January 12, 2025 - Hebrews 1:1-14

So I've been sick all week last week in the week. So last week a week before the present, this past one, I was sick all week and then I rally Friday, and Saturday, and Sunday, and Sunday afternoon to, I was hit by a ton of bricks and down. I went. We had a fever and chills and I think just, I hadn't gotten left breast from being sick the week before, and so it just Back with a vengeance is basically spent. All week I are staring at the ceiling or taking cough medicine and feeling like that confidence in just makes me feel terrible. But, but praise God, that, you know, I've done a lot of studying Hebrews before this past week. So all I really had to do is just simply throw a sermon together. So a drone this together for us this morning, the title of this morning's message is the supremacy of Christ and the entire book of Hebrews I think Naomi I'm going to try to control. This, as much as I can. I'm not sure that I can but we'll give it a go. The person I want to point out is that the book is entitled, not just Hebrews, but to the Hebrews. Now our Bibles might just say Hebrews, but it is more correct in saying the epistle to the Hebrews. But the original and ancient title of this book is to the Hebrews. It's a letter that takes the form of a sermon. That this is, this is the title here in Greek froze. He Brave. And so the original title is, is includes that too. So we know what the letter and we can look even at the end of the letter and see that it is that it is ends with a a classic salutation of our greetings to people and we'll get to that. Again, it in in just a bit. But also authorship becomes a topic of conversation. So I have to ask you to take over these slides from here. The way that this is set up on my remote doesn't work quite right, but this was it Paul. That was one of the questions that people ask and it was it Paul ideas that could? Well, I used to think that it's possible that it was, but it was not my fault that it was declared by the Lord. It was attempted to us by those who heard the author in that second generation of Heroes of the gospel. And so it wasn't a second generation to hear of the Gospel all heard the gospel from Christ himself. And so that makes it very clear that Paul was not the author of Hebrews. What bar? Accept Barnabas the first time is official system in the temple makes sense. If I wrote this letter, Martin Luther suggested that it was a Paula's. So, could it be a Polish? The eloquent preacher, an apologist that was disciples by Priscilla and Aquila, and Priscilla and Aquila meet. They become Disciples of Paul in Ephesus, and Priscilla and Aquila. Then meet Apollo asked who he was a powerful preacher. But it's some Alexandria, what they mean by that together and he even later in the preaching of origin and those that are in Alexandria that they that they do. That sort of thing. I know for sure leans toward apologist the eloquence of it and the alexandrian feel. So I'm just going to stay up all us wrote like I went to Saint Paul wrote or Paul said or Peter said rather than the writer of Hebrews

Why I'll go through the whole defense over and over again. And in your mind when I say a Polish, you can just say the writer Hebrews if you want but I think I'll also make it easier for us to hear it. Because of every time I say the cruise, it says we don't know who wrote it. It puts a question mark, we start thinking about that instead. So,

And I'm dating of the letter of the Hebrews, as likely before the destruction of the temple, did not answer the question. Oh, that's on the screen. Well.

So what you think, what you think?

Unlikely. That imagery about the temple. Have a cough drop in my mouth. It's a good thing. Trust me. Maybe a little frustrating at first, but this will be good. Just don't spit it out. Thank you.

These are some of the things that David editor of the radio program.

