The Superiority of Christ (Part B)

He has declared you want to know what God is like, look at Christ because the word God is it it needs definition is so general. Everyone has an opinion about the world.except believers believe as we do not have an opinion, we have a revelation, we received a revelation God is told us not guessing about what he is like his holy is full of mercy. He delights in forgiving those who repent, but he will judge those who reject we know about this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching the superiority of Christ is the title of Pastor Rick's message he's teaching in Hebrews chapter 1. What does he think of my enemy, what is he think of how I should treat my enemy both answer that is look at Jesus Christ. That's what you want to know what God is like, look at him where my going to get a picture of him. We start in the Gospels.

You can find it in the Old Testament also.

But it's available.

Little bit there, you move into the New Testament and the veil was removed. That's why we are ministers of the new covenant because it is about Christ having come died rising again ascending to heaven dispatching the Holy Spirit upon us moving toward eternity with us. So Moses Moses wanted to know what you like.

I want to see you. I know you speak to me.

I've seen the miracles I have no question about your existence. Moses had eight theophany where he did not see the person of God in the burning bush, but he saw the bush that shrub that was burning but not consumed. That's because God was in it that makes it a theophany and appearance of God within creation. Shrub once a shrub and we think of shrubbery and landscaping. That wasn't the case on the backside of the desert. That's where Moses what the Bible tells he was on the backside of the desert. I've always won. I had to just seems a place that I never want to be, but this is what Moses said.

He says now therefore I pray if I have found grace in your site show me now your way, that I may know you, that I might find that I might find grace in your site and consider that this nation is your people wanted to get even closer. See if you have an idol and I don't demonstrates that your distant from God. You don't sense his presence as it really is you have to come up with something that to satisfy your carnality, but faith overcomes that faith is. I know he's right here. He's demonstrated his love is died for me. I read his word.

Nobody can make these things up. He spoke into my heart is touched me this fingerprints are upon me.

Moses wanted a little bit more wanted to see. And of course God had to hide him. He is at that time you you you cannot see the essence my essence. Yes, he could've manifested himself into a Christoph anybody opted not to do that Moses so John writes in his first neck staying with Moses this this this desire to see God. John writes in his first chapter of his gospel. No one is seeing God at any time. This purity, the only begotten son who is in the heart of the father. He has declared you want to know what God is like, look at Christ because the word God is it it needs definition is so general. Everyone has an opinion about the word of God except believers believe as we do not have an opinion, we have a revelation, we received a revelation God is told us not guessing about what he is like he is holy is full of mercy. He delights in forgiving those who repent, but he will judge those who reject we know about him. John continues well again. I want to reread that no one has seen God at any time, the only begotten son who is in the heart of the father, he has revealed enemies pull back the veil is shown him to us. And so Moses prayed and he said please show me your glory and so Paul writes that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. I'm not so sure we can really see Christ a new in the fresh sense as Christians if we lose sight of the fellowship of his sufferings. I get tired of suffering. I don't want to suffering that paid my dues less according mean according God, not according to life. So when we come into suffering, we understand God I think moves clip is ready to move closer to us then, and unlike any other situation but suffering requires submission in the presence of God that I may know him the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering, being conformed to his death and even got got worse from suffering to death and unjust death. If by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead, that I may know him I would see him and hold him and be with him and this is what the writer in Hebrews is talking about. He Christ is the expressed image and Christians get tripped up when they lose sight of this and they start tinkering with things that will damn their souls if not careful, is what apostasy is made from backsliding. So this majesty of the sun majesty as the son of God in his ministry as the Son of Man, you understand the role of Messiah's ministry towards men with his Majesty, his essence, his glory as is the son of God before he was born of a virgin, so the Bible places emphasis on this Jesus whom we love. How else will we get to know him.

What is he supposed to do. Materialize for every generation throughout the ages is spoken is spoken through his son and is preserve what he of what he is wanted preserved and it is here upholding a says that's a powerful word because it means to produce to bear when they brought the paralytic to Christ to be healed.

