This evening, I remember those
who requested prayer. The pheasant girl passed away
that was shot. So remember her family in your
prayers. Teresa's gone to Hendersonville to have her operation tomorrow.
So remember her in your prayers. Seek the Lord's help for her.
And other than that, I can't think of anything. Debbie's brother,
Randy, is having some Some reaction to his chemotherapy is the type
of medicine he's taking to cause your legs to swell. And so he's
having some difficulties. So remember her, rather than
remember him in your prayers. And Carla Henson is home. And
she goes to see the oncologist this week to see if there's any
kind of treatment she can have for her situation. So that's
the way that's going to work. So remember these folks in your
prayers. Seek the Lord's help. Loretta had her endoscopy today.
And she's not feeling that great. So remember her also. Let's begin
our worship service with hymn number 354, What a Friend We
Have in Jesus. What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear What a privilege to care ? Everything to God in prayer ?
Oh, what peace we often forfeit ? Oh, what needless pain we bear
? All because we do not carry ? Everything to God in prayer
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. Can we find a prince of faith? Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and ? Honored with a load of care ?
Precious Savior, our refuge ? Take it to the Lord in prayer ? Do
thy friends despise forsake thee ? Take it to the Lord in prayer
In His arms He'll take and shield thee. Thou will find a solace
there. Hymn number 227, The Cleansing
Way. Oh, now I see the cleansing wave,
a fountain deep and wide. Jesus, my Lord, mighty to save,
points to his wounded side. The cleansing stream, I see,
I see, I once and oh, it cleanseth me. It cleanseth me, it cleanseth
me, yes, cleanseth me. I rise to walk in His own light,
above the world and sea. I see. I see. And Jesus only, Jesus, no, my
Jesus crucified. The cleansing stream, I see,
I see. I clutch and oh, it cleanseth
me. Oh, praise the Lord, it cleanseth
me. If you have your Bibles, turn
with me, please, to the Gospel according to John, chapter 1. I'm going to read one verse of
Scripture, verse 3. Let's read it in conjunction
with the first two verses. 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 was not anything made that was made. Let us pray. Our Father, blessed Lord and Savior, the
God of our comfort and strength, You who died in our room and
stead on Calvary's tree and redeemed us by Your blood, put away our
sin by the sacrifice of yourself and made us to be the very righteousness
of God. We are thankful that you did
it all, you accomplished it, and there's nothing left to be
done. We praise you and thank you.
We pray for those who are sick, especially for Teresa, she's
going tomorrow for the operation Pray also for the sense that
she's in preparation for having her knee fixed. Pray for the
others who requested prayer for Arlene and her eye infection
to clear up. Pray for Debbie's brother Randy as he's going through
this struggle with chemotherapy. Father, we know that your children
are destined in this world to suffer trial and tribulation.
They are by appointment, and they must have their perfect
work. We know also, Father, that you've
told us when we're going through these trials to ask, to speak
to you concerning these things, for comfort and strength to endure
that which you have appointed to our case. We know that we
can't do it alone. We can't do it at all. We know
you can strengthen us and help us through these things. we ask
Lord your help for us. Father, we pray for ourselves
this day that you might be pleased by your spirit to open this book
up to us, to give us a glimpse of our Savior of whom this text
and this entire Bible speaks. Help us, Lord, to worship you.
You're worthy of more praise than our paltry frames can give. but enable us by your grace to
give as much as we can. We praise you and thank you for
all you've done for us. Help us now to worship you, we
pray in Christ's name. Amen. In reading this passage of scripture,
the thought came to my mind that in this day and age, men speak
about Jesus, but rarely do they speak about him in the context
in which this is written or in the capacity in which it's written.
These words describe our Lord Jesus Christ in the capacity
of Creator and the Maker of all things. That is a pretty big
deal. Just as the Word is declared
to be God, so the Word is declared to be the Creator. The most prominent
use of the word made gives the meaning of to be or be or cause
to be. over in Hebrews chapter 11, if
you want to turn there, that great treatise on God-given
faith. It says in verse 3, Through faith
we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God,
so that the things are seen, which were made, of things that
do not appear. In 2 Peter chapter 3 it says
in verse 5, it says, For this they willingly are ignorant of,
that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing
out of the water and in the water. And in verse 7 it says this,
but the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word,
are kept in store, reserved against the fire of judgment." We know
that Jesus Christ is said to be upholding all things, and
Hebrews 1, by the word of His power. He is the word, and His
word is what upholds all things. In Christ we live and we move
and we have our being. And when He created all things
and made all things, He made us to be. to be. In Ephesians chapter 1 and verse
11, I think it says that we exist, we are for the glory of God.
That is why we are here. The word made can also mean formed
or fashioned as all living creatures, including man, were formed from
the elements that God had already created. He created the world
and all that is therein. He put the trees in place and
made all plants to have seed and reproduce in their kind.
