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Christ the True and Better - Hebrews 2:1-4 - The Better Message · Mount Eaton Church

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  It's quite a bit to learn through these four verses.
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  You wouldn't think so.
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  Of course, we always dig and find something, don't we?
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  So I guess I so love, I love that we fact.
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  There's a lot that I'm joyful about.
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  I'll say that.
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  Anyway, Father, I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness and goodness.
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  Thank you, Lord, for your word.
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  Thank you for this amazing letter to the Hebrews.
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  Thank you that you are the better messenger and that you are the better message and there
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  is no message greater.
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  Lord, I pray that as we start off in chapter two that we really understand the importance
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  of the message of the gospel and the testimony and the witness by which you have provided
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  to show and to declare the proof that the message is true.
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  So Lord, we praise you and we thank you.
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  To you be honor and glory forever in Jesus' name.
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  Amen.
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  So I'm going to start off with Hebrews one through four.
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  Hebrews one is just a clear declaration about who the better messenger is.
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  There's no need for me to really go through verse five through the end of the chapter
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  because it's really just showing the difference, the comparison of Christ and the angels or
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  the messengers and the clarification of that.
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  What we really need to see is chapter one, one through four, and this is the reason why
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  he starts off in chapter two, verse one through four with this statement.
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  So chapters one, one through four is the reason for chapter two, one through four.
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  That's where we're going to start.
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  Long ago, at many times in many ways, God spoke, Laleo, to our fathers by the prophets.
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  But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of
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  all things, through whom also he created the world.
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  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.
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  And he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
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  After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high,
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  having become as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent
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  than theirs.
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  So therefore, chapter two, therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have
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  heard lest we drift away from it.
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  Verse one.
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  So in other words, because of this, chapter one, therefore knowing that Christ is the
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  better messenger, Christ is the better prophet, the better messenger, we should pay much closer
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  attention to what you have heard.
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  Now, this word, therefore, is diahutos.
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  This word, diahutos, means by means of or because of this reason.
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  It's a very clear reason why you should pay much closer attention to this message.
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  That the messenger is the reason why you should listen to the message.
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  The message is highly important.
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  It's the most important, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15.
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  Now, the word here, we must pay much closer attention.
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  Not going to give you the Greek for this one, but I'm going to give you the definition.
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  It means it's necessary to be more earnest or more exceedingly.
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  It's necessary to be more earnestly or more exceedingly.
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  In other words, the reason why you should be paying attention is because it's necessary
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  for you to be earnest and exceedingly earnest.
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  That's what he means.
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  Must pay much closer.
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  How important is it to you?
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  How exceedingly great is this message?
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  How earnest is this message for you?
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  Now, this word, attention, interesting word, to pay attention means to turn the mind to,
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  to give heed to, or to devote thought and effort.
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  That's the one thing I think we really have a hard time with.
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  Do we really give our thought and effort to the gospel?
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  Or is Jesus some fast food spiritual provider for you?
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  Do you go to him and ask him whatever you want, then when you're done, you just sit
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  him on his shelf.
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  Do we really give our thought and effort?
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  Do we spend our time?
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  Do we give our full attention?
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  It's important because we have to give our full attention to him and to his gospel.
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  Everything in your life is revolving around him.
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  You want a happy marriage, husbands?
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  Love your wives.
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  Let Christ reign.
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  Wives, you want a happy marriage?
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  Love your husbands and honor them.
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  Let Christ reign.
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  You want to be a good employee?
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  Let Christ reign.
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  Christ is the preeminent in every aspect of your life.
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  There's not a place in your life that Christ should not reign.
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  You should be paying attention to his message and especially to him.
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  If you're not paying attention to him, then he's just a means to an end for you.
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  And what the writer here is saying is that no, you should be paying much closer attention.
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  You should absolutely devote every thought and every effort of your life to him.
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  Not only thinking, but doing.
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  Now, why?
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  Because if you don't pay every attention, give every attention to what you have heard,
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  what did you hear?
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  The gospel.
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  You will drift from it.
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  And we see this all day long.
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  Most churches, and I say most churches, a lot of people, let me say that, a lot of people
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  actually just give no heed to Jesus at all.