They use the same Greek word they did when they brought him they produced him they sustained him in and got him to Christ. When Jesus said, go get a coin that I would to tied to Caesar and they produced it the same Greek word he upholds. He sustains he bears it. They bore the coin to him and this is the same idea. So he is not abandon the universe. He sustains it and my grace also.

This is critical. Alright, so God keeps the moon from slamming into the earth. That's a good thing but is that all that he does. How will I know if he does any more than that. I think God loves being more than the moon because he didn't die for the moon. He can sustain me to even in my sin. That's call recurrent grace. The grace flows. It is current. It is not static. Grace is not this pond that you have to go to and jump into benefit from it. It is a river that flows it is a rain.

It is something that moralists its constant for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And because you stumble doesn't knock you out of Christ Jesus. You grow your salvation is not made of egg shells is not something that's fragile.

It is near invincible. You have to opt out you have to say away with you, Jesus Christ.

I don't want you anymore him.

Many have done that so no Christian needs to be walking around fretting in my saved them.

I save you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

No other as your Savior. You know that he is God the son, the son of God, that he died on the cross for you and rose again assists at the right hand of the throne of God and is coming again, and you will be with him. Do you believe that if you say yes I do. Amen.

You are saved, the only one that will come along and lied to you of the devil and his dupes don't pick it up. They throw that lie down to you, don't pick it up where sin abounded, grace did much more.

There is therefore now no condemnation impressed what that means, otherwise were just aware all toast because the same little sin will damn you just as fast as the same big Senate does not. This river of grace, that we all benefit from, and so he says all things by the word of his power, the one who holds the universe together can hold me together, the one who holds the universe together can bring me into heaven, and he will and John wrote his first letter say I've written to you so that you may know that you have salvation in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews Chapter 11.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that the things which are seen are not made of the things which are visible. This is his all power all things by the word of his power. Daniel chapter 5. Remember every word of God.

Maybe I should just read every word right now start in Genesis and take about two weeks by Daniel 523. The God who holds your breath in his hand and owns all your ways you have not glorified. He said that the Belshazzar that was that King's needs. Smoke one against the other lost control of himself when the handwriting was on the wall and Daniel comes in this offer him the trinkets of the kingdom you keep your job. I'm not here for your costume jewelry and spoke God's word and this is what he said God who up who holds your breath in his hand and owns all your ways you've not glorified, and of course Belshazzar died that night. So much again for deism belief again that God created the universe and then abandoned it easy is not a deadbeat God is very much here and when you find yourself in a place as a Christian and you do not sense God's presence, your faith is then to kick in is some sort of like a backup generator. You don't run it when everything is working is when things aren't working and so when things aren't working in your life that generator of faith kick sin that glorifies God through your suffering. Not that or he's not coming to help me walk by faith not by sight. Psalm 148. Let them praise the name of Yahweh, for he commanded, and they were created. Now we just read that Jesus is the creator and there in the Psalms we see Yahweh as the creator because they're the same. Revelation 411 your worthier Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. He's talking to the Lamb.

Here in Revelation, for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.

Continues when he had by himself purged our sins, not Mary. Mary is not the coal Redeemer that is a lie out of hell. I don't care what church preaches it so I'm offended that we have to be offended, but worse than that, you heading towards hell with that kind of a doctrine to suggest that Christ is not sufficient that he needs a helper in his death on the cross really wasn't all that is a sin. The Bible speaks vehemently against it. Nor is there salvation in any other name for there is no other name under heaven by which we ask chapter 4 verse 12 why why are people who say that Christians knowledgeable of these things, what, how many Christians that born-again Christians don't even know these things exist in the Scripture is a just satisfied with knowing will not going to hell and I can sing the music to demonstrate I can sing with passion in my heart was sorta like marching with fake rifles if that's all you've got your just a cadet not a true soldier. If the word is not flowing out of you. How do you get the word to flow out you fall in love with Christ all of him you fall in love with his word. That's how it gets out of us. That's how we become full.