Unlikely that such simple imagery that we're going to see forever. Hebrews would have any significant impact on people at the temple had been destroyed of the temple is no longer there. This image rate would be nearly meaningless. So when the temple is mentioned also in Hebrews, it's a present reality. It's not my choice, the author with a Barnabas or polish or polish Never mentions the Temple's destruction. Jesus is the true Temple. We are also temples of the Holy Spirit. Those have been themes and things. That would have been a Polish. Write this letter to the Hebrews as well. So who are the addresses of the letter? Who is this mail to deliver to really have to go to the very end of the letter to figure it out? And verse 24 Apollo's, rights greet, all your leaders and all the saints, those who come from Italy, send you greetings. So obviously those who from are from, Italy are communicating back home. And so, most likely, this is an epistle to Jewish Christians, in Rome. What's the purpose? A final consideration before we really get to the taxes. Why would a Polish right to the Jews? Residing, in Rome familiar with the letter. Will know that there are warning passages throughout the book. Chapter 2, chapter 3 chapter 5, chapter 10 in chapter 12 morning, passages structure, the purpose of the book, The Letter is a warning, as a warning, to the ancient search. It's a warning to us as well. And the warning is this because Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God, it would be foolish to turn away from him. Not to be the theme of the whole book and so we can call good. But first, we must study every single verse of it. Go through from chapter 1 to chapter 13. And we are going to hear the word of God is. Punishing. Her heart's been These Warnings. And if you are at all, complacent in your faith, If you have those sins that you have the hiding in your pocket, you think nobody sees and you just take them out when you by yourself, sometimes to look at them. If you are somebody who is living a double life, this book is going to cause you pain week in and week out and I I pray that you will endure it like the rest of us have to do cuz we're all in there somewhere. We all have some part of our lives at the Lord wants to work on Sunday. Be residue a pride even that the Lord needs to work out, and this book will just bring it right to the top. Is going to be one of those pot of gold in the dross is going to be drawn up to the top, because you can't do anything, but be confronted by the word of God in as the spirit applies, if your heart is going to be strong conviction, And so remember, just for me. Remember, it is the word of the Lord, it isn't me, write? So don't don't say while. I sent on saying that, I don't need to think about that. Remember, this is the word of the Lord. And if you're thinking about tripping me as I walked, by remember this is this is the word of the Lord for you. It's warning after warning, not to turn away from Christ, the passage together, beginning of verse 1. 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 will be appointed the air of all things through whom. Also, he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God in the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds, the universe by the word of his power. After making sure if occasion, for since he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High having become as much. Superior to angels of the name, he has inherited is more excellent. Then there's more to, which of the Angels did God ever say you are my son today? I have begotten. You or again? I will be a father, be to him a father and he shall be to me as a son and again when and again when he brings the first born into the world, he says let all the angels that all God's angels worship Him. I'll be Angels, he says he makes his angels winds and his ministers, a flame of fire, but of the son he says your throne o, God is forever and ever. The scepter of brightness is the scepter of your kingdom, Your Love righteousness and hated wickedness, therefore God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions and laid the foundation of the Earth. In the beginning of the heavens. Are the work of your hands. They will perish but you remain they will all wear out like a garment like a robe. You will roll them up. Like the Garment, they will be changed but you are the same and your years will have no end and to which of the angels as he ever said, sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool under your feet. Are they not all ministering Spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Someone commented to me this week. How are you going to preach all of that in one message? And I would say it's challenging, but the alternative was 150 messages and Hebrews because a lot of got, a lot of pastors, take this text and they will preach the first one and two and will preach first three and I think we can lose something in that. We also gained something in it, but this was the approach that I've endeavored to take and I My nose is set, like mine to that. What it is, or is it my face face? There we go. For years. I've heard of a matter. So definitely a side Trail but my face is peeling from my clan path and so here we are, but I need the spirit. So to use. Let's ask the Lord to come in and work in us this morning as we hear the word of God. Father, we know that all scripture is breathed out by you and written by men of old. As they were carried Along by the Holy Spirit. Dwells in us, on the account of the work of your son, Jesus Christ. We pray that you will lead us by that same Spirit have eyes to see your ears to hear your word this morning. I pray this in the name of the one who gave his life for us, that we might have life Jesus Christ, your son and our savior. We ask this in his name and all God's people said

