back to index2019-03-03 Jesus is Better than the Angels Part 3
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Alright, if you can turn your Bibles with me to Hebrews, chapter 1. 00:00:18.620 |
And the Lord in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works 00:00:23.140 |
They will perish, but you remain, and they all will become old like garment. 00:00:26.800 |
And like a mantle you will roll them up, like a garment they will also be changed. 00:00:30.440 |
But you are the same, and your years will not come to an end. 00:00:33.900 |
But to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies 00:00:41.040 |
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those 00:00:46.080 |
I've already prayed, so I'm just going to jump in. 00:00:49.520 |
The text that we're looking at, obviously, is an ongoing message of putting Christ first. 00:00:56.680 |
And as I've mentioned earlier in the previous sermons, that the goal of the study of the 00:01:00.320 |
book of Hebrews is not simply for us to get Christology correct. 00:01:04.960 |
So if somebody asks you, or if you have a debate with a Jehovah Witness about the identity 00:01:08.640 |
of Jesus, that you have a go-to text to go to and exposit and say, "This is what the 00:01:17.740 |
You can be the best expositor of Scripture and completely miss the point. 00:01:23.320 |
Because the greatest commandment in Scripture is not to know theologically who Jesus is. 00:01:29.720 |
The greatest commandment in Scripture is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, 00:01:34.660 |
And the reason why the glory of Christ is being magnified in the book of Hebrews is 00:01:39.320 |
to get us to that end, so that we would not drift and put our hopes and confidence in 00:01:47.120 |
So for eleven chapters, Harry predicted it's going to be taking me three years, right? 00:01:53.280 |
So for eleven chapters, for three years, we're going to be exalting Christ. 00:02:00.240 |
And our goal is the same goal as the author book of Hebrews. 00:02:04.480 |
Is that the more and more we see who Jesus is, that less and less, that whatever it is 00:02:10.720 |
that we are tempted by to drift toward, will become rubbish in light of this surpassing 00:02:19.040 |
It's always challenging to see young couples and young families move. 00:02:23.400 |
Every single one of us who have children who are worried and concerned every single day 00:02:28.160 |
that we're not providing what is best for our children, and to have a young family say, 00:02:38.800 |
I trust him more than our bank account," is a visual testimony of what he's really trying 00:02:47.680 |
Again, because we, many of us, have been to church for so long that when that question 00:02:55.880 |
"Do you believe in the inerrancy of Scripture?" 00:03:01.800 |
It's a knee-jerk reaction without really serious thought, until you get challenged. 00:03:07.540 |
So if you ask somebody who's outside the church, "Do you love Jesus?" 00:03:14.200 |
So I wasn't baptized, so they'll say, "No, I don't, because I don't do these things." 00:03:19.680 |
But how do people who are in the church, who are engrossed in church activity, who go to 00:03:25.200 |
small groups, maybe even leading, who are so engrossed in religious activity in the 00:03:32.560 |
And again, when I say religious, it doesn't automatically mean something negative. 00:03:42.560 |
How do we answer that question, that it's not just a knee-jerk reaction that, "I'm 00:03:49.400 |
And I'm doing this, and I'm doing that, and I'm paying my offering, and so therefore, 00:03:55.320 |
But you know, when that question is asked, that Christ looks beyond all of that. 00:04:03.400 |
That He can see all throughout our superficial activities that we're engaged in and know 00:04:12.540 |
And so you could easily drift as a Sunday school teacher, as a worship leader, as an 00:04:18.040 |
elder in the church, and even as the pastor who preaches every single Sunday. 00:04:25.000 |
I can exposit, and I've been doing it long enough where I can say what I need to say 00:04:31.360 |
while my heart is completely drifting away from God. 00:04:37.880 |
So the question is, where do you stand with Christ? 00:04:46.560 |
I'm not asking you what theology or how much of the scripture have you read this week. 00:04:54.140 |
What is your confession outside of the church, outside of the small group? 00:05:00.360 |
Will your co-workers know what Jesus means to you? 00:05:05.580 |
Do your family members know what Jesus means to you? 00:05:09.140 |
Do the people who know you, around you, and watches your life, and watches who you are, 00:05:16.980 |
Or is it only just your small group people, or just the church people? 00:05:23.620 |
Have we made the focus about something lesser than Christ? 00:05:29.340 |
And that's exactly what He's been dealing with, and He begins at the top of the list, 00:05:34.060 |