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  He's a means to an end.
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  And after a while when struggle happens and life happens and all the difficulties in life
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  come into your life, they drift away.
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  They give up.
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  Why?
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  Because Jesus didn't give them what they demanded.
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  So how important is this amazing story about Christ?
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  The gospel is the thing you fall in love with.
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  You fall in love with the gospel so that you will fall in love with the person of the gospel
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  so that you will tell others about the gospel.
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  So we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest me pote is this word.
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  This word lest me pote means in no way.
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  So he's saying if you pay attention to what you have heard, in no way will you drift from
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  it.
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  People go, how do you not give up?
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  Because my attention, my thought and my effort, my devotion is solely his.
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  So whatever happens in life, in no way will you drift.
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  You won't be like a ship without a rudder just floating around somewhere.
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  You will not drift.
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  Important.
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  Why?
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  Because you must focus your mind, your heart, your actions to Christ and his gospel.
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  Christ is the better message.
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  That's what he's saying here.
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  Second, the reliability of the gospel of Christ.
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  Christ's gospel is reliable.
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  Hebrews 2.2, for since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every
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  transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.
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  Well we already know what angels are.
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  Angels is the word angelos and angelos literally just means messengers.
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  For since whether they're heavenly messengers or earthly messengers, here heavenly messengers
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  is a messenger.
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  We'll prove this out in Daniel chapter 9 because Daniel literally prays and God sends Gabriel
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  the messenger to bring him the message, which actually fits really well in this verse.
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  For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, this word proved is ginomai.
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  Second favorite word in the Bible.
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  Erichomai is my first.
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  I just like the way it sounds and what it does.
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  Ginomai.
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  Remember what we talked about ginomai last week.
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  It means to be brought on the stage, to be absolutely proved, to be genuine and real.
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  This is the message that was brought out onto the stage of all human life.
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  The grand theater of life.
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  And this message was brought to us and this message was proved to be reliable.
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  Now I like this word reliable because this word reliable means stable, fast, firm or
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  a sure footing.
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  In other words, if you were to walk on the ground, you know that this is real and reliable
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  because when I place my foot down, I have full confidence I'm not going to sink.
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  That's what that means.
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  Reliability, stable.
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  The gospel is stable.
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  Christ is stable, fast and firm.
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  He is our sure footing.
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  He is a rock which he places us on.
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  He places our feet on the rock.
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  An amazing thought.
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  Every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.
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  This word retribution means payment or wage, atonement.
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  He paid the full price, received past tense and continues to receive.
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  Every transgression means every law that was broken that you broke.
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  Every transgression or disobedience.
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  Now that being said, Daniel 9 verse 24.
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  It's going to be difficult but it's okay because you got to be able to see this.
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  When the weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city.
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  So Daniel is praying.
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  They're coming to the end of their captivity.
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  Daniel knows when that captivity ends, they have no place.
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  They feel abandoned by their God because of their sin.
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  Daniel knows this.
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  He knows that, wait a minute.
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  What's going to happen to us when we're let go?
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  So Daniel prays fervently for his people that God would please forgive them of their sin.
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  Please don't forget about us.
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  Please give us away.
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  Please be there.
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  Please.
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  He's begging.
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  So on doing this prayer, God sends Gabriel, the messenger.
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  Gabriel brings a message.
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  Interesting because it fits here.
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  Gabriel brought the gospel and here it is.
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  70 weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city.
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  To finish the transgression.
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  To put an end to sin and to atone for iniquity.
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  To bring in everlasting righteousness to seal both vision and profit and to anoint a most
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  holy place.
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  What's really interesting about Hebrews is Hebrews answers this question.
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  Every transgression received a just retribution.
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  To finish the transgression.
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  Do we follow the law of God or do we follow Christ?
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  Is the law of God finished in Christ?
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  What did he say on the cross?
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  It is.
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  We follow the law because we follow Christ.
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  Christ fulfills the law for us and in our submission to his will and purpose in our
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  lives as followers of Jesus, we do what the law requires because Christ has completed
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  it for us.
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  He has finished transgression.
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  Transgression is over in Christ.
