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Run the never tired Vice President, shall our comfort be 166?
Lord.
I want to cheer on ground.
All the strangers. You are saying that I'm saying all.
Before Thunder.
Luke 15, verse 22.
Verse 21 And the Son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight.
And in no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said it to his servants. Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and bring hit her the fatted calf, and kill it. And let us eat and be merry.
But forever we'd be on that.
Hebrews chapter one and verse 5. For under which of the angels said he had any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. And again I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son. And again, when he brings in the first begotten into the world he set, and let all the angels of God worship him, and of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels, spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
But under the sun, he saith, lies thrown, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
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And thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the earth.
And the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remain us. And they all shall act old as does the garment, and as a vesture shalt thou pull them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy ears shall not fail. But to which of the angels, said he, at any time Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them? Who shall be heirs of salvation?
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which have been.
Which we have heard, lest at anytime we should let them slip. For if the words spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him?
God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders.
And with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will.
For under the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come.
Where we speak.
May stop here.
With our chapter in respect to the verses that were just read before we prayed.
We know that Luke 15, we call it the parable the prodigal son because we know of the son that left his father's house and went into the far country and wasted the substance in riotous living and versus red bring us the place that the father brought that son into when he repented and came home.
But I also believe that we can look at that parable and enjoy an opposite side of it.
Of the Father who sent his perfect Son into the far country for the blessing of others, as we have in our chapter. The Son, the perfect Son who returns home from having gone into the far country. Here in our chapter and in the verses just before where we started, it says.
In verse 3.
He sat himself down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
And then in verse.
13 The Father says, Sit on my right hand, brethren, we can't imagine it, but at least in our hearts we can enjoy the what kind of a welcome.
Did the perfect son have when he returned to the father's house and sat down, not as a prodigal, but sat down as the son at his father's right hand who had?
Perfectly represented him and fulfilled the work given to do in the far country, and returns home and sits there. I think in our hearts we can only imagine the joy of the Father and the Son together as the Son is welcomed in the dignity and the majesty of the work and person that He is. And there are things like that in the Word of God, for example, in Genesis 22.
Where the Father and the Son, it says they go Yonder to worship.
We don't go with them in that. That's personal to the father and the son.
And that aspect of the work of the Lord Jesus at the cross, and also I think here it's, can I say, too private, too personal a moment between them that it's not made known to us, but we can enjoy the thought of the welcome home and the pleasure of their being together again, and that for eternity. And the Father saying to the Son, well done, thou good and faithful servant.
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Whom I am well pleased.
When you went to the glory.
He went in in a way that.
That he was not there before he went in as a man.
A real human being is in the glory of God, in resurrection glory.
You might say, well, Enoch and Elijah went into the glory as well, but that was not in resurrection glory.
The Lord Jesus as a man in full resurrection glory.
Went into that glory and sits at the right hand of God.
Incredible to think one of the human race sits in the glory of God right now.
References to the Lord sitting down on the right hand of the majesty on high here it's in virtue of him as the son of God and if we look over in the.
The 8th chapter we would see that he is sitting down there again.
In virtue of his intercession for us as our great High Priest, then, when we come to Chapter 10.
He's sitting down.
Victoriously having completed the work of redemption.
To God's glory, having met all the demands of sin, is set down in set down in perpetuity there.
Because of the virtue of His finished work at the cross, then in the 12Th chapter we have Him sitting down again as the object of our faith, as the one who started the pathway of faith and finished it to God's glory. Every every other one, including ourselves, of course, have been, have failed in that pathway of faith. But here was one.
Who have begun the author and finisher of faith. He began the pathway of faith and he completed it perfectly to the glory of God. And that's the the thought in that 12Th of Hebrews. I think it was mentioned yesterday that we don't have the atonement there for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the majesty on high.
Not the question of atonement there, but of a perfect man, having suffered all the rejection of the nation, endured the contradiction of sinners against himself, and.
Entered the glory, having been perfectly glorified God.
And it was the joy of returning to the Father, having completed the work that God had given him to do. He despised the shame. We've been studying in Ottawa, Matthew Mark 15 And with all the shame and the reproach the Lord endured, we make a great deal of the shame. But the war despised the shame in His perfect lowly obedience.
To the word and will of thought.
Last night in the Gospel meeting we had ourselves compared to the Lord Jesus.
