1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 1: Life Audio how Dying. Good morning, friends and faithful listeneries. 2 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: I am so excited to get into the Book of 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: Hebrews with you guys today because it is one of 4 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: my favorite books of the Bible. It is my favorite 5 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: book of the New Testament specifically. So we will get 6 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: into Hebrews chapter one and talk about the supremacy of 7 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 1: Jesus in just one second. All right, faithful listeneries, hopefully 8 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: you are as excited as I am to delve into 9 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: the Book of Hebrews. But before we get into it, 10 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: here's a quick word from a sponsor or two. All Right, 11 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: faithful listenaries, grab your Bibles out of the version that 12 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: you prefer. But I will be reading from the web. 13 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: And this is an episode I must warn you where 14 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: I'm going to be jumping around in scripture a lot, 15 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: because we're only talking about four verses today in Hebrews, 16 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: but there's so many parallels in other portions of the 17 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: Bible that I really want to drive my point home. 18 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: So we're going to be jumping around in script quite 19 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: a bit today, so just to be aware of that. 20 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: But grab your cup of coffee or your cup of tea. 21 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: I'll be reading from the web as usual. God, having 22 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets 23 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: at many times and in various ways, has at the 24 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 1: end of these days spoken to us by his son, 25 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also 26 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: he made the worlds. His son is the radiance of 27 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding 28 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: all things by the word of his power, who, when 29 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,559 Speaker 1: he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat 30 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, 31 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: having become as much better than the angels, as the 32 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 1: more excellent name he has inherited is better than theirs. 33 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: One of the reasons I love the Book of Hebrews 34 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: so much as it gets right to the point it 35 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: says in verse one, God like that's literally the first 36 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: word of the first sentence God, because that is what 37 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: the Book of Hebrews is talking about. It is discussing Jesus, specifically, 38 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: how he is God. If you were to give a 39 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: synopsis of the Book of Hebrews, that is what it's about, 40 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: the supremacy of Jesus, and that Jesus is God, and 41 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: that's the reason that we worship him. And how the 42 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: Old Testament also points to Jesus. In fact, the Book 43 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: of Hebrews is going to refer to the Old Testament 44 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: a lot, because it's specifically talking to the Jewish Christians 45 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: of the day, who would have understood the laws and 46 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: the prophecies of the Old Testament. And so the author 47 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: of Hebrews is taking those principles of the Old Testament 48 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: and bringing them forward, saying, this is how the law 49 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: and the prophets and the psalms relate to Jesus. How 50 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: it all points to Jesus, because Jesus is our Savior 51 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: and Jesus is God. That is the entire Book of 52 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: Hebrews in a nutshell. But before we dive into what 53 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: Hebrews is really talking about here, who wrote the Book 54 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: of Hebrews. Well, no one knows. It was written by 55 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: an unknown author, But of course there's so many names 56 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: that are brought forward as potentials that could have written 57 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:09,519 Speaker 1: the Book of Hebrews. Obviously the most famous one would 58 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: have been Paul, because the Book of Hebrews does feel 59 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,640 Speaker 1: a little bit like Paul's previous letters. It kind of 60 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 1: sounds like some of the language Paul would have used, 61 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: not to mention. At the very end of the Book 62 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: of Hebrews, it mentions Timothy, and Timothy was Paul's best friend, 63 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 1: a son to him. You know, Paul mentioned Timothy a 64 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: lot in his letters. So many people say, well, Paul 65 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: may have written this because of those two reasons, not 66 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: to mention that Paul would have had a very good 67 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: grasp of the Old Testament as well. You know, Paul 68 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: was a Pharisee before he became a Christian. He was 69 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: somebody that understood the Old Testament laws inside and out. 70 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: And whoever authored the Book of Hebrews certainly understood the 71 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: Old Testament laws inside and out. So that is why 72 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: Paul is a potential for somebody who wrote the Book 73 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 1: of Hebrews. But other people say it couldn't possibly have 74 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: been Paul because the Book of Hebrews was written in Greek, 75 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: and even though Paul could speak and write in Greek 76 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: and did speak and write in Greek, that was not 77 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: his native tongue. According to people who study the Bible 78 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: in its original languages, the person who authored the Book 79 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: of Hebrews was somebody who spoke and thought in Greek. 