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  You read Romans 2.
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  Paul clarifies this.
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  It's interesting.
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  He says he completed it.
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  Then he says he put an end to sin.
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  Sin is disobedience.
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  Rebellion against God.
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  Did Jesus put an end to that?
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  Yes.
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  So every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.
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  The end of sin has been fulfilled in Christ.
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  That does not mean you're not going to sin.
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  But the penalty of our sin is gone.
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  The penalty of sin is death.
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  And in Christ you are alive.
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  The wages of sin is death.
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  We are not dead because of sin.
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  We are alive because of Christ.
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  And Christ has raised us from the dead spiritually and will one day raise us from the dead physically.
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  Third, the just retribution and to atone for iniquity.
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  Atonement.
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  The payment required for sin.
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  A payment on behalf of you that someone else paid on your behalf.
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  It's atonement.
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  That's exactly what the writer here says.
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  I keep wanting to say Paul.
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  I've got to be careful.
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  That's exactly what the writer here says.
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  Sin completed.
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  Sin disobedience completed in Christ.
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  Atonement paid for.
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  Why?
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  Because the reliability of the message of the gospel of Christ is sure.
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  It is firm.
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  It is stable.
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  What an amazing thought.
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  So this completed work of Christ has been done.
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  Why?
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  Because not only has he put an end to vision and profit because he is the last.
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  He is the better prophet.
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  He has also anointed a most holy place.
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  Where is the most holy place?
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  You.
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  In you is a most holy place.
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  And Paul reiterates this in Romans.
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  He says you are living stones.
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  A temple built by God.
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  You are a most holy place.
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  God does not reside in the building of man.
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  Building made by man's hands.
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  God resides in the building that he built called the church.
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  An amazing thing.
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  Why?
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  Because his gospel is reliable.
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  Christ is the better message.
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  He is the greatest message.
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  Hebrews 2, 3, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
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  It was declared at first by the Lord and it was attested to us by those who heard.
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  How is this important?
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  How can we know that what we have heard matters?
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  Well let's look at this.
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  First, how shall we escape?
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  How shall you escape the wrath of God if you neglect the greatest gift of salvation ever
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  given to man?
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  That's why the road is wide and many will neglect this.
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  And they will not escape the wrath of God because of it.
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  But we who are on the narrow by God's grace and mercy has placed us on the narrow road
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  and we have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
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  We can and have and will escape the wrath of God.
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  We have not neglected the great gift of salvation.
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  But if you do, how should you escape?
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  You can't escape it.
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  Why?
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  Because this message was declared, Laleo, first by Jesus.
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  This message was attested, Bebiaho, to us who heard, to us by those who heard.
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  Those who heard the gospel, those who witnessed the gospel, those who lived with the gospel,
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  they told us.
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  This Bebiaho means to make firm, establish, or confirm.
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  It's an interesting word because when you end up reading the rest in verse four, you
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  understand why this word attested, this was established or confirmed by the apostles.
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  To guarantee, matter of fact, we're going to even use one of them, 1 John chapters one,
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  chapter one, verse one through five.
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  This is what John says.
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  I listen to how many times he says, heard, seen, looked.
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  This is just five verses.
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  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard and which we have seen with our
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  own eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the word of life,
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  the gospel, Jesus, the life was made manifest and we have seen it and testified to it and
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  proclaimed to you the eternal life, which was with the father and was made manifest
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  to us.
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  It's like he says the same thing two different ways and he includes all the same terms.
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  When God does that, what's he trying to tell you?
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  Pay much closer attention.
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  Here we go.
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  It gets better.
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  Verse three he says, 1 John one, verse three, that which we have seen and heard we proclaim
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  also to you, this is three times, so that you may have fellowship with us so that you
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  and I will be in unity and indeed our fellowship is with the father because we are in communion
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  in Christ and as a result of being in Christ, we are in the father.
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  Verse four, and we are writing these things, which we have seen, heard, proclaimed, touched
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  so that our joy may be complete.
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  Why?
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  Because here is what they have seen, heard, proclaimed, touched and testify.
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  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaimed to you that God is light and
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  in him there is no darkness.
