WEBVTT 00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:05.364 I'm excited about today. 00:00:05.402 --> 00:00:06.570 I'm excited for the, 00:00:06.570 --> 00:00:08.346 just the preparation of the day. 00:00:08.346 --> 00:00:09.030 You know, 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:10.372 last year, 00:00:10.426 --> 00:00:15.396 the topic of our conversation and consideration on Sunday morning was 00:00:15.418 --> 00:00:19.984 really this idea of faith and discipline and our faith, 00:00:20.112 --> 00:00:25.264 and how our faith results in a discipline and discipline and disciple 00:00:25.312 --> 00:00:26.728 come from the same root, 00:00:26.728 --> 00:00:34.076 and how it's out of our faith that we live a life of God's purpose and 00:00:34.098 --> 00:00:41.372 glory. We finished this past year with the twelve weeks or the last 00:00:41.426 --> 00:00:42.468 quarter in Hebrews. 00:00:42.504 --> 00:00:43.798 And what I realized was that, 00:00:43.798 --> 00:00:44.182 you know what, 00:00:44.182 --> 00:00:48.130 everything we discussed this past year needs to be discussed again. 00:00:48.900 --> 00:00:50.348 When I was dealing with Romans, 00:00:50.348 --> 00:00:50.758 I was like, 00:00:50.758 --> 00:00:52.496 man, we just don't have, 00:00:52.598 --> 00:00:53.462 in three months, 00:00:53.462 --> 00:00:55.964 you just don't have time to get in Romans. 00:00:55.964 --> 00:00:58.874 I'm not sure we're going to do ecclesiastes again, 00:00:58.874 --> 00:01:00.138 just so you know. 00:01:00.138 --> 00:01:01.824 But we are going to do Hebrews. 00:01:01.824 --> 00:01:03.136 And this is our artwork, 00:01:03.136 --> 00:01:06.392 y'all. Jordan's been working on this for us. 00:01:06.526 --> 00:01:08.932 And this year's the whole topic, 00:01:08.996 --> 00:01:10.196 the subject title, 00:01:10.228 --> 00:01:11.662 if you want to call it that, 00:01:11.662 --> 00:01:13.800 is the object of our faith. 00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:18.200 And really concentrating on the message of the book of Hebrews. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:20.402 And for however long it goes. 00:01:20.402 --> 00:01:24.152 Right now I've got it sort of outlined out through the end of March, 00:01:24.152 --> 00:01:25.660 which is Easter Sunday, 00:01:26.160 --> 00:01:29.452 and just barely made it to chapter five. 00:01:29.586 --> 00:01:30.904 And there's 13 chapters. 00:01:30.952 --> 00:01:33.718 So we'll probably go all the way through Thanksgiving or so in the book 00:01:33.718 --> 00:01:34.428 of Hebrews. 00:01:34.524 --> 00:01:38.422 And I'm kind of excited about it because now I've been able to kind of 00:01:38.422 --> 00:01:43.580 sort of go back to this last quarter and really intensively get into some 00:01:43.590 --> 00:01:45.194 of the things that we address. 00:01:45.194 --> 00:01:45.498 I mean, 00:01:45.498 --> 00:01:46.810 I didn't half preach them, 00:01:46.810 --> 00:01:52.564 but the idea is to understand why this is important and why it means 00:01:52.602 --> 00:01:56.372 something. It's because if Christ is the object of our faith, 00:01:56.436 --> 00:02:02.010 this is the focus and should be the priority of our being. 00:02:02.620 --> 00:02:06.970 Christ should be the focal point of everything that we are. 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:09.198 And so I kind of like it. 00:02:09.198 --> 00:02:10.518 I like sort of. 00:02:11.820 --> 00:02:14.258 He kept showing me little run throughs of this. 00:02:14.258 --> 00:02:14.498 He said, 00:02:14.498 --> 00:02:14.898 what about this? 00:02:14.898 --> 00:02:15.218 And I go, 00:02:15.218 --> 00:02:16.538 I don't like that. 00:02:16.370 --> 00:02:17.842 And then he'd send something else back. 00:02:17.842 --> 00:02:18.034 I go, 00:02:18.034 --> 00:02:19.684 no, can you change that? 00:02:20.160 --> 00:02:21.282 He kept working on it, 00:02:21.282 --> 00:02:22.402 kept working on it. 00:02:22.402 --> 00:02:23.206 So we've got, 00:02:23.206 --> 00:02:26.012 obviously, the cross and what God's done on our behalf. 00:02:26.012 --> 00:02:27.120 But over here, 00:02:27.270 --> 00:02:28.726 and we're going to touch on this today, 00:02:28.726 --> 00:02:30.400 because in the cloud there, 00:02:30.470 --> 00:02:36.180 in that image there that we see is Jesus, 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:37.510 the object, 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:39.978 the focal point of our faith. 00:02:39.808 --> 00:02:40.468 All right, 00:02:40.586 --> 00:02:41.796 Hebrews, chapter one, 00:02:41.818 --> 00:02:42.362 one to four. 00:02:42.362 --> 00:02:42.762 Here we go. 00:02:42.762 --> 00:02:43.422 Long ago, 00:02:43.450 --> 00:02:47.740 God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in 00:02:47.758 --> 00:02:48.650 different ways. 00:02:49.340 --> 00:02:50.970 In these last days, 00:02:51.420 --> 00:02:53.980 he has spoken to us by his son. 00:02:53.980 --> 00:02:58.524 God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through 00:02:58.562 --> 00:02:59.100 him. 00:02:59.250 --> 00:03:03.682 The sun is the radiance of God's glory and the exact expression of his 00:03:03.682 --> 00:03:07.390 nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:10.920 After making purification for sins, 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:14.710 he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, 00:03:14.710 --> 00:03:17.084 so he became superior to the angels, 00:03:17.132 --> 00:03:20.700 just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs. 00:03:20.700 --> 00:03:21.062 All right, 00:03:21.062 --> 00:03:21.638 pray with me. 00:03:21.638 --> 00:03:22.166 Here we go. 00:03:22.166 --> 00:03:23.958 God, thank you for the morning. 00:03:23.734 --> 00:03:24.118 Thank you, 00:03:24.118 --> 00:03:25.438 God, for the privilege, 00:03:25.472 --> 00:03:29.104 God, that we get to come together to gather, 00:03:29.152 --> 00:03:29.728 to worship, 00:03:29.728 --> 00:03:30.330 to sing, 00:03:30.330 --> 00:03:33.242 and to sing a new song to just come and praise you. 00:03:33.242 --> 00:03:33.902 And God, 00:03:33.978 --> 00:03:35.620 we want as we gather, 00:03:35.620 --> 00:03:38.090 God, to just exalt you. 00:03:40.140 --> 00:03:41.092 It's your glory. 