, said, let there be light. And
there was light. And then in John 1, 1, actually
John 1, 1 to 3, it says this, in the beginning was the word.
And the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by him.
And without him, and without him was not anything made that
was made. Without him, without him, without God, It
was not anything made that was made. I came across this in my studies.
The word theos, long before the New Testament was written, referred
to the supreme being who owns and sustains all things. Let's look at this verse again.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets. God, the one who the
scriptures declare that all things were made by him and without
him was not anything made that was made. God, theos, God. Who at sundry times and in divers
manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.
Now we see here in verse one that God raised up human servants,
prophets, with all their faults and all their frailty. And they
were raised up to prepare the way for Christ. They proclaimed
that someone is coming. Someone is coming. And God spoke
through his prophets, we see here. But they were in no way
on par with Christ. They were messengers, beloved.
They were heralds of Christ's coming. They were heralds of
the Messiah. They were herald of God coming. Jehovah's servant, as we looked
at this morning. And God spoke through the prophets
just as truly as he now speaks through Christ. And Christ Jesus himself claimed
that the prophets testify of him. Turn, if you would, to John
chapter 5. Look at this. Our master, the Lord Jesus Christ,
he proclaimed that the scriptures testify of him. Him. God incarnate in the flesh. John chapter 5, let's look at
verses 33 to 40. You sin unto John and he bear
witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from
men, these things I say that ye might be saved he was a burning
and shining light and you were willing for a season to rejoice
in his light John testified of Christ I was reading Tim James
and he said he said John was the last of the Old Testament
prophets and he was the first of the New Testament preachers
I like that He pointed people to the Messiah,
to Christ. Look what it says in verse 36,
but I have a greater witness than that of John, for the works
which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that
I do bear witness of me, that the Father has sent me. And the Father himself, which
has seen me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard
his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding
in you, for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures, for in
them ye think ye have eternal life, and there they which testify
of me. and you will not come to me that
you might have life. Look at that in verse 39. Search
the scriptures. That's the Old Testament, beloved.
That's the Old Testament. Search the scriptures, for in
them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which
testify of me. God incarnate in the flesh, the
Lord Jesus Christ spoke these words from his own lips. Search
the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and
they are they which testify of me." So we see very clearly then
here in verse 1. Let's go back to Hebrews chapter
1, verse 1. We see here very clearly in verse
1 of the book of Hebrews that God spake and times passed through
the prophets. And we saw in John 5.39 there
that the prophets spoke of Christ. Let's read verse one again. God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets. The Holy Spirit of God has given
us this wonderful book right here. He's given us this wonderful
book which will show the believer
in Christ As God reveals the truth, we'll show the believer in Christ
the magnificence of our great Savior. And we'll show the believer
in Christ the contrast between Christ and all those types and
shadows in the Old Testament. You bring forth the supremacy
of Christ. He reveals, the Holy Spirit reveals
these truths, the contrast with Christ and the prophets, and
with every element of the old covenant. Christ, in his glory, so evidently
set forth, is far exceeding the best of
God's creatures, and far exceeding the capabilities of all the law,
as it refers to the priesthood, as well as the various sacrifices,
rites, and ceremonies. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. Let's read verses 1 and 2 again.
And we see here in these two verses that God declares that the Lord is heir over all
things. God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days, we've been in the last
days since the death of Christ, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds. Now, the first verse declares
that God spake in times past to the fathers by the prophets. What did he speak to them about? Well, it's clear. It's clear
in the scriptures that he spoke to them about mercy and redemption
through Christ, the Messiah. Listen to these verses. Jot them
down if you want. which bring forth that the Old
Testament prophets spoke of Christ. Acts chapter 10, verse 43, to
him gave all the prophets witness. All the prophets witnessed and
testified of Christ, that through his name, whosoever believeth
in him shall receive the remission of sins. What a wonderful verse. Whosoever believeth in him shall
receive the remission of sins. Do you believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ? If you don't, I pray God grant
your faith to believe on him. Because that scripture there
declares that whosoever believe in him, believeth in him shall
receive remission of sins, forgiveness of all their sins. In Luke 24 verses 44 and 45,
the scriptures declare this. And he said unto them, these
are the words which I spake unto you while I was with you, that
all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law
of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me. And this is Christ on the road to Arimaeus with the two.