Though, there are many places that you can go to hear what the gospel means. I was reading an article last week that articulated this That there are so many YouTube videos available now and there are so many books available that we no longer need to make preaching. The center of the are worship services that the preaching of the Gospel, the preaching of God's word is no longer necessary in the church, when it gathers together because they can find those resources elsewhere. And one of the things are, those resources, has lots of questions about those things when it comes down to is that there are so many voices tugging at our hearts these days, you can watch a YouTube video or a news report or whatever your whatever you're doing. Read a book, read an article for the magazine, doesn't matter what the genre or the medium is. But you're going to get different understandings of what the gospel is, and who Jesus is from all kinds of different viewpoints. You know, why there are so many different ways that you can that you can understand the gospel. And I've seen so many so many interpreted wrongly. And one of the things that we do know, is that in Hebrews? It makes it very clear that the gospel is to be interpreted through Jesus, his son, there is nothing else. What is the interpretive principle of the Gospel? Where is the principal of all the prophecies you could, you could sum it up in Jesus himself. He is, he is the standard by which it is all measured and to be understood. I don't find it to be surprising at all at the beginning of Hebrews that we find that God has spoken decisively and buy big idea. This morning is that God has spoken decisively And finally threw his son. Jesus Christ. And this is why it's so important for us to understand this. This morning. I was halfway through the big idea, but just to bring it back to what I was saying a moment ago. God has spoken decisively and finally through his son there's nothing else to be looking for. There's nowhere else to go. There's nothing that you should be seeking. There's no resource that you're missing. What you need is the word of God, the revelation of Jesus Christ. It's he who Reigns Supreme over all creation and holds the ultimate place of honor at God's right hand. The first thing I want to point out is that God's final word is in his son verses 1 through 3. It says being first one long ago, not so much a reference to the distant past but to a previous age to a previous epic, a previous time in the Plan of Redemption. The time before, Redemption had been accomplished long ago, long ago at many times. And in many ways, God spoke to our fathers, by the prophets. Not only the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but God, spoke to all of Israel, who heard his word and not only those we formally recognized as profits in our English Bible, and the prophet. Isaiah, the prophet Jeremiah not just those profits. But also through those to whom under the inspiration of the spirit, where are the means of giving the word of God to God's people such as Moses such as David and Solomon. Inverse to assess, but I'm by using word, but apollis is introducing a contrast between the long-ago times and the times in these last days, when it says he has spoken to us by, his son, is the final word. And as I said before, we need look for nothing more, we should expect nothing else. There's nothing else that you need to be saved to put your trust in Jesus Christ. You might think you need a better diet, you might think you need a different stances in different phases of life, but there is nothing you need to find more than what does already been provided for you in the final word of God son, Jesus Christ. The Revelation that he is giving us from Genesis to Revelation, nothing further is necessary, and nothing can be added to it. In fact, I would say, if you add anything to it, the only do fall under that cursed, The Book of Revelation. However you also fall under the Trap of real lot of succumbing to the idea that when you add something to the gospel, you're actually subtracting from it. If you even tried at one little thing twice, been revealed about Christ is going to minimize. The gospel is going to minimize price. It's going to cause you to think wrongly of him and respond wrongly to do. It says here that in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son will be appointed the air of all things. The sun is a promise are of David's Throne who would rule from that throne for eternity. So we no longer live in a time. This is what a policy saying that we no longer live in the time. When all the promises of God are waiting to be fulfilled. We live in the time when every promise of God has been fulfilled in the resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, who is as a man, David are, and he is also God for, he is the one through whom also, he created the world. We said this during Ivan, right? Even as he was born in the manger, he was born to a woman. He created resting in the word of God resting silent. And I'm unable to verbalize all these paradoxes of who he is and we have to recognize both God. And man, he is, he is the heir of David's Throne. He is the second Adam as we sang this morning, but he is also God. He's the one through whom the war. He also created the world, and it says he is the radiance. This is the word of his sounds beautiful that. There he is. A Radiance of the glory of God. That's a manifestation of the reflection of the glory of God and exact imprint