He put on the sun, moon, and stars and after he had made the
earth out of the dirt that was on it, the dust of the earth,
he took that dust and he formed man and he formed all living
creatures. It says in Genesis chapter 2
and verse 7, he formed man and he formed all living creatures.
out of the dust of the earth. So He not only created things,
that is, He spoke them into existence by His Word, He also was involved
in the actual forming and making of them from the elements He
had already created. This aligns with the teaching
of the potter and the clay, doesn't it? The potter has power over
the clay. Let's look at a few passages.
You're familiar with this. Psalm 100, verse 3 says, The
Lord has made us and not we ourselves. I learned that psalm when I was
in Sunbeams in Southern Baptist Church. It's one of the psalms
I learned. The Lord has made us and not we ourselves. Over
in Isaiah chapter 44. In Isaiah chapter 44 and verse
24 it says this. Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer
and He that formed thee from the womb. he that form thee from
the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretches
forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by
myself, by myself I form thee, not only did he form the original
man out of the dust, and form the original woman out of the
rib that was in the man, he forms children in the womb, he makes
all things, that's his business, as I said this aligns with the
teaching of of the potter and the clay as it involves the use
of hands. It involves the use of hands.
We know God is spirit but Jesus Christ has hands. In the beginning
was the Word and the Word was God and the same was in the beginning
with God and He's made all things. How did He do that? He did them
with His hands. This speaks of the eternal sonship of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He didn't come into the world
until 2,000 years ago. I know that was his incarnation
as a human being that we could touch and feel. Many times in
the Old Testament we see what is called a Christophany or a
pre-incarnate manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who was
Adam talking to in the garden? who was the voice of God in the
garden? It was the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who did Abraham talk to when he, who talked to the Lord about
if there'd be 50 people in that town, will you not destroy it?
If there'd be 10 in that town, he was talking to the Lord. Lord
Jehovah, the Lord God, Lord God. This aspect of creation does
not speak of omnipresence for Christ, for the Lord God's spirit
is everywhere. on the present but it speaks
of a palpable presence in a specific locale just like a potter has
his clay on the wheel and he molds that the way he's supposed
to and we know from Romans chapter 9 and Jeremiah chapter 16 I think
it is Jeremiah chapter 16 that the potter has power over the
clay because the clay is a thing he's made he's made and therefore
he has power over it Christ was standing on the earth that he
spoke into existence and with his hands he formed and fashioned
man in his own image. This is Christ. You never hear
him talked about like this, do you? Most religions paint him
as a weak and puny character trying his best to get something
done. This is the creator. This is the creator. Look at
a few verses of scripture. Genesis chapter 2 verse 7. It says, The Lord God formed
man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life and man became a living soul. Man became a living
soul. Psalm 119, David speaks when
he's talking about this great psalm about the Word of God,
the longest psalm of all of them. In Psalm 119, verse 73, it says, Thy hands have made me
and fashioned me. give me understanding that I
may learn thy commandments thy hands have made me over in Isaiah
chapter 48 verse 13 this is mine hand also hath laid the
foundation of the earth and my right hand that spanned the heavens
as between his thumb and his little finger when I call them
they stand up together they stand up together This reference to God is a God
with hands. A God with hands. The Son was
there in the beginning as the beginning of all that is. He
is the beginning. This is a wondrous thing and
it's full of glory when you think about it. Jesus Christ, the one
who did come to this earth 2,000 years ago and walked this earth
for 33 and a half or so years and then went to the cross and
died in the room instead of his people, this same Christ, created
the tree he was hanging on, created the iron ore that made the spikes
that went in his hand, gave breath to the characters that put him
on that cross, that cursed him. He did all that. He's the Creator. That's what it says in our text.
All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything
made that was made. The wealth that is included in
verse 3 cannot be measured. Each and every aspect that we
consider designates Christ as the Sovereign God, as the Sovereign
God. First, for our personal joy,
the fact that He made all things is good news for us. It's good
news for us. All things being made, they were
made for the good of those who love God and were called according
to His purpose. That's what it says in Romans
8, 28-31. we know all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them that call according to his precious word,
whom he did foreknow. He also did predestinate to be
made in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he might be
the firstborn among a million brethren. Moreover, whom he did
predestinate, them he also called, whom he called, them he also
justified, whom he justified, them he also glorified. Well,
what can we say to these things? When you think about that, when
he did all that, what in the world can we come of? Well, if
God be for us, Who cares who is against us if God be for us? From the sun in the morning,
the moon at night, the universe, the heavenly bodies, every person
living or dead, every creature, every river, every stream, every
babbling brook, every tree and every blade of grass, every fruit
and vegetable, everything is working together for our good
and for God's glory. Everything. Every incident and
so-called coincidence Nations, states, towns, villages, communities,
they exist for the good of the elect. That's why they're there. This is so and can only be so
because Christ is the sole proprietor of that which He has created.