And then listen to what he says in verse 45. And this is true
of every born-again blood-washed believer. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the
scriptures. John 5, 46, the Lord says, for had you believed
Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote of me. You see who the prophets spoke
of? They spoke of Christ. They spoke of the Messiah. John
chapter 8, verses 56 to 58, the Lord says this, your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day. He's speaking to some Jewish
folks there. Your father Abraham rejoiced
to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. Then said the Jews, thou art
not yet 50 years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? And then,
oh, what a wonderful verse. Oh, what a wonderful verse. Jesus
said unto them in John chapter 8 verse 58, and Jesus saith unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. He proclaimed his deity right
in front of them. He proclaimed to them that he
was the great I am. And that's God incarnate in the
flesh doing that. That's not no mere man. That's
Jehovah's servant declaring, before Abraham was, I am. My. So Christ was proclaimed
and testified all through the Old Testament. Christ was prophesied
to come. Christ was pictured and sacrificed
in types all through the Old Testament. And he was pictured
and typed by the smitten rock. He was pictured in type by the
tabernacle. Do you know the tabernacle in
the wilderness? It was just covered in skins
like all the other tents. So on the outside, you couldn't
tell it was the holy of holies, the tabernacle. But inside, oh,
there was gold. Gold and all these beautiful
works Well, Christ on the outside just appeared as a normal man,
didn't he? But inside, inside, he is God incarnated in the flesh,
beloved. Oh, my. So what a picture we
have there. He's pictured in the brazen serpent,
was lifted up. And all who looked to that brazen
serpent lived, didn't they? Well, all who looked to Christ
lived. He's pictured in the Passover.
We know that. He was told that that plague was going to come
through Egypt, and the firstborn of the Egyptians would die. And the only way that the death
angel would pass is if the blood was on that lentil, right? Oh, but in every Israelite house,
someone did die. Something did die. It's a Passover
lamb, right? which pictured Christ, when I see the blood, I'll pass
over them. Wonderful. What a picture of
the Lord's people being protected in Christ. So we see here in verses 1 and
2 a contrast between the prophets of the Old Testament who prophesied
of Christ and the supreme prophet. the Supreme Prophet, the Lord
Jesus Christ, whom they spoke of and whom they testified of. It says here, God, who at sundry
times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers
by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his
Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he
made the worlds. So we see a contrast brought
before us here. In this contrast, there's no
diminishing the prophets of the Old Testament. Our Lord himself
brought forth their importance when he said, search the scriptures,
for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they
which testify of me. So in John 5.39, he brought forth
the importance of the Old Testament prophets, but they in no way
compare to Christ. is the supreme prophet he's the
messenger of the covenant and not only is he the messenger
of the covenant he's the message of the covenant he's the message of the covenant
as well the prophets spoke of Christ
Jesus our Lord and they spoke of him as the
Messiah coming He is that prophet which would
come. He is that prophet who declares
the Father. Turn, if you would, to John 1,
verse 18. He's the prophet who declares
the Father. See, the prophets declared Christ.
Christ is coming. But Christ is the one who declares
the Father. Because he is the prophet of
prophets. He's the supreme prophet. Look at this in John chapter
1 verse 18. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten son, which
is in the bosom of the father, he hath declared him. Christ is the prophet who declares
the father. Again, all the other prophets
declared Christ. Christ has come and they testify
to him. And Christ comes and he declares the father. He declares Him. So we see then that Christ again
is the messenger of the covenant. He's the one spoken of by the
prophets. He's the supreme prophet. Let's look at verse 2 of Hebrews
chapter 1, and this is very evident in this verse. We know God, we saw in verse
1 there that God spoke to the fathers through the prophets.