of his nature. I've seen this with Phoebe recently, she's making things with Play-Doh and she's pressing things in the Play-Doh to make impressions in them. And when we think of the exact imprint of his nature, that idea of imprint, the weirdest character, it means to impress as in the ancient process of minting coins, by pressing the coin into clay and then pouring the metal over that impression. So the person that face of the coin and they make that mold and then they make, they make the duplicate of it. And so, whatever is said, when we use this word, that idea of character being the Jesus is the exact imprint of God, God is also attributed to Christ. He is the exact representation of God. Indoor secular age will speak of laws of nature as though the world is functioning by mere principles of physics, or a fast is running like a clock whose maker stands a far-off instead. It says that he the son, upholds, the universe, by the word of his power. So he just in the event that I go back to admit, we're so close. I think of Advent in the passage, we studied there, even if you lay in that manger silent even by his own power, and that moment he is upholding the universe. Jesus Christ is fully man as the davidic king and able to represent mankind as the head of the New Covenant, nothing Eternal, Son of God. He is fully God. There for his death was an eternal sacrifice and indicative of his work. As our great high priest is going to be a theme, the church has proclaimed since the beginning Christ, Our Prophet priest, and King and sense of coming. Ushered in the end of the ages, it is unimaginable that anyone of us were turned away from him. And returned to living is the last days. We're not upon us. Indeed, the consequences of Turning Away are severe. Now, the way things look in the world today with artificial intelligence and various things we've been talking about in our equip class with the development of different cultural Trends around us. It does seem like the word that last end of the last days or that it could come relatively quickly if possible. We've been living in the last days since the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That was the moment that the last days were ushered in, and it was the last ice age. And so we we live here this morning. In full trust that God is continue to work things out in these last stages of these last ages are upon us. And so to turn away from Christ, comes with severe consequences for the Jewish people to whom this letter was written. It would mean a return to the sacrificial system. Can you imagine that putting your trust in Christ Living in the freedom of Christ? The joy that your sins have been paid for? Not just your past sins, but your present sins in all your future sins because if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's the promise of the Gospel that our sins are forgiven because of what Christ did on the cross. But you imagine being a Jewish person in that day and deciding though, I'm going to go back. Going to the temple and sacrificing animals is oh Christ was not the ultimate sacrifice for sin every single sacrifice and and offering a denial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ for the imagine what that means for them at the Searing of their conscience. I would have to happen day after day and you can possibly multiple times a day for us. If we would have been in Christ and return to our former way of life and reject God's final word through his son. What would it mean if we were to turn from the cross on which he died in our place, and did not deny the power of His atonement for our sins. For both of you, and the Gentile who reject Christ, that means that they remain dead in their truck passes in sins, and are without hope in this world, or the next, for those who trust in Christ who believe in his word, they know that the death, he died. He died to send. Once for all, you find that Roman 6. They know that they were saved from sin according to the will of God, by his free gift of Grace, and that nothing. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Will separate them from the love of God and Christ Jesus, for these True Believers, there is no turning back. In Christ, his he has come and he has spoken definitively. God has spoken to finitive Lee and finally threw his son. And that message has been heard There is no turning back. Next to Palace in verse 3 emphasizes Jesus role as great high priest, his exaltation in his superiority, superiority over all things. Even the angels after making purification percent, if you think about it for just a moment, this is a summary of the entire gospel making purification for sins and bought the fullness of Jesus's life, his birth the life, he lived, his sufferings his humiliation, his death on the cross of the atonement for sin. His resurrection, those who trust in the work of Christ on the cross are purified from sin as their sin. And Disobedience are exchanged for Jesus's, obedience and righteousness. That's the beauty of the Cross. It's an exchange of life, our life of death for his life, live to the full. Nail polish goes on to say that he sat down at the right hand of majesty after making this purification after coming, living the life that we couldn't live in dying. A death that we could not live. You rose again from the dead, God's confirmation that the sacrifice had been received full. Well, I need to send it to the right hand of the father and he says, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. And here there is, at least I inference to the Ascension because Jesus went from standing among those disciples and descending into the closet ax12 sitting down. At