He owns this world. This world is His. It belongs
to Him. Look over at Deuteronomy chapter 10. Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse
14. It says, Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is
the Lord's of thy gods, the earth also, and all that is therein. In Psalm 24, it says the Lord
is the proprietor of this universe. Look at that in Psalm 24. it says the earth is the Lord's,
that's all capitalized, that's Jehovah God, and the fullness
thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. So everybody
that walks on the top side of this planet belongs to the Lord. They're His. They're His. He's
the sole proprietor of all there is. Everything was made by Him
and everything was made for Him. you see it's his that's what
it says in the epistle to the Colossians church in Colossians
chapter one in Colossians chapter one verse
sixteen and seventeen it says for by him that is by Christ
were all things created that are in heaven that are in earth
visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers all things were made by him and for
him and he is before all things and by him all things consist
are held together that word consist has a meaning of being glued
all things are held together by Jesus Christ. Everything is
before Him and He holds all this together in Hebrews chapter 2
and verse 10. It says this, For it became Him
for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing
many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation
perfect through sufferings. So it speaks of Him in creation
here, but it also speaks of Him in substitution. And Paul said
it this way in Romans 11, which is one of the most beautifully
put-together verses in all of Scripture. In Romans chapter
11 and verse 36, it says, For of Him, and through Him, and
to Him, are all things to whom be glory forever and ever as
owner and operator of this universe think about this as owner and
operator of this universe and making all things for the good
of his people nothing no one and no thing exists in this world
that is not absolutely under his control. Everything. All things serve his purpose
and nothing is useless. Nothing is useless. Everything
is used because God made it to use. All things are used. There
is zero unemployment in God's economy. Everything has a purpose
and everything fulfills the purpose that He has given for it. Now
some of those purposes will redound to the glory of His grace. Others
will redound to the glory of His justice. But all things will
serve their purpose in this world. Satan has a purpose in this world. His minions and angels that follow
him have a purpose in this world. Those who sit upon thrones have
a purpose in this world. those who don't sit on thrones
have a purpose in this world. God is in the whirlwind, it says,
and into the clouds and the dust of his feet. This is God's world. One of my dad's favorite songs
is, This is my father's world. This is my father's world. And being the creator answers
every question concerning the salvation of sinners. The salvation
of sinners. That's what it said over in Hebrews
chapter 2 that we just read a while ago. by whom are all things,
and for whom are all things, to make the captain of our salvation
perfect through suffering." Salvation is referred to as a new creation,
isn't it? That's what it's referred to
in scriptures, or the making of a new creature. That's what
Paul said, that neither circumcision or uncircumcision availeth anything
but a new creature. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, before
it sets forth Christ being made sin for us. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17
says, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature,
a new creature, old things, old covenants, old thoughts, They
are all passed away. Behold, all things are become
new, become new. When the Lord saves somebody,
He makes them new. They still have their flesh,
they still have the old men, but they now have the new man,
and that new man is a spiritual man. one part of him is flesh
and one part of him is spirit. They're always contrary to each
other but he's new. This never existed before. How
does that take place? It takes place by the new birth.
The new birth. It says in scripture, Our Lord,
when He was talking to Nicodemus in John chapter 3 and verse 3,
says, You must be born again. And that word again is up from
above. Born from above. and they could
be most brought right back down to earth and said how can these
things be must push back mothers will be born you know what's
up there that's down here set your affection on things above
and not on things here for your day to your life is here with
christ in god and when christ shall appear christ our lives
shall appear you shall appear with him also it says in scripture
only the creator can create and if you are saved christ did it
plain and simple What I just read in Hebrews chapter 2 and
verse 10 sets forth the Sovereign Creator as the CAPTAIN of the
ELECT SALVATION to bring MANY SONS unto GLORY. Such we were
and such we are, all sin and depravity, dead in sin, ungodly,
and having neither strength nor wherewithal or even inclination
to alter our state. We were without hope and without
help in ourselves in this world. If it were up to us, we could
not be saved. If it were up to us, we could
not be saved. Nothing of this world can change
our headlong plunge to perdition, nothing. Oh, Barney, you say
you'll go to hell if you can, and you will if you can. The
only thing that could possibly stop you is the grace of God,
the grace of God. our case was so desperate that
nothing short of a miracle would help us. Thank God that the Sovereign
Savior, by whom are all things and for whom are all things,
is the creator of new creatures. Sovereign Creator has undertaken,
has undertaken our case. Shall I worry? Shall I worry? Jeremiah 32, 17 and 27 says, There's nothing too hard for
God. Anything too hard for me, God
said. Then he answered, there's nothing too hard for God. He's
the captain of our salvation. The captain of our salvation. Jesus Christ, the one we worship, the one we laud and applaud,
Jesus Christ is the Creator. He made us. He made us. All things were made by Him and
without Him was not anything made that was made. Father, bless
us to our understanding. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.
God bless you. Don't forget Sunday is baptism
and the Lord's Table.