80 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:25,159 Speaker 1: So this would have been somebody who grew up in 81 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 1: a Greek speaking household, and that would have been his 82 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: native tongue. Not to mention that there's a verse in 83 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: Hebrews chapter four, I believe, where it says the author 84 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: is referring to himself, and he says, we learned these 85 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:43,160 Speaker 1: things from the apostles. And Paul would never use language 86 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: like that to describe himself, because he was an apostle. 87 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: Not to mention that at the beginning of the Book 88 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: of Hebrews, it just jumps right into the topic rather 89 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 1: than stating who the letter is from where Paul had 90 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: a habit of stating who wrote the letter, Like he'd 91 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: say that the very beginning of his letters, Paul an 92 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 1: apostle of Jesus, or Paul a prisoner of Jesus, or 93 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: a servant of Jesus, or something like that. So that's 94 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 1: why people say Hebrews couldn't have been written by Paul. 95 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: Maybe it was written by Luke, who was a Greek 96 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: speaking man and also a gentile. But then others say 97 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: Luke couldn't have possibly written it because Luke was a 98 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: gentile who may have not had a solid understanding of 99 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: the Old Testament laws as much as a Jewish man did. 100 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: But then of course that goes down the rabbit hole 101 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:34,239 Speaker 1: of all these other people who may have authored Hebrews, 102 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,719 Speaker 1: like a Paulos or Barnabas or Priscilla and Aquilla. So 103 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,919 Speaker 1: in essence we have no clue who authored Hebrews. But 104 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: if I were to bring my two cents forward, I 105 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: personally think that Luke authored the Book of Hebrews, but 106 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: that he'd compiled a bunch of letters that Paul had 107 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:59,280 Speaker 1: written along with Paul's sermons, which is why it feels 108 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,480 Speaker 1: a lot like the way Paul speaks while still having 109 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: that you know, Greek kind of influence to it. So 110 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: that's what I personally think is that Luke authored this book, 111 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: but he pretty much just allowed Paul and maybe some 112 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: of the other apostles to do the speaking in the 113 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 1: Book of Hebrews. But like I said, that's just my 114 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 1: two cents, is that Luke compiled a bunch of sermons 115 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: that Paul and some of the other apostles may have spoken. 116 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: So starting in verse one, it gets straight to the point. 117 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: It says, God, having in the past spoken to the 118 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,160 Speaker 1: fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 119 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: has at the end of these days spoken to us 120 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: by his son. Right off the bat, this letter gets 121 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: straight into the topic. It is talking about God, and 122 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: it's talking about how God spoke to his people, specifically 123 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,480 Speaker 1: in the Old Testament. It says that God would speak 124 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: through the prophets at many times and in various ways. 125 00:06:57,279 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: You know, we've been reading through the Old Testament on 126 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 1: Monday and Wednesdays, and it's really interesting the different ways 127 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: that God would speak to the Israelites. You know, for example, 128 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: we think about the burning bush with Moses. We think 129 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: about the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud 130 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: in the wilderness. We think about the prophets and the 131 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: miracles that took place. We think about some of the 132 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: crazy demonstrations the prophets would do where they're running naked 133 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: through the streets because God told them to, or you know, 134 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: cooking their food overdung. You know, just like really crazy 135 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: stuff that God would do to get the attention of 136 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: the people. That is how God spoke to the people 137 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: in the Old Testament. But now in these latter days, 138 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: the author says, which is all the days from the 139 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: ascension of Christ until Jesus comes again, that is the 140 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 1: latter days. This is the end age essentially, so when 141 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: Jesus comes back, everything at that point will essentially be done. 142 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: It says that Jesus in these latter days spoke to 143 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: us by his son, who he appointed heir of all things. 