Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Sunday, February 28, 2010

12:00 am

Book of Hebrews written to

Flesh and blood Christians struggling to overcome past traditions and adjust to the fresh movements of God in a fast changing world. They struggled to hold onto their faith in Christ in a world of growing chaos and powerful pressures from their culture. For the most part, they were second generation Christians.

They had professed faith in Christ for some time.  But they’ve reached a stage of discouragement and spiritual lethargy.  Some had given up meeting in corporate worship.  Experiencing opposition to their faith both from friends and family and from the culture around them.

Hebrews 2:5-9 “Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, “What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

After a passionate appeal for us to not to drift away from Christ through a neglect of our wonderful salvation the writer returns to a discussion of Christ being superior to angels.

THE HUMILIATION & GLORY OF GOD’S SON 2:5-Verses 5-18
2 of 8 reasons for the incarnation of the Son:
1.         to fulfill God’s purpose for man (vv. 5-9a),
2,         to taste death for all (v. 9b),

Some second generation Christians felt inclined to abandon the Christian faith because of Jesus’ humanity.  So, in Chapter 1 the writer stressed the deity of Christ.

I.          Our Destiny Is Revealed By God!
A.        An Often repeated ?: What is mankind that you are mindful of him?In light of the vastness of the universe why do you care about puny humankind?

David reflectively mused…

Psalm 8:3-6 “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,”

10 PICTURES OF UNIVERSE! (Power Point Presentation)
Job complained that God takes man too seriously…
Job 7:17 “What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him”

Psalm 144:3 “O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?”

1 Pt 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Not simply on his mind.  Not simply that you care about him.

Active caring: Luke 1 of God visiting his people.
God is actively involved in caring for us.
The subject of his continual thought – Psalm 139

B.        A little lower than angels
Limited existence to this earth.
Limited time
Lower rank
Made out of dust…spirit beings.

C.  Crowned with glory and given dominion        3 PICTURES
But God had a greater destiny in mind for us
We had a special relationship with God.
Genesis 1:26-27 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Created in the image of God (Hebrew root meaning ‘to shade’)
Likeness as a shadow of a tree bears its representation
In some way shaped like God Our uniqueness is not in the survival of the fittest but the stamp of the image of God.

Our special relationship with God is linked to our destiny…
Created to rule over God’s creation

II.         Our Destiny Has Been Restricted by Sin
Hebrews 2:8b “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.”

Why?  He doesn’t go into detail.  Does mention death!

The already / the Here & Now/  the not yet!

7 Yrs               1000 yr Kgdom      New H & E

The Here and Now Reality
Genesis 3:16-19 “To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.””

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

1 John 5:19 “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

Romans 8:18-20 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope”

Two Ages Contrasted:
The present age                                                                    The World to Come “Here and now”                                                             “the not yet”We do not see everything                            1000 yr kingdom
We see Jesus

2:5 “The world to come”

Possibilities:
~ Life after death which is not referred to anywhere else in the Book.
~ the new heavens and earth but the word is “oikoumene” which does not refer to the cosmos but to the inhabited earth
~ the future kingdom of Christ on the earth

He is our last hope
That hope lies in his deity and his humanity
He alone fulfilled our intended destiny

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” 2 Corinthians 3:15-18

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Our fall into sin does not change the reality that we are image bearers!
~ Genesis 9:6 links being created in the image of God with murder being a capital crime.
~ James 3:9 says that we use our tongues to curse people who are made in the image of God and in
~ 1 Corinthians 11:7 Paul says that we bear the image and glory of God.s

But it did impact
~ Our relationship with God
~ Our relationship with each other-ability to live together in unity
~ and our relationship with creation

III.  Our Destiny Is Recovered by Christ
Hebrews 2:5f “he has subjected the world to come…in putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subjected to him. Yet at the present we do not see everything subject to him.  But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, (now) crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. ”

Matthew 19:28 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

The already /  we are caught in the middle    /  the not yet!
God put everything under him.
God left nothing that is not subject to him.
Made a little lower than angels (in his humanity).  But not crowned with glory and honor

He tasted death for everyone!

Underlying question here:  Who is Jesus?
The Representative Man!
The last Adam and our last hope!