00:03:41.092 --> 00:03:46.760 God, we just want to come and glorify you in all that we sing, 00:03:46.910 --> 00:03:47.822 all that we say, 00:03:47.822 --> 00:03:49.074 all that we do, 00:03:49.074 --> 00:03:52.892 God, even the attitudes and thoughts of our heart. 00:03:52.946 --> 00:03:54.940 God, we want to glorify you. 00:03:55.090 --> 00:03:55.602 So, God, 00:03:55.602 --> 00:03:56.066 this morning, 00:03:56.066 --> 00:03:59.842 as we consider this sort of launching point for the next few months, 00:03:59.842 --> 00:04:00.994 God, we give you thanks. 00:04:00.994 --> 00:04:02.412 Give you thanks for Hebrews, 00:04:02.412 --> 00:04:03.732 the book of Hebrews. 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:05.078 But, God, 00:04:05.078 --> 00:04:07.140 we give you thanks for your word. 00:04:07.140 --> 00:04:08.480 Thank you for speaking. 00:04:08.630 --> 00:04:10.150 We pray it in Jesus Name. 00:04:10.150 --> 00:04:13.120 Amen. Ever say something you wish you hadn't said? 00:04:14.180 --> 00:04:17.658 If you've ever said something that you wish you could get it back, 00:04:17.658 --> 00:04:18.648 raise your hand. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:23.178 Absolutely. There shouldn't be a hand in the room that is down on that 00:04:23.178 --> 00:04:23.940 one, right? 00:04:24.090 --> 00:04:25.322 It's kind of one of those things. 00:04:25.322 --> 00:04:26.506 It's like you go, 00:04:26.506 --> 00:04:27.826 well, I think that. 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:29.758 And, you know, 00:04:29.758 --> 00:04:30.894 the big joke now is, 00:04:30.894 --> 00:04:31.358 wait a minute, 00:04:31.358 --> 00:04:33.044 did I say that out loud? 00:04:33.044 --> 00:04:33.896 Right? And, 00:04:33.918 --> 00:04:35.348 yeah, then it's too late. 00:04:35.348 --> 00:04:36.750 It's kind of that thing. 00:04:36.750 --> 00:04:38.734 It's like you hear those phrases like, 00:04:38.734 --> 00:04:40.714 well, you can't unring a bell, 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:41.372 right? 00:04:41.506 --> 00:04:46.316 Or you know those little dandelion things where you go and they go all 00:04:46.338 --> 00:04:47.362 over the place like that, 00:04:47.362 --> 00:04:50.278 right. And go try to collect them back once you do that. 00:04:50.278 --> 00:04:51.132 So you can't, 00:04:51.132 --> 00:04:53.840 right? So sometimes we've said things, 00:04:53.990 --> 00:05:00.924 and sometimes we've actually communicated an idea that we wish others 00:05:01.062 --> 00:05:02.036 didn't know. 00:05:02.138 --> 00:05:03.670 We thought, 00:05:04.280 --> 00:05:05.030 right? 00:05:05.400 --> 00:05:11.812 We revealed something of ourselves and of our heart and of our minds that 00:05:11.866 --> 00:05:13.660 all of a sudden it's like, 00:05:13.660 --> 00:05:16.328 what will they think of me? 00:05:16.494 --> 00:05:19.480 Right? Well, 00:05:19.630 --> 00:05:23.770 here's the point of today's message. 00:05:25.820 --> 00:05:29.470 I titled it the expression of God. 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:33.144 See, God has expressed himself. 00:05:33.192 --> 00:05:35.826 Now, I'm going to put this in several wordings right? 00:05:35.826 --> 00:05:38.516 God has revealed himself. 00:05:38.648 --> 00:05:41.804 God has shown us himself. 00:05:41.932 --> 00:05:47.968 God has given us some things whereby we can know him. 00:05:48.054 --> 00:05:49.408 We can know God. 00:05:49.494 --> 00:05:51.484 Jesus prayed in John 17, 00:05:51.612 --> 00:05:52.932 this is eternal life, 00:05:52.938 --> 00:05:54.442 that they may know you, 00:05:54.442 --> 00:05:56.426 the one true God in Jesus Christ, 00:05:56.426 --> 00:05:57.746 whom you have sent. 00:05:57.818 --> 00:05:59.510 So the whole function, 00:05:59.880 --> 00:06:01.840 the whole direction, 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:05.936 trajectory, purpose of our faith is to know God. 00:06:06.058 --> 00:06:07.080 And guess what? 00:06:07.150 --> 00:06:09.764 God has revealed himself. 00:06:09.892 --> 00:06:11.102 So let me ask this question, 00:06:11.102 --> 00:06:14.116 and you don't have to answer because if you answer it incorrectly, 00:06:14.116 --> 00:06:16.642 then somebody's going to throw something at you. 00:06:16.642 --> 00:06:17.740 No, just kidding. 00:06:18.320 --> 00:06:21.550 Is the Bible the word of God? 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:23.470 You see, 00:06:24.400 --> 00:06:26.396 if you're a churchy person, 00:06:26.578 --> 00:06:28.168 and since we're sitting in worship, 00:06:28.168 --> 00:06:30.350 yes, we'll call ourselves churchy people. 00:06:31.300 --> 00:06:33.610 Is the Bible the word of God? 00:06:33.780 --> 00:06:38.284 Everybody talks these days about how to look at the Bible. 00:06:38.332 --> 00:06:39.542 And you'll hear people say, 00:06:39.542 --> 00:06:44.752 well, the Bible is just a collection of writings from semitic people 00:06:44.806 --> 00:06:47.760 groups of the early BCE. 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:49.930 What do we call it now? 00:06:49.930 --> 00:06:50.624 BCE? 00:06:50.752 --> 00:06:51.402 I don't know. 00:06:51.402 --> 00:06:53.242 Anyway, I don't call it that. 00:06:53.242 --> 00:06:54.830 But you can if you want to, 00:06:54.830 --> 00:06:56.440 before current era. 00:06:57.100 --> 00:06:58.980 What does the Bible represent? 00:06:59.140 --> 00:07:08.430 Can we in 2024 trust that what we have between the pages of this book, 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:16.510 made up of 66 books by 40 something writers or copiers or whatever, 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:21.410 and I always tell you that God is the author of the Bible. 