And his incomparable worth compared to our sinfulness.
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In various ways, in verses 5 to 9 where we started this reading meeting, we have him compared to angels, and the Jewish people had high respect for the angels as something greater in power than themselves and as angelic beings that ministered things of heaven to them through the prophets and so on.
And so they had a high respect for the angels, and tended to give them a great place, and in order to put them, if you will, in their proper place with respect to the wonder of the majesty and glory of the person of the sun, there in verses 5 to 9 we have them compared to Himself. And so it says in verse five, under which of the angels said he at any time?
Thou art my son. What Angel ever sat at the right hand of God in that majesty? What Angel ever had the right to be?
Put in such an exalted place or position.
They're a creature, the sun is not, and they have the creature's place, even though it's in power greater than our own, although in blessing they have a much less place than we do.
Our place now in the order of things far exceeds what an Angel has. Our intelligence of God exceeds the intelligence of an Angel. And entering in they know God in power, but we know him in his heart in a way that an Angel doesn't. And so.
He's here comparing them and it's important for us that anyone that.
Would compete in any way with the place that he has. There should be no competition. And so we're taught as well as the Jew to put the Angel in their right place, respect them and the work that they do, but they don't compare with the sun.
It is interesting to see what the scripture says about.
Angelic beings, they it says later on in this chapter he makes his angels spirits.
And his ministers a flame of fire in verse 7.
So they are spirit beings, but they do appear in.
At times, like we have in the case of Abraham in the 18th of Genesis.
There he lifted up his eyes and saw three men standing there. Of course one was the Lord, and.
The other two were angels.
Interesting. He prepared a meal for them. He served them.
They ate the meal. Interesting. Do angels eat? Yes, they do.
How do you explain that? I don't know. I just say you have to take Scripture where it is. And it's very fascinating. But it's interesting that angels are careful not to get the glory. They know the glory belongs to God. And so when John in the Book of Revelation falls down at the feet of the Angel to worship, they said, see that you do it, not worship God.
So it's interesting what Scripture says about they are very interesting being. And so in chapter 2 when it says when the Lord Jesus became a man, he was made a little lower than the angels, which shows us that the human creation is a little lower than the angelic creation. Very interesting details to think about. But oh brethren, even they don't compare with the glory.
Of the one we are considering to notice in verse five that first statement that is made there about the Lord Jesus.
Has two parts.
Thou art my son. This is a quote from Psalm 2 as we read yesterday.
This day have I begotten thee.
That statement, Thou art my Son, was what he was from all eternity. He never began to be the Son of God, He always was.
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Oh, what a tremendous thing to think about. But then it says this day.
And when you're talking about days, you're talking about time and in time.
He came into this world to take a human form. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And so when it says this day of I begotten, these talking about his incarnation, the two parts of His glorious being, He being the Son of God and He being the Son of Man, is comprehended in those two statements.
Important to be clear about this.
One of the popular translations in Christian circles today.
As mistranslated this in the second place second statement they say this day have I become your father?
Is that right?
No, He always was his Father, but it was in time that he took human form. This day have I begotten thee. His incarnation was in the course of time, so it's so important.
It's interesting that the publishers that publish that translation.
When they did it in Spanish, they corrected that. I think it was because they got some flak on it. They didn't translate it that way. But the tragedy is that quite a number of other Spanish translations, they use that wrong translation. So let's be careful about the translations we use. If he only became the father.
In time, then, he was not the eternal Son. That is not the truth of God.
He was always God's beloved son.
Chapter 9 Unto us a child is foreign, unto us the Son is given in the government shall be upon his shoulder. So you have the incarnation. There a child is born. Never says that a son is born, because, as mentioned, the Lord was the eternal Son that you never relinquished.
When he took manhood into union with himself.
But here we have compared to the sun in verse 5.
They're compared to the sun.
What Angel?
Was ever in relationship to God as Son.
With a capital.
S as a creature they were, they could, like we are.
In creation, sons of God. But in the sense of the the sun, what Angel compares to the sun? None.
It's he uniquely and only, and so the Angel doesn't measure up in that sense to be compared to himself. And then he says.
When he brings the.
Sun in what Angel has ever been the object of in verse six of worship?
Are angels to be worshipped?
No, but he says in verse six of the Son, the angels are to worship him.