The author of our salvation (2:10)
“There is a profound note of anticipation in the OT teaching about humanity. The words of the psalmist look forward into the future, and that future is inextricably bound up with the person and work of Jesus. His condescension to be made for a brief while ‘lower than the angels’ set in motion a sequence of events in which abasement and humiliation were the necessary prelude to exaltation. His coronation investiture with priestly glory and splendor provide assurance that the power of sin and death has been nullified and that humanity will yet be led to the full realization of their intended glory. In Jesus the hearers are to find the pledge of their own entrance into the imperial destiny intended by God for them.”

He didn’t just die for everyone. He experienced death in its full anxiety, horror and humiliation!

The focus here is on what Jesus accomplished through his experience of tasting death!

1 John 2:2 “He is the propitiation (appeasing sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

1 Peter 1:18-19 “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

Colossians 2:13-14 “you, who were dead in your trespasses…God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross”

“for everyone”   Substitutionary death for everyone!

~ In our place!  On our behalf!
~ Sufficient for everyone!
~ Efficient for those who come to Him.

By his death in our place Christ has recaptured our lost destiny!
The rule and reign over the whole earth!

Restored Glory!

The death of Jesus is the way to glory for us all!

John 8:51-52 “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.  The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’”

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?””

Luke 23:42-43 “And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” ”

Man’s Lost Destiny Is Recovered in Christ

Tasted Death for Everyone!

By dying He paid the penalty for the sins of every human being, elect and non-elect (cf. 1 John 2:2; 2 Peter 2:1; John 3:16). His death was sufficient for all, but it is efficient only for those who rest their confidence in it as what satisfied God.

Man’s destiny, restricted by sin has been recovered by Christ

Saturday, February 27, 2010
9:00 am	to	2:00 pm

Details to follow.

Monday, February 22, 2010
7:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

Sunday, February 21, 2010

10:00 pm

Book of Hebrews written to
Flesh and blood Christians struggling to overcome past traditions and adjust to the fresh movements of God in a fast changing world.  They struggled to hold onto their faith in Christ in a world of growing chaos and powerful pressures from their culture.  For the most part, they were second generation Christians.  They had professed faith in Christ for some time. But they’ve reached a stage of discouragement and spiritual lethargy.  Some had given up meeting in corporate worship. Experiencing opposition to their faith both from friends and family and from the culture around them.

Hebrews 2:1-4 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. ”

Hebrews 2:1-4
“1Διὰ τοῦτο δεῖ περισσοτέρως προσέχειν ἡμᾶς τοῖς
Therefore, it is necessary more abundantly to give heed us to the ἀκουσθεῖσιν, μήποτε παραρυῶμεν. 2εἰ γὰρ ὁ δι᾽ ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς
things heard     lest  we drift away     for if  the through angels spoken
to flow past / glide by
λόγος ἐγένετο βέβαιος καὶ πᾶσα παράβασις καὶ παρακοὴ ἔλαβεν
word     was        firm    and every transgression and disobedience received
ἔνδικον μισθαποδοσίαν, 3πῶς ἡμεῖς ἐκφευξόμεθα τηλικαύτης
a just recompence           how we shall escape           so great
ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίας, ἥτις ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα λαλεῖσθαι διὰ τοῦ  neglecting   a salvation which  a beginning having received the spoken word through the
κυρίου ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαιώθη,
Lord,     by   the     hearing      was to us confirmed 4συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ θεοῦ σημείοις τε καὶ τέρασιν καὶ ποικίλαις
bearing witness with           God by signs  both and by wonders and by various
δυνάμεσιν καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου μερισμοῖς κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θέλησιν;”
powerful deeds and Spirit Holy distributions according to His will.

The author steps into this background and exalts Christ.
Brings them and us face to face with the central issue:

I. The Warning!
Let’s start at the end of the argument in this section.
D.        Lest we drift away!  This is the danger of drifting!
The danger of slipping by

Lit: flow past them
The danger of gliding past your opportunity

Only to find yourself farther down stream than u wanted
First of 5 warnings:

Herein is the warning: pay closer attention or you will drift away!

The original readers were slow and sluggish to respond to Scripture.
They had not grown spiritually as they should have. (5:11-12)

As if on a boat on a river or the ocean
And if we don’t pay attention the currents of this age will carry us away from Christ and his word!

Article
There was an article on the front page of the San Diego Union-Tribune (4/28/09) that was entitled, “Loss of Faith Attributed to Spiritual Drift.” Reporting on a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, the article began, “More Americans have given up their faith or changed religious because of a gradual spiritual drift than switched because of a disillusionment over their churches’ policies…”

It went on to say “Almost three-quarters of Catholics and Protestants who are now unaffiliated with a religion said they had ‘just gradually drifted away’ from their faith.”