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:23.584 He inspired it. 00:07:23.782 --> 00:07:26.422 They put it down in writing for us. 00:07:27.620 --> 00:07:29.910 Is the Bible the word of God? 00:07:29.910 --> 00:07:31.030 And by and large, 00:07:31.030 --> 00:07:31.942 everybody in the room will go, 00:07:31.942 --> 00:07:33.632 absolutely, yes, 00:07:33.686 --> 00:07:35.258 the Bible is the word of God. 00:07:35.258 --> 00:07:37.110 God said it. 00:07:37.880 --> 00:07:39.670 So when God says something, 00:07:40.200 --> 00:07:41.520 what do we get? 00:07:42.520 --> 00:07:44.390 We get words, 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:51.556 right? So I look at the Bible and my mom had that key ring. 00:07:51.588 --> 00:07:52.238 I've told you all, 00:07:52.238 --> 00:07:52.932 it was a key ring. 00:07:52.932 --> 00:07:54.252 Said God said it. 00:07:54.222 --> 00:07:55.022 I believe it. 00:07:55.022 --> 00:07:56.012 That settles it. 00:07:56.030 --> 00:07:58.002 And then some smart aleck came along and said, 00:07:58.002 --> 00:07:58.866 you know what? 00:07:58.866 --> 00:08:01.522 If God said it doesn't matter whether you believe it or not, 00:08:01.522 --> 00:08:02.750 that settles it. 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:05.372 Okay, see, 00:08:05.426 --> 00:08:06.520 God has spoken. 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:07.308 Long ago. 00:08:07.394 --> 00:08:11.238 God spoke to our ancestors and understand we dealt with this part of it. 00:08:11.238 --> 00:08:15.904 The hebrew writer is writing to this either hebrew audience that has 00:08:15.942 --> 00:08:16.908 trusted Jesus, 00:08:17.004 --> 00:08:19.420 Hebrews that haven't yet trusted Jesus, 00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:22.956 or this mixture of gentile hebrew people that are the New Testament 00:08:22.956 --> 00:08:24.028 church in the first century. 00:08:24.028 --> 00:08:28.916 And sometimes we know that scholars believe that the book of Hebrews was 00:08:28.938 --> 00:08:33.136 written sometime between 60 and 70 ad because it's most likely written 00:08:33.168 --> 00:08:36.788 before the destruction of the temple in 70 ad by the Romans. 00:08:36.788 --> 00:08:39.614 And so they believe that it's kind of written in that time frame. 00:08:39.508 --> 00:08:44.632 And so he's writing to the New Testament church and he says, 00:08:44.686 --> 00:08:45.346 long ago, 00:08:45.390 --> 00:08:46.872 God spoke to our ancestors, 00:08:46.872 --> 00:08:50.760 whether that be hebrew ancestors or just our ancestors. 00:08:50.920 --> 00:08:52.002 Here's the bottom line, 00:08:52.002 --> 00:08:54.220 y'all. God spoke. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:57.676 God had something to say. 00:08:57.858 --> 00:08:59.920 God had something to reveal. 00:09:02.180 --> 00:09:04.486 It says he spoke through the prophets different times, 00:09:04.486 --> 00:09:05.360 different ways. 00:09:05.510 --> 00:09:06.450 You see? 00:09:07.140 --> 00:09:09.110 So here's what I want you to understand. 00:09:09.110 --> 00:09:11.890 God revealed something. 00:09:13.060 --> 00:09:14.986 So then we've got to ask ourselves the question, 00:09:14.986 --> 00:09:17.258 what is it God wants me to see? 00:09:16.954 --> 00:09:17.418 I mean, 00:09:17.418 --> 00:09:18.416 a revealing. 00:09:18.528 --> 00:09:20.508 God wants me to see something. 00:09:20.920 --> 00:09:23.890 God wants me to gain an understanding of something. 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:25.136 God speaks. 00:09:25.168 --> 00:09:25.418 All right, 00:09:25.418 --> 00:09:26.324 so, for instance, 00:09:26.324 --> 00:09:27.166 I just told, 00:09:27.166 --> 00:09:28.504 you know, 00:09:28.542 --> 00:09:32.014 I didn't think the west coast of Mexico was all that. 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:32.382 You know what? 00:09:32.382 --> 00:09:33.988 I grew up watching a love boat. 00:09:33.988 --> 00:09:36.948 How many know, 00:09:36.974 --> 00:09:39.100 you got the captain stubing, 00:09:39.440 --> 00:09:42.546 right? You remember that guy and the cruise director girl, 00:09:42.546 --> 00:09:43.842 lady, whatever her name was? 00:09:43.842 --> 00:09:44.728 I don't know. 00:09:44.322 --> 00:09:45.020 Julie something. 00:09:45.090 --> 00:09:46.190 Another, right? 00:09:48.660 --> 00:09:51.820 And they would go to Cabo San Lucas. 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:52.438 Guess what? 00:09:52.438 --> 00:09:54.418 I've been to Cabo San Lucas. 00:09:56.740 --> 00:09:59.440 I've been to Mazatlan. 00:10:00.420 --> 00:10:05.092 I grew up hearing the names of those places on that show, 00:10:05.146 --> 00:10:06.224 the love boat, 00:10:06.352 --> 00:10:09.780 and they made it look just glorious. 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:12.624 Beware of Hollywood, 00:10:12.672 --> 00:10:13.466 just so you know. 00:10:13.466 --> 00:10:18.090 Anyway, so I've seen it for myself now. 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:21.320 I'm not impressed. 00:10:24.140 --> 00:10:25.880 There was a revealing. 00:10:27.020 --> 00:10:27.720 Guess what? 00:10:27.790 --> 00:10:29.518 We got to the Cabo place, 00:10:29.518 --> 00:10:30.098 and they said, 00:10:30.098 --> 00:10:32.834 okay, you got to go down and get on a boat to get there. 00:10:32.834 --> 00:10:33.378 I was like, 00:10:33.378 --> 00:10:34.698 I'm on a boat. 00:10:34.800 --> 00:10:36.670 Just paddle it over there, 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:38.350 right? 00:10:40.180 --> 00:10:42.880 See, I've told you I'm not impressed. 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:46.272 When God is revealing something, 00:10:46.406 --> 00:10:49.360 then our posture, 00:10:51.400 --> 00:10:56.884 our approach to God's revelation of something needs to be one that, 00:10:56.922 --> 00:10:57.546 guess what? 00:10:57.546 --> 00:11:02.790 God doesn't need to convince us of anything. 00:11:03.980 --> 00:11:05.850 God only needs to speak. 00:11:07.980 --> 00:11:12.970 See, God doesn't have to convince me that he's God. 00:11:14.060 --> 00:11:15.450 He just is. 00:11:17.100 --> 00:11:18.958 I don't have to look at the world around me and go, 00:11:18.958 --> 00:11:20.674 well, I could choose that God, 00:11:20.674 --> 00:11:22.386 or I could choose that God. 00:11:22.386 --> 00:11:23.848 I like that last song. 00:11:23.848 --> 00:11:25.842 It's the kind of God you are. 00:11:25.602 --> 00:11:26.322 Because guess what? 00:11:26.322 --> 00:11:30.282 People do look at the world around us and choose their God. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:32.370 Did you notice that? 00:11:32.980 --> 00:11:35.620 You notice the things people worship these days? 00:11:37.780 --> 00:11:38.982 I think the biggest one, 00:11:38.982 --> 00:11:39.792 culturally speaking, 00:11:39.846 --> 00:11:42.980 is people are worshipping identity. 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:47.830 Identity. Sorry. 00:11:50.040 --> 00:11:52.192 God has revealed himself. 00:11:52.336 --> 00:11:54.340 He doesn't need to convince us. 00:11:54.410 --> 00:11:56.138 He didn't need to convince them. 00:11:56.138 --> 00:11:58.118 He just merely needed to speak. 00:11:58.222 --> 00:12:00.202 And this is what he said. 00:12:00.300 --> 00:12:01.000 Long ago, 00:12:01.070 --> 00:12:03.502 God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times, 00:12:03.502 --> 00:12:04.492 in different ways. 00:12:04.526 --> 00:12:05.912 In these last days, 00:12:05.966 --> 00:12:08.776 he has spoken to us by his son. 00:12:08.878 --> 00:12:10.628 Now, one of the commentaries I'm reading, 00:12:10.628 --> 00:12:12.322 and I can't remember where it came from or whatever. 00:12:12.322 --> 00:12:15.698 I just keep a stack of things that I read as I'm preparing and just 00:12:15.698 --> 00:12:17.018 letting God feed it. 00:12:17.026 --> 00:12:18.520 And this one commentary, 00:12:18.680 --> 00:12:21.512 he always refers to the Old Testament and the New testament, 00:12:21.512 --> 00:12:21.842 right? 00:12:21.762 --> 00:12:22.582 We've got two of them, 00:12:22.582 --> 00:12:23.902 right? Old and new. 00:12:23.974 --> 00:12:27.260 And he always refers to the Old Testament as the first testament, 00:12:27.260 --> 00:12:30.182 which put me on edge because I was like, 00:12:30.182 --> 00:12:32.640 first and then second and then what? 00:12:32.790 --> 00:12:36.600 Because there is a group of folks out there that believe in another 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:39.350 testament. Y'all know that group. 00:12:39.880 --> 00:12:40.314 I mean, 00:12:40.314 --> 00:12:41.304 they'll advertise it. 00:12:41.370 --> 00:12:45.812 We'll send you a free copy of another testament of Jesus. 00:12:45.876 --> 00:12:46.866 And I'm going, 00:12:50.300 --> 00:12:51.172 first Testament, 00:12:51.236 --> 00:12:51.896 second Testament, 00:12:51.956 --> 00:12:52.612 Old Testament, 00:12:52.612 --> 00:12:53.640 New Testament. 00:12:54.060 --> 00:12:54.702 Guess what? 00:12:54.702 --> 00:12:56.022 Here's what it is. 00:12:55.822 --> 00:12:59.230 God has chosen to speak. 00:13:00.880 --> 00:13:03.980 God has chosen to reveal himself, 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.100 to show us who he is, 00:13:07.760 --> 00:13:10.050 to let us know him. 00:13:10.980 --> 00:13:11.970 You see, 00:13:14.100 --> 00:13:16.326 it says here that in these last days, 00:13:16.326 --> 00:13:16.918 now, guess what? 00:13:16.918 --> 00:13:19.558 From the time of this writing to today, 00:13:19.860 --> 00:13:21.510 these are the last days, 00:13:22.280 --> 00:13:24.916 okay? We're still in them. 00:13:25.098 --> 00:13:26.218 People love to ask me, 00:13:26.218 --> 00:13:27.834 Bobby, do you think we're in the end times? 00:13:27.834 --> 00:13:30.870 Yes, we are in the end times. 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:32.550 You know why? 00:13:33.160 --> 00:13:34.790 Because we're still going. 00:13:36.680 --> 00:13:38.990 We're closer today than we were yesterday. 00:13:38.820 --> 00:13:40.570 Welcome to the end times. 00:13:40.940 --> 00:13:42.878 Okay, so I look at this, 00:13:42.878 --> 00:13:43.198 I said, 00:13:43.198 --> 00:13:43.438 all right, 00:13:43.438 --> 00:13:44.532 so what does it he reveal? 00:13:44.532 --> 00:13:45.780 God revealed himself. 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:48.830 God has spoken by his son. 00:13:51.680 --> 00:13:54.856 I've been playing with a couple of different translations of the Bible, 00:13:54.856 --> 00:13:57.176 and still in the chairs, 00:13:57.208 --> 00:13:59.188 you got the christian standard Bible. 00:13:59.208 --> 00:14:01.302 And people have different ideas about this. 00:14:01.302 --> 00:14:02.582 And so here's what I want you to know. 00:14:02.582 --> 00:14:09.152 Translation. Translation of the word of God is the effort on our part as 00:14:09.206 --> 00:14:12.710 humankind to understand what God said. 00:14:14.280 --> 00:14:17.344 It's given to us in Hebrew, 00:14:17.472 --> 00:14:19.060 Greek and Aramaic. 00:14:19.800 --> 00:14:28.440 There is no exact translation into English from those original languages. 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:31.358 I've said to you before, 00:14:31.358 --> 00:14:33.352 translation is an art form, 00:14:33.486 --> 00:14:34.836 not a science. 00:14:35.028 --> 00:14:41.564 Okay? So to read many translations is a healthy thing and recognize when 00:14:41.602 --> 00:14:44.350 a translation messes it up. 00:14:45.040 --> 00:14:48.524 Okay? Just giving you that because here's what we've got. 00:14:48.562 --> 00:14:52.240 If we're going to understand what God said in long ago, 00:14:52.310 --> 00:14:54.716 God spoke by the prophets. 00:14:54.908 --> 00:14:56.646 If we're going to understand what God said, 00:14:56.646 --> 00:15:00.828 then we've got to pay attention to the things that God reveals. 00:15:00.924 --> 00:15:02.118 And here's what we got. 00:15:01.958 --> 00:15:02.342 You ready? 00:15:02.342 --> 00:15:04.490 I'm going to give you the hope of all of it, 00:15:04.490 --> 00:15:07.760 because if I've cast a shadow on your understanding of the English Bible, 00:15:07.760 --> 00:15:08.628 I'm sorry, 00:15:08.794 --> 00:15:12.000 what we have is the Ruach Hakodesh. 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:14.390 How many y'all remember me preaching acts? 00:15:14.496 --> 00:15:15.002 And man, 00:15:15.002 --> 00:15:15.562 I use that. 00:15:15.562 --> 00:15:17.098 I spit on y'all every Sunday. 