WEBVTT 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:08.039 We begin today with a look in the Word of God 00:00:08.039 --> 00:00:10.839 at Hebrews chapter 10. I invite you to turn there 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:16.800 with me. Charles Dickens, in A Christmas Carol, 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:21.379 created the spirits of Christmas past, present, 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:26.339 and future. They were ghostly personifications 00:00:26.339 --> 00:00:31.440 of the atmosphere and events of three Christmases. 00:00:32.810 --> 00:00:36.390 who in turn influenced Ebenezer Scrooge to abandon 00:00:36.390 --> 00:00:41.509 his miserly, greedy ways. We, too, are dealing 00:00:41.509 --> 00:00:45.130 with a spirit of Christmas, although a different 00:00:45.130 --> 00:00:49.130 kind, and perhaps by so doing, we, too, will 00:00:49.130 --> 00:00:53.310 be altered in our ways. The kind of spirit that 00:00:53.310 --> 00:00:56.049 we're talking about is variously described by 00:00:56.049 --> 00:01:02.109 the dictionary as a frame of mind, a mood. or 00:01:02.109 --> 00:01:07.049 a disposition. It's that kind of spirit of Christmas 00:01:07.049 --> 00:01:11.209 that we're talking about. In God's Word, related 00:01:11.209 --> 00:01:15.430 to the first advent of Christ, we learn something 00:01:15.430 --> 00:01:21.250 of the frame of mind, the spirit, the disposition 00:01:21.250 --> 00:01:27.549 that was Christ as He came into the world. We 00:01:27.549 --> 00:01:31.099 today need to emulate... that Christmas spirit, 00:01:31.219 --> 00:01:35.280 that spirit of Christ in our lives if we would 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:39.280 seek to be the servants of Jesus Christ through 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:42.359 whom he today can touch the lives of people as 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:47.500 he did personally 2 ,000 years ago. Look with 00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:50.579 me in Hebrews chapter 10, beginning our reading 00:01:50.579 --> 00:01:55.359 with verse 5. Therefore, when he comes into the 00:01:55.359 --> 00:02:01.620 world, he says, Sacrifice and offering thou hast 00:02:01.620 --> 00:02:06.180 not desired, but a body thou hast prepared for 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:11.819 me. In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for 00:02:11.819 --> 00:02:15.979 sin thou hast taken no pleasure. Then I said, 00:02:16.219 --> 00:02:20.419 Behold, I have come. In the roll of the book 00:02:20.419 --> 00:02:24.439 it is written of me. I have come to do thy will, 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:30.879 O God. It seems to me that another aspect of 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:33.300 the spirit of Christmas that we need to notice 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:39.580 is this thing of obedience. If we really want 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:43.240 to get into the spirit of the season, we have 00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:46.800 to consider the degree to which we are now practicing 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:51.300 obedience in our lives. Look with me, if you 00:02:51.300 --> 00:02:54.599 will, at the obedience Christ demonstrated in 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:59.080 his example to us. First, I would have you notice 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:04.319 that he was obedient as he came. This text that 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:08.840 we're looking at now summarizes that truth. Christ 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:13.759 was obedient as he came into the world. The first 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:16.060 question that one might ask in reading the text 00:03:16.060 --> 00:03:20.500 is, who is the person spoken of in verse 5? Who 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:24.719 is he who comes into the world, who says what 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:28.340 is quoted here? Well, of course, the best answer 00:03:28.340 --> 00:03:31.819 to that is found in the context, and that is 00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:35.919 verse 27. If you back up that far, it says, And 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:39.879 inasmuch as it is appointed for men to once die, 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:43.319 and after this the judgment, so Christ also, 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:48.280 having been offered once to bear the sins of 00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:51.939 many, shall appear a second time for salvation 00:03:51.939 --> 00:03:55.789 without reference to sin. to those who eagerly 00:03:55.789 --> 00:03:59.389 await Him. In that verse, it speaks about His 00:03:59.389 --> 00:04:03.650 second coming. But clearly, the person who is 00:04:03.650 --> 00:04:07.069 in mind and who is quoted in verse 5 is the one 00:04:07.069 --> 00:04:10.830 who is Christ in verse 27. Again, in the context, 00:04:11.009 --> 00:04:14.590 notice in verse 10 of chapter 10, where it says, 00:04:14.669 --> 00:04:18.589 By this will. And notice in verse 7, this one 00:04:18.589 --> 00:04:22.189 said, I come to do Thy will, O God. In verse 00:04:22.189 --> 00:04:26.110 10 it says, By this will we have been sanctified 00:04:26.110 --> 00:04:29.610 through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ 00:04:29.610 --> 00:04:34.550 once for all. There can be no question as to 00:04:34.550 --> 00:04:37.689 the identity of the one who is speaking in verse 00:04:37.689 --> 00:04:41.290 5. It is the one who is termed in the book of 00:04:41.290 --> 00:04:46.350 Hebrews, the Son, with a capital S on it. The 00:04:46.350 --> 00:04:51.160 Son who is superior in His person. to the prophets, 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:58.060 to the angels, to Moses, and to Aaron. Those 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:00.000 of you who have read and studied the book of 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.899 Hebrews will recognize the outline there of the 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:07.759 first several chapters. Not only is the son superior 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:12.519 in his person to those, but he is also superior 00:05:12.519 --> 00:05:17.540 in his priesthood. That's the next few chapters 00:05:17.540 --> 00:05:20.079 of the book of Hebrews. which concludes here 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:24.339 in chapter 10. He is superior in his priesthood 00:05:24.339 --> 00:05:29.019 with respect to its order. Those who served the 00:05:29.019 --> 00:05:31.180 priesthood in the Old Testament were after the 00:05:31.180 --> 00:05:35.500 order of Aaron, the first high priest appointed, 00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:41.519 the brother of Moses. Christ comes after the 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:46.560 order of Melchizedek, a greater order of priesthood. 