where it says he chose us in
Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy. With his workmanship created
in Christ Jesus who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. So he says, holy brethren who
are partakers of a heavenly holy calling, I want you to consider
I want you to give your undivided attention to the Lord Jesus Christ. And he calls him here our apostle. Was Christ an apostle? Christ
had 12 apostles. But Paul calls him an apostle.
An apostle is a messenger, one sent of God with a message. Is
he an apostle? Well, let's turn to Isaiah 61. a messianic prophecy in the Old
Testament, Isaiah 61. Is he an apostle? Is he a messenger
sent of God to proclaim a message? Isaiah 61, and this is Christ
because he chose this scripture when he came to Nazareth to preach
at the synagogue for the first time. This is the scripture he
chose. of which he said it's fulfilled
in your ears. The spirit of the Lord God is
upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach, to preach
good tidings to the meek. He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty, to proclaim, to preach and proclaim
liberty to the captives, the opening of prison to them that
are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. I want you
to consider that prophet, that apostle, appointed son of God,
not only to perfect salvation, but to proclaim it. But then
he calls him also in this verse, our high priest, consider, give
the utmost undivided attention to Jesus Christ, who is the apostle,
and the high priest of our profession. Turn with me to Hebrews 9. Hebrews 9 verse 11. We have a
priest. We have a priest. We have a high
priest. Not one of the tribe of Levi,
a descendant of Ava. We have a priest after the order
of Melchizedek, a priest forever. The great high priest of God.
It's our Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 11, Hebrews 9, but Christ
being come a high priest, a high priest of good things to come
by a greater and more perfect tabernacle. We're not talking
about an earthly tabernacle, an earthly temple. A tabernacle
not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
and neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood.
He entered in once, not many sacrifices, one time, into the
holy place. Where is this holy place? Into
heaven itself, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Verse 24, Christ is not entered
into that holy place made with our hands, which are but figures
of the truth, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us. partakers of the heavenly calling,
take time out, utmost undivided attention, and consider that
apostle and that high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. Verse 2 says, he was faithful.
He was faithful to Him that appointed him, as also to God who called
him. Christ was a servant too. faithful
to God who called him. Turn to Isaiah 42. Was our Lord
a servant? Yep. Isaiah 42, turn over there. You know, it says over in, while
you're finding Isaiah 42, it says in Philippians, let this
mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, yet made himself of no reputation
and took on himself the form of a servant. a servant. Moses was a servant, faithful
in his house. Christ was a servant, faithful
to him who called him. Isaiah 42, listen. Behold, look,
God says, my servant. If we could just get folks to
look. Consider Christ Jesus. God says,
behold, lo, my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect in whom
my soul delighteth. I put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment
to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up,
nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. He's not a rabble-rouser.
He's not a troublemaker. He's not a general on a horse.
He's not leading an army. A bruised reed shall he not break.
The smoking flax shall he not quench. But he'll bring forth
judgment to the truth. And he'll not fail. And he'll
not be discouraged till he has set judgment in this earth. And I'll wait for his love. That's
my servant. That's my servant. Moses was
a servant in God's house. He fulfilled God's will. He did
what God sent him to do. Christ is a servant who fulfilled. He says, I finished the work
you gave me to do. Therefore glorify me with the
glory I had with thee before the world was." Now back to our
text. Now verse 2 says, Christ was
faithful to him who appointed him, who anointed him, who sent
him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. But this man,
oh, this man, is counted worthy of more glory than Moses. Paul
is writing to the Hebrews. Get this now, the Hebrews. Moses
was their Idol they said we have Moses Christ talked to them.