Now look at verse 2. Hath in these last days spoken
unto us, Paul's writing, the born-again blood-washed believers,
hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, and by whom also he made the
worlds. With these words, Last days,
the prophets that operated under the old covenant are subject
to the singular prophet of the new covenant. These last days signify the end
of the first covenant and the establishment of the second.
They do not signify the end of the Old Testament, but rather
the unveiling of it and the declaration of what it testified of. And that's bought forth evidently.
If you study this book, it's bought forth evidently in this
book because Paul uses the Old Testament extensively in this
book in proclaiming the superiority and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The voice we are to hear and
heed is the one who speaks from heaven. God the Father said,
this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. Hear ye him. Hear ye Him. If Christ is the ultimate messenger
of God, we must listen to Him, and Him alone. Even in the Old
Testament times, those who lived before Christ were justified
by faith in the coming Messiah. They looked to Christ. They looked
to Him. We know that because the passage
in John chapter 8 verse 56 where it says your father rejoiced
to see my day and he saw it and was glad Abraham was looking
to Christ beloved oh my and all the Old Testament
saints they look forward to Christ they look forward to the anointed
one they look forward to Jehovah's Servant who would come and redeem
his people Abraham, by faith, looked to
Christ. He looked right to Christ. And it says there, he rejoiced
to see my day. And he saw it. He was given eyes
to see Christ by faith. And was glad. And was glad. Now in our day,
We are confronted by many messengers, each claiming to show us the
way to God. They say things like this, all
religions lead to God. How many times have you heard
that? If you had a penny for every time you heard that, you'd
probably be rich, because you hear it all the time. They say,
oh, all religions lead to God. And
they say we must study and absorb those teachings to understand,
to find our way to God. But our Lord Jesus Christ warned
us. He warned us that many false Christs would arise and that
they would draw men away from themselves, draw men away. He
said this in Matthew 24, 24, for there shall arise false Christs. Yeah. And false prophets. And shall
show great signs and wonders. Oh, they do all these things.
In so much that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
See, but God keeps his people, doesn't he? He keeps his people. One grace preacher of old made
this comment, and it's true even today. He said this, there is a religious
supermarket out there. A religious supermarket with
all these different religions. Goes on to say, where men may
pick and choose if all we want is religion. But only Christ brings the message
of God. Only Christ brings the message
of God. He said, the Father said of Christ, hear him, end quote. Brother Jack Shanks said that. So we know then, we who are the
people of God, we know the only hope for sinners
is Christ. And he who is, he is who the
sinner must flee to, and him alone. We say look to Christ without
moving a muscle. I heard Brother Norm say that
today. Look to Christ without moving a muscle. Flee to Christ without moving
a muscle. Some call we grace preachers
old fashioned because, We only preach Christ. Religious people
always want something new. And I ask you who are the saints
of God, do you want something new or do you want that which
is true? Turn if you would to Acts chapter
17. We see Paul confronted by those
who are like the religious people of our day, who always want something
new. I was talking to a dear sister
in Christ on the phone this week, and we were discussing this very
passage. And it's a very good place to
take superstitious religious people. It's a very good passage
to take them to. Acts chapter 17, starting in verse 18. Then certain
philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered
him. And some said, what will this babbler say? Others, some, he seemeth to be
a setter forth of strange gods, because he preached unto them
Jesus in their resurrection. Now the Epicureans there, they
were a band of philosophical liberals. They did admit God's
being or some sort of a God's being, not the true God, and
they thought God was somewhat like themselves, good but not
great, gracious but not glorious, and they denied creation and
the resurrections. And the Epicureans lived for pleasure. The Stoics there were the philosophical
conservatives of their day. They believed in creation by
God, some God, not the true and living God. They believed in
the resurrection of the body and they taught moral virtue.