00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:52.560 His priesthood is greater with respect to its 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:56.240 covenant. The old priesthood served under the 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:00.120 old covenant of the law. But Jesus Christ has 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:03.779 come in his priesthood to establish and carry 00:06:03.779 --> 00:06:09.699 out the new covenant of grace. The old priesthood 00:06:09.699 --> 00:06:15.139 served in an earthly sanctuary. But this one, 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:20.459 the Son, who is superior in his priesthood, in 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:24.339 the heavenly sanctuary, the real one. The one 00:06:24.339 --> 00:06:26.680 on earth was but the shadow, says the book of 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:33.899 Hebrews. The old priesthood offered up many sacrifices 00:06:33.899 --> 00:06:37.060 to God, often repeating the same sacrifices. 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:40.759 And those priests had to offer up first a sacrifice 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:45.040 for themselves, because they were sinners, before 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:47.379 they could offer up sacrifices for the nation. 00:06:49.870 --> 00:06:52.430 The priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ is superior 00:06:52.430 --> 00:06:54.970 in respect to its sacrifices, too, because he 00:06:54.970 --> 00:07:01.709 himself was the sacrifice once and for all, not 00:07:01.709 --> 00:07:06.110 as just an atonement or a covering for sin, but 00:07:06.110 --> 00:07:10.350 to absolutely deal with sin and to remove it. 00:07:12.110 --> 00:07:15.410 So the one who is seen coming into the world, 00:07:15.670 --> 00:07:22.949 the he of verse 5, is the Son, Jesus Christ. 00:07:24.470 --> 00:07:27.949 Now, as He came into the world, what did He do? 00:07:29.350 --> 00:07:32.129 Well, we could say it broadly that He fulfilled 00:07:32.129 --> 00:07:37.129 the Old Testament, the Old Covenant. Think with 00:07:37.129 --> 00:07:39.670 me, even in context here of chapter 10 of Hebrews. 00:07:40.389 --> 00:07:43.649 In the first place, He fulfilled the Old Testament's 00:07:43.649 --> 00:07:47.660 prophecies. In fact, we have in verses 5, 6, 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:52.120 and 7 a quotation from one of the Messianic Psalms, 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:56.779 Psalm 40. It was a psalm written by David, but 00:07:56.779 --> 00:08:02.199 the words surpass David himself. They have to 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:06.759 refer to his greater son, the one who was born 00:08:06.759 --> 00:08:09.019 in the city of David, the one who is the son 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:14.639 of David, Jesus Christ. This is but one. brief 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:17.540 example of the many prophecies of the Old Testament 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:22.040 that point to this Christ who would come. One 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:25.139 scholar has determined that there are no fewer 00:08:25.139 --> 00:08:31.160 than 332 specific prophecies in the Old Testament 00:08:31.160 --> 00:08:35.080 related to the first coming of the Lord Jesus 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:41.179 Christ. And every one of them, 332 of them, were 00:08:41.179 --> 00:08:46.649 fulfilled. Someone has taken the time to calculate 00:08:46.649 --> 00:08:51.730 the odds of but eight of those being fulfilled 00:08:51.730 --> 00:08:56.049 in one person. Eight of them which are the more 00:08:56.049 --> 00:09:01.730 notable ones. What are the odds that one person 00:09:01.730 --> 00:09:05.669 could come into the world and find in his life 00:09:05.669 --> 00:09:13.299 fulfilled only eight of the 332? The odds are 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:22.799 1 to 100 quartillion. That's a big number, isn't 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:25.980 it? Do you know how many zeros that is? I do 00:09:25.980 --> 00:09:31.039 because I read it. It's 10 to the 17th power. 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:35.740 In other words, it's a 1 with 17 zeros after 00:09:35.740 --> 00:09:39.970 it. The odds of the eight of those prophecies, 00:09:39.970 --> 00:09:42.889 specific prophecies now, to be fulfilled in one 00:09:42.889 --> 00:09:47.970 person, the odds are one to one hundred quartillions. 00:09:49.909 --> 00:09:52.529 We're used to talking now in terms of not just 00:09:52.529 --> 00:09:56.250 billions, but trillions in our national debt. 00:09:56.889 --> 00:09:59.250 And if Congress doesn't do something pretty soon, 00:09:59.289 --> 00:10:01.409 you're going to get used to that new term, quartillions, 00:10:01.669 --> 00:10:06.470 because that's the one that comes after it. to 00:10:06.470 --> 00:10:09.049 try to illustrate that one the same author has 00:10:09.049 --> 00:10:11.730 suggested that you would need to take enough 00:10:11.730 --> 00:10:20.230 silver dollars to cover the state of texas two 00:10:20.230 --> 00:10:25.470 feet deep that's how many silver dollars one 00:10:25.470 --> 00:10:30.610 quartillion is and to try to illustrate the odds 00:10:30.610 --> 00:10:33.110 let's suppose you took one of those silver dollars 00:10:35.149 --> 00:10:38.690 and marked it in some way, and then someone went 00:10:38.690 --> 00:10:41.289 out in the middle of the state of Texas and hid 00:10:41.289 --> 00:10:46.950 it. And then you put a blind man into the state, 00:10:47.009 --> 00:10:52.830 and you said, find that one silver dollar. The 00:10:52.830 --> 00:10:55.389 odds of him finding that one silver dollar would 00:10:55.389 --> 00:10:58.110 be the same as those eight specific prophecies 00:10:58.110 --> 00:10:59.830 that I don't have time to go into this morning 00:10:59.830 --> 00:11:03.090 could be fulfilled in the one person, Jesus Christ. 00:11:06.029 --> 00:11:08.470 What did he do when he came? He came to fulfill 00:11:08.470 --> 00:11:10.389 Old Testament prophecy, and he did perfectly, 00:11:10.590 --> 00:11:15.129 exactly, without fail. He came also to fulfill 00:11:15.129 --> 00:11:18.950 the Old Testament requirement. Now here I'm thinking 00:11:18.950 --> 00:11:22.450 of what God desires more than sacrifice. What 00:11:22.450 --> 00:11:29.450 is that? Right, obedience. Saul disobeyed God, 00:11:29.710 --> 00:11:34.110 and Samuel said to him, God doesn't want sacrifices, 00:11:34.110 --> 00:11:36.830 what he wants is obedience. To hearken is better 00:11:36.830 --> 00:11:40.789 than the fat of rams. To obey is better than 00:11:40.789 --> 00:11:48.009 sacrifice. The law simply said this to us. Do 00:11:48.009 --> 00:11:51.750 these things and you will live. The problem is 00:11:51.750 --> 00:11:55.889 that we sinners can't do those things. And therefore, 00:11:56.009 --> 00:11:59.110 what God sent to be good and holy becomes to 00:11:59.110 --> 00:12:03.879 us our condemnation. But there is one who lived 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:07.080 upon the earth who perfectly now, who perfectly 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:11.620 kept the Old Testament requirements. He perfectly 00:12:11.620 --> 00:12:16.980 obeyed God. There was not an example of one sin, 00:12:17.139 --> 00:12:22.000 one failure, one shortcoming in all of his life. 