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  Gospel.
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  How many times does John have to say it for us to get what he's talking about?
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  How can you escape if you neglect such a great salvation?
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  So the witness of the gospel of Christ, the witness of the gospel of Christ, there's a
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  lot here.
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  Hebrews chapter two, verse four, while, interesting word, God also bore witness.
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  Now I'm going to try to say this word.
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  This word is a long one.
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  That's how you say it.
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  I've listened to it like 20 million times and I got the R rolling because my wife is
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  Puerto Rican and I can roll the R's.
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  You're not spitting, you got to roll it.
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  Here we go.
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  It means to attest together, to join in bearing witness or to unite in adding testimony.
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  So I want you to get that.
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  So when God says he also bore witness, he, God, Elohim, is bearing witness with all of
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  these things.
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  Now why does he do that?
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  And there's one reason, is because when you're looking at bearing witness, in order for you
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  to bring an accusation or charge against somebody, you must have what?
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  Two or three witnesses.
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  That principle still holds the same for those who claim something that you need to prove
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  that that is true.
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  So you need two or three witnesses.
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  So listen, God does everything overboard.
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  He just does because he's God.
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  He doesn't just give you two or three witnesses.
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  He gives you like eight witnesses.
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  You ready for the witnesses?
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  Here we go.
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  All right.
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  Soon, epi marturayo to unite and adding testimony by signs.
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  Simeon.
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  This word Simeon means that by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others and
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  is known.
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  So when we're looking at signs, we're not looking at miracles here.
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  This is something that God does which brings a distinguished difference between everything
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  else.
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  There's a lot of signs.
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  There's something clear about Christ that gives him the difference, the distinguished
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  difference compared him to others.
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  So signs and wonders is the next word.
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  This word wonders is terras.
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  The word is a remarkable event or an amazing thing out of the ordinary, something outside
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  of nature.
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  I think we can think of wonders.
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  Raising someone from the dead is a miracle.
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  That's not a wonder.
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  You know what's a wonder?
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  A star sitting in the sky for three years pointing to the place where Jesus was so that
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  the wise man could find him.
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  You know what's a wonder?
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  A virgin given birth to a child whom she did not have any consummation with her husband.
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  That God had chosen her out of all of the women because of who she is and who she's
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  connected to providentially thousands of years before.
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  That's a wonder.
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  You know what else is a wonder?
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  Him raising from the dead.
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  You know what else is a wonder?
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  That God in all of creation, the creator became human.
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  That's a wonder.
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  So when we're looking at the issue of wonders, that is a terras.
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  Next, various miracles, dynamis.
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  It's an act of power.
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  It's something only God can do.
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  And you remember what Jesus said?
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  He says, if you don't believe my word, believe what I have done.
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  We just got done talking about the resurrection of Lazarus out of the grave.
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  Miracle.
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  It's an act of power.
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  Why?
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  For the glory of God.
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  And Jesus says, glorify your son.
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  Why did he die?
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  So that you will see the glory of God.
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  That is a miracle.
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  Next, by gifts.
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  By gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
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  So far we have had three witnesses.
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  That doesn't include the witnesses I'm about to give you.
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  And the witnesses we already talked about, prophets and angels.
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  Here we go.
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  You ready?
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  The word gifts here is merismas.
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  Yes, it's not the same word that's used in Corinthians.
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  It's actually the word used in Corinthians is a totally different word.
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  But the purpose is the same.
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  For the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
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  And this is why God uses this word.
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  God uses this word because it's not about you.
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  Gifts were not given for you.
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  Gifts are given so that you will proclaim the gospel.
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  You see, gifts are merismos.
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  That was the problem with the church in Corinth.
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  They bragged about their spiritual gifts as if they were special.
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  When they didn't realize that the gifts that they had were merismos gifts.
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  This word merismos means division, partition, or distribution.
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  See, there's a reason why Paul states this in Corinthians when he says this is the manifestation
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  of the Holy Spirit.
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  Because it's the division or the partition or the distribution of the Spirit for the
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  purpose of the gospel according to his will.
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  What's the will of the Spirit of God?
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  Gospel.
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  What's the will of the Spirit of God?