“Drift”
A process that is little noticed and seemingly insignificant.
With hardly any awarenesss that it is happening.

The danger here is that their apathy and indifference resulted in spiritual drift that has gone unnoticed

Boats drift with the current.
Students drift away from their education
People drift away from each other.

A gradual slipping away through inattention!

Drifting happens in all kinds of ways.
How to Drift Like an Expert – Popular drifting techniques

It is usually imperceptible. People drift away from each other, they drift away from church, they drift away from reading the Bible. After participating regularly for years, something will suddenly come up and a Sunday happens when they skip church. A week or two later, the same thing happens. A week or two after that, the same thing, again. Before you know it, they’ve quit coming.

C.S. Lewis said…
“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.”   C.S. Lewis

“If you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?” C. S. Lewis

“The magic of first love is our ignorance that it can ever end” Disraeli

14 year old girl from the Philippines
Drifting Away
Is there nothing more to do?
Is there nothing more to say?
I am just, after all, another mere soul,
lost in this world, lost far away.

You could have brought me back.
You were my only confidant.
For you I shared what I thought,
for you I shared all that was in me.

Never once did I open up like I did to you,
my thoughts and emotions,
never once did any other know of,
You were my friend, my only best friend.

But now I could only smile,
I guess it’s all just from self-pity.
After all, who wouldn’t feel stupid,
angry and guilty, after opening up

To a person who could merely drift away,
to a person you thought you knew,
to a person you thought would always be.
to a person you thought would stay.

I was ready to give more to you,
to be the best friend I could ever be.
But see, you left, or maybe I did.
Things weren’t just right anymore.

I guess that’s life.  Nothing stays, nothing remains,
And all I know now is that this is life,  And I hate it for being so.

Ralph Marston: “Every day you spend drifting away from your goals is a waste not only of that day, but also of the additional day it takes to regain lost ground.”

Drifting away
Yesterday was a good friend’s birthday. I didn’t call or send him a card. I don’t have his phone number anymore and I don’t have his address, either. I probably could find both, but I didn’t bother to try. It’s just as well. We seldom see each other anymore. I WISHED him a Happy Birthday anyway, whether he knew it or not.

I haven’t seen Recondo or Georgia except for a quick vehicle-swap after the ill-fated trip to Costa Rica more than a month ago. Looks like I blew a hole in that friendship, too. That seems to be my style nowdays. I could list a whole bunch of others who don’t like me anymore.

I’ve got only a few more people to go and I will have succeeded in what I’ve been trying to do all along. I launched a “Garbo Project” about three years ago, and it’s worked well so far. Just give me another couple of months and I’ll get exactly what I was aiming for.

“I want to be alone.”

Drifting is effortless, Ctns don’t have to deliberately walk away You don’t have to do anything to drift.
Drifting is with the current
Drifting is usually downward
Life is filled with choices.

All of us drift for awhile.  We may be unaware of it. But then we notice it.
We don’t seem to have the same excitement or motivation        Then we are faced with a choice to either go with the flow
Or to fight the current we feel so strongly.

Admonition: Heed the Word and Don’t Drift (Heb. 2:1–4

The danger here is drifting through neglect!
It is easy to drift with the current, but it is difficult to return against the stream. Our salvation is a “great salvation,” purchased at a great price. It brings with it great promises and blessings, and it leads to a great inheritance in glory. How can we neglect it?

A.        Therefore we must!
For this reason, on this account
Since God has spoken to us not through prophets or angels but in His Son
These truths have implications!
It is a necessity = it is to our advantage or profit

B.        Pay closer attention – (how do we do this?)
It is imperative that we take seriously the revelation that has come to us through Him pay even more attention to what we’ve heard!

Lit:  Give heed more abundantly!

Christ is God’s last word to us!
He is greater than the prophets.

He is far greater than the angels.
So, we must pay more abundant attention
Pay attention to God’s Word and obey it.
Listen to what has been said
Turn your mind to something and focus to act on what you’ve heard

C.        To What We’ve Heard
We must know it and remember it!

Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ”

James 1:21-25 “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

The exhortation is to give more earnest heed to the New Testament message, and the warning, against letting that truth slip away. The nature of the sin of Adam was a careless, indifferent attitude towards the commands of God.