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:25.440 Not once did he miss the mark. Not once did he 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:28.720 transgress the law of God. Perfectly, he hid 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:32.580 the law of God in his heart and obeyed it. And 00:12:32.580 --> 00:12:35.299 so when he came, he came into the world to fulfill 00:12:35.299 --> 00:12:38.259 Old Testament prophecies. But he came as well 00:12:38.259 --> 00:12:40.259 to fulfill the Old Testament requirement. And 00:12:40.259 --> 00:12:43.500 thirdly, he came to fulfill Old Testament sacrifices. 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:47.200 There are four words that are used here in our 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:51.840 text which suggest the main offerings of the 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:55.720 Levitical system, that Old Testament priesthood 00:12:55.720 --> 00:12:59.519 and their sacrifices. It speaks here about sacrifice 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:02.799 in verse 5. That refers to any animal sacrifice, 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:05.960 but has special reference, I am told, to the 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:10.080 peace offerings. By the way, these specific sacrifices 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:12.240 you can read about in Leviticus chapters 1 through 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:16.940 5. And then it mentions the offering in verse 00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:22.879 5, a general word in Levitical terms, but it 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:26.379 may specifically refer to the meal or the cereal 00:13:26.379 --> 00:13:29.090 offerings. that could be offered up by the Levitical 00:13:29.090 --> 00:13:32.889 priests. Burnt offerings mean exactly what they 00:13:32.889 --> 00:13:35.409 say. That was one of the kinds of offerings offered 00:13:35.409 --> 00:13:39.190 up. And then it mentions as well sacrifice for 00:13:39.190 --> 00:13:43.570 sin, which refers to another major category of 00:13:43.570 --> 00:13:48.429 offering, the sin offering. When the Lord Jesus 00:13:48.429 --> 00:13:51.870 Christ came into the world, He fulfilled all 00:13:51.870 --> 00:13:55.649 of those offerings. Why is it today? That we 00:13:55.649 --> 00:13:58.769 do not offer up burnt sacrifices in our church. 00:14:00.549 --> 00:14:02.350 They're usually offered up by the time we get 00:14:02.350 --> 00:14:05.029 home for dinner, aren't they? And the roast that 00:14:05.029 --> 00:14:08.730 was overcooked. Why is it that we don't have 00:14:08.730 --> 00:14:11.169 an altar at the side of our church where we kill 00:14:11.169 --> 00:14:15.850 lambs? Or offer up doves? Or bring bullocks? 00:14:16.549 --> 00:14:21.769 After all, the Bible tells us to do that. Just 00:14:21.769 --> 00:14:26.600 like it tells us to keep the Sabbath. Why don't 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:29.840 we do those things? Because they were a part 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:35.740 of the Old Covenant, the Old Testament, and all 00:14:35.740 --> 00:14:38.320 of those things found their fulfillment in Jesus 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:42.039 Christ so that today we do not have to follow 00:14:42.039 --> 00:14:46.419 those ceremonies. The one sacrifice for all time 00:14:46.419 --> 00:14:50.059 has been offered in Christ. The point is this, 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:52.500 that as he descended to take up the lowest state 00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:56.490 of fallen humanity, It was with the spirit of 00:14:56.490 --> 00:14:59.889 joyful and complete obedience. Lo, said the Messiah, 00:15:00.230 --> 00:15:08.850 I come to do thy will, O God. He was not only 00:15:08.850 --> 00:15:11.809 obedient as he came, but he was secondly obedient 00:15:11.809 --> 00:15:15.889 as he lived upon the earth, as I've already suggested. 00:15:16.529 --> 00:15:19.250 Turn with me to the Gospel of Luke in the second 00:15:19.250 --> 00:15:25.860 chapter, please. Only Luke gives us the briefest 00:15:25.860 --> 00:15:30.539 insight into the early years of our Savior, his 00:15:30.539 --> 00:15:37.220 childhood years. We have in verse 49 Jesus' words 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:41.259 to his parents when they missed him going back 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:44.220 from Jerusalem after having worshiped there. 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:47.080 And they returned and found him in the temple 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:53.259 and lightly rebuked him. And in verse 49, he 00:15:53.259 --> 00:15:55.399 said to them, why is it that you were looking 00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:59.259 for me? Did you not know that I had to be in 00:15:59.259 --> 00:16:03.740 my father's house, says the New American Standard 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:06.259 Version. Not a very good translation, in my opinion. 00:16:06.460 --> 00:16:10.120 The note of house is italicized. Literally, Jesus 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:14.039 said this, that I had to be about my father's 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:17.779 things, my father's concerns. I think the King 00:16:17.779 --> 00:16:19.960 James is closer to the point when it says my 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:23.320 father's business. That's what Jesus said to 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:27.019 them. He was obedient as he lived, even as a 00:16:27.019 --> 00:16:31.460 young boy. We see an example here. Now, to a 00:16:31.460 --> 00:16:34.159 thinking person, this brings to mind a question, 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:42.720 a question that is familiar today. Again, what 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:48.559 did Jesus know, and when did he know it? Have 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:53.139 you ever thought about that? What did Jesus know 00:16:53.139 --> 00:16:56.820 and when did he know it? We're talking about 00:16:56.820 --> 00:17:00.100 one of the most profound aspects of the Incarnation. 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:10.799 When Jesus was born in the manger, did he know 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:16.859 more than a baby? The answer to that seems to 00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:23.440 be no, he did not. Because he learned. Now understand 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:26.119 that we're talking about the omniscient God. 