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  Point you to Christ.
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  What's the will of the Spirit of God?
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  Conform you into the image of Christ.
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  That's the will of the Spirit of God.
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  The will of the Spirit of God is the same will as the Father's and the same will as
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  the Son's.
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  He is the exact imprint of the Father.
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  There is no difference in the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
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  They are God.
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  He doesn't have his own will as if he's doing something outside with his own purpose and
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  his own way of doing things.
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  So he does exactly what they do.
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  And his will is the Father's will.
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  And his will is the Son's will.
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  It's Mary's most.
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  So when we look at the gifts that you've been given or if the manifestation of those gifts
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  are seen, please give him glory and praise that he would even use you to accomplish a
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  small task.
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  Because it's him who is being seen and not you.
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  It's his distribution among the people to proclaim the gospel.
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  He is a witness.
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  So so far we have signs.
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  God bears witness through signs.
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  God bears witness of the gospel through wonders.
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  God bears witness of the gospel through various miracles.
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  God bears witness of the gospel through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
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  The distribution of the Spirit of God among his people.
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  Wow.
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  That's how important the gospel is.
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  Yes, it's so important that God sends witnesses of the gospel because it's not about you.
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  About him.
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  God bore witness through Christ.
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  John, gospel of John chapter 5 verse 31 and 32, 37 and 39.
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  If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.
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  Now you see why?
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  If God did not bear witness of the gospel and of Christ through signs and wonders and
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  various miracles and through the distribution of the Holy Spirit according to his will to
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  his people, then he would be a liar.
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  But no, God goes beyond that.
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  He doesn't just give you two or three.
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  So check this out.
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  So Jesus says there is another who bears witness about me.
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  I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
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  One that's that's called John the Baptist.
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  There's another which I didn't add in here.
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  I just did it now because that's what verse 33 talks about.
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  Verse 37, and the father who sent me has himself bore witness about me.
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  There's another, a witness.
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  His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen.
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  39, you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.
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  It is they that bear witness about me.
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  The scriptures bear witness of the gospel and of Christ the messenger.
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  So you have the true message.
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  The better messenger gives the better message and the better message is witnessed, testified
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  according to signs and wonders and miracles and of the Holy Spirit and the scripture and
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  the father and John the Baptist and all the things that Jesus did.
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  His life is a witness.
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  The whole thing is a witness.
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  And we go, I don't know if I believe that.
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  So I'm going to say this to you.
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  How shall you escape if you neglect such a great salvation today?
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  Does God need to do anything?
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  Christ alone is to me is enough witness.
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  But all that God the father has placed there, now you know why.
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  Romans chapter one, actually let's do chapter two, verse one.
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  Chapter one is full of that statement.
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  Now, therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judge.
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  None.
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  Man is without excuse.
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  God does not have to justify or do anything else than what he's already done.
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  We are without excuse.
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  So why does God do it?
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  Because when you read Romans, he says, do you not know that it's the kindness of God
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  that leads men to repentance?
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  Do you know why God hasn't ended all things right now?
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  Because he's kind to you.
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  He is merciful.
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  What more do you need?
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  The power of an amazing God who has bore witness to the life of Christ and the reality of his
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  divinity and then gives us an amazing message for us to go and share.
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  And that's what we're going to see in the rest of chapter two.
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  That's just four verses.
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  So I'm going to pray and I'm going to ask John to come up and he's going to introduce
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  our new members.
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  And I hope this sinks in a little bit.
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  An amazing four verses.
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  Read them again.
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  So powerful.
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  The gospel is amazing.
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  Father, I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness and goodness.
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  Thank you that the better messenger gave us the better message.
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  That you have freed us from our transgression and our disobedience.
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  And you have given it a just retribution.
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  You have paid in full the debt that we owe.
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  And that in spite of what we are, who we are, you have bore witness by a myriad of things
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  to the reality of the gospel and to the real true King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus
• 34:19
  Christ.
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  Lord, we give you honor, glory and praise.
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  Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.
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  Lord, we thank you.
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  We eagerly await to see you face to face.
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  To praise you and to love you.
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  In the name of Jesus, Amen.