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[0:00] 1, verses 1-18. I won't be preaching on this passage today, but I think you'll see it ties in very closely to the passage that we'll be preaching on from Hebrews chapter 1.

[0:28] ! Let's read together. This is God's Word, John chapter 1 and verses 1-18. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

[0:47] He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

[1:31] He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

[1:53] Children, born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

[2:17] John testifies concerning him.

[2:47] He is the one and only, who is at the Father's side, and the Lord bless the reading of his word.

[2:59] I think we'll just sing one more song at this stage, if that's okay. We had originally, I think, planned to sing two, but for the sake of time, we'll just sing one.

[3:13] And it's a great song. Behold our God, who has held the oceans in his hands. It really takes up a verse from the book of Isaiah.

[3:24] Isaiah. Let's see if we can just find that verse. Isaiah chapter 40. And verse 12.

[3:37] Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

[3:52] Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?

[4:04] Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in the bucket. They are regarded as dust on the scales.

[4:14] I'd like to read that whole chapter. It's such a great chapter. But I'll just read the end of the chapter as well. It reminds us that the Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.

[4:29] He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.

[4:44] But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, and they will walk and not be faint.

[4:56] Amen. Let's sing together. Who has held the oceans in his hands?

[5:15] Who has numbered every grain of sand? Kings and nations tremble at his voice. Oh, creation rises to rejoice.

[5:31] Behold our God. See the dawn is brought. Come, let us adore him. Behold our King.

[5:45] Nothing can compare. Come, let us adore him. Who has given counsel to the Lord?

[6:05] Who can question any of these words? Who can teach the one who knows all things? Who can pathom all his wondrous deeds?

[6:20] Behold our God. Seated on his throne. Come, let us adore him. Behold our King.

[6:34] Nothing can compare. Come, let us adore him. Who has held the angels upon his hands?

[6:54] Hearing all the guilt of sinful man. God eternal, humble to the grave. Jesus, Savior, risen not to reign.

[7:09] Behold our God. Behold our God. Seated on his throne. Come, let us adore him.

[7:20] Behold our King. Nothing can compare. Come, let us adore him.

[7:31] You will reign that you'll be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who will be who Behold my day Nothing can compare How there is the door Amen Singing is excellent How fitting it is to praise and to worship the Lord Well, we're in Hebrews chapter 1 this morning

[8:33] You might like to turn there in your Bible Hebrews chapter 1 We'll be looking at the first three verses of the chapter When I'm preaching I always like to start by reading the passage first but this morning I think I'll do things the other way around and I'll give some words of introduction first and then I'll read the passage and make some brief comments on it And hopefully the reason for doing this will become clear just as we go along The epistle to the Hebrews was originally a sermon and was really designed to be read in its entirety all the way through from beginning to end You can do so probably in about an hour Originally it would have been read to a group of Christians They were Jewish Christians as you might expect because the title of the book is the epistle to the Hebrews It would have been read all the way through However, when you're studying any part of a Bible book it's quite good, of course, to look at it in detail but you need to look at the big picture as well

[9:43] I would really like to read the whole book of Hebrews to you this morning Time won't allow that But maybe you'd like to take up a challenge in the week ahead And in fact, as I was preparing this message I thought I'm going to do that If I'm going to tell you to do that I better do that myself So I did I got the kettle on I got a cup of tea and just read through You can do it in about an hour with a tea break No problem So I would really certainly recommend that It's one of the great books of the Bible really It's full of comfort It's full of encouragement There's a lot in it that will spur you on in your faith And I really would recommend that to you So personally speaking The book of Hebrews is one of my favourites Perhaps along with the book of Psalms as well It's a book I keep returning to again and again And if you're here on Wednesday you'll have heard a little message on Hebrews 13 verse 8