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:34.759 Part of his humbling of himself was the laying 00:17:34.759 --> 00:17:39.420 aside, not of his deity, but of the use of certain 00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:44.900 of his attributes. He voluntarily did not use 00:17:44.900 --> 00:17:49.099 some aspects of his attributes. so that he could 00:17:49.099 --> 00:17:54.420 fully identify with man in his finity, his finiteness, 00:17:54.420 --> 00:18:00.480 his weakness. Jesus Christ was one person with 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:07.680 two natures. As such, he learned. As it says 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:12.180 in verse 52, Jesus kept increasing in wisdom. 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:16.380 This is the one in whom the fullness of wisdom 00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:21.309 dwells. But it says regarding him that he increased 00:18:21.309 --> 00:18:26.369 in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God 00:18:26.369 --> 00:18:35.349 and men. Jesus Christ learned. He grew in intelligence. 00:18:36.910 --> 00:18:40.430 And yet, as God, he had no need for any of that. 00:18:40.829 --> 00:18:46.089 This is an antinomy, one of many in the Bible. 00:18:47.390 --> 00:18:51.039 Antinomies. are apparent contradictions which 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:54.500 are really due to our human limitations, our 00:18:54.500 --> 00:18:57.200 inability to really reason and know these things. 00:18:59.299 --> 00:19:01.759 By the time he was 12 years of age, he understood 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:04.819 his unique identity as the Son of God. We know 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:08.420 that much from what he said in verse 49. When 00:19:08.420 --> 00:19:12.579 was it as a child that he learned, that he grew 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:19.470 to understand who he was? You know, just saying 00:19:19.470 --> 00:19:24.650 those words makes me want to weep. When was it 00:19:24.650 --> 00:19:30.789 that he came to understand who he was as a son 00:19:30.789 --> 00:19:38.009 of God? We don't know. But by his pre -teen time, 00:19:38.210 --> 00:19:42.009 he did know. And he was beginning to understand 00:19:42.009 --> 00:19:48.670 his mission. I'd like to quote... Ken Boa, who 00:19:48.670 --> 00:19:52.069 wrote, The doctrine of the kenosis, that is the 00:19:52.069 --> 00:19:55.490 emptying of Christ, raises other questions. One 00:19:55.490 --> 00:19:57.970 is, how could he have learned anything when he 00:19:57.970 --> 00:20:00.630 was a child if he was at the same time the omniscient 00:20:00.630 --> 00:20:02.890 God? That's what we've been talking about. How 00:20:02.890 --> 00:20:05.089 could it be said that Jesus, as God, learned 00:20:05.089 --> 00:20:06.890 obedience from the things which he suffered? 00:20:07.430 --> 00:20:10.589 The impenetrable answer to this must lie in the 00:20:10.589 --> 00:20:13.930 nature of how Christ could voluntarily not use 00:20:13.930 --> 00:20:18.500 his omni attributes. for periods of time. Somehow 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:22.480 the omniscient Lord Jesus was able to veil his 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:26.819 omniscience from himself without diminishing 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:30.940 his deity or perfection. As a man, he required 00:20:30.940 --> 00:20:34.740 a preparation period before he could begin his 00:20:34.740 --> 00:20:37.640 public ministry. And it could be said that Jesus 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:40.740 kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in 00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:44.740 favor with God and men. That is a profound mystery. 00:20:47.849 --> 00:20:50.490 He was obedient as he lived as a young boy. He 00:20:50.490 --> 00:20:55.589 was also obedient as he was baptized. Turn back 00:20:55.589 --> 00:20:57.789 now to the Gospel of Matthew in the third chapter, 00:20:57.930 --> 00:21:08.150 please. The thirteenth verse. Jesus arrived from 00:21:08.150 --> 00:21:11.130 Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized 00:21:11.130 --> 00:21:14.630 by him. But John tried to prevent him, saying, 00:21:14.710 --> 00:21:18.079 I have need to be baptized by you. And do you 00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:22.240 come to me? But Jesus answering said to him, 00:21:22.420 --> 00:21:26.700 Permit it at this time, for in this way it is 00:21:26.700 --> 00:21:29.960 fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:35.599 Then he permitted him. What did Jesus mean at 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:38.460 his baptism? He said we must do this to fulfill 00:21:38.460 --> 00:21:42.559 all righteousness. What he meant was that if 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:45.759 he by his sacrifice was to provide righteousness, 00:21:46.859 --> 00:21:50.819 For believing sinners, he must first identify 00:21:50.819 --> 00:21:57.599 with them in their need. John was correct. Jesus 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:01.339 had no need for his baptism. In the sense that 00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:06.200 John's baptism was unto repentance of sin. And 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:09.259 there was no sin in Jesus for which he needed 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:12.539 to repent or to signify repentance by baptism. 00:22:15.630 --> 00:22:18.549 But baptism for him was a part of God's will. 00:22:18.690 --> 00:22:24.170 He said, I come to do thy will, O God. God was 00:22:24.170 --> 00:22:27.029 pleased by his act of baptism or identification 00:22:27.029 --> 00:22:31.190 with man. For in verse 17, God spoke out of heaven. 00:22:31.289 --> 00:22:33.710 He could not retain these words. He could not 00:22:33.710 --> 00:22:36.829 restrain himself. He said, this is my beloved 00:22:36.829 --> 00:22:43.890 Son in whom I am well pleased. Jesus' obedience. 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:51.279 as he was baptized. I wonder why some of us have 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:56.420 such a difficulty with baptism. When the blessed 00:22:56.420 --> 00:22:59.019 Son of God was willing to obey the will of God 00:22:59.019 --> 00:23:04.799 and follow through with baptism to identify with 00:23:04.799 --> 00:23:09.440 us in our sins, why are we so reluctant to follow 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:12.240 his command to be baptized to identify with him? 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:16.140 in fellowship with his people, and to testify 00:23:16.140 --> 00:23:18.720 of him openly before men that we have trusted 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:23.920 him as our Savior. This may be an area where 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:26.740 someone today, here, needs to make a decision 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:31.980 to be obedient. Notice with me, thirdly, that 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:34.799 Jesus was obedient as he faced his temptation. 