A failure to pay attention to what you’ve heard
This failure to hear is due to a carelessness in paying attention to what God had to say.

ILL:  The story of Steve and Paula Wittman The O and O Special
Be careful…that is hot!
Table saw…
Door slamming on fingers
Nail gun…bam

II.         The Consequences
A.        Vague
2:2-4. Inasmuch as under the Old Covenant, which was instituted through angelic ministration (Gal. 3:19), there were severe penalties for infractions of its demands, the readers could not suppose there would be no penalties for drifting away from the New Covenant.

On the contrary, with tantalizing vagueness, the author asked, How shall we escape (Heb. 12:25) if we ignore such a great salvation?

If the readers lost sight of the ultimate victory and deliverance that was promised to them in connection with the Son’s own final victory, they could expect retribution.
What its nature might be the writer did not spell out, but it would be unwarranted to think he was talking about hell. The “we” which pervades the passage shows that the author included himself among those who needed to pay close attention to these truths.

B.        Salvation
The “salvation,” of course, is the same as that just mentioned in 1:14
The “tie” between Chpt 1 & 2
“Salvation” found 7 times in Hebrews – more than any other NT book
Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream (Mt 1)
“Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife
What has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit
She will give birth to a son and you will give him the name “Jesus”.  Because he will save his people from their sins”

Luke 1:76-78 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high”

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Salvation begins with a moral cleansing from sin.

Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

I love this statement by Ray Stedman concerning salvation as a process
“The author is deeply persuaded that a personal relationship with Christ expressed in repentance and faith determines the believer’s salvation.  But in the teaching of the letter, salvation is clearly portrayed as an ongoing process.”

He goes on to say
“That Jesus, “the author of their salvation” should be “perfected through suffering” (2:10) makes salvation an infinitely precious gift”

Story of the Hymn
“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” composer, Robert Robinson, Converted under the mighty preaching of George Whitefield, but that later he drifted from the Lord, He had been greatly used as a pastor, but neglect of spiritual things led him astray. In an attempt to find peace, he began to travel. During one of his journeys, he met a young woman who was spiritually minded.

“What do you think of this hymn I have been reading?” she asked Robinson, handing him the book. It was his own hymn! He tried to avoid her question but it was hopeless, for the Lord was speaking to him. Finally, he broke down and confessed who he was and how he had been living away from the Lord.

“But these ‘streams of mercy’ are still flowing,” the woman assured him; and through her encouragement, Robinson was restored to fellowship with the Lord.

3. (Compare Heb 2:3.) Argument
spoken by angels—the Mosaic law spoken by the ministration of angels (De 33:2; Ps 68:17; Ac 7:53; Ga 3:19). When it is said, Ex 20:1, “God spake,” it is meant He spake by angels as His mouthpiece, or at least angels repeating in unison with His voice the words of the Decalogue; whereas the Gospel was first spoken by the Lord alone.

was steadfast—Greek, “was made steadfast,” or “confirmed”: was enforced by penalties on those violating it.
transgression—by doing evil; literally, overstepping its bounds: a positive violation of it.
disobedience—by neglecting to do good: a negative violation of it.
recompense—(De 32:35).

III.  Confirmation!
We—who have received the message of salvation so clearly delivered to us (compare Heb 12:25).

so great salvation—embodied in Jesus, whose very name means “salvation,” including not only deliverance from foes and from death, and the grant of temporal blessings (which the law promised to the obedient), but also grace of the Spirit, forgiveness of sins, and the promise of heaven, glory, and eternal life (Heb 2:10).

spoken by the Lord—as the instrument of proclaiming it. Not as the law, spoken by the instrumentality of angels (Heb 2:2). Both law and Gospel came from God; the difference here referred to lay in the instrumentality by which each respectively was promulgated (compare Heb 2:5). Angels recognize Him as “the Lord” (Mt 28:6; Lu 2:11).

confirmed unto us—not by penalties, as the law was confirmed, but by spiritual gifts (Heb 2:4).
confirmed to them by the immediate hearers of the Lord: the past tense, “was confirmed,” implies some little time had elapsed since this testification by eye-witnesses.