144 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: Now this shows that God does not speak to us 145 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 1: in the same ways that he spoke to the people 146 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: in the Old Testament. Now he is speaking to us 147 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: through his son. And Paul actually explained this a little 148 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: further in his letters when he talks about the mysteries 149 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: of God. I don't know if you guys remember us 150 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: talking about that, but Paul often said that God revealed 151 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: a mystery to us. You know, the Old Testament, peoples 152 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: knew that there is some sort of mysterious thing taking place, 153 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: but they didn't quite know what it was. But Jesus, 154 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: when he came down to earth and died for our sins, 155 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 1: revealed that mystery to us. That God in human flesh 156 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: came to earth and sacrificed himself on behalf of humanity 157 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: for the forgiveness of our sins. That is the mystery 158 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: that was revealed. But people in the Old Testament didn't 159 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:56,959 Speaker 1: quite understand this. They didn't know who Jesus was going 160 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: to be. They didn't know what the Messiah was going 161 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: to do. They thought that the Messiah would be like 162 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 1: a conquering war hero that came down and saved Israel 163 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: from all of their oppressors. That's what they believe. That 164 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: was what was taught in their days. They didn't quite 165 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: understand the prophecies that were taking place. But now this prophecy, 166 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: this mystery, has been revealed to us in these latter days. 167 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 1: And Jesus himself, God, himself in human flesh, revealed this 168 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: mystery to us. And continuing on in this verse says, 169 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: the Sun was appointed heir of all things, through whom 170 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: he also made the worlds. So this here is talking 171 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:39,479 Speaker 1: about the supremacy of Christ. That Jesus himself is God 172 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: because he made the worlds, he was the creator of 173 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: all is what Hebrews says. And actually other scriptural passages 174 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: completely support this. For example, John chapter one one through 175 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: five also talks about the supremacy of Christ. And here's 176 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:00,080 Speaker 1: what this says. In the beginning was the Word, and 177 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 1: the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 178 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: The same was in the beginning with God. All things 179 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that 180 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: has been made. In him was life, and the life 181 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, 182 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: and the darkness hasn't overcome it. And then also in 183 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 1: verse ten, jumping down, it says he was in the 184 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 1: world and the world was made through him, and the 185 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 1: world didn't recognize him. So, in other words, Jesus is 186 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 1: God because he created the world. But we have to 187 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 1: understand a few things about these two passages, the ones 188 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: in Hebrew and also John, in order to really grasp 189 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: the godhood of Jesus. The first thing we have to 190 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: understand is that Jesus was not created. This is a 191 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: common belief that many people have. For example, in John 192 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:51,400 Speaker 1: chapter one, verse four, it says in him was life, 193 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: and the life was the light of men. The light 194 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 1: shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it. 195 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:00,120 Speaker 1: Some people have translated that verse to say that when 196 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 1: God created the light at the very beginning on Day one, 197 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: that was when God created Jesus. But that is not 198 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: possible if you want to stay true to what scripture 199 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 1: actually says, because in John chapter one, verse one, it says, 200 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: in the beginning was the word. The word was with 201 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: God and the word was God. That is talking about 202 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:26,319 Speaker 1: before the creation of everything. Jesus is and was and 203 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:30,080 Speaker 1: will be. So Jesus existed at the beginning. He was 204 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:32,680 Speaker 1: not created. And that's what it says in verse two. Here, 205 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: the same was in the beginning with God. So Jesus 206 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 