And Jesus is greater than the angels, and we went through four of them, so today is 00:05:40.560 |
Jesus is greater than the angels because Jesus is the eternal creator. 00:05:45.180 |
Verse 10, "And you Lord, in the beginning, lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens 00:05:52.500 |
This is a direct quote from Psalm 102, verse 24 through 27. 00:05:59.100 |
What's interesting about that verse, it is clear that it's in reference to God the Father. 00:06:04.540 |
And yet, the psalmist is using that, saying that this is in reference to Jesus. 00:06:10.620 |
Some people may look at Jesus' identity, and they say, "Well, you know, when Jesus started 00:06:15.460 |
saying, 'Before Abraham was I am,' I mean, no wonder people got confused, because there's 00:06:23.860 |
So when we look to the New Testament, it's obvious. 00:06:27.220 |
I mean, it's understandable that the Pharisees, when Jesus began to say, "I am God," that 00:06:35.500 |
If you examine the Scriptures carefully, you'll find that God had left such strong imprint 00:06:40.060 |
of who Jesus is, that there's no way that they could have missed it. 00:06:44.500 |
In Isaiah 9, verse 6, when Jesus appears, a messianic prophecy is declared, and it says 00:06:50.860 |
this, "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and a government will 00:06:56.660 |
rest on his shoulders, and the name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal 00:07:07.440 |
How can you possibly read that and say, "Jesus is a lesser God," or "a God"? 00:07:12.900 |
In every way, it was made very clear that the Son of God who is coming is God himself. 00:07:22.500 |
In verse 11 and 12, he says, "And they will all become old like garment, and like a mantle 00:07:29.780 |
you will roll them up, like a garment they will also be changed, but you are the same, 00:07:36.340 |
Again, I want you to understand the point of what he's saying, because we can look at 00:07:40.340 |
that and say, "Well, Jesus is eternal, Jesus is the creator, he's the God." 00:07:47.180 |
Why is correct Christology important and practical in our life, and not just knowledge? 00:07:54.340 |
Because the reason why he quotes this passage is not to simply say, "God, Jesus is so great." 00:08:00.260 |
He's saying everything else that you know will change. 00:08:04.300 |
And he uses one of the most fundamental things that people can relate to, is their garment. 00:08:10.860 |
You have to understand that at that particular time in history, the majority of the people 00:08:17.380 |
So when Jesus said, "If they ask you for your inner clothing, give them your outer 00:08:21.740 |
clothing," basically he's saying, he's basically exaggerating, hyperbole, "Give them everything." 00:08:27.760 |
So it's not like asking somebody who has a wardrobe of clothes and say, "Hey, let me 00:08:31.340 |
have a shirt," and say, "No, give him a shirt." 00:08:33.620 |
You have to understand what it meant to them was, if they want that, just give it to them, 00:08:41.140 |
He's talking about somebody who would be naked if he gave. 00:08:46.700 |
He's using this fundamental thing that they had for survival. 00:08:51.180 |
He says, "Like garments, no matter how pretty, no matter how nice," he says, "Eventually, 00:09:00.440 |
And then secondly, he says, "If you happen to be wealthy and you have more than one garment 00:09:06.420 |
than you have many in your closet," he said, "Eventually, they will change. 00:09:18.180 |
Maybe being tight was in one year, and then being loose is in the next year. 00:09:25.660 |
And you look at fashion, it's just so crazy because people make holes in their pants and 00:09:31.480 |
So you were, you know, that same pants would have been trash one year, you know, you add 00:09:36.080 |
another, you add a couple of holes and then it becomes more expensive. 00:09:39.240 |
So he's using something fundamental and he's saying, "Like a garment, it can just change." 00:09:47.760 |
How many of you were walking out of your house and you looked at the shirt that you wore 00:09:52.000 |
and you just didn't like it and then you changed it? 00:09:56.280 |
You didn't sit there and think about theology. 00:10:13.120 |
And so he's using these fundamental things that people had and he's using that as an 00:10:16.400 |
illustration that everything that we know, eventually, they drift and they change. 00:10:30.520 |
You don't need to be a Christian for 15, 20 years to understand that. 00:10:37.000 |
You know, a brand new car six, seven years ago that you loved and adored, took care of 00:10:48.200 |
A brand new house that you moved into that you're so proud of, eventually, it'll creak. 00:10:54.720 |
You have critters walking in and it's no longer new. 00:10:58.920 |
So that's what he's saying, like everything you know that has been created, no matter 00:11:02.760 |
how fundamentally you need it, eventually, it fades. 00:11:07.760 |