He they said we have Moses Christ if you believe Moses you to believe
me Moses wrote of me, but we have Abraham and So Paul writing
to these people He said Moses was a servant Christ was a servant
but this man Christ Was counted more worthy of more glory than
Moses. I Showed you The first Sunday
when I preach from Hebrews, the word better. Paul uses the word
better through the book of Hebrews. Christ is better than the angels,
better than Moses, better than the tabernacle, better sacrifice,
better covenant, better promises, better country. Now watch this
as Paul goes through this book of Hebrews with this man, this
man. There it is there in Hebrews
3, 3. This man, but turn to Hebrews 7. Hebrews 7, verse 24. Verse 23 says, and they truly
were many priests. There were many priests, Old
Testament priests, because they were not suffered to continue
by reason of death. Their priesthood was limited
because they died. They weren't just men, they died.
But this man, he hath an unchanging, this man,
because he continueth ever, hath an unchanging push to it. Wherefore
he is able to save. They weren't able to save, their
sacrifices weren't able to save, but he is. He's able to save
to the uttermost, evermore, them that come to God by him, seeing
he ever He never dies. His goings forth have been of
old, from everlasting. He's a priest forever. He ever
lived to make intercession for them. This man. Now turn to Hebrews
8 verse 3, right across the page. Again, Paul's talking about those
Old Testament priests. Every high priest. Aaron was
the first one, but there were many more. Every high priest
is ordained of God. Every high priest is ordained
to offer gifts and sacrifices before God, wherefore it's of
necessity that this man have somewhat to offer. What's a priest
without a sacrifice? What's a priest without a blood
atonement? It's the blood that makes the atonement for the soul.
What's a priest without an offering to God for forgiveness? So Christ
He must have somewhat to offer. But can you imagine him bringing
the blood of a lamb? Can you imagine him bringing
earthly elements? He brought his own blood. This
man must have somewhat to offer. All right, Hebrews 10. You need
to mark these scriptures. They're just so powerful. This man, Hebrews 10, verse 12,
listen to this. Verse 11 says, every priest standeth. He never sat down, his work was
never finished, standeth daily, every day. Many sacrifices, ministering,
offering all the time the same sacrifices, which can never take
away sin. But this man, after he'd offered
one sacrifice forever, sat down. His work finished on the right
hand of God. where he is our forerunner, entering
within the veil as our intercessor and representative. Go back to
the text, Hebrews 3. Moses was a servant, faithful
to God who appointed him. Christ was a servant, faithful
to God who appointed him. But this man, this God-man, this
man is worthy of more honor, counted worthy of more glory.
than Moses. Now what's this? Inasmuch as he who had built
the house has more honor than the house. He who built the house
has more honor than the house. Now, for every house, verse 4,
is built by some man. A house doesn't build itself.
There are four things involved in building a house. I know this. I've built a house.
First, it must be planned. It's got to be some blueprints
drawn. It's got to be a plan, where
everything goes and how everything is put together. Secondly, you've
got to get the material together. You've got to prepare the material. Thirdly, you've got to pay for
it. You've got to pay for the material. You've got to buy it. Fourthly, you've got to build
a house. Now this house he's talking about
here, every house is built by some man. He that builds all
things is God. Now God's building a house. It's
called a church. It's called a living temple.
Turn back to Matthew chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16. Our Lord Jesus Christ speaking
to His disciples here in Matthew 16. And He says, verse 15, He
said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Who am I? This man worthy of apostle, high
priest, worthy of more glory. Who am I? Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou. Oh, how blessed you
are, Simon, son of Jonah. Flesh and blood hath not revealed
it to thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say unto
thee, thou art Peter. Call him Simon Bar-Jonah, and
I changes his name to Peter, a stone. And upon this rock,
what rock? On Peter? Oh, he'd be a poor
foundation for a church, wouldn't he? On this testimony. who I am. Who am I? You're the
Christ, the Son of God. On this rock, I'll what? I'll
build my church. I'll build my house, the house
of God. I'll build my temple. And the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. So let's go through the scriptures
and see about these four things I said. First, there must be
a plan. If you're going to build a house,
you plan. Now turn with me to Acts 15,
verse 18. God planned this temple. God
planned this church. God planned this kingdom in Acts
15, 18. When did he plan it? Known unto
God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Turn
to 2 Timothy, chapter 1. 2 Timothy 1 verse 9. God had saved us, who had saved
us, called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose, plan, and grace, which was given
us in Christ before the world began. Known unto God are all
his works from the beginning, which he purposed in Christ Jesus
before the world began, the foundation of God's standard sure, the foundation
having this seal, God knows them that are here. All right? He
planned it. Then he prepared the material.
Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. He prepared the material. But
I'll tell you, before he prepared us, the living stone, he prepared
the cornerstone, our Redeemer. Hebrews 10. Verse 5, let's look
at this. Wherefore, when he cometh into
the world, our Savior, our substitute, our Lord, he said, Sacrifice
an offering thou wouldest not, but a body thou hast prepared
for him. In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin, God's never had any pleasure. Then said our Lord,
I come, and the volume of the book is written of me to do thy
will, O God. Above, when he said, Sacrifice
and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin, thy would
is not, neither had pleasure therein which are offered by
the law. Then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God, he taketh
away the first and establishes the second. By the which will
we are sanctified through the offering of the body, that body
of Jesus Christ which God prepared, that body of Jesus Christ once
for all, God prepared cornerstone, then he prepared the living stones
to be built on the cornerstone. Turn to Romans chapter 9, verse
23. Romans 9, verse 23. In verse
22 of verse 21, he says, hath not
the potter power over the clay? of the same lump to make one
vessel unto honor, another unto dishonor? What if God, willing
to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction,
and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the
vessels of mercy which he afore long ago prepared unto glory?"
He planned the house. He prepared the cornerstone,
and he prepared the vessels and the living stones, and he said,
I go to prepare a place for you in my kingdom, in my house, in
my church. And then he paid for it. You
plan your house, you prepare the material, and you got to
pay for it. First Corinthians says this,
don't turn, you've read this so many times, you're bought
with a price. You're bought with a price, therefore
glorify God in your body, which is His. Second, First Corinthians
7.23 says, Be not the service of men. You're bought with a
price. We're not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver
and gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. God bought
and paid for every stone He puts in His house. And then He builds
it. First Peter. Let me wear you
a little bit more here. Turn to First Peter, chapter
2. I know it's difficult to turn to these scriptures and find
them and listen to me at the same time, but turn to this,
1 Peter 2. Every house is built by some
man. And he that built all things, eternal things, spiritual things,
living things, lasting things is God. And he planned it. He prepared the material. He
paid for it. He redeemed it. Now watch this,
1 Peter 2, verse 4. Verse 3, If so be ye have tasted
that the Lord is gracious, to whom coming? As unto a living
stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God. This is Christ
and precious, the precious cornerstone. You also, as living stones, are
built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood. to offer up spiritual
sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore, also as contained
in the Scriptures, in Isaiah 28, behold, I lay in Zion a chief
cornerstone elect. Christ be my first elect, God
said, and chose us in our head, precious, and he that believeth
on him. will never be confounded. Unto
you, therefore, which believe he's precious, unto them which
be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the
same the builders, God's the builder, these other builders
are the Jewish leaders, they rejected him. But the stone which
they rejected is made the head of the corner, and to them a
stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. to them that stumble
at the word, being disobedient, whereunto they were appointed.
But you, chosen generation, God-planted, a royal priesthood redeemed,
a holy nation made righteous, a peculiar people, that you should
show forth the praises of Him who gathered you, who called
you out of darkness into His marvelous light. This man is counted worthy of
more honor and glory inasmuch as he that built the house has
more praise than the house. We're not praising ourselves.