[10:45] Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever What a great verse that is And I just want to repeat one of the comments that I made on Wednesday And that's just to say that the reason that the epistle to the Hebrews is such a great book Is that the subject of it is our great saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ The epistle to the Hebrews is all about him It certainly contains some very deep theology And there's some things that are very hard to understand But there's so much here that would really encourage us Encourage us especially to fix our eyes on Jesus And that's the title I've given the sermon today We're to fix our eyes on Jesus And to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus If we don't Then we're in danger of going off course And of losing the way The story is told of Robert Murray McShane When he was preaching one Sunday morning

[11:47] And he'd preached for a while But he hadn't mentioned The name of the Lord Jesus And then probably about 10 minutes or 15 minutes into the sermon At last He did mention Jesus' name And apparently it had such a striking effect On the congregation That someone actually stood up at the back And said Yes man, now you've hit the right note Keep playing that one We don't really encourage, I guess People to shout out during sermons these days And So, well We'll leave it there But But it's a true story And I like that story I was listening to a sermon also once Where the preacher made the comment That Jesus Christ is the most neglected person In the church today I was pretty struck with that statement And startled by it They were talking about the church in general

[12:51] We really thank the Lord That here In Westerhales Baptist Church There's a church where Christ is preached Week by week Week in and week out And we ought to give thanks for our pastor Craig Who preaches Christ From this pulpit Every week And that's what we need Now this is what we need And may the Lord Help Craig And all who preach in this pulpit To keep doing so In some churches The fact is that In Scotland The Lord's name Is sometimes not even mentioned In a sermon The epistle to the Hebrews Was a sermon originally And it's addressed to a group Of Hebrew Christians We learn from Hebrews chapter 2 And verse 3 That they had never heard Jesus in person But had learned of him From others who had listened to him Evidently the original hearers

[13:52] Would have been well versed In the ways of Judaism The prophets Moses The Aaronic priesthood But clearly all was not well with them They were being persecuted For their faith And they were in danger of slipping back And wandering from the faith And some were in danger of giving up entirely We don't know for sure Who wrote the epistle to the Hebrews Several names have been suggested And the question of who wrote it Is quite important I think It's not just for academics I mean if I could put it this way If someone writes you a letter But doesn't give their name You want to know who wrote it That's really important The epistle to the Hebrews Is certainly inspired scripture Inspired by the Holy Spirit But there are four main suggestions As to who wrote it The apostle Paul Luke Barnabas And Apollos We won't have time to discuss

[14:54] These in detail today But whoever the author was Clearly he was an outstanding preacher And an outstanding pastor The Christians who originally Heard the epistle to the Hebrews Were struggling in their faith And they were in danger Of abandoning the faith altogether They were in a really dangerous place Spiritually And they were in great need So the author of Hebrews In a very amazing way Seeks to encourage the people To bring them back And to remind them of the Lord Jesus And to strengthen them In the faith Although here in Edinburgh In 2026 We're not facing Outright persecution For our faith In the Lord Jesus But even so The danger of unbelief Of backsliding Is nonetheless very real And we need to be spurred on As well And encouraged One of the ways That this is done

[15:54] And one of the ways The author to the Hebrews Spurs folk on In the faith Is to sound a series Of five warnings I don't know if you've ever Thought of this But one of the ways That the Lord helps us And keeps us safe Is by means of warning Now we don't like To be warned about things But sometimes warnings Are necessary If a fire alarm goes off Especially in the middle Of the night It would be a frightening noise We can hear the warning And we can respond To the warning In the right way We can get out of that building That's burning And we are kept safe Or we can neglect the warning And find ourselves In great danger And so there are five warnings In here In the epistle to the Hebrews If you're taking notes And you'd like these Maybe I'll just read them out quickly We can look these up A bit later on The first warning is in Hebrews 2, 1-4