And obviously, this isn't just goal about clothing. 00:11:12.120 |
It's food, human relationships, government, what we value was so important 20 years ago. 00:11:21.800 |
It was trivial 50 years ago, has taken center stage. 00:11:26.800 |
That's why you hear politicians and they're making promises 25 years ago and they completely 00:11:40.640 |
But if you say that now, you can never get elected because times have changed. 00:11:46.400 |
Everything that we pursue in this world, eventually, will change. 00:11:50.280 |
So the purpose behind why he mentions Jesus Christ as the creator, he's saying all of 00:11:59.760 |
And the only steady thing throughout history and throughout eternity is Christ. 00:12:06.900 |
In 2 Peter 3, 10-11, it says, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which 00:12:10.880 |
the heavens will pass away, with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense 00:12:16.000 |
heat and the earth and its works will be burned up." 00:12:20.960 |
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people are you to 00:12:29.240 |
Since everything else is going to be destroyed and Christ is the only remaining consistency, 00:12:45.320 |
Are we valuing something above Christ that you know 100% is going to perish? 00:12:55.440 |
Every single person, you don't have to be a Christian to acknowledge that. 00:12:59.060 |
Every single human being acknowledges everything will fade. 00:13:01.720 |
And that's what it says, 1 Peter 1, 24-25, "For all flesh is like grass and all of its 00:13:08.240 |
The grass withers and the flowers fall off, but the word of the Lord endures forever." 00:13:14.480 |
And this is the word which was preached to you. 00:13:18.680 |
Isn't the heartache and the pain in this world is loving something that can't love you back? 00:13:28.080 |
Loving something that you cannot hold on to, that's great pain. 00:13:33.780 |
Whether it's friendship, whether it's a girl, guy, your own children, a job, security, that 00:13:42.520 |
you love it so much, but they don't love you back. 00:13:46.040 |
It doesn't have to be a person, it can be material things. 00:13:55.440 |
That's why it says in Hebrews 13, 8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." 00:14:06.080 |
You know, this Psalm, Psalm 102, we don't know exactly who wrote it. 00:14:11.880 |
But when you read Psalm 102, it's clear that something horrible was happening in Jerusalem. 00:14:18.320 |
This is a man who's watching the destruction of Jerusalem and he's grieving for God. 00:14:22.080 |
So if you look at Psalm 102, it is divided into two parts. 00:14:29.480 |
Why are the enemies coming in and destroying? 00:14:32.920 |
So everything that he knew is dying and being destroyed. 00:14:36.120 |
So many commentators and scholars believe that it could have been one of the kings or 00:14:42.400 |
one of the prophets and they saw the Assyrians coming and attacking Jerusalem and they were 00:14:48.400 |
It could have been the Assyrians, it could have been the Babylonians or the Persians, 00:14:52.760 |
any one of the superpowers who came in and they're watching the destruction of Jerusalem. 00:14:58.600 |
And they've been waiting for decades, for centuries, that God would restore Israel because 00:15:06.160 |
I'm going to bless you, I'm going to multiply your descendants and the whole world is going 00:15:14.640 |
They're seeing the destruction of their cities and their capable men and women being dragged 00:15:21.480 |
And as they are watching this, they are grieving. 00:15:23.780 |
But the second part of that, it says, but you oh Lord, even though everything is dying, 00:15:28.080 |
everything is being dragged away, but you oh Lord are the same. 00:15:34.140 |
The garments fade, they will be changed, they will be rolled away, but you oh Lord are the 00:15:44.840 |
The purpose of this, again, is not to simply say, look at Jesus, how eternal he is. 00:15:53.220 |
If everything fades and only Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and all 00:15:57.680 |
the glory that we covet is found in Christ and Christ alone. 00:16:10.920 |
How does that affect your values and the things that you hope for? 00:16:16.920 |
Where you live, how you spend your money, how you raise your kids, what you desire of 00:16:22.820 |
a church, how does that affect every practical aspect of your life? 00:16:29.480 |
I can give you an example of that, the man who wrote the song, "It is Well with My Soul." 00:16:34.300 |
I know many of you know the background story behind that, but a man named Horatio Saper 00:16:39.820 |
is a very successful businessman in the late 1900s. 00:16:44.900 |
In fact, we would say he wasn't just an average successful man, he would be what we would 00:16:52.340 |
He had buildings upon buildings in Chicago, and at the peak of his success, their fire 00:16:57.460 |
breaks out and destroys most of his property. 00:17:01.820 |