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:40.359 We come to chapter 4 of Matthew. Then Jesus was 00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:42.619 led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:47.759 by the devil. Question, why did Satan tempt Jesus? 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.819 It was an attempt on his part to cause Christ 00:23:53.819 --> 00:23:56.819 to sin and thus, of course, become disqualified 00:23:56.819 --> 00:24:01.460 to be the Savior. I really think in my heart 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:04.480 that Satan would like to have avoided this conflict. 00:24:06.349 --> 00:24:08.710 I want you to notice that it was not Satan who 00:24:08.710 --> 00:24:13.390 wooed Jesus into the wilderness. The Spirit of 00:24:13.390 --> 00:24:17.410 God thrust him into the wilderness. And Jesus 00:24:17.410 --> 00:24:23.069 went obediently, obeying the will of God that 00:24:23.069 --> 00:24:27.710 he go. Now why did God arrange this? Why did 00:24:27.710 --> 00:24:31.029 God thrust his son into the wilderness to be 00:24:31.029 --> 00:24:36.329 tempted by Satan? So that he could prove. Christ's 00:24:36.329 --> 00:24:40.809 sinlessness, so that he could manifest the perfect 00:24:40.809 --> 00:24:44.490 obedience of Christ, that he indeed was worthy 00:24:44.490 --> 00:24:50.049 to be the Savior. That was God's purpose. And 00:24:50.049 --> 00:24:53.650 Jesus was willing. He was obedient. Lo, I come 00:24:53.650 --> 00:25:00.369 to do thy will, O God, in the temptation. That 00:25:00.369 --> 00:25:04.319 inaugurated his ministry publicly. Turn with 00:25:04.319 --> 00:25:06.619 me to the Gospel of John and look at three or 00:25:06.619 --> 00:25:10.400 four verses which tell us that he was also obedient 00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:15.920 as he ministered to people. John 4 and verse 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:20.579 34. Jesus said to his disciples after ministering 00:25:20.579 --> 00:25:26.180 to the Samaritan woman, My food is to do the 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:30.779 will of him who sent me and to accomplish his 00:25:30.779 --> 00:25:35.130 work. The very same thing he said years before 00:25:35.130 --> 00:25:39.630 at the temple to Mary and Joseph. I come to do 00:25:39.630 --> 00:25:45.289 my Father's work. Chapter 5 and verse 30. I can 00:25:45.289 --> 00:25:48.029 do nothing, said Jesus, on my own initiative. 00:25:48.950 --> 00:25:52.710 As I hear, I judge. And my judgment is just, 00:25:52.890 --> 00:25:57.430 because I do not seek my own will, but the will 00:25:57.430 --> 00:26:03.789 of him who sent me. Chapter 6. Verse 38, For 00:26:03.789 --> 00:26:08.170 I have come down from heaven, not to do my own 00:26:08.170 --> 00:26:12.849 will, but the will of him who sent me. Chapter 00:26:12.849 --> 00:26:22.769 8, verse 29, And he who sent me is with me. He 00:26:22.769 --> 00:26:26.410 has not left me alone, for I always do the things 00:26:26.410 --> 00:26:30.839 that are pleasing to him. Did Jesus Christ have 00:26:30.839 --> 00:26:36.279 a sense of mission? The Father has sent me, he 00:26:36.279 --> 00:26:41.160 said. I do nothing. I say nothing. There is nothing 00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:44.839 on my own initiative. For what I do is what he 00:26:44.839 --> 00:26:50.359 tells me to say and do. As he taught, as he healed, 00:26:50.380 --> 00:26:52.759 as he blessed, as he delivered, as he restored, 00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:56.539 it was all in perfect obedience to the Father's 00:26:56.539 --> 00:27:02.099 will. And finally notice with me that as he finished 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:06.200 his earthly ministry, he was obedient. Again 00:27:06.200 --> 00:27:08.920 in the Gospel of John to the 17th chapter in 00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:12.259 the 4th verse, as Jesus prays to the Father. 00:27:15.099 --> 00:27:20.319 He says, I glorified thee on the earth, having 00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:24.960 accomplished the work which thou hast given me 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:31.099 to do. As he completed his earthly assignment, 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:34.480 our Lord was able to say to the Father, I have 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:38.680 done, Father, what you sent me to do. I have 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:46.619 perfectly obeyed your will. Had he been wrong, 00:27:46.660 --> 00:27:50.420 by the way, we would have known it. Because three 00:27:50.420 --> 00:27:52.099 days later, there would have been no resurrection. 00:27:56.190 --> 00:27:59.490 Romans 1 .4 says, declared to be the Son of God 00:27:59.490 --> 00:28:02.130 with power by the resurrection from the dead. 00:28:02.890 --> 00:28:05.349 What was it that set him out there that designated 00:28:05.349 --> 00:28:09.470 him Son of God so that all would know and see? 00:28:09.589 --> 00:28:11.950 It was his resurrection from the dead. Later 00:28:11.950 --> 00:28:15.690 Paul says in the same epistle, raised because 00:28:15.690 --> 00:28:19.569 of our justification. In other words, he was 00:28:19.569 --> 00:28:23.390 raised to show that the Father had fully accepted 00:28:23.390 --> 00:28:26.119 the price. that he had offered at the cross. 00:28:27.240 --> 00:28:32.200 Jesus Christ was obedient as he came. He was 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:36.160 obedient as he lived. And now I would like to 00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:40.380 focus in closing on his suffering and say to 00:28:40.380 --> 00:28:43.539 you that he was thirdly obedient as he suffered. 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:46.960 And to think about this, I'd like you to go back 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:49.539 with me to the book of Hebrews, but this time 00:28:49.539 --> 00:29:05.059 to chapter 5. We have here a couple of difficult 00:29:05.059 --> 00:29:11.400 verses that cause some people to wonder. It says 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:15.559 in Hebrews 5 and verse 8, Although he was a son, 00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:21.339 he learned obedience from the things which he 00:29:21.339 --> 00:29:26.960 suffered. And having been made perfect, he became 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:31.200 to all those who obey him the source of eternal 00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:36.759 salvation. A couple of questions. If the Lord 00:29:36.759 --> 00:29:40.700 Jesus Christ was the sinless and perfectly obedient 00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:45.440 Son of God, then how could it be said that He 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:54.740 learned obedience? What does that mean? If He 00:29:54.740 --> 00:29:57.579 already was perfect and sinless, how could He 00:29:57.579 --> 00:30:05.369 learn obedience? There is a preposition before 00:30:05.369 --> 00:30:09.529 the word obedience in the original language. 