We're his people, and we're made a living temple, and your body's
a temple of the Holy Spirit. You are the temple of God. But the praise goes to him that
built us, him that chose us and prepared us paid for us and called
us and put us together. He brought us together. A man
didn't do it. You didn't do it either. He brought
us together. And he'll bring, when the last one's brought and
put in the temple, he's coming back when he finishes his house. Verse 5, let's look at verse
5 and 6 a moment. And Moses, he was faithful in
all his house as a servant. He's a good servant. That's what
I want to be. Don't you? Moses verily was faithful in
all of his house as a servant for a testimony of those things
which were to be spoken after. Moses wrote of Christ, prophesied
of Christ, wrote the promises of Christ coming, things would
be fulfilled. But Christ, while he is a servant,
a faithful servant, Moses never was anything but a servant. That's
all he ever was, was a servant. He wasn't a savior, only a servant. But Christ, listen, He's the
Son. He's the Son. He's the heir.
He's the firstborn of every creature. He's the Son, not by creation,
not by adoption, not by office, by nature. He's the Son. He was made of the seed of David.
He's declared to be the Son. He's always been the Son. You
say, what do you mean? Well, what does God call eternal
Father, isn't He? Well, if He's an eternal Father,
He has an eternal Son. There can't be an eternal Father
unless there's an eternal Son. He's always been the Son. He's
always been the Lamb. He's always been the surety.
He's always been the high priest, forever. He's the Son. We love Moses, we honor Moses,
we give tribute to Moses, but he never was anything but a servant.
A good one too, but nevertheless a servant, but Christ is a servant. He's God. He's God equal with
God. His appointed heir, what does
it say over in Hebrews 1? In Hebrews 1 verse 2, God hath
in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He hath appointed
heir of all things. Everything is His, by whom He
made the world. Who being the brightness of God's
glory, the exact image of His person, who upholds all things
by the word of His power, when He hath by Himself purged our
sins, sat down on the right hand of God. Verse 6, Hebrews 3, let's look
at this again. But Christ as a Son, over, over,
a name above every name, exalted above all, having all preeminence,
His own house, it's His house. I love this, whose house we are. His house is not a temple over
Jerusalem. Not an earthly palace. It's a people. It's a living
temple. God doesn't dwell in houses made
with hands. He dwells in a living temple.
Whose house are we? Turn to Ephesians. I want to
read you something here in Ephesians 2. Ephesians chapter 2, beginning
with verse 19. Ephesians 2, 19, Now therefore
ye know no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and the household of God. And ye are built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone, in whom in Christ all the building
is fitly framed together, and groweth into a holy temple in
the Lord. in whom you also are builded
together. Who's building this? God is.
For a habitation of God through the Spirit. Isn't that rich? That describes what Paul's talking
about here. Christ is the Son over His house.
He planned it. He prepared the material. He
purchased it. He's building it. Bringing it
together. All that my Father giveth me
will come to me. Him that cometh out of no wise cast out. He's
calling His people. And He says here that Christ
is the Son over His house, whose house we are. But there's a little
word, if, there. I want you to look at it. If
we hold fast our confidence in Christ alone, I know whom I have
believed. I'm persuaded He's able to keep
that which I've committed unto Him against that day. We've got
to hold fast Our confidence in Christ. We have no confidence
in the flesh. Mind yours, anybody else's. Or
fleshly deeds or works. Our confidence is in Christ.
Secondly, if we hold fast, our rejoicing. There are three marks
of a believer according to Paul in Philippians 3. He says we
worship God in the spirit, we rejoice in Christ Jesus. We have
no confidence in the flesh. We hold fast our confidence in
Christ, our rejoicing in Christ. He's my Lord. He's precious to
them that believe. His blood's precious. His word's
precious. He's precious. We hold fast that
rejoicing. And then thirdly, if we hold
fast our hope, Christ in you is the hope of glory. Christ
in you, Christ dwelling in you by faith, by grace, I want to be in this house that
he planned and prepared and purchased and is building. I want to be
a living stone in the temple of God, don't you? And I believe
I am. And proof of it will be if I
hold fast my confidence in Christ, my rejoicing in Christ, my hope
in Christ. Now holding fast our confidence
in Christ and our rejoicing and our hope, that's not conditions
which make us the temple of God. Quite the contrary. Those are
evidences and proof that we are the house of God. If a person
comes to Christ, continues in Christ, he says to the end. To
the end of what? To the end of this life. To the
end of this human existence. on this earth, hold fast my confidence
in Christ to the end, my rejoicing in Christ to the end, my hope
in Christ to the end. If I do that, that's proof that
I'm in the temple of God. That's evidence I'm in the temple
of God. If I don't, it's proof I never was in the temple of
God. Isn't that right? Holding fast doesn't put me in
the temple. I hold fast because I'm in the
temple. And I rejoice in Christ. That's not what made me a member
of the temple. God made me a part of that temple.