1: existed before the world was even created, so he could 207 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: not have been created on day one. And also on 208 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:45,480 Speaker 1: top of that, the reason he couldn't have been created 209 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 1: on day one was because there were things already created 210 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 1: on day one. If you go back to the story 211 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 1: in Genesis, God had already begun the creation process before 212 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,680 Speaker 1: light even existed. And that is something that we are 213 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,560 Speaker 1: not taught. You know, when we are a little kid 214 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: going through Sunday school and we were learning about God 215 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: creating things on each day, we're taught that God only 216 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 1: created light on the first day, he only created fish 217 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: on the third day, he only created this or that 218 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: on the fourth, fifth, or sixth days. But that's not 219 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: the whole picture. God created a lot more on day 220 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 1: one than just light. He created the foundations of the earth. Essentially, 221 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 1: it actually says that the earth was formless and void 222 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 1: and darkness was on the face of the deep and 223 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:37,200 Speaker 1: the spirit of God was hovering across the face of 224 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,880 Speaker 1: the water. So that shows a few things. That the 225 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:44,120 Speaker 1: earth was already there, even though it was formless and void, 226 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:50,320 Speaker 1: and that water already existed, and darkness already existed as well. 227 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 1: So God was in the process of creating a lot 228 00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:57,560 Speaker 1: of things before he even created light. And if you're 229 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: going to stay true to scripture, if Jesus was the 230 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: one who created everything and was in the beginning with God, 231 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,079 Speaker 1: then that means he would have had to create water, 232 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 1: the beginnings of the shape of the earth, and also 233 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 1: the darkness. Jesus created these things. He was not created himself. 234 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 1: So that's the first thing we have to understand if 235 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 1: we're going to really grasp how Jesus is truly God, 236 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: that he was not created, and also that he was 237 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:30,280 Speaker 1: in the beginning. And then the last thing we have 238 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:34,320 Speaker 1: to understand in order to truly grasp the supremacy of 239 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 1: God is if we go back to Hebrews chapter one, 240 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 1: it says in verse three, his son is the radiance 241 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: of his glory, the very image of his substance, and 242 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,719 Speaker 1: upholds all things by the word of his power. This 243 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: means that Jesus is the exact embodiment of God the Father. 244 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: One of the funniest things I hear people say about 245 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 1: the Bible is that the God of the Old Testament 246 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:02,800 Speaker 1: is me, and the God of the New Testament is nice. 247 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: So we have to follow the God of the New Testament, 248 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: not the God of the Old Testament. Right, And that's 249 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,320 Speaker 1: of course people saying that God the Father is mean 250 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: and Jesus is nice. But Jesus is exactly the same 251 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: as God the Father. That's what people don't understand. Hebrews one, 252 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 1: verse three says, this very thing, the son is the 253 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, 254 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 1: and upholding all things by the word of his power. 255 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: Jesus and God are one and the same. Jesus is God. 256 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 1: Not to mention if you go to Isaiah chapter nine. 257 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: This is one of the most famous Christmas verses. And 258 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: I did not go there myself. So let me do 259 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: that real quick. Isaiah nine. Oh maybe it's not Isaiah nine. 260 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: Oh yes it is, Yes, it is, okay, Isaiah nine, 261 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: verse six through seven. Here's what it says about Jesus. 262 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 1: For to us a child is born, to us, a 263 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:04,960 Speaker 1: son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, 264 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 1: and he will be called wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, 265 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 1: Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace. 266 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:14,760 Speaker 1: There will be no end. He will reign on David's 267 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 1: throne and over his kingdom, establishing it and upholding it 268 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 1: with justice and righteousness. From that time on and forever. 269 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 1: The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. So 270 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: that right there is talking to us about the supremacy 271 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: of Jesus. Right how Isaiah says that Jesus is going 272 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: to be called wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and 273 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 1: Prince of Peace. So basically Jesus is the same as God, 274 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 1: because if Jesus were not the same as God, he 275 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: wouldn't be called Everlasting Father and mighty God and wonderful counselor. 