00:30:10.150 --> 00:30:16.069 It says he learned the obedience, which suggests 00:30:16.069 --> 00:30:18.849 to us that this obedience that is in view here 00:30:18.849 --> 00:30:23.930 is a particular expression of obedience which 00:30:23.930 --> 00:30:28.269 was required of him in his earthly work, especially 00:30:28.269 --> 00:30:34.829 in his passion, his suffering. As Skylar English 00:30:34.829 --> 00:30:38.130 has put it, in his obedience prior to Calvary, 00:30:38.269 --> 00:30:42.210 it is as if there had never been any shrinking 00:30:42.210 --> 00:30:46.089 from the task appointed him. But here, as the 00:30:46.089 --> 00:30:50.309 shadow of the cross fell across him, while still 00:30:50.309 --> 00:30:52.869 he was submissive to the Father, there was that 00:30:52.869 --> 00:30:56.970 awful repellent horror of separation from the 00:30:56.970 --> 00:31:01.130 Father that brought forth strong crying and tears. 00:31:02.019 --> 00:31:07.400 Mentioned in verse 7. An untold suffering, but 00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:12.460 which issued in not my will, but thine. He learned 00:31:12.460 --> 00:31:19.619 obedience by the things which he suffered. Not 00:31:19.619 --> 00:31:23.119 in any sense to correct disobedience did he learn, 00:31:23.240 --> 00:31:27.859 for he was not disobedient. But here at the crisis 00:31:27.859 --> 00:31:31.660 of it all. There in the Garden of Gethsemane, 00:31:31.740 --> 00:31:34.559 which seems to be in mind in verse 7 when it 00:31:34.559 --> 00:31:36.839 says, He offered up prayers and supplications 00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:43.299 with loud crying and tears. There as the shadow 00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:48.720 of the cross fell across him. There was the test 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:53.400 of his obedience again. And he said, take this 00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:59.450 cup from me if it's possible. Nevertheless. Not 00:31:59.450 --> 00:32:03.089 my will, but thine be done. The cup that he spoke 00:32:03.089 --> 00:32:05.890 about was the cup of his suffering and becoming 00:32:05.890 --> 00:32:09.690 sin. It was not the physical aspect of the suffering 00:32:09.690 --> 00:32:13.490 that caused him to cry out. It was the spiritual 00:32:13.490 --> 00:32:19.650 aspect. For he, as the Son, was about to experience, 00:32:19.750 --> 00:32:23.750 because he was becoming sin for us, being separated 00:32:23.750 --> 00:32:28.859 from the Father. Now listen. because of the unique 00:32:28.859 --> 00:32:34.240 person that he was, in his act of being separated 00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:38.119 from the Father, forsaken by the Father as he 00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:43.640 became sin for us, in that single act, he suffered 00:32:43.640 --> 00:32:51.980 the penalty of eternal hell for you and for me. 00:32:56.910 --> 00:32:59.490 Indeed, you could pile up all of the suffering 00:32:59.490 --> 00:33:06.450 of hell and you would only begin to understand 00:33:06.450 --> 00:33:13.589 the spiritual suffering that He willingly endured 00:33:13.589 --> 00:33:21.970 for you as He drank that cup at the cross. It 00:33:21.970 --> 00:33:24.769 was not to correct disobedience that He learned 00:33:24.769 --> 00:33:28.210 obedience. but rather that he might fully draw 00:33:28.210 --> 00:33:31.809 out his inward quality of obedience to the will 00:33:31.809 --> 00:33:36.069 of the Father. How then in verse 9 could it be 00:33:36.069 --> 00:33:41.930 said that he was made perfect? That word does 00:33:41.930 --> 00:33:44.609 not suggest that there was some inward lack in 00:33:44.609 --> 00:33:50.569 Christ, that he was missing something, but rather 00:33:50.569 --> 00:33:54.009 it means that he was fully qualified. by what 00:33:54.009 --> 00:33:57.390 he endured, by his suffering, by his learning 00:33:57.390 --> 00:34:01.150 of obedience. He was fully qualified and prepared 00:34:01.150 --> 00:34:05.990 to save those, as it says here, who obey him. 00:34:06.609 --> 00:34:10.650 By the word, by the way, in the context of the 00:34:10.650 --> 00:34:13.010 book of Hebrews, what it means here by obey him 00:34:13.010 --> 00:34:19.409 means to believe on him. By what he endured, 00:34:19.570 --> 00:34:24.300 he is able fully to identify with us. as a sympathetic 00:34:24.300 --> 00:34:30.460 high priest. Dr. Zane Hodges has written in the 00:34:30.460 --> 00:34:32.739 Bible Knowledge Commentary these helpful words, 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:36.760 in a real sense, not fully comprehensible. The 00:34:36.760 --> 00:34:39.980 Incarnation gave the already infinitely wise 00:34:39.980 --> 00:34:44.679 and perfect Son of God the experiential acquisition 00:34:44.679 --> 00:34:50.989 of knowledge about the human condition. Suffering 00:34:50.989 --> 00:34:55.369 thus became a reality that he tasted, and from 00:34:55.369 --> 00:34:59.829 it he can sympathize deeply with his followers. 00:35:01.590 --> 00:35:04.690 Because of what Jesus endured as he was obedient, 00:35:04.989 --> 00:35:08.670 because of what he suffered in doing the will 00:35:08.670 --> 00:35:11.429 of God, he is able to identify with us in our 00:35:11.429 --> 00:35:14.510 suffering and in our doing of the will of God. 00:35:17.289 --> 00:35:19.329 You see, the doing of the will of God is not 00:35:19.329 --> 00:35:23.889 intended to make us prosperous, healthy, wealthy, 00:35:23.989 --> 00:35:27.849 and wise, as one kind of false teaching says 00:35:27.849 --> 00:35:31.530 these days. But the will of God involves for 00:35:31.530 --> 00:35:34.190 us, as it did for Jesus, suffering, my friend, 00:35:34.329 --> 00:35:39.809 in this world. But we have a high priest who 00:35:39.809 --> 00:35:42.409 has suffered to a depth that we could never experience. 00:35:45.480 --> 00:35:48.719 Therefore, whatever we go through in our suffering 00:35:48.719 --> 00:35:52.679 in the will of God, He can legitimately say, 00:35:52.840 --> 00:36:00.579 I know how you feel. And Father, because I know 00:36:00.579 --> 00:36:03.920 how my child feels, this is my prayer for him. 00:36:05.559 --> 00:36:09.139 He is a sympathetic and faithful high priest 00:36:09.139 --> 00:36:13.900 on our behalf. We have one other passage that 00:36:13.900 --> 00:36:15.940 deals with this obedience and his suffering, 00:36:16.039 --> 00:36:18.739 and we looked at it briefly last week in this 00:36:18.739 --> 00:36:20.840 context, and that's back in the book of Philippians 00:36:20.840 --> 00:36:27.260 again in the second chapter. Last week we talked 00:36:27.260 --> 00:36:30.519 about his humility, but I want to emphasize now 00:36:30.519 --> 00:36:33.760 his obedience. And being found in appearance 00:36:33.760 --> 00:36:37.780 as a man, Philippians 2 .8, he humbled himself 00:36:37.780 --> 00:36:41.760 by becoming obedient. to the point of death, 00:36:41.880 --> 00:36:51.099 even death on a cross. Since he obeyed, we too 00:36:51.099 --> 00:36:54.739 are to be an obedient people. Notice that after 00:36:54.739 --> 00:36:57.840 talking about Jesus' obedience in verse 8, he 00:36:57.840 --> 00:37:00.579 goes on to say in verse 12, So then, my beloved, 00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:07.760 just as you have always obeyed, Not as in my 00:37:07.760 --> 00:37:10.440 presence only, but now much more in my absence. 