5. them—rather, “God also [as well as Christ, Heb 2:3] bearing witness to it,”  joining in attestation of it.”

signs and wonders—performed by Christ and His apostles. “Signs” and miracles, or other facts regarded as proofs of a divine mission; “wonders” are miracles viewed as prodigies, causing astonishment (Ac 2:22, 33); “powers” are miracles viewed as evidences of superhuman power.

divers miracles—Greek, “varied (miraculous) powers” (2Co 12:12) granted to the apostles after the ascension.

gifts—Greek, “distributions.” The gift of the Holy Spirit was given to Christ without measure (Jn 3:34), but to us it is distributed in various measures and operations (Ro 12:3, 6, &c. 1Co 12:4–11) according to his own will—God’s free and sovereign will, assigning one gift of the Spirit to one, another to another (Ac 5:32; Eph 1:5).

Sunday, February 14, 2010

6:00 pm

Introduction:
~ Not the easiest passage in the Bible.  Like an iceberg: see what’s above the water but more than what the eyes see.
~ Flesh and blood Christians struggling to overcome past traditions and adjust to the fresh movements of God in a fast changing world. They struggled to hold onto their faith in Christ in a world of growing chaos and powerful pressures from their culture.

For the most part, they were second generation Christians.
They had professed faith in Christ for some time.
But they’ve reached a stage of discouragement and spiritual
lethargy.  Some had given up meeting in corporate worship.
Experiencing opposition to their faith both from friends and family and from the culture around them.

Just starting his thesis that Jesus is better!  Hebrews 1-7
~ He is better than the prophets, 1:1-3
~ He is better than the angels, 1:4-2:18

My friends, do you know who Jesus is?

The Bible speaks a great deal about angels
108 direct references to angels in the OT
165 direct references to angels in the NT

They were created to worship and serve God.

What do you know about the Biblical teaching about angels?
How much do you think angels are involved in your life?

The writer of Hebrews addresses this issue because of common Jewish misconceptions:

Many believed angels surrounded God as his senate or council.
They supposed that angels objected to the created of humankind and that they attacked Moses on his way up Mt. Sinai.

They believed that 200 angels controlled the movement of the stars.

They gave angels such names as: Raphael, Yuriel, Phanuel,

I.          What are angels and what do they do?
1 Corinthians 15:40 “There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.”

Hebrews 13:2 “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Angels do not have flesh and blood – they has heavenly bodies.
They may appear in human form.

Matthew 28:3-4 “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.”
Angels may appear in other forms.

Luke 15:10 “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Angels have intelligence and emotions.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

Galatians 1:8 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.“

Angels can and do speak to people.  Paul warns us about being deceived by demons who disguise themselves as angels.  Paul condemns false messengers and warns that if their message does not square with the gospel of the New Testament it is to be rejected.

Mormonism
Joseph Smith claimed the Angel Moroni who revealed the golden plates to him from which he translated the Book of Mormon. Moroni was one of the ancient Nephites in mortal life and the author of one of the books of the Book of Mormon. Golden replicas of Moroni sit atop many LDS temples (virtually all of the newest ones)

Islam:

Matthew 22:28-30 “In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”

Angels do not marry and are unable to have children.

Revelation 12:3-4 “a great red dragon…swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.”

Strongly indicates that in Satan’s rebellion against God 1/3 of the angels followed him, that while there is a gap in explanation it seems likely that this is the origin of demons and that the implication is that they do not die and are not annihilated.

Daniel 7:10 “A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.”

Revelation 5:11 “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,”

Angels were created prior to the Garden of Eden and they number in the gigabits or terabits.  (billions and trillions)

Ephesians 6:10, 12 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might…For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

They are strong and well organized.

1 Peter 1:10-12 “It was revealed to them (the prophets) that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

They are participants in the spiritual war going on and also spectators.

II.         5 Ways that JESUS IS BETTER than the Angels (7 Old Testament passages used to show this!)

1.         He is greater than the angels because of his title – Son
Do you see the question?  “To which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my son’?”  Ps 2:7 / 2 Sam 7:14

None!  Only Christ is the Son
Collectively the angels are called “sons of God” Job 1:6; 21; 38:7
But no individual angel is ever call “Son of God”

The Son of God through the Virgin birth!
Luke 1:32, 35 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David…And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

The Son of God through his resurrection
Romans 1:3-4 “concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

He was always God but He became the Son.  “Son” is the incarnate title of Christ.  Sonship is an analogy to help us understand Christ’s essential relationship and willing submission to the Father for the sake of our redemption.

2.         He is greater than the angels because they are to worship Him.
Hebrews 1:6 “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.””