[16:54] And the second one Is in chapter 3 Verse 7 That goes through to Chapter 4, verse 13 Third warning Is in chapter 5, verse 11 And that goes through to 6, 12 Fourth warning Chapter 10, 19-39 And the fifth warning Chapter 12, 14-29 These are the warnings So we can neglect the warnings Or we can take note Of the warnings The first warning is this Hebrews 2, chapter Hebrews 2, verse 3 How shall we escape If we neglect So great a salvation Which having at first Been spoken through the Lord Was confirmed unto us By them that heard The answer is of course

[17:54] There is no escape To neglect such a great salvation Is to lose everything So if there are warnings In everyday life How great is this warning A warning about unbelief This warning about unbelief Unbelief is a deadly thing And the warnings Are necessary So we don't know Who wrote the epistle To the Hebrews But we do know That he was a great preacher And we can read this sermon For ourselves today He was a great pastor And the words spoken Are recorded for us In our Bibles For us today Personally I think Apollos wrote The epistle To the Hebrews You can read about him In Acts chapter 18 He was mighty In the scriptures And fervent in spirit And spoke and taught Accurately the things Of Jesus He was a powerful preacher And able to show From the scriptures That Jesus is the Christ

[18:55] At the end of the day We don't know Who wrote the epistle This is by divine design Only one name Should be associated with it And that's the name Of the Lord Jesus And the writer To the Hebrews With all his might And ability And under the inspiration Of the Holy Spirit Seek to do one thing And one thing only And that's to magnify The name of Jesus And may this be Our goal this morning And in the great aim Of all of our lives Is to magnify Praise And exalt His great name Let's read Hebrews 1 And verses 1 to 3 This is God's word And we pray for his help The help of the Holy Spirit To understand His word this morning In the past God spoke to our forefathers Through the prophets At many times And in various ways But in these last days He has spoken to us

[19:55] By his Son Whom he appointed Heir of all things Through whom He made the universe The Son Is the radiance Of God's glory And the exact representation Of his being Sustaining all things By his powerful word After he had provided Purification for sins He sat down At the right hand Of the majesty In heaven Amen May the Lord bless To us The reading of his word And help us As we just look Very briefly At these verses This morning Right at the heart Of the message Of the Bible Is the message That God has spoken And in the beginning Of the epistle To the Hebrews The writer takes up This great theme F.F. Bruce The great brethren Scholar Who I believe Has also written The very best commentary On the book of Hebrews It says If God had remained silent

[20:56] Shrouded in thick darkness Our plight Would be terrible indeed And there would be No hope for us But this is not the case God has revealed Himself to us Hebrews 1 verse 1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers Through the prophets At many times And in various ways So let's have a think About this for a minute How interesting it would be Just to read through All of the Old Testament And to make notes Of all those places Where God communicated With his people of old God spoke to Moses In storm and thunder At Mount Sinai Later on in the epistle Hebrews chapter 12 The author mentions this God spoke to Elijah In a still small voice At Mount Horeb God spoke in a very mysterious way To the young Samuel Serving in the temple

[21:57] Again and again All the way Through the Old Testament We read of how God Spoke to his servants In many different ways Sometimes in visions Sometimes in dreams Through angelic revelations And through historical events At many different times And in many different ways God spoke in time past To his people To the prophets There was Isaiah And Jeremiah And Ezekiel And many others They were God's spokesmen They were given a message From God To deliver to the people And he did this Very powerfully And with all the authority Of God Speaking God's Very own word And we can open our Bibles And read the Old Testament And we can read and learn God's message Spoken through the prophets All those years ago And as we do so We find that the message Is still relevant today And then we can read The New Testament And discover

[22:57] That in the Old And New Testaments We have one complete book Not two separate books But one complete book It's complete and finished And it is the whole Council of God God's very own word We're not to add to it And we're not to subtract from it Rather we're to take it up And read it Get it into our minds And into our hearts That we may learn More of him That we may come to know him As our saviour And live our lives For his glory God spoke in time past To our forefathers Through the prophets But in these last days Hebrews 1 verse 2 God has spoken to us By his son The New Testament Was originally written In the Greek language And we know that And in the original Greek This verse is very interesting And it's interesting To note how the form Of words here Is given In such a way That magnifies The name of the Lord Jesus The Greek says literally