And so that's the comparison between himself and an Angel. The angels were to be worshippers of himself as we are as well. And so their place is quite inferior in that sense. And then he goes on in verse seven in the comparison, and it says he's made his angels ministers. And so they have a responsibility and his work and God's creation.
There to be ministers of things. But in comparison, in verse 8, how do they compare to the sun? All the sun is to have the throne. He is to have the supreme authority over all other things, including angels. And so they have a place as ministers. But the Son, the throne, is his. The one who is to be over all things is the sun, not an Angel. And so they have their place.
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And in fact, where did Satan go wrong?
Satan wanted the sons place.
Satan wanted to have the place that belonged to the sun. He wanted to be in that place of authority and power and rule. And so in rebellion he has rebelled against in order that the world might be his world and that he might have his subjects to follow him. But it's all a work and opposition to the sun, and it will be in its time properly put down fully.
And the son vanquished his power in his work at the cross. And so on. But that's a different subject than here.
And so here we see in these verses the sun and the angels compared, and it what does it bring out, should bring out to our hearts the glory of the sun as having the place of the throne, having the place that we should bow down thankfully. Do I trust and worship Him and recognize that the angels are ministers for us and for God.
And yet in that place in which they too with us, would worship the sun.
And so we do well to the comparison brings out the glories of his person.
Were given the authority to rule, were they? But it's remarkable when the contemplate that.
We who are so far from God.
Now are part of that new creation race.
That has been formed through the death of Christ and his resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. We are part of that new creation race.
Of which Christ is the head, and.
In back to in that position.
We're going to rule with Christ in that coming day. We're going to share the inheritance. That's the inheritance. All the material things of this world. Inheritance are used in two ways, in a spiritual sense and all sorts of material sense. But we're going to share with the Lord Jesus all that inheritance that he has rightfully going to assume.
Feedback coming day after the judgments have been poured out upon the world.
Verse eight he.
Addressing the Lord Jesus and it's interesting as God.
Unto the Son This is a quote from Psalm 45. Unto the Son, he saith.
Thy throne, O God.
Is forever and ever.
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy Kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity.
Therefore, God, he's addressing the sun.
Even thy God.
Hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Amazingly wonderful, the glory of this person.
God is made known to us in two ways. God is light and God is love. Those are the inherent characteristics of His being.
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And if God overlooks sin?
And didn't deal with it. He would cease to be holy in the fullness of that word.
He would cease to be God in his deity.
And yet it's impossible the thought relief. But here in what is said in verse 8 and verse nine, we find the sun as God having that same character. He loves righteousness. We talk about love. We talk about often in love, dealing with the Sinner and his sins. And thank God we do.
John 316 The wonderful most well quoted verse in the Bible, I'm sure.
Here there's a love spoken about, but it's a love of the holiness, the righteousness side of God. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. That's the character of the sun as God, and we thank it. We're thankful that it is so and unlike us.
Oh, we weren't born that way. We didn't have that characteristic in our being of loving righteousness and hate and iniquity. That doesn't characterize us inherently. We thank God that when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, we receive a life that does love, righteousness and hate iniquity. That is the new life. The everlasting life we have is of the same character as with God.
It's imparted to us to enjoy it as a creature.
But here it's the Sun in his inherent nature, loving righteousness and hating iniquity, and that way he's above his fellows.
Come back to 16.
Of course, this is a Messianic Psalm and very important. It begins preserving the old God from these who I put my trust. There we have the Lord as the fully defendant. Obedient man is far away down here. As it goes down the Psalm, we come to the resurrection for the end of the song. Therefore my heart is glad, my glory rejoiced it. I fled also shall rest in whole.
My soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine only one to see corruption.
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I was made known will show me the path of life in thy presence is fullness of joy and thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore, so the Lord.
Voluntarily yielded up his life. Our death is is involuntary. But the word dismissed his spirit and he never saw corruption went into the grave. That is true, but God raised him from the dead. He raised himself.
The Holy Spirit of God raised him, and then we have the words that refer to His exaltation. The path of life is resurrection. That's the fullness of joy that He had now has at the right hand of God, having accomplished the work of redemption for us. Would that be the oil of gladness there? I'm not sure.
I like the thought.
If we could turn to John 20.
Well, maybe first of all, if we could turn to Psalm 89.
In Psalm 89.
And verse 20.