00:15:16.928 --> 00:15:21.204 I preach that because if you're going to pronounce Hebrew, 00:15:21.252 --> 00:15:23.770 you got to have guttural sounds. 00:15:24.860 --> 00:15:27.090 I took enough Hebrew to know that. 00:15:27.090 --> 00:15:30.818 It's actually very clearing of your back throat area if you want to know 00:15:30.818 --> 00:15:39.052 that. But the ruach Hakodesh just simply means the spirit of the holy 00:15:39.116 --> 00:15:43.222 one. Now call it Holy Spirit if you want him to have a first and last 00:15:43.222 --> 00:15:43.810 name. 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:47.090 But it is the spirit of God, 00:15:48.100 --> 00:15:48.760 you see, 00:15:48.806 --> 00:15:53.220 the spirit of who God is, 00:15:53.290 --> 00:15:54.644 father, son, 00:15:54.842 --> 00:15:56.630 spirit of God. 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:03.316 And it's the ruach Hakodesh that God has given and provided for our 00:16:03.418 --> 00:16:07.050 understanding of what God has said. 00:16:07.660 --> 00:16:09.876 God inspired it by his spirit. 00:16:09.988 --> 00:16:12.260 Writers wrote it down by his spirit. 00:16:12.260 --> 00:16:14.276 God illuminates it by his spirit. 00:16:14.308 --> 00:16:15.342 So when we read it, 00:16:15.342 --> 00:16:19.962 it's the spirit of God that God has entrusted to explain it to us. 00:16:20.880 --> 00:16:22.568 So when you read the Bible, 00:16:22.568 --> 00:16:24.316 pray, God, 00:16:24.498 --> 00:16:28.044 help me understand what you said. 00:16:28.242 --> 00:16:32.908 God, help me see what you've revealed. 00:16:33.004 --> 00:16:36.272 God, help me know. 00:16:36.326 --> 00:16:37.504 You see, 00:16:37.542 --> 00:16:39.468 the central thought of Hebrews is this. 00:16:39.222 --> 00:16:41.868 It's the idea that the old testament, 00:16:42.044 --> 00:16:42.922 the first test, 00:16:42.922 --> 00:16:45.080 I don't care what you call it, 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:47.664 it pointed to foreshadowed, 00:16:47.712 --> 00:16:51.168 is that literary term of the days of fulfillment. 00:16:51.264 --> 00:16:55.438 It was the Old Testament that pointed to the fulfillment of God's design, 00:16:55.438 --> 00:16:56.650 purpose and plan. 00:16:57.500 --> 00:17:02.532 Okay, God was pointing throughout the first Testament. 00:17:02.596 --> 00:17:03.256 Old Testament. 00:17:03.316 --> 00:17:05.296 Guess what the Old Testament's about. 00:17:05.006 --> 00:17:07.656 Jesus. You go, 00:17:07.678 --> 00:17:08.158 well, wait a minute. 00:17:08.158 --> 00:17:08.862 Jesus didn't know. 00:17:08.862 --> 00:17:12.696 He didn't come until after Malachi, 00:17:12.728 --> 00:17:14.300 that italian prophet. 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:16.092 Right. 00:17:16.226 --> 00:17:17.442 He didn't come till after that. 00:17:17.442 --> 00:17:21.810 No, God spoke of Jesus in Genesis three. 00:17:22.580 --> 00:17:24.288 When the fall took place, 00:17:24.374 --> 00:17:26.240 God promised redemption. 00:17:27.060 --> 00:17:29.036 So the Old Testament is about Jesus, 00:17:29.036 --> 00:17:29.830 but guess what? 00:17:29.830 --> 00:17:31.984 The New Testament is about Jesus. 00:17:32.032 --> 00:17:34.000 And so God is pointing to the fulfillment, 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:35.700 and Jesus is the fulfillment. 00:17:36.600 --> 00:17:43.252 And the fulfillment began in the Old Testament and has its completion in 00:17:43.306 --> 00:17:48.072 Christ. And then we get the glorification of it, 00:17:48.206 --> 00:17:51.880 that final thing when we get to be in his presence. 00:17:53.260 --> 00:17:56.730 Now this sounds all very something, 00:17:58.140 --> 00:17:59.634 but by the time we get to the end of this, 00:17:59.634 --> 00:18:01.920 I'm going to ask you a question, 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:03.964 going back to the first question. 00:18:04.082 --> 00:18:06.392 Is the Bible the word of God? 00:18:07.600 --> 00:18:12.450 Because if our salvation is dependent on what we believe, 00:18:12.900 --> 00:18:16.290 faith, which is what we talked about all last year. 00:18:17.540 --> 00:18:19.254 Now, I want to encourage you to something. 00:18:19.254 --> 00:18:23.544 Faith is not something that you kind of hold as an insurance policy. 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:25.632 Well, I'm going to believe in Jesus, 00:18:25.632 --> 00:18:26.952 but if I'm wrong, 00:18:27.800 --> 00:18:30.340 I've heard that you'll think I haven't. 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:31.580 Well, yeah, 00:18:31.626 --> 00:18:35.080 I accepted Christ because if there is a heaven, 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:40.248 I want to make sure I get there right. 00:18:40.334 --> 00:18:49.080 No, the object of our faith is that my life is nothing apart from Jesus. 00:18:52.490 --> 00:18:55.320 See, it's not a contingency plan. 00:18:56.570 --> 00:19:00.790 Now, do we believe what God has said about himself? 00:19:00.870 --> 00:19:04.170 Do we believe what God has said about Jesus? 00:19:04.670 --> 00:19:06.806 So God has spoken. 00:19:06.998 --> 00:19:10.090 God has revealed. 00:19:10.510 --> 00:19:12.738 God has revealed himself. 00:19:12.854 --> 00:19:14.346 So Jesus revealed. 00:19:14.378 --> 00:19:15.946 Is this Jesus? 00:19:16.058 --> 00:19:18.270 Is God revealed? 00:19:20.130 --> 00:19:20.880 Okay? 00:19:21.410 --> 00:19:23.540 And I have folks who want to argue with me. 00:19:23.540 --> 00:19:25.786 They hold the first century, 00:19:25.818 --> 00:19:31.042 I think they refer to it as the aryan controversy of denying the deity of 00:19:31.096 --> 00:19:32.546 Christ. And they say, 00:19:32.568 --> 00:19:35.598 well, that was only come up with in the such and such century. 