And they believed in the power of the human will. And of course, denied God's sovereign
rule of the world. That sounds familiar, doesn't
it? And take note, the Apostle Paul
confronted the men of Athens with the claims of God's character.
At the very points, they were most rebellious. We're seeing
in these scriptures here that he declares four things about
the character of God that are essential to true worship. And
we're seeing them brought forth in these verses. Let's read verse
19 now. And they took him and brought
him onto Areopagus saying, may we know what this new doctrine
whereof thou speakest is. Now the Areopagus was an ancient
college of justice in Athens. And it was there that people
were taken for them to have judgment pronounced upon them on some
of the worst criminals. It was up on a hill called Mars
Hill, and you had to walk stairs to get up to it. And Paul was brought here before
the council of Erigopolis, neither to be tried by the city judges,
nor to address the Athenian people, nor to discuss with the philosophers,
but to explain to the university and the court the nature of his
doctrines. And all this happened, beloved.
Remember, all this is falling out according to the providence
and will of God. All this is falling out according
to God's will and providence. And it's happening for our learning,
for God's born-again, blood-washed people to learn of our great
God. Let's look at what's written
now in verses 20 to 24. For thou bringest certain strange
things to our ears. We would know thereof, or therefore,
what these things mean. For all the Athenians and strangers,
which were there, spent their time in nothing else, but either
to tell or to hear something, some new thing. They wanted to
hear something new. Then Paul stood in the midst
of Mars' hills and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in
all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by and beheld
your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the
unknown God, whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare
I unto you. that made the world, and all
things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Now here, remember
I said there's four things that are going to be brought forth.
Look at two things in this verse right here. Two things in verse
24 that God, that Paul brings forth by inspiration of the Holy
Spirit of God. Number one, God is the creator
and original source of all things. God that made the world and all
things therein. That's bought forth very clearly.
And then number two, God's absolute sovereignty over all things is
bought forth as well. Seeing that he is Lord of heaven
and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Then read verse 25. Neither is
worship with man's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing
he giveth to all life and breath and all things. So we see at
the latter part of verse 24, he dwelleth not in temples made
with hands. And then it brings forth in verse
25, neither is worship with man's hands, as though he needed anything,
seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things. Paul
again here, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, brings
forth in verse 25 that God is spirit. The latter part of verse
24 and in verse 25, Another truth that's brought forth, the third
truth, is that God is spirit. And that he requires we who know
him, his people, to worship him in spirit and in truth. He has,
God has no regard for imaginary idols. And Paul, a believer in Christ,
has no regard for imaginary idols. We serve the living and true
God. And then in verses 26 to 29,
the last point brought forth is that God sovereignly rules
and disposes of all men according to his own purpose, in pleasure,
in predestination. Look at this. Verse 26. and hath made of one
blood all nations for men to dwell on all the face of the
earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the
bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord, if
happily they might feel after him and find him, though he be
not far from every one of us. For in him we live and move and
have our being, as certain also of your own poets have said,
For we are also his offspring. So Paul brings forth here that
God is a sustainer of all things. Saved people and lost people.
Every single thing on this earth. Everything we see and everything
we don't see. For as much, then, as we are
the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead
is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's
device. So here he contrasts that the
great sovereign God over all is not like those graven images.
And remember, they used to make images out of all kinds of things.
And Paul brings forth here that the Godhead Father, Son, the
Holy Spirit is not like under gold or silver or stone graven
by art and man's device, because that stone is nothing but a stone.