[23:59] God has spoken to us In the son But a good translation Of that would be The Lord God has spoken to us In such a person As his very own son He's magnifying The name of Jesus He's showing Jesus And his superiority As God's ultimate And final revelation To us His very own son Our saviour The Lord Jesus Christ God has spoken to us With finality In such a person As his very own son F.F. Bruce says The story of divine revelation Is a story of progression Up to Christ But there's no progression Beyond him John Calvin says If God has now spoken His last word It is right to advance Thus far Just as we must Halt our step When we arrive At him And Donald Guthrie

[25:01] Makes this comment God's revelation Through his son Is seen Not to Not to Is seen Not to Only be superior But final God's revelation Through his son Is seen As not only superior But final Do you get the picture here?

[25:22] Lord Jesus Is God's ultimate And final revelation Acts 10.43 All the prophets Testify about him That everyone Who believes in him Receives forgiveness Of sins After Jesus Rose from the dead There was a great meeting That took place On the road to Emmaus Remember there were Two disciples Walking along They walk along the road And they're pretty sad But Jesus Drew near to them And went with them And they weren't sad For much longer Because beginning At Moses And all the prophets He expounded to them In all the scriptures The things concerning himself I would like to have Heard that sermon It's not possible But the writer Of the Hebrews Has provided us With a great sermon In which he refers To many passages Of scripture From the Old Testament And applies them To the Lord Jesus And as you read

[26:23] Through Hebrews You can see this Somehow we Need to learn The art of reading The Old Testament With our New Testament Glasses on So that we can learn More about Jesus And rejoice That the teaching Of the old Points forward To the new And ultimately Finds its fulfillment In the Lord Jesus We're living In the last days In Hebrews 1 Verse 2 Makes that very clear The last days Being that period Of time Between the cross And the second coming Of the Lord Having spoken About God's revelation In times past To the fathers By the prophets And about God's Ultimate and final Revelation to us In such a person As his very own son The writer of the Hebrews Then goes on To make statements About the Lord Jesus And we're going to look At these just now Very briefly Firstly The Lord Jesus Is God's eternal heir

[27:24] This could never Have been said Of Isaiah Or Jeremiah Or any of the prophets The writer of Hebrews May have been thinking Of Psalm 2 here Psalm 2 is a messianic Psalm That speaks Of Jesus We read in that Psalm I will proclaim The Lord's decree He said to me You're my son Today I have become Your father We cannot begin To fully comprehend The extent of that inheritance But FF Bruce Was surely right When he said The inheritance Of the son of God Is not limited To earth only But embraces The universe And the world to come That's staggering enough But let's think about This for a minute If you're a Christian Then you're a joint heir With Christ And we read that In Romans 8 16 The spirit himself Testifies with our spirit That we are God's children

[28:25] Now if we are children Then we are heirs Heirs of God And co-heirs with Christ If indeed we share In his sufferings In order that we May also share In his glory Now this inheritance here We're not talking about cash We're not talking about money Spiritually speaking As heirs of God And joint heirs with Christ We're the wealthiest people In all the world Now you might not have A single penny In your pocket This morning As an heir A joint heir With Christ You're one of the wealthiest people In all the world There's another verse In the Bible It says The meek shall inherit the earth What a staggering thought That is Maybe we don't think About this very much And certainly We cannot fully comprehend The extent of the riches We have in Christ But the fact is Spiritually we are Very wealthy people Point number one Then

[29:25] Was that The author of Hebrews Makes this point About the greatness Of the Lord Of his majesty And his splendor The Lord Jesus Is The splendor of the Lord Jesus Is that God has appointed him Heir of all things And point number two Is this It was through him That God made the universe He is the creator God And we read these verses Earlier on in the service John chapter one Verse three Reminds us that Through him All things were made And without him Nothing was made That has been made Colossians 1 16 For in him All things were created Things in heaven And on earth Visible and invisible Were there thrones Or powers Or rulers Or authorities All things have been created Through him And for him I really like to watch Programs on TV