00:19:35.598 --> 00:19:39.522 Or that they only decided to call it the Trinity and father, 00:19:39.522 --> 00:19:41.772 Son, Holy Spirit somewhere after the fact. 00:19:41.772 --> 00:19:42.972 Well, you know why? 00:19:42.412 --> 00:19:46.760 Because everybody who met Jesus and knew Jesus knew he was God, 00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:51.420 there was no denial by those, 00:19:51.950 --> 00:19:53.994 okay? They knew he was God. 00:19:54.032 --> 00:19:57.306 And so God makes some very simple statements here, 00:19:57.328 --> 00:19:59.420 and there's seven of them. 00:19:59.870 --> 00:20:00.960 This is what he says. 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:05.630 God has appointed him heir of all things. 00:20:05.780 --> 00:20:09.466 He. God has appointed him heir. 00:20:09.498 --> 00:20:10.052 Who's him? 00:20:10.052 --> 00:20:11.188 Him is the son. 00:20:11.188 --> 00:20:12.260 So you got God, 00:20:12.260 --> 00:20:12.916 Father, son, 00:20:12.916 --> 00:20:13.950 Holy Spirit. 00:20:14.370 --> 00:20:18.270 God has appointed him son, 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:19.786 heir of all things. 00:20:19.908 --> 00:20:20.990 It's just a quote. 00:20:20.990 --> 00:20:22.514 Ready? Look at it. 00:20:22.632 --> 00:20:23.752 It's in verse two. 00:20:23.512 --> 00:20:24.952 God has appointed him heir of all things. 00:20:24.952 --> 00:20:28.090 I'm not doing anything but reading the Bible to you. 00:20:28.090 --> 00:20:29.068 Heir. What does that mean? 00:20:29.068 --> 00:20:33.030 It means he is the inheritor. 00:20:36.170 --> 00:20:37.654 He has it all. 00:20:37.772 --> 00:20:39.686 Jesus has it all. 00:20:39.868 --> 00:20:41.848 He's the heir of it all. 00:20:42.730 --> 00:20:44.768 And then you got people who want to argue that point and say, 00:20:44.768 --> 00:20:45.936 well, then that means what? 00:20:45.936 --> 00:20:47.210 The father died. 00:20:47.790 --> 00:20:49.674 No, I mean, 00:20:49.712 --> 00:20:50.702 in first century, 00:20:50.774 --> 00:20:54.026 it was very common for the heir to take charge. 00:20:54.026 --> 00:20:54.522 The king. 00:20:54.522 --> 00:20:57.930 The king's son to take charge when the king got older. 00:20:57.930 --> 00:20:59.348 And we're not talking about God getting old. 00:20:59.348 --> 00:21:01.328 What we're talking about is God. 00:21:03.970 --> 00:21:06.506 Before there was time in existence, 00:21:06.618 --> 00:21:08.270 the Son was the heir. 00:21:09.810 --> 00:21:11.726 Son was always the heir. 00:21:11.918 --> 00:21:12.980 Guess what? 00:21:15.030 --> 00:21:19.560 I go back and take care of mom and dad's property sometimes, 00:21:20.410 --> 00:21:21.160 right? 00:21:23.450 --> 00:21:25.318 Is there an airship there? 00:21:25.484 --> 00:21:26.252 See what I mean? 00:21:26.252 --> 00:21:28.232 Not an airship that you fly. 00:21:28.258 --> 00:21:30.200 Okay? See what I mean? 00:21:30.650 --> 00:21:31.382 Second thing, 00:21:31.436 --> 00:21:34.026 all things he goes on to say, 00:21:34.048 --> 00:21:34.288 all right? 00:21:34.288 --> 00:21:35.008 So he says, 00:21:35.008 --> 00:21:39.482 God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through 00:21:39.536 --> 00:21:45.134 him. So there's no way of some sort of adoptive principle of God making 00:21:45.252 --> 00:21:46.242 Jesus the Son, 00:21:46.276 --> 00:21:51.680 because everything that exists was created through the Son. 00:21:52.450 --> 00:21:56.986 So the Son was there before the creation, 00:21:57.178 --> 00:22:01.826 because it was through the Son that all creation exists through him, 00:22:01.848 --> 00:22:02.312 by him, 00:22:02.312 --> 00:22:02.792 for him, 00:22:02.792 --> 00:22:05.390 all things were created and exist. 00:22:05.470 --> 00:22:06.340 You see, 00:22:06.710 --> 00:22:08.082 so he was here. 00:22:08.136 --> 00:22:10.520 It was all made through Christ. 00:22:11.050 --> 00:22:12.492 And then he goes on to say this. 00:22:12.492 --> 00:22:15.990 Ready? The sun is the radiance of God's glory. 00:22:16.410 --> 00:22:17.074 Radiance. 00:22:17.122 --> 00:22:19.574 Now, I looked this up. 00:22:19.612 --> 00:22:20.272 You ready? 00:22:20.364 --> 00:22:24.026 Radiance. And I'm not going to tell you the greek word, 00:22:24.048 --> 00:22:25.698 but here's what it means. 00:22:26.110 --> 00:22:32.860 So if God is represented in scripture so many times as the light. 00:22:33.470 --> 00:22:37.316 And I did listen to a couple of messages this week that question the fact 00:22:37.316 --> 00:22:41.606 that the sun is actually the light that gives us day and night. 00:22:41.636 --> 00:22:45.596 Did you know there was day and night before the sun existed? 00:22:46.530 --> 00:22:47.412 Because God said, 00:22:47.412 --> 00:22:49.496 let there be light on the first day. 00:22:49.496 --> 00:22:52.796 He created the sun and moon on the fourth day. 00:22:53.430 --> 00:22:58.050 Yeah, go ahead and roll that one over in your mind a few times. 00:22:58.950 --> 00:23:02.998 So if God is represented in the text by light, 00:23:03.164 --> 00:23:04.466 then this radiance, 00:23:04.498 --> 00:23:06.732 is that what he's saying in that simple saying, 00:23:06.732 --> 00:23:08.642 the sun is the radiance of God's glory. 00:23:08.642 --> 00:23:13.370 Christ is actually the shining forth of God's glory, 00:23:14.430 --> 00:23:14.928 you see? 00:23:14.928 --> 00:23:15.472 So if God, 00:23:15.472 --> 00:23:16.016 Father, Son, 00:23:16.016 --> 00:23:16.676 Holy Spirit, 00:23:16.726 --> 00:23:18.918 is a shining forth of glory, 00:23:19.014 --> 00:23:22.038 then the Son is the shining forth of that glory. 00:23:22.038 --> 00:23:23.108 Then he goes on to say, 00:23:23.108 --> 00:23:26.190 he is the exact expression of his nature, 00:23:27.010 --> 00:23:29.680 the exact expression of his. 00:23:32.290 --> 00:23:38.206 So if you're going to look at this complexity that we refer to as God and 00:23:38.228 --> 00:23:38.888 call it, 00:23:38.932 --> 00:23:40.206 we use the word trinity, 00:23:40.206 --> 00:23:40.808 some people say, 00:23:40.808 --> 00:23:43.064 oh, that's just a theological term they made up. 00:23:43.064 --> 00:23:44.542 Anyway, if we're looking at Father, 00:23:44.542 --> 00:23:45.438 Son, and holy spirit, 00:23:45.438 --> 00:23:47.748 which is how God has revealed himself, 00:23:47.854 --> 00:23:48.790 you see, 00:23:48.940 --> 00:23:56.280 the Son is this exact expression of God, 00:23:57.370 --> 00:23:58.950 right? And Jesus said, 00:23:59.100 --> 00:24:01.114 if you've seen me, 00:24:01.312 --> 00:24:04.570 you've seen the father. 