Deuteronomy 32:43 LXX  the Song of Moses – referred in 11 books of the NT.

What is your relationship to Jesus?  Do you worship him?

“Firstborn” –  Some will say, “He was born like the rest of us”

prototokos = prototokos = the chief one!
Jesus Christ has the position of the oldest son – heir of all things.
Esau was born first but Jacob has position of prototokos
Genesis 49:3 “Reuben you are my first-born…preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power”

Joseph’s son Mannaseh was born first, but Ephraim, the younger brother was given the rights of the firstborn!
Jesus Christ is the “firstborn” because he was the firstborn from the dead!  Col 1:18

Colossians 1:16, 18 “For by him all (JWs other) things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him….And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

Into the world does not = kosmos / = oikoumene = inhabited earth = the place of preeminence in the inhabited world.

As the prototokos Jesus Christ is the most honored, most dignified, the highest One, the most powerful one.  Of all those to be resurrected forever Jesus is the firstborn from the dead!

The Truth – He is to be Worshipped!
Matthew 2:2 “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”“
Matthew 8:2 ” A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”” NIV
Matthew 14:33 ” Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”” NIV
Matthew 28:9 ” Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.” NIV
Matthew 28:17 ” When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” NIV
John 9:38 ” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.” NIV
John 20:28 ” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”“
Hebrews 1:6 ” And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

3.         Jesus is greater because he is superior in nature
Angels are his created servants – His ministers, His wind and fire.
But look at one of the most direct statements of Christ’s deity in the whole Bible.
Hebrews 1:8 “But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.”
The Father calls Jesus Christ “God” and says that He is eternal.

Other Views of Jesus
Buddhism
“In Buddhism there is no god as we conceive of God…The followers of Buddhism tend to deify Buddha.  Their idea of God, however, has no such comprehensive attributes as has the Christian God.  This rules out Christ as a deity.”

Cabala (Kabbalah): Cabala is a system of Jewish mystical thought which originated in southern France and Spain in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.  The Cabala doctrine of deity recognizes only two deities – the hidden god, the infinite great Nothing; and the dynamic god of religious experience (Spiritual Counterfeits).

Christian Scientists: Jesus was a mere man who demonstrated the Christ (i.e. divine idea).  It doesn’t matter whether Christ ever existed, and His blood doesn’t cleanse from sin.

Masons “…we tell the sincere Christian that Jesus of Nazareth was but a man like us.” 

Islam: Christ was a prophet of Allah, but was superseded by Muhammad’s teachings and authority.

Jehovah’s Witnesses
Jesus was not Jehovah.  He was the first son that Jehovah God brought forth.  Jesus is a created being, Michael the archangel, the first creation of Jehovah and the “Son of God.”

Mormons: Among the spirit children of Elohim, the firstborn and was and is Jehovah or Jesus Christ.  Jesus is a pre-existent spirit.  Jesus was the child of Adam and Mary, not the Holy Spirit and Mary.  Therefore, Christ was God-man, and man can be just like him.

Scientology: Christ is a man who achieved a ‘state of clear’ but not the higher state of ‘Operating Thetan’.

But what does God call Jesus?  “God”
What does Jesus claim for himself?
Claim: John 5:17, 19 “But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working…. I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” NIV

Response: John 5:18 “For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath,  but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”

5:21 “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”

5:22 – 23  “the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent Him.”

5:26  “as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself”

Claim: John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you,  before Abraham was born, I am.”
Response: John 8:59 “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.

Claim: John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
Response: Jn 10:31 “The Jews took up stones again to stone Him.”

4.         Jesus is greater than angels He is the eternal creator and they are not!, 1:10-12
The timeless endurance of the Son!
Hebrews 13:8 “8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Isaiah 40:28-31 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

5.         Jesus is greater than the angels because He is destined to be the King and Angels are destined to be servants.  The destiny of angels is to serve forever! They are messengers who are servants of God

Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”

In some way they were mediators of the Old Covenant
Galatians 3:19 “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.”

Hebrews 2:2 “For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,”

They were involved in the spiritual battles of God’s people
2 Kings 6:15-17 “When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

They protect from physical danger.
Angels rescued Lot and his family snatching them out of Sodom.
Angels got down in the den with Daniel and stopped the lions from eating him.

Luke 22:42-43 “saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.”

Luke 24:4-8 “While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words,”

They gave comfort by announcing good news

John 20:11-13 “But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.””