And that silver idol is nothing but silver. And that gold idol
is nothing but gold. It's dead. There's no life to
it, is there? So don't even compare it to the Godhead, beloved, to
the true and living God. That's what he's bringing forth
is the contrast between their idols and the true
and living God. In the times of this ignorance,
God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
That goes forward, doesn't it? In the gospel call is a call
for all men to repent. Flee to Christ without moving
a muscle. Cry out like the publican, God
be merciful to me, a sinner. Brother Norman, the message Vicki
and I listened to today, he brought forth us seven words there, seven
precious words. God be merciful to me, a sinner. Oh, precious, precious words. Look what it says in verse 31
to 33 here, it says, Because he hath appointed a day
in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man,
by Christ, whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And
when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, and
others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul
departed from them. Paul brought forth that God is
the creator of all things there in verse 24. He bought forth,
in verse 24, that our great God of Acts 17 there. Look at that. Acts 17, 24. God that made the
world in all things therein, seeing that it is he, seeing
that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelt not in temples made
with hands. Now let's go back to Hebrews
chapter 1. Look at verse 2. Look what it says. Look what
it says. It says there in Acts 17.24 that
God created the world, right? And we know that in the beginning
was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.
All things were made by him and without him was not anything
made that was made. And we know in the beginning God created
heaven and earth. Look what it says here in Hebrews chapter
1 verse 2. Oh, it just, and we're going to see here. why Christ
is the superior prophet. Hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made what? The world. Christ is the supreme prophet.
He's God incarnate in the flesh. He's the one Paul spoke of over
in Acts 17, 24, who created the world. My. Then it says in verse 3 and 3
to 4 in Hebrews 1 says, who be in the brightness of his glory
and express image of his person and upholding all things by the
word of his power. Oh, everything's upheld by the
word of Christ's power, even us. That brings us Lord, doesn't
it? Everything we have, everything
we are, We are upheld by the word of the power of God. Upholding all things by the word
of his power, when he had himself purged our sins, he purged the
sins of his people. What did he do? He sat down,
beloved. Work's done. It's finished. When someone's sitting down,
they're not working, are they? Oh, it says there, when he had
by himself, he did this on his own, he purged the sins of his
people all by himself. When he had by himself purged
our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty on
high, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by
inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Note also in verse 2, the messenger of the covenant, the
everlasting covenant, is the Lord Jesus Christ. And again,
he is heir of all things, it says here. Hath in these last
days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of
all things, by whom also he made the worlds. Christ is the heir
of all things. The father has bestowed upon
Christ the highest honor conceivable. And he's bestowed that upon his
son, his beloved son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, ancient rulers
were known to give half their kingdoms to those they wished
to honor. But we see here that the father
gave the son. What the father gave the son
is total. It's total. And this is beyond
human comprehension, beloved. It's beyond human comprehension.
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son whom he hath
appointed heir of what? Some things? All things. All things. By whom also he made the worlds. And we cannot even understand
what God has planned for those who are the born-again, blood-washed
people of God, those who believe in Christ. So knowing that we can't even
understand those things that he's planned for us, how can we understand what he's
prepared for his only begotten son? Here's a lesson for the
people of God. If God so honors Christ, ought
not man to do the same? If God so esteems Christ and
honors Christ, ought not man to do the same? Many claim to honor Christ who
actually dishonor him. Some by their behavior, some
by their words. Others fail to give him the preeminence. Some people want the glory just
for themselves. But Christ-centered preaching is the exception rather than
the rule, isn't it? Christ-centered preaching is
the exception rather than the rule. We are told in John 5, verse
23, that all men should honor the Son. All men should honor
the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not
the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. To worship
Christ is to worship God. And anyone who does not exalt
the Son of God does not know Him. Does not know Him. What will Christ inherit? Well,
certainly heaven and earth together with their inhabitants, but his
inheritance is not limited to the earth. It embraces the universe. It's all his. It's all his. It
is for him. All things were created by him
and for him. Listen to what's brought forth,
though, in Ephesians chapter 1, verses 18 and 19. Paul was writing to the saints
at Ephesus, and his desire is this, that the eyes of your understanding
be enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling,