[30:26] About nature And in fact I'm watching David Attenborough's Program just now About wildlife in Asia I really like that Sort of program God's creation Is amazing The sheer variety Of living creatures God has made them all As we just think on this It's enough to take Our breath away Scientists tell us That there are many Parts of the earth The depths of the ocean Particularly And very very remote Places That are on earth That are yet Undiscovered Our God Is the creator God That he made The heavens and the earth In all their splendor In his great power He just spoke the word And brought all of creation Into existence Genesis 1 Verse 1 says In the beginning God created The heavens and the earth And that's a statement Of fact We don't need to Somehow scratch our heads And just ponder And consider How the universe Came into existence

[31:27] Because in the very First verses of the Bible The very first book Of the Bible We're told that God is the creator Of it And I'm going to go With what God says And not what The evolutionists say David Attenborough Included actually Enjoy his programs But I don't agree With his agnostic views And belief in Darwin's theory Of evolution So the opening Two chapters Of the book of Genesis Are indeed Amazing accounts Of how God Created the earth In six days And he rested On the seventh day Genesis 1.16 Is a brilliant verse It's almost a sort of Throw away verse He made the stars also And think about that For a minute It's a throw away comment Almost an afterthought That how many millions And billions of stars Are there in the universe We don't know But Moses The author Of the book of Genesis Under the inspiration

[32:27] Of the Holy Spirit Records for us The fact that God Created all the stars In the heavens He made the stars Also What an amazing thing God just spoke The word And it was done He commanded And it stood fast Isaiah or Jeremiah Or any one of the prophets Couldn't create anything Maybe a bit of chaos From time to time But the son of God Spoke And it happened instantly Not in three or four Million Or billion years But instantly with the word And it was created The fact of Christ's deity Is plain and clear To see In his command Over all the forces Of nature Remember how Jesus Calmed the storm Maybe we could just Briefly turn here It's in Matthew chapter 8 And verse 23 Matthew Chapter 8 And verse 23

[33:28] Then Jesus got into the boat And his disciples Followed him Without warning A furious storm Came up on the lake So the waves Swept over the boat But Jesus was sleeping The disciples went And woke him Saying Lord save us We're going to drown He replied You have little faith Why are you so afraid Then he got up And rebuked The winds And the waves And it was completely calm The men were amazed And asked What kind of man is this Even the winds And the waves Obey him The answer is He is the one Who is the God Man I wonder if you're In the service Here this morning And it feels like You're in the middle Of a storm It could be health issues Perhaps a job situation

[34:28] Family issues Trouble at home The disciples On the lake of Galilee In a boat In the middle of the storm With water flooding Into the boat Which is ready to sink And they were just About to drown But at that moment In time Actually they were In the safest place In all of the world And that might sound A little strange to say But They were in the safest Place possible Because God was with Them in the boat They were learning A hard lesson And their faith Was being tested To the max And maybe your faith Has been tested To the max as well At this time But they were learning To trust God In the midst of the storm And Jesus just Spoke the word And the sea Was completely calm Just like glass When I was a boy Attending Charlotte Chapel There was a song

[35:29] That we used to sing And it was called With Christ in the vessel You can smile at the storm It's a good song And Well it might not be easy To smile At the storm With Christ in the vessel It is possible And if we keep trusting In him Jesus Is able To rebuke the winds And the sea And to bring about A great calm The disciples Asked a question What manner of man Is this That even the winds And the waves Obey him And the answer is That he is God almighty Only God Could do that Jesus just spoke The word instantly And it happened Jesus made the lame To walk The deaf to hear The dumb to speak He raised Lazarus From the dead With the word And he is able To raise those Who are spiritually dead And to give them New life In Christ The change That Christ brings About in a person's life Is as dramatic