We read here. I have found David my servant.
With my holy anointing, my holy oil, have I anointed him? We never read of Saul being anointed with holy oil. This seems to be a special.
A oil that was used in the anointing of David. A picture of the Lord Jesus and I've enjoyed if we look at John chapter 20.
In John chapter 20.
The Lord Jesus speaking to Mary in the 16th verse.
Jesus said unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto him, her bow and eye.
Which is to say, master.
And Jesus said unto her, Touch me not, for I'm not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your father, and to my God, and your God.
The relationship of the people of God of old was a relationship between them and God.
They did not know him as father and now that relationship has changed where they can now know him as father.
But the relationship with the Lord Jesus when he became a man and as we've had brought before us, he was always the son. We have in Mark 12 The the the picture of the husbandman and how we sent the servants. And then finally it says I have one son. I will send my beloved son. He was the son before he was sent. But the relationship that the Lord Jesus had.
With his father.
Never changed from a past eternity to when he was the Son here.
As a man, but his relationship.
To viewing his Father as God was changed when he became a man.
And so I've appreciated in the 22nd Psalm, which is perhaps the Psalm that is quoted most in the breaking of bread, he says there, let's turn to it.
In Psalm 22.
In Psalm 22, which we had last night brought before us so beautifully here, he's quoted.
In the first verse we have him on the on the cross.
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Saying these words which that that scene in the darkness was hid from us. Nobody could see that, but we can at least hear what happened in the darkness. And so he says here my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But if you go further on down.
He says in the ninth verse, But thou art he that took me out of the womb. Thou didst make me hope when I was among my mother's breasts. I was cast upon me from the from the womb. Thou art my God from a past eternity. It does not say that.
It says I am my God, thou art my God from my mother's belly. And so I've appreciated here in our chapter the thought of the holy anointing oil. There is a special provision that is made for only the Lord Jesus as the eternal Son, who always knew his Father as Father, but now knows him as God. And there's a special oil that anoints him. And we have the oil of gladness, and it's above.
His fellows, I've just appreciated that. I don't know if it commends itself.
One other thought. There's a I think of this in First Kings one when Solomon is anointed.
First Kings 1, verses 39 and 40.
And Zadok the priest took him horn of oil out of the Tabernacle, and anointed Solomon, and they blew the trumpet, And all the people said, God save King Solomon, And all the people came up after him. And the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. The verses being quoted here in our chapter in Hebrews one come from Psalm 45, as was already mentioned.
And if you look at the Psalm, righteousness is established there, and then there comes the oil of gladness.
Here the figure of Solomon is righteousness. His rule is characterized by righteousness and peace.
Is a figure of the Lord reigning in the Millennium, and right up to that moment righteousness is suffered. And those that were righteous look out and they say, well, how is it that righteousness is suffering? But when the true king comes and from that point forward, righteousness won't suffer. Metal rule throughout the Millennium. And so there's great joy with those that share with God the desire to see righteousness rule and not suffer. Who's central to the whole scene? Well, in the figure it's Solomon.
In the person he speaks of, it's obviously our Lord above his fellows.
This is all very beautiful.
Bring it down to our own hearts a little bit. Like to suggest looking at that verse in Psalm 45.
Psalm 45, verse 7.
Thou.
Lovest righteousness.
It's the orientation of the heart.
Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness, therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. I've underlined just a few words in this verse.
Thou lovest righteousness, hated wickedness, therefore gladness for my own heart. It's a reminder that holiness and happiness go together. No one knows more of that than our Lord Jesus.
But it's true for us too. Holiness and happiness go together.
His fellows.
I think it brings in us, doesn't it, brethren?
He is anointed with oil of gladness above his fellows, but I think it refers to his being a man in that position, and as such he relates to.
Us in our position and resurrection, we are united to Him and so it's a beautiful thing to think about.
That he is anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows.
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He necessarily occupies the place of preeminence.
But also as a man in that position is related to us.
I've enjoyed the thought that the fellows there you mentioned including us.
I think this isn't This is something I picked up from one of the writings, but I think that the Greek word for fellows is the same as what we have in the third chapter.
And in verse 14 where it says we are made partakers of Christ, I think it's nice to see that connection. So the the word, the Greek, the word in the Greek is the same for fellows and partakers.
So as king, he's brought into that supreme place.