the right hand of God, a place from, which he will judge the living and the dead. And from which you rules. And Reigns even now is Jesus Christ, the son of God, fully God and fully man. I always want to say this over and over again, right now, Jesus Christ in his full humanity and his full Divinity is seated at the right hand of majesty on high. He is, he exists in physical bodily form in heaven, in the presence of God, his father. So, if you can imagine this truth in the reality, that Jesus, the davidic king are great, high priest sit in the Flash, in his body, next to the Majesty with which he shares. His identity, our human Minds, really don't have the capacity to comprehend. It mean that Jesus has one person with two complete and distinct Nature's One Divine. And one human to go beyond that. It's is a master's class and verse for is it's on account of his Ascension to the throne of David of which he is the heir that it says that he has become and verse for that, he has become as much Superior to angels, as the name, he has, inherited is more excellent than theirs and the name. Burien greater Excellence is not some secret name. It is the name of sun Important to know that Jesus Christ is King and Lord God, son is superior to the angels. I think that the best answer is that it's showing the supremacy of the New Covenant over the law. In other words, for the Jews to reject Christ was to affirm and inferior Covenant. Because the Mosaic Covenant was mediated By Angels. Where is the New Covenant was mediated by the Lord of Life, they should reject. The leper, Covenant is a pollicis argument in favor of the greater one. The one, you know, did you realize that the law was mediated By Angels? The last thing recorded of Steven speech which might just have done it at Dunham's in right against the Jews and ask even mentions that the law of Moses was delivered by Angels ax750, 1253 of the words on the screen for you. There's Steven says to the Pharisees, you stiff-necked people. Circumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit as your father's did. So do you which of the prophets did your father's, not persecute and they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the righteous one. Now, betrayed and murdered. You who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it. Again in Galatians 5:13 makes us affirmation as well. That the law was delivered by angels fall right into place in 3-19. Why then the law it was added because of transgression until The Offspring been. In Christ should come to whom the promise has been made and it was put in place through Angels by an intermediary. You can also see this in Hebrews 2 verse 2 which were going to cover next week. So I'm going to leave that part out but you can read ahead. If you'd like I'd encourage you to do the resurrected Christ ascended to Heaven is exalted and reign supreme over all creation, holding the ultimate place of honor at God's right hand and a Polish ground. His whole argument in the Old Testament, as well. Continue to see in verses five through 14. Verses, five through 14 is worth. A policy has made these statements about the Son of God about Christ. Now, he's going to buttress. This argument with with the facts and his defending the supremacy of Christ over all. This is the third and final Point verses five through 14. The argument of hollis's, making is at Jesus's, superiority superiority over the Angels, is grounded in the fact that the Old Testament designates him as God's son as we work our way through notice. The theme of superiority of Supremacy, interesting Lee there are seven proofs from the Old Testament. There are two in verse 52 which of the Angels did God ever say you are my son today I have begotten you that's Psalm 27 or again I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son that's when the davidic Covenant in 2nd Samuel 7 verse 14. So appealing to Psalm 2 and 2nd Samuel 7 apollis argues that none of the Angels were ever called by God they were sons of God. We can see that in the scripture but none of them were ever called son and amazingly, he is speaking to Jesus. The Apostle Paul would concur Romans 14 and Paul says he 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. That's Roman 14. But continuing versus exes. And again, when he brings the first born, this is likely a reference to Jesus being the firstborn from the dead. Which we heard this morning went to read read Colossians 1 18 and we can see also in Revelation 1:5, but simultaneously as connecting Jesus with Israel. Who is the first born of God in Exodus four attempts to connect this to Jesus's birth or speculative. Because know, where do we find that? The Angels worship Jesus at his birth? I actually had to search this one out when I discovered it. I know where do the Angels worship Christ, and check your new testament, try to find it, but the kings of the East came and they worshipped him. No attempts to connect to June's birth of speculative. But we do see coming. We do see worship with angels coming from his resurrection and exaltation of the world offering the third proof of hollis's, let all God's angels worship him. This is coming from Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verse 43, which is the proper response to the one who fulfill the promises of God, which the Angels longed for since Genesis 3, 15 Frodo gospel, the First Gospel, Dean the promise of The Offspring, The Offspring of the woman Christ, who would crush the Serpent's head, who is Satan and he's the one who Reigns at God's right hand. Of the Angel. He says starting Psalm 104 as the fourth proof he makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame of fire. Another word for the Son of God is God, Son, begotten of the father. He is God's chosen Offspring. Who will save his people from their sins and he is worthy of worship. The angels are his servants. They submit to him because he is greater than they. So, the sun is the Son of God, and the angels are his servants and their contrasted with the sun again, and verse where he is shown to be in a category of being far beyond them, he's acquainted with God. In the fifth proof want to Paula's, right? Foot of the butt of the son. He says siding from Psalm 45 verses 6 through, 7 your throne, o God is forever. Endeavor the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. Because of his obedience living a righteous life and only that hating everything contrary to righteousness. God, Vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead, and exalted him to his own. Right. Hand is The Obedience on the Adam Noah Abraham, Moses and Israel fail to be and God has made him King. Not only of the created order for the Kingdom of Heaven as well. First had and for the six proof porting Psalm 104 Apollo's continue. Speaking of The Eternity of Christ and his role as Creator. He says u42 on one or two you Lord laid the foundation of the Earth in the beginning and the heavens are the work of your hands. They perish but you remain they will all wear out like a garment like a robe. You will roll them up like a garment, they will be changed, but you were the same and your years will have no end. Does contrasting. This is the creation with the Creator. He's never changing the sun himself Bears. The same attributes and traits and character of God he is the exact imprint of God's nature. Verse 13. It begins with and I'm going to pause right there because it's an interesting choice by the translators. Hear the word is dead in Greek and it's usually translated but or on the other hand which I think would make more sense here. It's a word used to contrast. One thing from another and there are few times and today is passage when this world has been translated and and it and it made sense. But this option, first 13, I find intriguing, I find it to be an unlikely choice. I think it is better to say, starting a 13 but on the other hand to which of the angels, has he ever said, sit at my right hand and tell him, make your enemies your footstool for your feet and so courting. Someone 10 a polished uses the song to glued to Christ victory over sin and death at the cross. And this is the seventh proof. Seems incredibly fitting that the number seven being the number of completion that the seventh proof would be Psalm 110 directed to the cross. And in contrast apologize, like what are angels? You are they not ministering Spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who would inherit Salvation And it literally could just give us a very wooden translation. Are they all not God's serving Spirits sent out to serve? It's just aren't they just aren't they? Just the spirits that God has created to serve him, their ministering spirits? What contrast between the Sun and the angels is intended to show us that Above All Things Christ is supreme and preeminent, see God has spoken decisively and finally threw his son. Jesus Christ who reigned Supreme over all creation and holds the ultimate place of honor at God's right hand. It was another way that this is said in Colossians Teresa's. I mentioned earlier, Reddit, a collections 118 says and he is ahead of the body. The church, he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, why? That in everything he might be pre-eminent that preeminence of Supremacy. They go together, you can't be pre-eminent without being Supreme. Unless the Supreme one gives you preeminence which doesn't make sense. Cuz those are you get it, right? So what, how does this work out for us? This idea that crisis Supreme over everything. Well, as Supreme over every part of your life, there isn't a single square inch that Jesus does not declare over your heart, over your life, over your finances, over your property over your job, over your relationship, he doesn't declare that it is. His it belongs to him as a nice way of putting things off for us, but what it means to make Christ soupreme, In our lives. He says he must have first place in everything and they just as leave you to figure it out. He gives us a list. First place in our families. First place in our marriage is first place in our professions first place in our mission and Ministry. First place in matters of the intellect first place in time. First place in love first place, in conversation, first place and Pleasures, first, and eating first and play, first and Athletics first. And what we watch first place in art first place in music first place and worship. Let's give him first place, you know, and we can cry a hearty. Amen, to that. But I would rather have a sobering response to that because we can just see in this list, how sorely we are lacking, as what confession needs to be, brought to the Lord, and light of the pre-eminence of he has over our lives. As followers of Christ, we believe we've come to know that Jesus is both Lord and Savior for him to be either. He must be both, not just conceptually, but he must have first play Supremacy in our hearts. What was the price know that they were saved from sin, according to the will of God, by his free gift of Grace and that nothing can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus, for these True Believers. There is no turning back and did they cannot lose what God has provided for them in Christ. That's you. Beloved Servants of Jesus. The responsibility of every believer is to demonstrate our love for Christ and our obedience to his word, giving him the first place in all things. This is what the Apostle Paul meant. By the importance of making your calling and election. Sure. Every part of our life must fall under the supremacy in the pre-eminence of Christ. And of course, we must keep our Focus here this morning because I would ask you this this morning where is Christ? Not Supreme and preeminent in your life confess these things before the Lord, let the supremacy of Christ rule, your heart and actions. And in his Mercy, he will forgive