And you have to understand, at that time, you know, there wasn't a good insurance, and 00:17:08.340 |
And so his, a good chunk of his wealth is burned up, and he's just recuperating from 00:17:14.540 |
But soon after, he decides to send his four children and his wife overseas to take a vacation 00:17:22.620 |
And then he gets a mail from his wife saying they had an accident and they lost three of 00:17:29.340 |
their children, four of their children, and only their wife remained. 00:17:36.020 |
And so his life, his biography looks exactly like Job's life. 00:17:40.900 |
He was a man of great success, he was a man who loved God, but as a result of that, you 00:17:46.620 |
know, whatever the reason, he lost everything. 00:17:50.100 |
When he's on his way to see his wife on the boat, he wrote this, the lyrics. 00:17:55.100 |
He didn't write the music to it, but he wrote the lyrics to it. 00:18:00.300 |
Now if you don't understand the context of this, it's still a great song. 00:18:07.300 |
But when you understand the context in which this man wrote it, only a Christian who knows 00:18:14.980 |
How can it be well with your soul, you lost everything? 00:18:22.180 |
You lost all your children and you're on your way to go comfort your wife. 00:18:28.020 |
How can these words be coming out of your mouth? 00:18:32.300 |
When peace like a river attendeth my soul, when sorrows like sea billows roll. 00:18:39.180 |
You can imagine the pain that he was in when he wrote that. 00:18:43.060 |
For my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. 00:18:51.860 |
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, lest the blessed assurance control 00:18:56.420 |
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate and has shed his own blood for my soul. 00:19:08.300 |
And the reason why he has this hope and joy in Christ in the midst of tremendous suffering, 00:19:13.420 |
he said, my sin, oh the bliss of the glorious thought, my sin, not in part but the whole, 00:19:19.460 |
is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. 00:19:22.340 |
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul. 00:19:31.820 |
If you do not understand the God behind these words. 00:19:37.700 |
Talk to a man who has experienced what he has experienced and say, it is well with my 00:19:49.860 |
Unless you know the Jesus that the author of Hebrews is talking about. 00:19:56.740 |
Unless you believe that Jesus is greater than whatever success that you've had. 00:20:04.020 |
That Jesus is greater than your wife, your husband, your children, and safety, and hope, 00:20:18.020 |
See, Psalm 102 was written in the context of great tragedy, but it is quoted here as 00:20:25.980 |
a reminder to us that though everything fades, even the heavens, though they fade, Jesus 00:20:36.860 |
That is the encouragement that, again, we encourage the tongues with. 00:20:45.340 |
I was thinking about it even just yesterday, just thinking like, that is a strong move. 00:20:54.220 |
Had a great job, great paying job, and they are moving. 00:21:10.780 |
The tough part of it is leaving what you know. 00:21:20.100 |
We may not see them physically, and we will see them. 00:21:28.780 |
In fact, when you live in life in obedience, Jesus is much greater. 00:21:34.060 |
It is like going to look at a waterfall from a distance. 00:21:37.740 |
It is a completely different experience when you are right there. 00:21:41.580 |
See, that is the point that he is trying to get at. 00:21:48.580 |
If you see the glory of Christ, what does that mean? 00:21:56.140 |
Sixth and finally, he says, "Jesus is greater than the angels because Jesus sits at God's 00:22:05.100 |
In fact, this is such a prominent Bible verse, Messianic verse, it is quoted 25 separate 00:22:14.300 |
It is a prophecy about a great, great, great, great grandchild that is coming from the David's 00:22:19.140 |
line and how his throne is going to be established. 00:22:21.980 |
So the Jews clung to this text, waiting for the Messiah to come. 00:22:27.380 |
"The Lord says to my Lord," and this is David speaking, "Sit at my right hand until I make 00:22:34.300 |
Again, this is a direct quote from this passage. 00:22:36.180 |
"The Lord will stretch forth your strong scepter from Zion saying, 'Rule in the midst of your 00:22:41.540 |
Your people will volunteer freely in the day of your power. 00:22:43.820 |
In holy array from the womb of the dawn, your youth are to you as the dew. 00:22:48.060 |
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. 00:22:50.560 |
You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." 00:23:08.380 |
Whether you memorize it or not, because it's such an important part of the text. 00:23:11.540 |
You go to a football stadium, you'll see John 3.16. 00:23:14.960 |
If you grew up in a church, you probably memorized that in Sunday school at VBS or Oana. 00:23:19.860 |