and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe
according to the working of his mighty power. It says there,
and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. In Ephesians chapter 1 verse
18, the chief joy of Christ is his people. It's his people, beloved. Those whom he has redeemed, those
he has purchased with his precious blood at Calvary, Those whom
he has saved from their sins because he purged our sins by
himself with his own precious blood. Those who he was sent here to
save from their sins and he died in their place as their substitute
before God's law and justice. Those who are born again by the
power of God the Holy Spirit. Those who have been given God,
given faith and repentance before God. There is joy. Because they're his bride. And he purchased them. Every
single one that the father gave him in eternity, he purchased
them with his own precious blood. How can he but love them? And they're his joy. His chief
joy is the body of Christ. Think of that. Think of that
in contrast to this whole universe. You can go places and see some
of the most spectacular things ever. And it just absolutely
makes our minds go, look at that. Look what our great God has done. But God finds more joy, Christ
finds more joy in his people than we see, than we feel looking
at that awesome sight of what our great King made. God's Christ's chief joy is the
body of Christ amid all this universe. Christ treasures most
the sinners he redeemed. And because we are redeemed by
him, we are rich in spiritual blessings, aren't we? Because
we know that all spiritual blessings are in him. Remember over in
Acts 17, 24, again, Paul brought forth that God created the world
and all things therein. I'll read that again. God that
made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord
of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
And we see brought forth in the latter part of verse 2 of Hebrews
chapter 1 that Christ is the creator. See, Christ is not just mere
man or good teacher, like some people like to say, who don't
know who he is. And we may have even said that
in our natural state. about him. But look what verse 2 declares.
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of
all things, by whom also he made the world. Christ made the worlds. We see
clearly this brought forth in this verse. And remember, this
is penned under inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Christ made the worlds. The Lord
Jesus Christ is the creator over all, as well as the heir of all
things. Creation had a purpose, and the
end of creation is the redemption and glorification of the bride
of Christ. Called the church, the ecclesia,
a called out assembly. And we've seen today that the
scriptures testify of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we've also
seen here that Christ is unrivaled in his excellence as the heir
of God appointed over all things. He's unrivaled, beloved. All
things belong to Christ, our great mediator and substitute. And as the heir of all things,
He has the absolute right to do whatever he pleases with those
things. Now, we know the scripture declares that none can stay his
hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Jesus Christ is the Lord. He is the unrivaled sovereign
of the universe. Over all things in heaven, and
in earth, visible and invisible. And the scriptures declare that
he who is God, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior
of his people, that he does as he wills in the army of heaven
and among the heavens of the earth, and none can stay his
hand. None. So he makes one vessel a vessel
of honor by his choice, and he makes another vessel a vessel
of dishonor by his choice. He makes one a vessel of mercy,
and he makes one a vessel of wrath to show forth the riches of his
grace. And also, on one he shows the
riches of his grace, the vessel of honor and mercy, and on the vessel of wrath, he
shows forth, he shows forth the severity of his justice. And he does this exactly as it
pleased him from all eternity. And Christ is the appointed heir
of all things. Behold your God. The Lord Jesus Christ. Behold
the Lamb of God. He is the greater. He is the
supreme prophet. He's the heir of all things.
And he's absolutely sovereign. And I pray, my prayer is that
God, if you have not bowed your knee to him, that God will make you willing
to bow your knee to him. Because if you don't bow your knee to
him here, Every knee shall bow and every
tongue shall confess one day that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father. And those who are vessels of
mercy, by God's divine decree and purpose, shall enter into
the joy of his rest. And those who are vessels of
wrath shall be cast into hell in eternal torment. God's people say, praise be to
God who has made me to differ. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your mercy which you have
shown to your people. Vassals of mercy. Vassals of
mercy. And we who are your people, we know the only one who has
made us to differ is the And it humbles us, Lord. We pray that you would teach we who are your
people through your word, that we'd think upon the things that
we've looked at tonight. We pray you'd be glorified through
the preaching of your word. And as this message goes forth,
that you'd use it for your glory and honor and praise, oh Lord.
Be with us through this week. Help us to remember the things
that were spoken of today, Lord. And help we who are your people
to rejoice. Rejoice that you who are sovereign
over all and the creator of all things has saved your people
from their sins. Glory to you, Lord. In Jesus'
name, amen.