The Power of Sovereignty
Notes
Transcript
Orthodoxy
Orthodoxy
Sectarianism
Sectarianism
Something that is true about Christianity that I wish were not true is that it is split into an almost uncountable number of sects. Denominations we call them. The best count is that there are at least 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide.
I want to be careful in saying that, in the past, I had spent a considerable amount of time studying the more well know denominations in this country. At the end of the day I was completely convinced that the Baptist doctrines were the set of doctrines that I found to most accurately represent the teachings of scripture. And in saying that, I am referring to actual, historical, baptist doctrines not necessarily some of the the fringe beliefs that crept into the various sub-denominations of Baptists.
That being said: We should be fair in how we evaluate other assemblies of Christians. I would certainly classify many of those things that differentiate Baptists from say Methodists or Presbyterians as being error on the part of those other denominations. If I didn’t then why would I be Baptist instead of another denomination.
But, even as we are being fair and charitable we also need to be able to discern the difference between error and heresy. A christian can hold to error and still be a christian, we can still call then brother or sisters in Christ. With heresy, the person has adopted beliefs that are so contrary to the gospel, that if they believe those things they can no longer be classified as Christian.
1 John 4:1 instructs us
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Orthodoxy of Christology
Orthodoxy of Christology
The most important test we can administer to determine if a church is a true church is to determine what it is that the believe about Jesus Christ. What you simply must believe about Jesus is the following:
You must believe that there is one God consisting of 3 persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
You must believe in the deity of Jesus, in other words: Jesus is God, he has the essential nature of being God.
Jesus was born of a virgin
Salvation from sin is through Jesus alone
Jesus atoned for, or payed the penalty for our sin
It’s not my intent to exclude but the gospel is narrow. You can believe a great number of things that may be be right or wrong, but if you don’t believe these things about Christ, you simply aren’t a Christian.
Many Errors
Many Errors
What is both remarkable and tragic is how many so-called christian denominations get this wrong. It is amazing that even some liberal theologians of what otherwise seems to be mainline Christianity has adopted views on our Lord and savior that are both incompatible with scripture and incompatible with the Christian faith.
An Error Addressed
An Error Addressed
In our passage this morning, the writer is addressing an error that was creeping into the church through the false teachings of gnosticism. Primarily the teaching that Jesus was an angel.
This teaching is functionally the same teaching that continues today with Jehovah’s witnesses. It is more than a little ironic that the name Jehovah itself is the name of God YHWH with the vow markings of the Hebrew word for Lord, Adonai. It was a reminder in the Hebrew text for Jews to not speak the name of God aloud but instead say Lord. And so Jehovah’s witnesses have emphasized the importance of preserving the divine name of God, which they understand in error, but have not preserved the divine nature of Christ.
Our Passage
Our Passage
If you have your Bible with you this morning, please turn over to Hebrews 1:4-9 as we find this very issue addressed in scripture
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Our message this morning is our 3rd message in our series the Power of Christ entitled The Power of Sovereignty.
Pray
Becoming
Becoming
In fairness, Hebrews 1:4 may not be the most easily understood passage in scripture and it demonstrates the dangers of lifting a verser out of the context of the Bible.
Greg Koukl founded the apologetics and training organization Stand to Reason. If that sound familiar to you, that is because Red Pen Logic with Mr. B who holds the youth apologetic summit is working out of the organization Stand to Reason.
Greg related what he said was the most practical skill you could ever learn, that could help you throughout your life and it is this
Never read a Bible verse
Just wait, before you draw concussions about what I just read. Let me read it one more time:
Never read A Bible verse
What happens when you read A bible verse is that you rip it from it’s context and the meaning can be twisted.
Context Example
Context Example
Let me give you a very common example of this, that frankly I am always amazed by and if I am to be honest is a little bit of a pet peave. So if I get overly animated here, i apologize, I am not trying to have a mini sermon inside my sermon!: Turn your Bible over to 1 Corinthians 11:14-15, this is sure to get me into trouble!
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? 15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
And from this passage I haver heard it argued many times that the bible regulates the hair length that men and women ought to have, but look at the very next verse:
16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
Paul is making a much bigger point if you were to read 1 Corinthians 11 in it’s entirely and he uses the custom of hair length as an illustration and an illustration only. And what is so astounding is that he goes to the trouble in the very next verse of saying not get all worked up on the subject of hair length and what to people do? They get contentious over hair length while having no idea what point the Apostle Paul is making. The reality is that 1 Corinthians 11 is a very difficult passage to fully understand and it’s easier just to harp on hair length.