In contrast to Believers in Christ, there are many who will never believe that God has finally and decisively spoken through. Jesus Christ, they will deny that, there is one mediator between God and man, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they will refuse to bend the knee to the king of kings and Lord of lords, and put their trust in him. So they can be saved, unbelief, denial, and Rebellion rule their hearts. And probably the more scary and that's if you might feel like you might be in this category will be a lot of comfort in Hebrews, but they'll also be a lot of challenge. There are those who say that they are Christian but are not. There are even some who believe they are but are not. And it's it's something we all must wrestle with with the Lord, the conviction that you are a Believer, is something that is assurance that you receive from the Lord himself, is not something I give you. I can give you passages of scripture to offer you insurance. But there are those and you run into them all the time who say they're Christians, but they are not these. These are those who appear to have a form of godliness, but ultimately, the fruit of their lives demonstrates that they deny the gospel, and they have not experienced the transformative power of the Regeneration of their simple Hearts. By the power of the spirit, the idea of regeneration is the words born again, they've not been born again. There's not been transformed by the power of the spirit in the end there. Whitewashed tombs full of dead, men's bones, all clean on the outside and beautiful with flowers and a little signs and probably some solar-powered lights.

But stained moldy, and tainted by sin, on the inside, their consciences are seared and their hearts are vaccinated against the gospel. They think they believe it, but every part of their lives as they deny it, when they leave the church, which of the inevitably do first John 2:19 describes their departure in this way. They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued with us but they went out that might be complain that they all are not of us. As we approach this text Christ has to reign supreme in our hearts. The challenge is this morning that we allow the supremacy of Christ to rule over every aspect of our lives, and you have to start with one small thing this week. Start with one small thing. If you need an accountability partner, find an accountability partner. If you need some advice on where to start where to begin. Now, some of you would go full hog and possibly need to check into an institution by the end of the week. If you're not careful, walking the grace and the mercy of the Lord, as he transformed your heart. Don't think that you're the one who can transform your heart, the spirit transform, transform, your heart. Your responsibility is to walk in obedience to the Lord. And when you fall down, Not to not to ridicule yourself but to stand before the Lord and say, Lord, you know, I'm a sinner please forgive me and then continued walking in the grace and the mercy of the Lord. I just the call of the gospel for everyone who believes if you're here, this morning would not put your trust in Christ. I heard you put your trust in Christ. This morning. If you want to know how to do that, I'm available. I'll be here for about probably 15 or 20 minutes after the service come and find me. I'll be over at the Briggs after that enjoying the remnants of the coffee and the whatever is over there for food. But this is an important thing in a might even be more important for you brother and sister in Christ who were sure of your salvation that you make your calling in election. Sure. And if you get all our wrestling in your heart that you think that you might be one, that's been pretending to be a Christian, then just put yourself in that first class and come find me and say I need to know what must I do to be saved and I'll just walk you through how it is that you call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and you confess your sins and he was faithful and just to forgive you. I love closing prayer. Lord God. We thank you. What if we were Supreme and preeminent in anyting? Or there's nothing that any human has been or could be. what is danger to think that we could be or might be and only you can take that place Lord. I pray that you would enable us as your sons and daughters this week Lord that we would

What does your spirit Works in us that we would just have the understanding of the things I need to be tore down and things that need to be built. Top of the things that need to be taken off in the things I need to be put on or that we would put on Christ above all things and make him preeminent in our lives. And Lord God for those who have not put their trust in you father, I pray that you would convict them this morning by your spirit that they must confess their sins and be reconciled to you. Lord. God, that is the gift of God in Jesus Christ that he is 14 us the victory on the cross Lori. Praise you for this marvelous gift. We give you thanks in the name of Jesus, and all of God's people said, amen. I sure would like, Brian.