Above all others and the joy.
That is associated with him in that and his place in God's anointing of him and in the verses that follow, we recognize the permanency of the place.
Kings come, kings go, kings rule, kings die, and someone else takes their place.
They are not permanent. There's no ruler.
Ruling over a country of this world that's going to last very long. Every single one of them is going to have his day and pass on. But in the Lord we find, even though people might look at it and say, well, he's, he's come, he's gone, he has no place here. And they said he was a king, but he never ruled.
When he was here and so man would look at the Lord Jesus some that way and over His cross was the statement of His being a king, but a king that never ruled really as far as history is concerned. But here we find it brought out as to His person that this Supreme One is going to be and will be forever a king.
Whose Kingdom will never pass on to another. It will be his.
And here's to rule as king as long as the earth is. And so he says, you sit at my right hand in verse 13 until I make your enemies your footstool. And as we have it in Psalm 45, the Kingdom described there and the king doesn't pass on to another. In Psalm 24, we have the same thought brought out as to the king of glory.
Who is the King of glory, It says, and it brings before us the same blessed person.
Above his fellows. And so here he's brought on some things. They wax old like a garment, and they perish, as it says in verse 11. But for him, no, He is from eternity to eternity. And when he rules and when he takes his place as ruler, it will never pass on to another. He is supreme in the order of his place.
As in authority and rule.
So it says in John, one of him, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
And we have him first brought before us in John's Gospel as the one who.
Takes away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
But in the other sense of the word, the Lamb of God in Revelation removes sin and rules in righteousness. And so we see his character, and Revelation is coming as a Lamb to judge, to rule, to remove sin and the activity of sin, and then rule in righteousness above his fellows. And so we see Him removing sin.
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Whenever first says Redeemer, and then the one who puts down all unrighteousness, loving it above his fellows, and he rules in righteousness in the revelation.
And God puts him there to make his.
Those who would oppose his footstool.
So I contrast his glory.
In these verses that follow 10:11 and 12:00.
To the creation which he made. And God's glory is revealed in creation. And I think it is beautiful to think about it, the grandeur of it.
The immensity of it, it just goes way beyond our capacity to comprehend.
I love to think about the stars in the universe that exists.
And what we have learned about it.
An incredible, but we they can't find an edge to it.
But we find that it is part of His creation, the heavens.
Are the works of his hands.
They shall perish.
But thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as doth a garment.
Now what's happening in this world? It's waxing old.
And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed in that. An amazing, interesting way of putting it. He's going to take this creation that we are a part of. He's going to fold it up and it's going to be changed.
But notice at the end of verse 12 Thou.
Art the same.
Here is one who.
Is eternal. And now in that glory, in that eternal glory as a man.
Thy ears shall not fail.
You know that word. The same in.
The Darby translation, you'll see that it's capitalized.
It's one of the titles of our God. I just want to suggest I remember one time out at the Burbank Conference, Brother Chuck Hendricks.
Was talking about this and he went through the some of the Old Testament scriptures. If you'll notice it refers in the new translation to Deuteronomy 32 verse 39. And if you go in the Darby translation to that verse, you'll have a list of I think it's about 18 different verses through the Old Testament and the new as well that.
Take up that title the same.
Everything we know.
Changes.
There is only one.
Who is the same?
I've known a lot of you brethren for many years.
Don and I traveled down in Bolivia when we were young.
Don's changed.
But there is someone that is the same. Isn't that amazing, brother? We know one who never changes. So I just encourage you young people especially to go to to Deuteronomy 3239 and there you'll find it says.
See now that I am he and that word is the same.
The self existent one, the one who never changes.
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Oh, what a wonderful thing to know somebody who never changes.
You mentioned the stars and we see pictures of this that are taken of the quasars and so on. There's a glory to it all. It's magnificent.
But it's his handiwork, he is the artist.
All of those things that he placed out there, we can look through and see them.
We see it.
John Le Ben talks about his beloved mountains and how he enjoys God's handiwork and we see it close at hand. Those who look in the microscope see it.
In the small world that's there, but there's a glory to it. But the glory of the one who made it all is greater than all of that.
And there is a contrast between the one that has made it be told the Jews in John's Gospel before Abraham was I am.
We have.
The going back and forth in this chapter Speaking of the Eternal Son and the man.