This is one of the texts that the Jews had the kids memorize and recite. 00:23:24.240 |
Because it was the promise of the Messiah that was going to come. 00:23:27.100 |
But the way they applied it was, "He's going to come as a mighty king who's going to rule 00:23:33.140 |
He's going to dominate the Romans and we're going to be the superpower." 00:23:37.020 |
But then when the Messiah came, they didn't recognize him. 00:23:41.140 |
Because Jesus began to say some stuff that didn't make a lot of sense to them. 00:23:46.100 |
Jesus quotes this passage in speaking to the Pharisees, Matthew 22, 41 through 46. 00:23:50.620 |
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question. 00:23:59.940 |
He said to them, "Then how does David in the spirit call him Lord?" 00:24:03.660 |
Saying, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies beneath 00:24:09.780 |
If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son? 00:24:13.500 |
He's taking this text that everybody knew and recited and Jesus said, "Let's go back 00:24:21.480 |
If David is speaking of the Lord and he calls the Messiah the Lord and it's his grandkid 00:24:29.520 |
and if he's just another man, why is he calling his great-great-grandkid my Lord? 00:24:39.140 |
He's using this text that was clearly implanted in the Old Testament that they recited, that 00:24:44.180 |
everybody knew and he said, "He's not just a man." 00:24:51.940 |
And the point of all of that is that Christ came to conquer and he says God's going to 00:25:00.340 |
exalt him until all of his enemies are put under his feet and that is explained to us 00:25:04.380 |
in 1 Corinthians 15, 25, 26, "For he, Jesus, must reign until he has put all his enemies 00:25:09.980 |
under his feet and the last enemy that will be abolished is death." 00:25:18.220 |
The Jews at that time thought that the Romans were their enemies. 00:25:21.220 |
Prior to that they thought it was the Persians. 00:25:23.420 |
Prior to that they thought it was the Babylonians. 00:25:25.580 |
Prior to that they thought it was the Assyrians. 00:25:27.540 |
Prior to that they thought it was the Canaanites. 00:25:30.700 |
In different periods of time, they had different things that they needed to conquer, but Jesus 00:25:35.300 |
Christ came to conquer the universal enemy of all mankind, which is sin, which ultimately 00:25:46.060 |
And he says, "He will reign until death is done away with and the gospel is spread to 00:25:51.820 |
the remotest part of the world and when they have heard the message of the cross," he says, 00:26:00.980 |
And that's what that reference was referring to, the age of the church to spread the gospel, 00:26:09.500 |
Now, to go doesn't necessarily mean that every single one of us pack our bags and move out 00:26:13.140 |
to China or India, but what it does mean is to stop living for ourselves, for something 00:26:20.140 |
that's temporary, that's going to perish, that's going to be ruined, it's going to be 00:26:26.080 |
How many of you who have best friends in high school are the same best friends today? 00:26:34.940 |
How many of you who had a group of friends six, seven years ago are the same group of 00:26:46.940 |
The weather changes, political climate changes, what we value change, politicians will change. 00:26:54.340 |
Right now it's the Republicans, next time it might be the Democrats. 00:26:58.580 |
We don't know what the government is going to look like. 00:27:02.020 |
Whatever it is that we put our hope in, eventually it will perish. 00:27:12.920 |
And you and I, as the body of Christ, is to carry out his mission. 00:27:18.040 |
So our primary goal, the primary mission in life, until he comes, and so when we are glorified 00:27:22.700 |
with him, this glory that we are seeking in this God forsaken world, it is just so foolish 00:27:33.140 |
when you take a step back and look at the things that causes us grief. 00:27:39.660 |
You think about it, when you're in your twenties, you look back at your teens, while puberty 00:27:51.580 |
Why that boy's attention was so important to you, and why that girl's one careless word 00:28:00.580 |
destroyed you, and you look back at it now, look at your hairstyle, the shoes that you 00:28:05.220 |
wore, and you say, "Oh my gosh, thank God God delivered me from my teens." 00:28:13.600 |
You say that in your twenties, and I know you college students want to erase everything 00:28:21.100 |
You get to your thirties, and you look back in your college life, foolish children. 00:28:27.820 |
I remember when I was in my twenties, the foolish things that I desired, and the list 00:28:33.100 |
of things that I wanted in a husband and a wife, and you look back at it now, and they 00:28:37.320 |
all look foolish to you, and when you see the younger college students, they're children. 00:28:47.140 |
And then those of you who are in your forties, look back in your thirties, and the things 00:28:49.900 |