00:24:07.310 --> 00:24:09.248 So tell you a little story. 00:24:09.248 --> 00:24:10.438 Everybody knows Eli got married, 00:24:10.438 --> 00:24:12.486 right? Everybody knows that my son got married. 00:24:12.486 --> 00:24:13.392 He got off. 00:24:13.392 --> 00:24:15.042 Hey, we did a wedding. 00:24:14.646 --> 00:24:19.486 Yay. Thank y'all for loving on my son and everybody that showed up 00:24:19.508 --> 00:24:21.402 yesterday. Thank you for loving on him and Lily, 00:24:21.402 --> 00:24:22.394 and they're precious. 00:24:22.442 --> 00:24:23.614 And, boy, 00:24:23.652 --> 00:24:26.894 things are on. 00:24:26.932 --> 00:24:31.552 I don't sit in my recliner and wait for him to come home anymore. 00:24:30.470 --> 00:24:33.554 Right. But I can call him and say, 00:24:33.592 --> 00:24:34.286 hey, budy, 00:24:34.318 --> 00:24:36.734 why don't you all come over Friday night and we'll have dinner? 00:24:36.734 --> 00:24:38.686 Absolutely, man. 00:24:38.728 --> 00:24:39.842 He's ready for some dinner. 00:24:39.842 --> 00:24:41.492 I'm going to tell you. 00:24:44.090 --> 00:24:45.740 But when he was little, 00:24:45.930 --> 00:24:47.362 I don't know if y'all have noticed, 00:24:47.362 --> 00:24:50.870 but he and I have a similar resemblance. 00:24:51.770 --> 00:24:53.334 We were in the mall in Asheville, 00:24:53.334 --> 00:24:54.410 North Carolina, 00:24:54.830 --> 00:24:56.576 and he was an active child. 00:24:56.576 --> 00:24:59.722 And when he was walking and would, 00:24:59.856 --> 00:25:02.832 we didn't use one of them little springy leashes on the kid. 00:25:02.832 --> 00:25:04.482 We just let him run. 00:25:04.510 --> 00:25:06.490 He was a free range child, 00:25:08.130 --> 00:25:10.218 and so he would get ahead of us in the mall, 00:25:10.218 --> 00:25:10.548 right? 00:25:10.452 --> 00:25:12.452 And we were walking through the mall one day, 00:25:12.452 --> 00:25:15.988 and he was several steps out there in front of us, 00:25:15.988 --> 00:25:18.472 and there was a lady sitting on one of those benches there. 00:25:18.472 --> 00:25:20.872 And as we were catching up to him a little bit, 00:25:20.872 --> 00:25:23.030 she looked at me and she went, 00:25:23.030 --> 00:25:24.580 you can't deny that. 00:25:27.190 --> 00:25:28.840 Know shape of the head. 00:25:28.872 --> 00:25:31.086 I don't mean, 00:25:31.128 --> 00:25:34.438 but this is what he's me. 00:25:34.524 --> 00:25:38.550 Eli is an expression, 00:25:39.610 --> 00:25:42.886 a representation of his father and mother, 00:25:42.998 --> 00:25:44.140 but not exact. 00:25:46.350 --> 00:25:47.258 You see, 00:25:47.424 --> 00:25:53.838 what God has revealed here is that the Son is the exact expression of his 00:25:53.924 --> 00:25:57.770 nature, this representation of God's, 00:25:57.850 --> 00:25:59.600 the essence of God, 00:26:00.290 --> 00:26:02.174 who God is. 00:26:02.372 --> 00:26:04.770 So if you want to get to know God, 00:26:04.770 --> 00:26:06.290 hang out with Jesus. 00:26:07.990 --> 00:26:09.896 If you want to know God better, 00:26:09.896 --> 00:26:11.810 spend more time with Jesus. 00:26:12.550 --> 00:26:18.102 And then he goes on to explain more of the function of what it means for 00:26:18.156 --> 00:26:20.546 Christ to be eternal, 00:26:20.658 --> 00:26:21.750 co equal, 00:26:23.050 --> 00:26:23.714 the Father, 00:26:23.762 --> 00:26:25.010 Son, Holy Spirit. 00:26:25.090 --> 00:26:26.434 This ruach Hakodesh, 00:26:26.482 --> 00:26:27.238 the Son, 00:26:27.404 --> 00:26:28.098 the Father, 00:26:28.194 --> 00:26:29.184 all as God. 00:26:29.116 --> 00:26:34.120 He says he sustains all things by his powerful word, 00:26:34.570 --> 00:26:36.310 all things sustaining. 00:26:37.850 --> 00:26:41.168 I told y'all before when we touched on this that I'm one of those people 00:26:41.168 --> 00:26:42.672 that believe if God went, 00:26:42.672 --> 00:26:44.000 fine, I'm done. 00:26:44.370 --> 00:26:49.098 Then the very atoms and molecules that hold the world together would fly 00:26:49.114 --> 00:26:50.110 to pieces. 00:26:50.450 --> 00:26:53.044 I believe God is the one holding it together, 00:26:53.044 --> 00:26:54.282 not magnetic, 00:26:54.346 --> 00:26:55.890 whatever, not. 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:57.650 Not some sort of poles. 00:27:03.190 --> 00:27:04.098 You know, 00:27:04.264 --> 00:27:05.816 I ran a race one time, 00:27:05.816 --> 00:27:06.740 five k, 00:27:07.830 --> 00:27:10.152 and. And there was supposed to be three of us running, 00:27:10.152 --> 00:27:11.192 and one of them dropped out. 00:27:11.192 --> 00:27:13.830 And so as we were finishing, 00:27:14.410 --> 00:27:19.020 I sort of hid so that the guy I wanted to beat couldn't see me. 00:27:19.020 --> 00:27:20.908 And so right before the finish line, 00:27:20.908 --> 00:27:24.280 I went and passed him and I went. 00:27:24.590 --> 00:27:25.878 So the next morning in church, 00:27:25.878 --> 00:27:27.408 he's one of the other pastors at church. 00:27:27.238 --> 00:27:32.762 He starts explaining how I cheated and how I hid behind people to pass 00:27:32.816 --> 00:27:34.196 him right at the finish line, 00:27:34.196 --> 00:27:35.636 and how that wasn't fair. 00:27:35.636 --> 00:27:36.932 And I just stood there and I said, 00:27:36.932 --> 00:27:42.000 look, if you have to tell a story that tells the story. 00:27:43.330 --> 00:27:48.674 See, people want to deny the existence of God and then try to explain 00:27:48.792 --> 00:27:52.100 things that can't be explained apart from God. 00:27:53.510 --> 00:27:56.420 See, the world is sustained by God, 00:27:57.350 --> 00:27:59.602 and then it says Christ's work. 00:27:59.656 --> 00:28:00.204 You ready? 