276 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: These are all words that we used to describe the Trinity. 277 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 1: For example, wonderful counselor isn't usually something we describe Jesus as, 278 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:08,080 Speaker 1: but that's something we describe the Holy Spirit as. Mighty 279 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 1: God is not something we'd typically say that Jesus is. Well, 280 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,160 Speaker 1: we might, but we'd also say that God, the Father 281 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 1: is Mighty God, everlasting Father. We would never call Jesus 282 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 1: our father. We call the Father our father. You know, 283 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 1: if if you're being honest, you don't call Jesus your father, 284 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 1: you call him maybe your high priest. You call him 285 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 1: your savior, your messiah. But we don't call him the Father. 286 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,640 Speaker 1: But we would call him the Prince of Peace, which 287 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: is also what Isaiah nine, verse six says right here. 288 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 1: So that verse is the embodiment of the Trinity, and 289 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 1: that verse is also saying that Jesus is going to 290 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: be called the same names that we attribute to the 291 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: Spirit or to God the Father. I think that's really cool. 292 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: And that's what Hebrews chapter one says right here that 293 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: Jesus is the same as God the Father. He is 294 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:09,480 Speaker 1: the exact embodiment of God the Father. And not only this, 295 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 1: he upholds everything by the word of his power, so 296 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: he is sustaining everything. And that again is talked about 297 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 1: in other portions of scripture. For example, if you jump 298 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:21,639 Speaker 1: to Colossians chapter one, verses sixteen through seventeen, here's what 299 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: this says. For by him, all things were created in 300 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:28,080 Speaker 1: the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, 301 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 1: whether thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers, All things 302 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:35,240 Speaker 1: have been created through him and for him. He is 303 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:40,320 Speaker 1: before all things, and in him all things are held together. So, 304 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:44,439 Speaker 1: in other words, Jesus holds all things together. That's what 305 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:47,240 Speaker 1: Hebrews Chapter one says. Right here too, it says he 306 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 1: is upholding all things by the word of his power. 307 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 1: So what we learn today is that Jesus is the 308 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:56,679 Speaker 1: person of the Trinity, who did the creating and also 309 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:00,200 Speaker 1: sustains the entire world by the word of his power. 310 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,639 Speaker 1: Jesus is literally holding the fabric of the world together. 311 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:08,399 Speaker 1: As we speak at this moment, we are breathing and 312 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:14,080 Speaker 1: existing because Jesus declared it. So he is holding everything 313 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:17,840 Speaker 1: together by his power and moving forward. In verse three 314 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,640 Speaker 1: of Hebrews one, it says, who, when he had by 315 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,879 Speaker 1: himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the 316 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,879 Speaker 1: right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as 317 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:30,920 Speaker 1: much better than the angels, as the more excellent name 318 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 1: he is inherited is better than theirs. So this verse 319 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:38,400 Speaker 1: means that Jesus came to earth and he proved himself 320 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,920 Speaker 1: as God by purifying us of our sins. And then 321 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:45,400 Speaker 1: also ascending up into heaven and sitting at the right 322 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 1: hand of the Majesty on High. So in this short 323 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 1: little passage we see multiple ways how Jesus proves himself 324 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: to be God. The first thing is that he made 325 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:01,560 Speaker 1: the worlds. Another scriptural path passages prove this as well. 326 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:05,360 Speaker 1: So Jesus is our creator. He is also the embodiment 327 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,919 Speaker 1: of God the Father, which is proven in other portions 328 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:12,360 Speaker 1: of scripture, like Isaiah chapter nine that says that he 329 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: the Son will be called wonderful counselor Mighty God, Everlasting Father, 330 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: Prince of Peace. So Jesus is the embodiment, of course, 331 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,480 Speaker 1: of God the Father and of the Trinity, and that 332 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:26,919 Speaker 1: Jesus is sustaining all things by the word of his power, 333 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:30,119 Speaker 1: and is also at this moment until he comes again 334 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:35,680 Speaker 1: sitting at the right hand of God most High, having 335 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: become as much better than the angels, as the more 336 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: excellent name he has inherited is better than theirs. Now, 337 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: I think the reason that the author of Hebrews goes 338 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: into angels a little bit more was because there was 339 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 1: a lot of Israelite people that were starting to worship 340 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: angels and the angelic realm. They were very fascinated with 341 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,879 Speaker 1: this kind of stuff, and this is something that hasn't 342 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: really gone away. You know, people are very fascinated with 343 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,960 Speaker 1: the supernatural. But the author of Hebrews here is saying 344 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,240 Speaker 1: that Jesus is above all of these things. So we 345 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:17,160 Speaker 1: shouldn't be worshiping the angels or anything else supernatural, because 346 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:22,920 Speaker 1: those things are just mere creations. But Jesus is God 347 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:27,400 Speaker 1: over them all, So we should worship God, not the creation. 348 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: And this rings true for everything, whether it's an idol 349 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 1: formed by our own hands, whether it's another human being 350 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:38,879 Speaker 1: that we might idolize or put on a pedestal, whether 351 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: it's an angel or a supernatural being, all of these 352 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:47,560 Speaker 1: things are under Jesus. So we worship Jesus as our God, 353 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:51,400 Speaker 1: not anything else. So that's why the Book of Hebrews 354 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:53,720 Speaker 1: is so powerful, and it's one of my favorite books 355 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:56,920 Speaker 1: of the Bible, is because in these first four verses 356 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:01,959 Speaker 1: it talks about the power and supple and godhood of 357 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:06,160 Speaker 1: Jesus in such a cohesive and understandable way, and it's 358 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:09,400 Speaker 1: backed up by everything else we see in scripture when 359 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:13,480 Speaker 1: it talks about Jesus and the Trinity. Now that being said, 360 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 1: it is hard to understand the trinity, and I know 361 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:18,439 Speaker 1: a lot of people really struggle with that point, so 362 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,399 Speaker 1: that how can you know God be three persons but 363 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 1: also be one, you know, because we're just our own 364 00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 1: person and we never have encountered a being like that. 365 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: And truly, we're never really going to understand the trinity 366 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:33,919 Speaker 1: because it's just so beyond us. Like God is so 367 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,760 Speaker 1: much bigger than us, He's so beyond us. But the 368 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 1: point is is we don't have to understand every single 369 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 1: aspect about God to worship him. We just understand that 370 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 1: he is God, that he is supreme over us, that 371 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:51,680 Speaker 1: he created us, and that the Creator deserves to be 372 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: worshiped for who he is. All right, faith listeners, here 373 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: is a quick ad break before I say goodbye to 374 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,439 Speaker 1: all of you guys. I hope you all enjoyed the 375 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: first episode of Hebrews. I think it was a good 376 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:11,400 Speaker 1: introductory episode because we talked about what Hebrews is about, 377 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,200 Speaker 1: who may or may not have written it, and also 378 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:17,520 Speaker 1: the supremacy of Jesus, which is the most important thing 379 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,119 Speaker 1: that we need to understand as we get into the 380 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,640 Speaker 1: nitty gritty of the Book of Hebrews. It's a very 381 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 1: advanced book actually in a lot of ways. I think 382 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,679 Speaker 1: what's really funny is a lot of people think that 383 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 1: the Old Testament is really hard to understand, but for me, 384 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 1: it's actually the New Testament is much more difficult because 385 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,840 Speaker 1: it talks a lot more about who God is, Whereas 386 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 1: the Old Testament is just history. You know, it's a 387 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,920 Speaker 1: lot of crazy people doing crazy things. But the New 388 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: Testament talks about these fundamental truths that are just really 389 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 1: hard to understand. But faithful listeners, I hope to see 390 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 1: all of you guys on the podcast tomorrow as we 391 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,119 Speaker 1: discuss second Chronicles. I will see all of you then 392 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: six am or whenever you choose to wake up and listen. 393 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 1: Happy listening, and God bless. I just want to take 394 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: a second to thank the team at Life Audio for 395 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 1: their partnership with me on the Bible Explain podcast. In fact, 396 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,960 Speaker 1: if you go to lifeaudio dot com you'll find dozens 397 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 1: of other faith centered podcasts in their network. They've got 398 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:21,000 Speaker 1: shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more.