They encouraged Mary at the grave of Jesus.

Daniel 9:20-23 “While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.”

God heard Daniel in his quiet time and he sent Gabriel to Daniel with a message.

Acts 8:26 “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.”

An angel prompted Philip to go share the gospel.

Acts 10:3-4 “About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.”

They seem to make it a habit to ease drop on our quiet times.

Acts 12:6-8 “Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.””  Released Pete

Matthew 18:10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

They apparently render service as guardians of children.  But only Jesus is the Son who is God to be worshipped Who has the position of firstborn heir of all things and first to be forever raised from the dead.  Only Jesus is the eternal creator and coming King.

My friends.  Do you know my Jesus?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

6:00 am

Introduction:
Flesh and blood Christians struggling to overcome past traditions and adjust to the fresh movements of God in a fast changing world.

They struggled to hold onto their faith in Christ in a world of growing chaos and powerful pressures from their culture.

For the most part, they were second generation Christians.

They had professed faith in Christ for some time.  But they’ve reached a stage of discouragement and spiritual lethargy.  Some had given up meeting in corporate worship. Experiencing opposition to their faith both from friends and family and from the culture around them. Fits the time between 65-69 AD…prior to destruction of Temple. Author steps into the background and exalts Christ. Brings them and us face to face with the central issue:

Who is Jesus?
~ No other NT book deals as fully with the present priesthood of JC.
~ No other NT book urges believers with such passion to call on their great high priest for help.
~ And, no other NT book focuses as much on the present greatness of Jesus as Hebrews except Revelation.
~ Hebrews has a special focus on the end times and the City of God coming to earth.

In summery:
~ Do we believe that Jesus is God the Son who is the creator and sustainer of the world?
~ Are we trusting in His death on the cross and his resurrection as the fully and completely sufficient basis for our salvation?
~ As a habit, do we turn to Jesus our High Priest for strength to face pressures, resist temptation, conquer guilt and achieve self-control in our day to day situations?
~ Do we count it the highest privilege to take up our cross daily and bear his reproach in the midst of a confused and immoral world?
~ Is the expectation of Christ’s return a shining reality to us that renews our strength and our outlook on life?
These are the encouragements and questions we will encounter in the Book of Hebrews.

I.          Jesus Christ is God’s Last Word to Us!, 1:1-2a

Hebrews 1:1-2 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son”

A.        God spoke
For us to know anything about God, He must tell us.
Humankind lives in a natural box.
In himself he does not know anything for certain about the supernatural world outside his box.
The religions of the world are all an attempt by man to get outside his box.

But the message of Christianity is that God has spoken!
~ In ages past at many times and in many ways.
~ In these last days, in his Son.
God has taken the initiative to speak to us!

B.        The Messengers: through the prophets
To our spiritual ancestors.
2 Peter 1:21 “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

Superintended the writers so that the message was completely true!

C.        The Message: True but not complete! Let me ask you: do you understand the Old Testament?
Would you like to understand it better?
The Old Testament is incomplete.
40 + authors, over 1500 years.
A building process: line upon line, truth upon truth.
Genesis gives us some truth.
Exodus adds to this truth.
Truth builds and builds and builds.

Theologians call it “progressive revelation”
Progressive in the sense of from promise to fulfillment.
The OT is promise….the NT is fulfillment.

Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

1 Peter 1:10-12 “Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

The OT was not in any erroneous but it was under development.
Like a set of children’s picture books of

First letters.  Then words.  And then sentences.
Given the pictures of the tabernacle and the ceremonies and the types or pictures of Christ in the OT.

Hebrews 11:39 “And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,”

To Adam and Eve was given the first promise of the coming Savior.
To Abraham and Isaac was given a picture of the Father’s sacrifice.
To David it was revealed that it was from his descendants that…
To Micah was given the name of the town from which the Messiah would come.
To Daniel was given the time of the Messiah’s birth.
To Malachi was given the fact that the Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner.
To Jonah was given the picture of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.
Piece upon piece revelation was given.
Each piece pointed to the Messiah.  But only in Jesus Christ Himself does it all come together.

John 4:25-26 “The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”“

Everything only comes together and is held together in Jesus Christ.

ILL:  Ball puzzle! Interlocking pieces puzzle.  He is the “interlocutor”
Referred to 7 times in Hebs: 1:2,5,8; 3:6; 4:14; 5:8; 6:6; 7:28; 10:29

II.         The Seven Excellencies of Jesus Christ, 1:2b-3
1.         He is “heir of all things”
All things belong to him and fall under his authority.