But that proves I am in that temple. I rejoice in Christ.
And if a person leaves the gospel, as these Israelites did, the
gospel was preached to them, but it didn't profit them not
being mixed in faith, mixed with faith in them that heard it.
But these people departed. And John describes that. Turn
to 1 John with me a moment. Chapter 2, 1 John chapter 2,
verse 19. Now here's what I'm saying. When one continues in Christ,
in the gospel, holds fast that confidence in Christ, that's
proof he's one of the Lord's own. That's evidence he's one
of the Lord's own. If a person departs from Christ,
departs from the gospel, from the people of God, from the worship
of God, It's proof that he never was in Christ. Because his living
stones can't... They don't come dead stones.
They don't fall out of his temple. That would be a bad builder,
wouldn't it? If you built a house and it started
falling down, I wouldn't want you to build another one. God's
house is not going to fall down. Look at 1 John 3 verse 19. They went out from us. But they
were not of us. If they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us. But they left us. They went out. They might be
made manifest, evidence, proof. They were not all of us. And
that's just so. And this here is a quotation
from Psalm 95. Look at this. Let me give you
this and I'll close. Verse 7, Wherefore, as the Holy
Ghost saith today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your
heart, as in the day of provocation and the day of temptation in
the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me and proved me and
tried me and saw my works, I was grieved with that generation.
They do always air in their heart and have not known my ways. Wherefore
I was grieved, so I swear in my wrath they will not enter
my rest. Now take heed, brethren, verse 12, lest there be in you
an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.
But exhort one another daily. How do you exhort one another?
Well, I've jotted down some things here I'll give you. How do you
exhort one another daily? Exhort means to encourage. It
means to instruct. We teach one another, we assist
one another. Exhort means all those things.
Daily, while it's called a day, lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. I believe the way we exhort one
another is number one, there's four things. Number one, by worshiping
together, by praying together, by praising God together. Paul
said that in Hebrews 10, forsake not the assembling of yourselves
together. as the manner of some is, but even more as you see
the day approaching. Worship God, pray together, praise
him, rejoice together. Secondly, by studying the scriptures
together, desire the sincere milk of the
word that you may grow thereby. This is what I'm trying to do
in the Bible classes and here and all the elders are doing.
We're taking the scripture verse by verse and studying it. So
avail yourselves of the opportunity to listen and to learn. Study
the scriptures. That's how you exhort one another.
Thirdly, by talking together about divine things. It's so
easy for us to talk about foolish things. And I know that's human
nature. We love humor, we love mundane
things of this secular world and so forth, but we exhort one
another and encourage one another and help one another by talking
together about divine things, about the Word, about God, about
our hope in Christ. Not about preachers, talk about
preachers, not about churches, not Bible conferences, just talk
about the things of God, the Word of God, the grace of God,
the Gospel of God, the Scriptures. By talking about divine things,
and a little less about foolish things. And then fourthly, we
exhort one another by warning one another when we see those
danger signs, those danger signs. Read verse 12 again, verse 13. But exhort one another daily
while it's called today, lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. Warn one another. Warn one another. For we are made partakers of
Christ, participate in his blessings if we believe him, and hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. May God bless his
word, our prophet to his glory, chiefly to his glory.