Well, the man wasn't before God, before Abraham was, but he was, and the Jews knew what he was talking about because he wanted to kill him for it.
He was telling them he was the self existent one. The I am remember thinking about these things and the Lord kind of gave me a poem.
In the beginning, before the beginner began to begin the beginning, the beginner was in the beginning.
That's our savior.
He begun the beginning.
But he was there already.
Sadly, there are cults that try to say that.
The eternal Son of God had a beginning.
And that he was begotten, that goes against the word of God.
And that the Jehovah's Witnesses want to say that he's a little God.
But that goes against the idea that God exists outside of time.
Because if something has a beginning, it's in time.
This person who is our Savior was the eternal Son of God.
Who became a man, went to the cross and died for us.
Time has no constraint upon him.
Eastern religions speak of transcendence or eminence being this state of what they believe that a God might be.
Our God is transcendent, but that which he built.
Like a man who builds a house, he entered into it and came into time.
I remember my mother reading stories as I was growing up before I could read, and one of them was the story of a king.
Who felt like his advisors were not telling him the truth about his subjects.
And he expressed the wish that he could find out the true state of things and his son overhearing him the Prince.
Decides to put on beggars clothes and go among the people in the Kingdom and find out how they are and how they were.
Well, our God doesn't need to find out how they are and how they were.
But I remember thinking of that and my mother saying that that's kind of what the Lord Jesus did, He laid aside.
His princely gowns and clothes, and he put on, as it were, a servant's clothes, and went.
Among us to look us in the eye.
That's an amazing thing to think about, that the eternal Son of God came down to do that.
There's another story about a man and a boy who are walking along and.
There were some ants going across the sidewalk, and the little boy began to stomp on them. And the father said, well, don't do that, they're God's creatures. And he saw it as a moment to teach his son some things. So they got down on their bellies and looked at the ants closely. And the Father began to talk to him about their diligence and what the Scriptures had to say about the ants.
And that little boy became sad and said, Daddy, I'm sorry I stepped on these ants. I wish I could tell them I'm sorry. His father said. To do that you would have to become an aunt.
01:00:09
And go and speak to them that way. And he told his Son, that's what the Lord Jesus did.
He became like the Ant. He became a man came down and looked us in the eye.
And walked among us.
And when you, brother Bob, were talking about how there's a man in the glory, that's another astonishing and amazing thing that our God has chosen.
For eternity, to remain as a man, to take that place as he did, resurrected, ascended, seated at the right hand.
But that's who will welcome us as we go in all those who've gone before our loved ones.
Have gone there to be with this man who is there.
Brother Phil McCoy told me when his father was passing.
He asked him, What are you going to tell your dad? What are you going to tell the Lord when you see him face to face?
And Phil told me that his dad said, I will say to him, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you on ending.
It will be to a man.
Who is there that he will say thank you?
For dying for him.
And these things, these glories that we speak of.
One of the last messages Jim Highland gave.
Was in Cedar Rapids.
And it was the first message that my brother, who had recently been restored to the Lord, heard anyone give.
And my brother came home and said I learned something I never knew.
That the Father loves us with the same love he loved the Lord Jesus.
So these things that we talk about that are so special between the father and the son.
Because of what he did on the cross, we are going to be brought into those things.
To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.
Sometimes people demean those words and say that sons and daughters, no, we're brought into a place of a first born son. Whether you're a man or a woman, that's the position you're brought into.
We who are less than the angels.
Are going to be brought into this place, this relationship with our father.
Like the Lord Jesus, To me that's just astonishing.
And we can just barely enter in a little bit into some of those things, but as we gaze as we have been on these things and it's been unfolded to us.
It feels good in the heart, doesn't it?
But the general that he appears in all his regalia and uniform.
Before his soldiers, but when he comes home, he takes off those.
Those clothes that I had identified him as a general and he puts on casual clothes in the home where he is with his family.
So the Lord had that eternal glory in it.
In past ages, it was his to command not to obey.
But when he became a man.
He took human nature into union with himself.
Apart from sin, of course.
Whiteness of men. He was body, soul and spirit. But we need to be careful there.
Was not the likeness of men morally because man is a Sinner in the rebel of God?
But he is a man now at the right hand of God.
With all the sympathies of a of a man, he will remain that for eternity. He took a a a body capable of death, but not subject to death as ours is. And now he's in the place of exultation, ground with glory and honor.