00:37:11.380 --> 00:37:15.400 Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 00:37:16.739 --> 00:37:19.539 He doesn't say we have to work for our salvation. 00:37:19.659 --> 00:37:24.000 Notice that. He says, work out your salvation. 00:37:25.059 --> 00:37:28.059 In other words, the salvation that God has put 00:37:28.059 --> 00:37:30.280 within us, work it out in your life where it's 00:37:30.280 --> 00:37:35.389 visible by your obedience, he says. As in my 00:37:35.389 --> 00:37:38.750 presence now in my absence, work it out, obey. 00:37:40.110 --> 00:37:44.110 He says it is God who is at work in you, both 00:37:44.110 --> 00:37:48.329 to will and to work for his good pleasure. And 00:37:48.329 --> 00:37:50.969 then more specifically, he says, do all things 00:37:50.969 --> 00:37:58.130 without grumbling or disputing. Why should they 00:37:58.130 --> 00:38:01.889 do that? Well, he says that you may prove yourselves 00:38:01.889 --> 00:38:06.190 to be... blameless and innocent children of God. 00:38:08.550 --> 00:38:11.590 Notice that he says here, obedience on our part 00:38:11.590 --> 00:38:18.329 is proof that we are sons of God. Yet we're all 00:38:18.329 --> 00:38:22.730 exhorted to obey because obeying doesn't come 00:38:22.730 --> 00:38:28.269 naturally to our sinful humanness. But he does 00:38:28.269 --> 00:38:31.230 strongly assert here that it is that very obedience 00:38:31.230 --> 00:38:35.710 in our lives which he characterizes as doing 00:38:35.710 --> 00:38:42.150 things without grumbling, without answering back 00:38:42.150 --> 00:38:48.170 and disputing. Doing those things proves us to 00:38:48.170 --> 00:38:52.250 be the children of God. Just as Christ became 00:38:52.250 --> 00:38:56.590 obedient, we are to follow his example. We are 00:38:56.590 --> 00:38:59.409 to work out our salvation, and notice it is to 00:38:59.409 --> 00:39:03.190 be with fear and trembling. Bless God for the 00:39:03.190 --> 00:39:05.230 assurance of salvation that, my friend, there 00:39:05.230 --> 00:39:07.969 is a place, too, for fear and trembling in our 00:39:07.969 --> 00:39:13.329 lives. Jesus said, My peace I give to you. But 00:39:13.329 --> 00:39:15.710 there's also a place to work out our salvation 00:39:15.710 --> 00:39:24.530 with fear and trembling. He tells us to do all 00:39:24.530 --> 00:39:29.630 things without grumbling. The idea there is murmuring. 00:39:30.079 --> 00:39:35.179 It goes on underneath the surface. Without the 00:39:35.179 --> 00:39:40.519 kind of gossip and upset that takes place so 00:39:40.519 --> 00:39:44.460 easily, without disputing, answering back, staffing 00:39:44.460 --> 00:39:53.480 is the idea. Parents know what that means. This 00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:55.320 has always been a problem with the people of 00:39:55.320 --> 00:40:01.820 God. Isn't that sad? Grumbling and disputing. 00:40:02.719 --> 00:40:06.539 Not joy and victory, sadly, but often it is grumbling 00:40:06.539 --> 00:40:10.739 and disputing that characterizes God's people. 00:40:12.559 --> 00:40:18.539 It was true in ancient Israel. The Israelites 00:40:18.539 --> 00:40:21.059 brought out with them from Egypt a mixed multitude. 00:40:22.860 --> 00:40:25.159 People who were not really of Israel, but who 00:40:25.159 --> 00:40:28.099 went along with them nonetheless. And they continually 00:40:28.099 --> 00:40:34.360 sowed... Seeds of discord in the church. Or in 00:40:34.360 --> 00:40:36.960 the congregation, rather, of the people of Israel. 00:40:37.619 --> 00:40:41.099 Grumbling about Moses' leadership. Who is this 00:40:41.099 --> 00:40:44.619 man to tell us what to do? He has been gone on 00:40:44.619 --> 00:40:48.820 that mountain forever. Let's go back to Egypt 00:40:48.820 --> 00:40:51.860 where we can eat something that's tasty and not 00:40:51.860 --> 00:40:58.820 this manna. Disputing. You'd find it in the early 00:40:58.820 --> 00:41:03.099 church. You'd find it as early as in the book 00:41:03.099 --> 00:41:07.199 of Acts where the two groups of widows are going 00:41:07.199 --> 00:41:14.260 at it. Those who were not native Jews felt that 00:41:14.260 --> 00:41:17.039 their widows were being neglected in the daily 00:41:17.039 --> 00:41:19.980 ministration of the food that was given to them 00:41:19.980 --> 00:41:23.780 because they had need of food and support. It 00:41:23.780 --> 00:41:26.190 was right that the church support them. There 00:41:26.190 --> 00:41:29.010 began this dispute, this conflict, this murmuring, 00:41:29.010 --> 00:41:34.309 grumbling. They're getting more than I am. Ours 00:41:34.309 --> 00:41:36.909 are overlooked. We're not getting our fair share. 00:41:39.909 --> 00:41:42.750 So the apostles took action to try to correct 00:41:42.750 --> 00:41:48.070 that. And it's still true today. If it's not 00:41:48.070 --> 00:41:52.409 one issue, it's another. That Satan will keep 00:41:52.409 --> 00:41:56.559 feeding the people. who are grumblers and complainers. 00:41:57.880 --> 00:42:02.960 There is no end to that, except that the grumblers 00:42:02.960 --> 00:42:05.739 and complainers decide that they're being disobedient 00:42:05.739 --> 00:42:09.019 to God, which they are, and say, I'm not going 00:42:09.019 --> 00:42:12.300 to do that anymore. Because there will constantly 00:42:12.300 --> 00:42:15.960 be a stream of issues that Satan will feed the 00:42:15.960 --> 00:42:19.320 people to disrupt the fellowship of the church. 00:42:21.780 --> 00:42:25.420 There were about 30 pastors. together within 00:42:25.420 --> 00:42:29.980 the last three weeks of some of the major churches 00:42:29.980 --> 00:42:34.639 here in the Twin Cities area. I want you to know 00:42:34.639 --> 00:42:40.199 that to a man, every one of those pastors said 00:42:40.199 --> 00:42:42.179 that this has been one of the most difficult 00:42:42.179 --> 00:42:48.519 falls in their ministry in their churches. I 00:42:48.519 --> 00:42:51.500 don't understand exactly all that's behind that. 00:42:53.039 --> 00:42:57.420 But I know who's behind it. I think you do too. 00:42:59.239 --> 00:43:01.400 Maybe it's because his followers are praying 00:43:01.400 --> 00:43:03.340 more than the followers of the Lord. I don't 00:43:03.340 --> 00:43:07.360 know. But I do know that right now in our Twin 00:43:07.360 --> 00:43:10.139 Cities area, there is a great deal of trouble, 00:43:10.360 --> 00:43:16.179 a great deal of grumbling, a great deal of disputing 00:43:16.179 --> 00:43:19.219 going on under the surface of churches. Every 00:43:19.219 --> 00:43:21.260 now and then it will spout up, just like a whale 00:43:21.260 --> 00:43:23.960 spouts up the water in the air. You'll see somebody 00:43:23.960 --> 00:43:28.119 here and somebody there. What's the answer to 00:43:28.119 --> 00:43:32.639 that? It is every one of us humbling ourselves 00:43:32.639 --> 00:43:39.000 and becoming obedient to the Word of God. Do 00:43:39.000 --> 00:43:44.900 all things without grumbling and disputing. that 00:43:44.900 --> 00:43:47.400 you may prove yourselves to be the blameless 00:43:47.400 --> 00:43:51.340 and innocent children of God, above reproach, 00:43:51.340 --> 00:43:54.699 in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. 