Context of Scripture
Context of Scripture
When we read Hebrews 1:4 and we read of Jesus being made better than the angels we can trip over it in our understanding. How is it possible that Jesus who is eternally God can be said to have been made? Misunderstanding this is where you can get false doctrine like that held by the gnostics or the Jehovah’s witnesses for that matter, that Jesus was an angel.
The reason that context is so important is that in the very next chapter the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 8 comparing man and angels. Follow along with me in Hebrews 2 starting in verse 5
5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. 6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? 7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
In verse 7 we read what may seem obvious, that man has been created lower than the angels. The son of God, Jesus was made to be, incarnated to be man. A little lower than the angels.
No turn with me back to Hebrews 1. If you remember from last week at the end of verse 3
Hebrews 1:3 (KJV 1900)
…when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
So Jesus who was made to be a man to live the perfect life, preach the Kingdom of God, and then die on the cross for the atonement of sin -- when he was done -- when his work was complete -- he took his place at the right hand of God the father.
So what happened here:
One person of the trinity. The word of God — God the Son — incarnated as a man, made lower than the angels.
Then after making atonement — purging our sins — he was — Made — better than the angels. He took his place at the right hand of the father. He re-took his place being God — having divinity.
Worthy of Worship
Worthy of Worship
Impressive
Impressive
That isn’t to say that the angels aren’t impressive. Verse 7 reads:
7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
We can know 2 things of angels in this passage alone:
First, that they like God are spirit. While they may appear as required of God for his purposes as flesh and blood. There are several places where we are given descriptions of angels in the bible — I’m not talking about those places where we find angels appearing like humans to deliver messages — I am talking about places where we are given fantastic glimpses of angels as they exist in the heavenly realm.
There are at least two types of angels where we are given some physical description of angels, possibly up to seven depending on your theology but I believe the other 5 types of angels rely too heavily on extra-biblical sources to conclude that angels are what are being discussed so I will limit myself to describing just the two which are clearly defined in scripture. Cherubim and Seraphim.
And we have to remember that these are beings that exists as spirit and to some extent this is just the way in which God has chosen to reveal them to man who observes things physically.
Description of the Angels
Description of the Angels
Cherubim are not are not described in the bible as fat baby angels with wings and a bow and arrow.
We know that these are Cherubim because later in chapter 10 they are referred to as Cherubim but today lets just focus on their description. Follow with me in starting in Ezekiel 1:5
5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. 8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
Jump down to verse 10
10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. 11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
And finally down to 13
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
It’s a pretty fantastic description and it concludes that their appearance was like burning coals of fire.
For the Seraphim we find their description — a much shorter description in Isaiah 6:2
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
and while this isn’t in the description for the seraph itself means the burning one giving the impression that these are beings with he appearance of fire.
The Glory of Christ
The Glory of Christ
But, listen. With the spectacular description of the Angels. With all of the truths that we know of concerning the strength and power of the angels. These beings that are higher them men. None of them compare to glory of Christ.
This message this morning was titled The Sovereignty of Christ. But we spoke more of angels than Christ’s kingship.
Verse 8 of Hebrews 1 makes this conclusion. In all of their glory as spirits and beings of fire. To none of them is said what is said of Christ in Verse 8
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
To none of them do we read what we read of Christ in verse 6
6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
The angels aren’t worshiped beings, they are servants of God just as we are. In Rev 22:9 John fell on his knees, overwhelmed and began to worship the angel that was showing him the things to come and the angel responds
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
Over and over we find the angels of God and they always reject worship. But not Christ. In John 9:38 a man was asked this question: Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
Dost thou believe
Dost thou believe
And so that is where we conclude this morning. With this question. Dost thou believe. Do you believe in a savior that greater and with more glory than the angels, who sits at the right hand of the Father, and who died on a cross to pay the price for your sin.
If you don’t this morning, the invitation is clear. Make a decision today to turn from your sins and put your faith and trust in our great Lord whose glory far surpasses that of the angels. If you have questions about this or want to make that commitment today, please see me after the service or if you are watching from home, you can send me a private message.
But if you believe, here is what is clear. You serve a amazing savior. He has rule over all of creation and he is worthy of your worship.
We tend to live our lives as Christians in prayer asking for favors of God and at times giving thanks but consider this morning how much time you spend just worshiping your God. And maybe it’s time to make worship a priority.
Pray