01:05:22
Angels never said to any angels, Sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool that's said to the Son. And then he explains what the purpose of angels are in verse 14. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Very interesting, brethren, to realize that there are angelic beings. I really believe that there are many angels in this room right now. That's why our sisters cover their heads when there's anything to do with praying or prophesying. Because of the angels, they are looking at us. Do we recognize?
God's order in creation.
Man.
Was created in the image of God and then Eve was created to be a helpmate for him.
His equal at his side, but in submission to her husband. And that's the way she shows it, by putting a covering on her head when she prays her prophecies.
I have a notice that in certain circles that when the guys sing on their guitars or whatever they sing, they put on hats they should take them off.
You're spinging about the Lord Jesus.
And by taking off that covering, you are respecting your head.
Which is Christ. And so it's important to recognize there are angelic beings that are around us.
I honestly believe that we see angels more than we realize, probably just don't recognize them and see them as another person. But they're sent to the ministering. They're ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. We are the heirs of salvation. We're living in a world that is very dangerous.
But there are ministering spirits.
And in a spirit, brethren, it is not like we who are physical.
It doesn't take time to.
Transpose yourself from one place to another. It's instantaneous. Whereas us, I'm going to come here to Saint Louis, it takes us about 3 hours to get here from Lawrenceville. That's not the case in these ministering spirits. They're sent forth to minister.
Oh, what a wonderful thing it is that God uses those angelic beings, but they are not to be.
Thanked or worshipped. And it's interesting to me to hear stories of those who think they have seen an Angel. And it's interesting to me to almost always hear that they disappear before the person ever recognizes what it was and what they were helped in by that particular being. And it's because they don't want the glory. They want God to have the glory because they know God.
In his glory. And so, oh brethren, may the Lord help us to give God the glory.
Dimension here we know that.
After the.
After the crucifixion of the Lord.
We look in the book of the Acts up to the 7th chapter. The Lord has actually seen standing there. Now that's not a contradiction, but I believe that the the thought there is that.
01:10:08
The Spirit of God had come at Pentecost, and he was wearing a mighty testimony.
For the Lord Jesus, and actually the Lord was standing and waiting for the Kingdom to be established. He would have returned and set up the Kingdom had there been repentance on the part of the nation of Israel.
So when when Stephen was martyred the first martyr?
In relation to the parable, they said we will not have this man to reign over us. And they sent a messenger after him, after Christ, who was Steven, whom they martyred, and.
And the Lord was was viewed there as still standing, as it were, waiting to establish the Kingdom. If only the nation would have repented. But of course they did not. They sent the the message after.
That they wouldn't have Christ on any terms, and they martyred Stephen. But then after that, we see in the book of Hebrews, which was written after some years after the martyrdom of Stephen, that the Lord is definitely looked at as having sat down. That is nationally, no longer dealing with the nation of Israel.
Of course it's postponed. The Kingdom is only postponed. It will be established in that coming day, so.
There were many miracles performed between Acts chapter one and Acts Chapter 7. These were to confirm that the Messiah was living and waiting to establish the Kingdom.
That is the dispensational character that I.
Just wanted to bring before us.
When a new king is brought into power, it said that he is seated upon the throne doesn't mean he never leaves it or stands up.
I like to think of the moment you spoke about, brother was Steven, that the Lord has a very special interest in the death of his Saints. Of course, Scripture tells us that.
And here is the first this martyr, this man whom the Lord was deserving to have such a man.
Stand for him and die for him there, proclaiming the truth.
And the Lord Jesus stands up to receive him.
Bob was speaking about the angels in verses 13 and 14, and we have in verse 14.
The word ministering and to minister, that means serve, doesn't it?
When brother Prapada came to visit Cedar Rapids many years ago.
He asked my wife to go with him in the car.
And she said there's got to be at least four guardian angels on every corner of that car as we drove around.
She said that she was scared the whole time that she rode with him.
Yeah, probably they are there watching over us. I think it's proper to thank the Lord for our angels that he sends and.
I know there have been times in my life where something close happened. Where?
A very dangerous moment passed and I felt that there was protection around, about, and there are other times I'm sure many can attest to that. I'm thankful that the Lord has His servants sent unseen and around us. I'm grateful for that. And it's their privilege to do that, you know?