00:43:55.460 --> 00:43:57.639 You know what the generation says that looks 00:43:57.639 --> 00:44:02.679 at a church that's grumbling and disputing? That 00:44:02.679 --> 00:44:04.639 wicked generation says, look, they're just like 00:44:04.639 --> 00:44:10.420 we are. They're no different than us. And they're 00:44:10.420 --> 00:44:15.099 right. God's plan is for us to shine as lights 00:44:15.099 --> 00:44:23.079 in the world, to hold fast the word of life so 00:44:23.079 --> 00:44:25.719 that when we stand before Jesus Christ one day, 00:44:25.860 --> 00:44:30.619 we will not have run in vain, be able to give 00:44:30.619 --> 00:44:35.940 good account of ourselves. Jesus Christ was faithful 00:44:35.940 --> 00:44:40.889 as he suffered. Become an obedient... even to 00:44:40.889 --> 00:44:44.429 death. Not once was there murmuring. Not once 00:44:44.429 --> 00:44:49.250 was there complaint. There was a question. If 00:44:49.250 --> 00:44:51.889 it be possible, he said, let this cup pass from 00:44:51.889 --> 00:44:54.610 you. Is it possible? But he knew the answer. 00:44:55.349 --> 00:44:58.670 He said, not my will. It's yours to have. There's 00:44:58.670 --> 00:45:00.409 a difference, by the way, between a question 00:45:00.409 --> 00:45:05.530 and a complaint. Jesus never complained, never 00:45:05.530 --> 00:45:08.269 murmured, never grumbled about the Father's will. 00:45:09.449 --> 00:45:12.309 One final application as we think about the obedience 00:45:12.309 --> 00:45:15.369 of Christ, and this is found in Romans chapter 00:45:15.369 --> 00:45:22.150 5. In the 19th verse where it says, For as through 00:45:22.150 --> 00:45:25.849 the one man's disobedience the many were made 00:45:25.849 --> 00:45:29.769 sinners, even so through the obedience of the 00:45:29.769 --> 00:45:33.869 One, capital O, the many will be made righteous. 00:45:35.530 --> 00:45:40.059 He's talking here about Adam and Christ. Adam's 00:45:40.059 --> 00:45:44.059 disobedience has brought the many, in other words, 00:45:44.079 --> 00:45:47.900 those who are identified with him by their birth, 00:45:48.079 --> 00:45:52.840 their natural birth, the many, his disobedience 00:45:52.840 --> 00:45:56.840 has brought the many to share in his sin and 00:45:56.840 --> 00:46:08.889 in his death. We know that. But thank God for 00:46:08.889 --> 00:46:11.750 what it says about Jesus. For it says through 00:46:11.750 --> 00:46:14.869 his obedience he has brought the many. Who is 00:46:14.869 --> 00:46:18.530 this? Those who are identified with him by their 00:46:18.530 --> 00:46:23.929 new birth. He has brought the many to righteousness. 00:46:25.170 --> 00:46:29.670 To share his life. Every one of us this morning 00:46:29.670 --> 00:46:32.650 is identified in God's eyes either with Adam 00:46:32.650 --> 00:46:37.690 by our natural birth or with Christ. By a new 00:46:37.690 --> 00:46:43.070 birth, we either share the death and sin of Adam 00:46:43.070 --> 00:46:48.389 or we share by grace the life and the righteousness 00:46:48.389 --> 00:46:52.550 of Jesus Christ. With whom are you identified 00:46:52.550 --> 00:46:58.010 today? Is your identity with Adam or have you 00:46:58.010 --> 00:47:03.210 been born again by faith so that your identity 00:47:03.210 --> 00:47:08.159 is with Jesus Christ and you want it here? The 00:47:08.159 --> 00:47:12.059 spirit of Christmas is obedience. So let's get 00:47:12.059 --> 00:47:15.199 into the spirit of the season. And remember that 00:47:15.199 --> 00:47:17.840 if Christ is going to touch our world today, 00:47:17.980 --> 00:47:23.420 it will be through his obedience, people. Let's 00:47:23.420 --> 00:47:31.539 bow together. James was right when he said, in 00:47:31.539 --> 00:47:40.639 many respects, we all fail. And we do. Our Savior 00:47:40.639 --> 00:47:47.119 is the only one who is perfectly obedient. But 00:47:47.119 --> 00:47:51.000 God desires that we be, nonetheless, a people 00:47:51.000 --> 00:47:56.880 obeying Him. I wonder if there's been some disobedience 00:47:56.880 --> 00:47:59.960 in your life that you have been convicted about 00:47:59.960 --> 00:48:02.460 this morning and which right now you'd like to 00:48:02.460 --> 00:48:07.639 deal with. My Christian brother. My Christian 00:48:07.639 --> 00:48:13.860 sister, he says if you confess your sins, he's 00:48:13.860 --> 00:48:17.559 faithful and just to forgive you your sins and 00:48:17.559 --> 00:48:22.480 to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Will 00:48:22.480 --> 00:48:24.679 you come to him right now and confess your sins? 00:48:27.760 --> 00:48:29.960 Will you tell him that you will be obedient in 00:48:29.960 --> 00:48:33.400 that specific area of your life? Maybe it's baptism. 00:48:36.679 --> 00:48:40.599 Maybe it's grumbling. Maybe it's complaining. 00:48:45.460 --> 00:48:48.000 Will you ask his forgiveness and tell him that 00:48:48.000 --> 00:48:54.320 your desire is to obey him? Oh, Father, I pray 00:48:54.320 --> 00:48:58.920 that we will be your sons and prove it. Prove 00:48:58.920 --> 00:49:01.480 that we are without reproach, that we're innocent 00:49:01.480 --> 00:49:07.860 children of God by our obedience. May this wicked 00:49:07.860 --> 00:49:10.179 and perverse generation in which you have allowed 00:49:10.179 --> 00:49:15.099 us to live see that we're different. May the 00:49:15.099 --> 00:49:19.760 light in us, because of our obedience, shine 00:49:19.760 --> 00:49:27.719 brightly into the darkness of the world. In Jesus' 00:49:27.820 --> 00:49:33.460 name, amen. You know, I discovered that there 00:49:33.460 --> 00:49:35.829 are many hymns written about trust. and faith, 00:49:36.010 --> 00:49:38.210 and believing, but not too many written about 00:49:38.210 --> 00:49:42.510 obeying. You ever notice that? But there is one 00:49:42.510 --> 00:49:46.989 that talks about it, number 320. It ties the 00:49:46.989 --> 00:49:49.010 two together, and rightly so. It says, if we 00:49:49.010 --> 00:49:52.150 trust and obey, there's no other way but that, 00:49:52.170 --> 00:49:56.489 to be happy in Jesus. Trust and obey. And as 00:49:56.489 --> 00:49:58.789 we sing a verse or two of this in a chorus, if 00:49:58.789 --> 00:50:00.929 you today have some spiritual need in your life, 00:50:01.050 --> 00:50:02.590 and you need someone to pray with you and help 00:50:02.590 --> 00:50:04.510 you, because you're at the end of your rope. 00:50:06.219 --> 00:50:07.880 You may be at that point you don't know what 00:50:07.880 --> 00:50:12.920 to do next. You feel frustrated. You feel contained. 00:50:13.219 --> 00:50:18.400 You feel depressed and pressured. You're calling 00:50:18.400 --> 00:50:20.000 out to God for help, but you don't know what 00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:22.320 to do next. We have people who are willing and 00:50:22.320 --> 00:50:25.940 able to pray with you and may be able to get 00:50:25.940 --> 00:50:29.139 some advice into your mind and heart that will 00:50:29.139 --> 00:50:32.500 help you today. As we sing, would you feel free, 00:50:32.559 --> 00:50:34.400 please, to slip out and come here to the front? 00:50:35.179 --> 00:50:38.199 I invite you to do that. I'll be waiting for 00:50:38.199 --> 00:50:41.260 you. Let's stand together as we sing.