00:28:00.088 --> 00:28:00.758 He says, 00:28:00.924 --> 00:28:02.914 after making purification for sins, 00:28:02.962 --> 00:28:04.258 because in the incarnation, 00:28:04.258 --> 00:28:05.762 in the birth in Jesus, 00:28:05.762 --> 00:28:09.052 and we had the manger scene over there and Christmas tree over there, 00:28:09.052 --> 00:28:10.562 and we celebrate the season, 00:28:10.562 --> 00:28:12.316 and we celebrate the birth of Christ, 00:28:12.316 --> 00:28:16.486 and God had a purpose and plan all the way from the beginning that Jesus, 00:28:16.486 --> 00:28:16.976 the son, 00:28:16.976 --> 00:28:18.544 the heir of all things, 00:28:18.544 --> 00:28:22.182 would be the lamb who would take away sin, 00:28:22.246 --> 00:28:23.946 who would do away sin, 00:28:24.138 --> 00:28:25.178 do away with sin, 00:28:25.178 --> 00:28:26.046 you see? 00:28:26.228 --> 00:28:30.518 And he defeated and removed sin because he is the lamb of God. 00:28:30.596 --> 00:28:33.280 And once he had done that job, 00:28:34.050 --> 00:28:37.490 he sat down because the work was finished. 00:28:38.310 --> 00:28:41.140 You know how satisfying that is? 00:28:42.310 --> 00:28:45.730 You don't have to work to get to heaven. 00:28:47.770 --> 00:28:51.430 You just have to live out your faith, 00:28:52.090 --> 00:28:53.240 what you believe. 00:28:54.010 --> 00:28:57.670 And if you believe these things about Jesus, 00:28:58.410 --> 00:29:00.620 about what God has said, 00:29:01.630 --> 00:29:03.354 about who God is, 00:29:03.472 --> 00:29:06.544 and I mean believe it with all that you are, 00:29:06.544 --> 00:29:10.780 see, then we are the children of God. 00:29:12.350 --> 00:29:13.252 See, I know people. 00:29:13.252 --> 00:29:22.430 We live in a world where at the very least we can say it's confused. 00:29:26.230 --> 00:29:28.210 But if God has spoken, 00:29:29.350 --> 00:29:31.660 then we don't need to be confused. 00:29:33.270 --> 00:29:35.330 We don't need to be convinced. 00:29:36.390 --> 00:29:38.716 It doesn't need to be proven to us. 00:29:38.716 --> 00:29:40.520 We simply need to say, 00:29:41.130 --> 00:29:42.370 yes, lord, 00:29:42.530 --> 00:29:50.938 yes, Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father Christ, 00:29:51.024 --> 00:29:54.954 messiah. Christ is seated right next to, 00:29:54.992 --> 00:29:56.490 in the Old Testament, 00:29:57.070 --> 00:29:58.570 right there he is. 00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:02.154 This. It's hard for me to say, 00:30:02.192 --> 00:30:06.730 but when we say yahweh yeshua, 00:30:06.890 --> 00:30:08.750 God is salvation. 00:30:09.090 --> 00:30:12.960 See, do we believe it? 00:30:13.890 --> 00:30:15.620 See, God said it. 00:30:16.550 --> 00:30:17.540 God said it. 00:30:17.448 --> 00:30:18.820 That settles it. 00:30:19.430 --> 00:30:20.500 That's it. 00:30:21.190 --> 00:30:23.262 And so folks show up in worship, 00:30:23.262 --> 00:30:23.672 like here, 00:30:23.672 --> 00:30:25.874 and I'm glad you're here, 00:30:26.072 --> 00:30:28.382 but if you didn't know before today, 00:30:28.472 --> 00:30:32.102 then what God wants you to know is that you know. 00:30:32.410 --> 00:30:34.470 Okay, is that a bit redundant? 00:30:34.890 --> 00:30:36.994 I used to have a professor from South Africa. 00:30:36.834 --> 00:30:37.340 He'd say, 00:30:37.340 --> 00:30:40.970 brothers, you need to know that you know that you know. 00:30:41.790 --> 00:30:43.462 See, God's revealed himself. 00:30:43.526 --> 00:30:44.810 God has spoken. 00:30:46.350 --> 00:30:47.850 Are we paying attention? 00:30:48.190 --> 00:30:49.450 Are we listening? 00:30:50.270 --> 00:30:51.590 Are we living it? 00:30:51.648 --> 00:30:54.858 Okay, if you don't know Jesus this morning, 00:30:54.944 --> 00:30:55.888 that's obviously good. 00:30:55.888 --> 00:31:00.320 We're going to spend a lot of time on knowing Jesus this year. 00:31:00.770 --> 00:31:02.698 We want you to know Jesus. 00:31:02.698 --> 00:31:05.498 I'll be down here at the front to pray with you if you want to pray, 00:31:05.498 --> 00:31:07.478 love to introduce you to Jesus. 00:31:07.650 --> 00:31:08.840 Maybe you know him, 00:31:08.840 --> 00:31:09.912 but it's kind of that thing. 00:31:09.912 --> 00:31:14.130 Well, the world's got all this stuff going on and man, 00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:15.576 just take a step and say, 00:31:15.576 --> 00:31:17.160 I want to know you, 00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:20.580 Jesus, and then get to know him. 00:31:21.270 --> 00:31:22.638 Maybe you want to be a part of the gathering. 00:31:22.638 --> 00:31:24.434 You can come be a part of the gathering. 00:31:24.434 --> 00:31:25.868 God's doing some cool things. 00:31:25.692 --> 00:31:28.706 We got folks that once I start talking about membership, 00:31:28.706 --> 00:31:29.068 people go, 00:31:29.068 --> 00:31:29.922 okay, I want to be a member. 00:31:29.922 --> 00:31:30.780 Yeah, come on, 00:31:30.780 --> 00:31:32.428 we'll tell you how to do that. 00:31:32.428 --> 00:31:33.612 But more than anything else, 00:31:33.612 --> 00:31:34.838 as we sing this last song, 00:31:34.838 --> 00:31:36.048 do what God's telling you to do. 00:31:36.048 --> 00:31:36.780 All right. 00:31:37.230 --> 00:31:38.198 Pray with me. 00:31:37.952 --> 00:31:39.344 Father, thank you for today. 00:31:39.344 --> 00:31:39.808 Thank you, 00:31:39.808 --> 00:31:41.616 God, that you've done some really, 00:31:41.616 --> 00:31:43.120 really cool things. 00:31:43.570 --> 00:31:44.148 And God, 00:31:44.148 --> 00:31:47.118 that you let us be a part of it. 00:31:47.890 --> 00:31:51.614 I thank you that you've shown us yourself that it's not, 00:31:51.652 --> 00:31:58.014 that you spent a whole chapter trying to prove or convince us of 00:31:58.052 --> 00:32:03.440 anything. You simply stated the truth to us. 00:32:04.210 --> 00:32:09.510 That it's through Jesus that you've spoken and that Jesus, 00:32:11.130 --> 00:32:12.002 the author, 00:32:12.066 --> 00:32:12.786 the perfector, 00:32:12.818 --> 00:32:14.730 as we'll look at it later, 00:32:14.730 --> 00:32:16.066 of our faith, 00:32:16.258 --> 00:32:18.238 God, help us to draw near. 00:32:18.268 --> 00:32:19.918 Help us to pay attention. 00:32:20.650 --> 00:32:21.836 Help us to live it. 00:32:21.836 --> 00:32:23.724 We pray it in Jesus name. 00:32:23.724 --> 00:32:24.210 Amen.