Yes, and everything will converge on you to stop that from happening, especially your moods. How many of you have been victim of some of the Christians moved everybody should raise their hands. Could you know it's true. But all brother.

What was that you want to say what's your problem now you know you trying to be nice to someone is one thing when you would your child to solicit boy I'm trying to be nice to you and what you received for your belt will sometimes with other Christians you trying to be kind to them in patient and then just trampling away like they've got some sort of badge to do this there in the flesh in the drawing you in the flesh, and you are not justifies yellow that I bought had I've done that as a pastor and I've paid and I work very hard not to get in the flesh is a pass. Now when I'm alone with God. I don't get the flesh but I let him have it, you know what they did.

I know what you did for me so I'll just take my love I'll just take my lumps because I am not better than the least of them.

Ephesians it we were talking about when he by himself purged our sinful by grace you have been saved through faith that not of yourselves or Mary or any other saint or angel, or any other created being continues that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works, lest anyone should boast. No one will hold an IOU one God.

Many try it while I'm a good man who yeah you've heard Christians or people say that, well, you know, God understands I'm a good man. Your goodness is your goodness as filthy rags to him was that make your badness and this is what we're supposed to tell him some of you have parents or family members there quite smug about it. You know I'm I'm a decent person, not next to Jesus and that's you going to be judged by the personnel sins marked the contrast looking at verse three is glory is person's power. Our sins, why would he love us his glory person in power our sins of stark contrast is the most brief and comprehensive statement in Scripture concerning the Lord's first work at his first coming. It covers it all purged our sins, that is what it was about when he comes back he will purge kingdom for himself. No purgatory, no reincarnate. Reincarnation is actually pretty dull dispute again and again and again all over again. Like I've seen this movie, I want out who thought of that. Whoever did the thought of it again and again and again but anyway it's sort of like evolution falls from billions and billions and billions of years ago. It didn't exist, but no purgatory of the snow holding been what is purgatory.

What you do there any first John chapters 1 verse seven.

The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin repeated cleansing first John chapter 1 verse nine if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness that that blocks out those who rejected him, sat down at the right hand of Majesty on high five times in Hebrews we read about Christ sitting down on the throne and his majesty will just take one Hebrews chapter 10, but this man, speaking of Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever set down at the right hand of God and so will begin five times and he was so this review just as one section and then we will will move through chapter of verse four probe pretty swiftly, whom he has dimes quoting Scripture verse to whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world's first three who being the brightness of his glory. The express image of his person upholding all things by the word of his power. He had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of Majesty on high. This blows away the doctrine of the Jehovah's Witnesses. The Mormons, the Unitarians, the oneness Pentecostals.

It just blows announced it would look at here using the Bible what you have, you know, selective ignorance or selective illiteracy. You select what you don't want to read you select what you don't want to believe in God's word and you edit it out and that is heresy. And those people are not your brothers and sisters in Christ. I don't care how sincere Jesus is.

The Bible teaches us that a person sincerely is no evidence of the accuracy. This was the story with the profits of bowel on Mount Carmel. They were cutting themselves.

They were flogging themselves were shouting out to exhaustion.

They were very sincere about the wrong God because they did not love and receive the truth, try applying these attributes to anyone less than God himself, and you'll find you cannot do it. He is always superior to his creation to all of it because he subjected himself was born of a virgin does not mean he was created he stepped into our time verse four. Having become so much better than the Angels.

He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. I don't know about you, maybe this is okay I got it I got it. This is the best thing to preach, or any faster ever to preach in the glory of Christ, we have to preach on other things to an and him comes to my mind is the Corinthians in Galatians. All of the corrective stuff telling Christians to stop doing that stuff you have to do it but we get to talking about Christ and not about us is so much better. This is this business a beautiful song to speak of his glory. Having become so much better than the Angels, and has by inheritance.