that you value in your thirties, it was so important to you in your thirties. 00:28:54.380 |
So committed, "I'm going to do this with my kids, I'm going to do this with my kids." 00:28:58.260 |
Then you look back in your forties, and you look back and say, "Man, all of that stuff, 00:29:07.680 |
Just wait, give it another decade, and you open your eyes and see what happens." 00:29:13.380 |
I just crawled into my fifties, so I'm not there yet. 00:29:24.700 |
I'm not in my sixties yet, so I'm sure the sixty-year-olds are looking at me, it's like, 00:29:34.140 |
We wake up in the next generation, and everything that we pursue that was so important to us, 00:29:38.700 |
that we were willing to sacrifice everything for, just looks so foolish to us. 00:29:42.940 |
But ten years later, God is speaking to us from eternity, and He's watching all of it 00:29:51.500 |
from generation to generation, and He places in His scripture, "There is nothing new under 00:30:00.780 |
Everything that we pursue is vanity under the sun." 00:30:09.660 |
These angels, these things that you're tempted to drift back to, the safety, the comfort, 00:30:14.980 |
the glory of men, all of that will soon perish. 00:30:20.000 |
But Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:30:22.940 |
And then finally, He says in verse 13, "But to which of the angels have you said, 'Sit 00:30:25.980 |
at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?' 00:30:29.460 |
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those 00:30:34.420 |
In other words, angels are just a gift to you. 00:30:40.260 |
And that is our tendency for all of us, to take the gift and celebrate the gift rather 00:30:49.660 |
We get, God gives us money, you know, we thank God for the money, and the next thing we do, 00:31:05.780 |
And soon we take our eyes off of God and we idolize our family. 00:31:09.780 |
And we take the gift that God has given us, that was given us to serve us, and then we 00:31:20.040 |
God gave us righteousness, and then He said to live up to it. 00:31:27.020 |
And then we take this walk with God, and we make that our pursuit, we make that our badge 00:31:34.980 |
Instead of righteousness serving us, we are serving righteousness, and then it's become 00:31:40.340 |
That's exactly what the Pharisees did with the Sabbath. 00:31:46.220 |
God gave them the Sabbath so that they can rest, and the word in itself means rest. 00:31:52.380 |
Because nobody worked as hard than the Pharisees to make sure that they got the Sabbath right. 00:32:02.060 |
And so that's the thing that they couldn't see with Jesus. 00:32:03.780 |
They said, "Well Jesus, why is He doing this? 00:32:08.780 |
"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath." 00:32:11.300 |
And He says, "Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. 00:32:17.780 |
It was given to you to serve you, not to burden you, not to make it difficult." 00:32:26.620 |
He says, "The angels were given to you, given to serve me to serve you." 00:32:32.020 |
And you're taking a gift that has been given to you, and you're turning it around, and 00:32:38.300 |
That's a tendency for every single one of us. 00:32:41.660 |
The very gift that God has given us, when we forget the giver, we end up starting to 00:32:57.940 |
Live up to the calling that we've been given. 00:33:00.740 |
Jesus says in John 14, 6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. 00:33:11.100 |
So our goal through the study of the book of Hebrews, whether it takes three years or 00:33:19.060 |
The goal of the book of Hebrews, the study of the book of Hebrews is to exalt the name 00:33:22.940 |
of Christ so as we gaze upon His glory, that everything else would truly become rubbish. 00:33:31.700 |
So that we can confess with all conviction, with all genuineness, with all truth, that 00:33:38.500 |
I love Jesus with all my heart, soul, and strength. 00:33:44.100 |
The goal for the reason why we are going to spend the next few years in this book. 00:33:50.180 |
Let's take some time to pray as we ask our worship team to come up. 00:33:54.660 |
And as we pray, again, I want to ask you guys to focus your prayer specifically on the Tong 00:33:59.820 |
And again, as they go, we want to just wave goodbye from a distance. 00:34:08.500 |
Those of you who do know them, do your best to keep in touch with them. 00:34:14.860 |
And those of you who don't know, get to know them. 00:34:16.540 |
Even if they're there, say, "Hey, you know, we haven't met, but I'm encouraged and challenged 00:34:24.020 |
Just don't say foolish things on there, because it's getting screened, right? 00:34:29.560 |
And take some time to really pray for them so that at least in our hearts, in our prayers, 00:34:36.180 |
And so all the things that they go through, that we're not just going to watch them like 00:34:45.060 |
So let's take some time to pray for ourselves and take some time to pray for the Tongs as