You know one day, as we said, know ye not, ye shall judge angels. One day we will be over them.
Not yet as heirs, but they are sent to serve and protect and watch.
01:15:18
Like to tell a story of that was told to me down in Oaxaca, Mexico.
A number of years ago there was a brother.
His last name was Robles.
I didn't know him. I knew his son.
But before he got saved, he was.
Commander of a group of bandits, about 400 bandits that used to operate in that area of Mexico.
One day he gets saved.
He heard the gospel and gets saved.
Generally speaking, when somebody wants out of a group of bandits like that, the way they take care of them, the remaining bandits just execute him so that they won't be telling the police anything.
So he was in his house one day and.
The city of Rio Grande, where there is an assembly.
And he saw some of his companions coming towards his house with their machetes in their hand, and he knew exactly what that meant, that they were coming to execute him.
And so he says to his wife.
Let's kneel down. If they kill us, they'll kill us praying.
They kneeled down and prayed and nothing happened.
They got back up again. There was nobody around.
And they didn't know whatever happened until a few days later somebody came to him and said, Senor Robles, where did the soldiers come that were around your house the other day? He said, I don't know anything about any soldiers.
Yes, when they came to attack you, they couldn't get through because there were soldiers standing around your house.
I guess it means that soldiers sometimes dress, angels sometimes dress as soldiers. But it's fascinating to listen to the stories, brethren. And it's like I say again.
They don't sue around for any thanks. We give the thanks to God.
For the protection they give. It's a real thing, brethren, in this world we tend to look at.
Physical dangers.
We don't realize that there is a spirit dimension.
That we do not see with our eyes.
It's a very real thing.
And for that, God has his angels as ministering spirits.
Wonderful.
There was one time in the history of man when there wasn't a legion of angels.
To.
Be there to deliver.
One and that was when the Lord Jesus went to the cross.
There was a work to be done and he wasn't to be delivered from it.
And so the angels were not commissioned, but it's because of that that we're here today.
Part of Chapter 2, because we'd like to get into it for the next reading. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard less than any time we should let them slip or should slip away.
Brother John Kemp was mentioning the other day of the sin of apostasy that is mentioned in the book of Hebrews, and I think this is addressing that.
There were those in the Jewish community that were being addressed here in this epistle that had made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus. You remember when Paul went to Jerusalem?
In Acts 21 and 22 That.
01:20:00
They were, he was told. You see, brethren, a brother. How many thousands?
Have believed, and they're all zealous of the law.
They had made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus.
But some of them weren't real, and this is a very real danger, especially amongst them. But it is a danger in our world today. Apostasy, it means to go back.
And give up the profession of Christianity. And we need to be clear about this.
A real believer can never become an apostate.
They might be affected by the apostasy that's going on around us.
But an apostate is one who has never been real in his heart, and only God knows who exactly they are. Let me just take you to Hebrews chapter 10 to show you how carefully the scripture speaks about such people.
Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 26.
Is dealing with this question of apostasy and notice how it speaks.
If we sin willfully, after that we have received.
The knowledge of the truth. Notice what it says they received.
The knowledge of the truth. It doesn't say they received the truth.
But they see, yes, they had a knowledge in their head of the truth.
There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins. That's an apostate.
There is no salvation for an apostate.
And only God is the one who knows who that might be.
But what a solemn thing it is. These things that we've been Speaking of in chapter one are real, brethren.
They are very real.
We ought to give the more earnest heed.
To the things which we have heard, lest at anytime we should let them slip or slip away. For if the words spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him?
So what a solemn thing it is. These things are real.
May they be real. Is there someone here sitting and that never let it be really real in your soul.
Open up your heart and let it be real with you.
There's a great dangerous What more could you do to persuade, to convince, to impress upon somebody the reality of the person that was there than someone who spent day and night with him?
And he would not.
There is a danger of being around the truth and familiar with it.
And never having that truth penetrate.
Some of these early Jews were converted, maybe by the excitement of what was going on.
George Barnett and I think coined the term being converted to community, to the culture of a thing, but not to Christ.
The seeker friendly movement amongst evangelical churches.
Had good intentions, but the result was many people got converted to the culture of it, the community of it, never coming to know Christ.
In the appendix.
Hail to the Lord.
01:25:01
It becomes good to bring all the proud, handsome and water up. The girls were great.