Verse four obtained a more excellent name than they now he did not evolve weed he developed. You can in that sense in the strict sense of the word remember verse three said he created the Angels and so when you come here the again cultist get tripped up you having become so much better that Ms. so he wasn't always pure he was and always God.

He wasn't always perfect, he became better. That's how they see it in the wrong that is not what it means.

First really clarified that he created the Angels. It was better than none to begin with, you cannot create something better than yourself. I don't know of anyone who's done it well anyway.

Well I guess you could say her rotten father could have a good child in that sense but that's procreation anyway this is speaking of the development of his role as Messiah. In this sense, which of the Angels has been slain. None tries God Almighty subjected himself to murder. That is the sense of this speaking about his role as Messiah took the form of a servant were told in Philippians chapter 2 Hebrews chapter 2 verse nine we see Jesus.

What a glorious phrase, we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God might taste death for everyone. That's why he was made lower than the angels because of the was not you couldn't kill him, how can you kill who can kill Michael the Archangel. One. Angels going to grab Satan by his neck and shackle them up. I want to see that I want to root for him bringing gypsum and just I want to see it but I will not ask for that Angels autograph as I have my Lord. But anyway, so I hope it clearing up some of the cobwebs that may be in your head why the language of the Scripture is speaking this way is not evolution of his existence or his person is the processes that he subjected himself by his decision to save us to humiliate himself in the sense that God left his throne to come here to deal with this and how many of us say boy this life. What a bunch of junk because of sin, and so no inferiority of Christ is here and covered that better than the Angels did the Mormons not do they not know. This is in the Bible that is not a brother of Lucifer that is not a created being. Do they not see these things. The Jewish mind held Angels in such a scheme that the writer was saying to them, listen your second generation of Christians you've come to Christ from people who already with Christ in your Jewish and now pressures on you and you want to go back to being Jewish. Stop suffering and then receiving the persecution or maybe you just confused about the temple being there and your your Bureau bring his soul upbringing is so strong. In Judaism you just still want to do the things that Christ has already fulfilled and you're not supposed to do. That's what this letter is all about. So writing to them. He says I know you heard about how great Angels. Christ is better. So this is what we going to get the coming passages of Hebrews. Here we have better than the Angels in chapter 6 better things concerning you. Chapter 9 a better hope chapter 7 is a chapters 7 a better hope chapter 7.

Again, a better covenant chapter 8 better promises chapter 9 better sacrifices. Chapter 11 a better country we going to find is better than the Angels and Moses and Aaron and because a deck and all the others better life awaits Christians.

Hebrews 10 verse 34 there's a better place for us. As I mentioned in chapter 11. A better country Chapter 11 again. A better resurrection.

Chapter 40 a better something better better better. That's what Hebrews is all about, to the Jew. Something better exists, then Judaism is Christianity so he finishes this this paragraph as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than them by inheritance. In other words, it is his right is who he is. It it's it's his do. It is proper. It would be wrong to not have him be restored to the place that he left from on our behalf, so you have them come in and the role of Messiah. Once their role is fulfilled is on the throne of God. Again, because that's where he came from. We understand that he became a servant than we can understand the versus that seem to contradict what they call as far as the Angels go.

It is their delight to subject themselves to Jesus Christ every knee shall bow every tongue shall confess to Jesus Christ's position is that he is uncreated he is unlimited is unmatched. He is unending so no wonder Paul uses the same word for better when he says it better than the Angels. All uses that same word speak about this life. Philippians chapter 1 will close this Philippians 123 for I am hard pressed between two having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better move.

You've been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick asked Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast. Today's teaching is available free of charge at our website. Simply log on to cross reference radio.com that's cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick, you can subscribe cross reference radio.com or simply search for cross reference radio your favorite podcast to the next time as Pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Hebrews right here on cross reference radio