Psalm 2:8 “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”

Psalm 89:27 “And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.”
Not a chronological term here.
Has to do with the legal rights of the firstborn.

Hebrews 2:5-9 “ Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

He is the heir of the universe, yet he had nowhere to lay his head.  Luke 9:58
He had nothing for himself.  Even his clothes were taken.
But he will completely and eternally inherit all things!

Romans 8:16-17 – wonders of wonders –
Those who embrace him will enter his eternal kingdom and inherit all things with him.
Those who reject him will lose everthing!

2.         He “made the world”
Gk: aiones = literally – ages
The whole created universe of time and space.
Not only the creator of the physical world but he is responsible for creating time and space.
He created the physical universe and everything that is needed to make it function!  As we move forward.
The very idea of global warming to the point of impacting the earth is born out of ignorance.
He created everything

John 1:3 “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Colossians 1:16 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

Sir John Echols, nobel laureate in neurophysiology said in Chicago in January 1968 that the odds that intelligent life evolved on earth are 400 thousand trillion, trillion trillion trillion to one.

Our hearts beat 800 million times in a normal lifetime.  Pump enough blood to fill a string of tank cars running from Boston to NY.  All the memories of our lifetime are packed into a ½ inch cubic section of our brains.

The Sun is 865,000 miles in diameter. You could pack 1.2 million earths in the sun and still have room for 4.3 million moons.

Where did all this come from?  Jesus Christ himself.
Jesus is not a created being as JW’s and Mormons teach!

But the emphasis here is on the periods of time (dispensations) through which the world has passed, is passing and will pass.

3.         He is “the radiance of His glory”
Gk: apaugasma = radiance = what shines out from the source of light.
The sunshine. The moon beams! Jesus is the radiance of God! Jesus Christ is the glorious light of God.

John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus Christ is the full expression of the radiance of God.
And he comes into our lives to give us light to see and know God.
He gives us understanding and purpose and peace and joy.
I love to sit and read and pray and nap in the Sonlight!

4.         He is “the exact representation of His nature”
Gk: character = representation.  (Only here in NT)
Facsimile
Clear impression of Emperor on coins or the image made with a seal
Jesus Christ is the perfect, personal imprint of God.

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
Image = eikon = precise copy / image of God

Col  2:9 “9For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”

5.         He “upholds all things by the word of His power”

He holds them all together
Not like Atlas holding the universe as dead weight.  But, he carries all things forward (Gk: pheron) on their appointed course.  An earthquake comes along and disrupts the normal condition of things.  Can you imagine if Jesus took his hand of this world and relinquished his sustaining power?

Col 1:17 “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.“

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.“

6.         He “made purification of sins”

Jesus dealt with the sin problem once and for all.
Gk: katharismos = both the removal and cleansing of sin.
He established a new order of relationship between God and humankind.

7.         He “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”

a.         The place of honor.
b.         The place of authority and power!
c.         His work was finished
d.         To intercede for us – he has the Father’s ear!

Why talk to Mary or anyone else when Jesus is right there?
A person who says anything less of Jesus than this says is foolish!
My friends, do you know who Jesus is?

Many have said…
Jesus Christ came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman.
He put on humanity so that we could put on divinity.
He became the son of man that we might become the sons of God.

He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was raised in obscurity and only once crossed the border of the land of his birth. He had no wealth or influence other than his own person. He was not trained / educated in the great universities of his But other than his mom and dad his relatives did not understand

In his birth he startled a king.
In his boyhood he puzzled the learned Drs. of theology.
In his manhood he not only developed followers but enemies.
He ruled over nature.
He walked on the waves and quieted the sea.
He healed many people without medicine and did not charge

He never wrote a book and yet all the libraries of the world could not hold the books about Him. He never wrote a song but he is the focus of more songs than anyone or anything in history. He never founded a college yet he has more students than all the universities of history put together. He never practice medicine or psycho-therapgy but he has healed more broken hearts and more broken bodies than all the doctors in history.

Jesus Christ is the star of astronomy
The rock of geology
The lion and lamb of Zoology
The harmonizer of all conflicts
And the healer of all diseases.

Throughout history men have come and gone yet He lives on.
Satan could not seduce him.
Herod could not kill him
Death could not destroy him, And the grave could not hold him.