[36:30] As that It's a change From death To life And this is what Happens to every believer In the Lord Jesus God has called us Out of spiritual death And into life That's what happened To me When I was a teenager Attending Church Charlotte Chapel God called me Out of my old way Of life And I received By the grace of God Through faith In the Lord Jesus Salvation It's all through Lord Jesus' work His finished work At Calvary's cross God just spoke And it happened Instantly Charles Wesley Pits it brilliantly In one of his Songs In one of the verses Of his famous hymn Oh for a thousand tongues To sing We read this He speaks And listening To his voice New life The dead receive The mournful Broken hearts Rejoice The humble

[37:30] Poor believe I was dead Spiritually I was lost And I was going To a lost eternity But God in his mercy Reached down And lifted me up And gave me new life There's another song That we often sing It's a more modern one By Graham Kendrick And the song is called The Servant King It's a song we're reminded That the creator God The one who created The heavens and the earth The sky and the sea Cares for us The Lord Jesus The one through whom God created the universe The one who made The stars and the planets His hands were surrendered To cruel nails As he hung there On Calvary's cross Dying for sinners Like you and me Come see his hands And his feet The scars that speak Of sacrifice Hands that flung stars Into space To cruel nails Surrendered This is our God The Servant King He calls us now

[38:31] To follow him Will you follow him? Will you put your trust In him? Even this very day Even this very moment Let's move on To the final verse Of our text Hebrews 1 verse 3 And here we can learn Something more About the glory Of Christ We'll take points 3 and 4 together Point number 3 Is he is the radiance Of God's glory And point number 4 He is the exact Representation Of his being Someone might ask The question How can we believe In God?

[39:06] How can you believe In a God You've never seen? How can any Rational person Be expected To believe In such a God? Where is the evidence That he exists?

[39:19] I can't see him Seeing is believing And unless I can see him For myself I will not believe But God is a spirit Infinite Infinite Eternal And unchangeable How can we see him?

[39:32] How can we believe In him? On one occasion Jesus said These words To his disciples I am the way And the truth And the life No one comes To the Father Except through me One of Jesus' Disciples By the name of Philip Was listening And he asked Jesus Lord Show us the Father And that will be Enough for us Clearly Philip Wanted proof Because seeing Is believing Right But Jesus said This in reply Don't you know me Philip Even after I've been Among you Such a long time Anyone who has Seen me Has seen the Father And so here's The answer To our question If we want to know What God is like We need look No further Than the Lord Jesus He's the radiance Of God's glory In the exact Representation Of his being To see Christ Is to see What God the Father Is like

[40:33] In his being His wisdom His power In his holiness And in his justice In his goodness And in his truth His love And compassion For people Is clearly seen In his life And in his ministry Recorded for us In the Bible Ultimately God's love Is seen Most clearly And in focus At Calvary's cross Where Jesus Suffered And bled And died For sinners Like you and me To make a way For us to be Reconciled to God On another occasion Just after Jesus Had risen from the dead One of his disciples By the name of Thomas Who had witnessed Jesus' crucifixion At Calvary He had seen the nails Being driven Into Jesus' hands And the spear Being thrust Into his side The flow of blood And of water Pouring out of Jesus' side Thomas said Unless I see The nail marks In his hands And put my fingers

[41:34] Where the nails were And put my hand Into his side I will not believe Because seeing Is believing Right? Well the Lord Did show himself To doubting Thomas And he did go on To put his finger In the nail prints And his hand In the spear mark In Jesus' side And Thomas just Said this To Jesus My Lord And my God How can we know What God is like?

[42:05] We need to look No further Than the Lord Jesus Christ He is the radiance Of God's glory And the exact Representation Of his being And for those of us Who have come to know Him as our saviour Though we have not Yet seen him Face to face But one day we will Our testimony is this Though we have not Seen him We love him And even though We do not see him now We believe in him And we're filled With an inexpressible And glorious joy Where we are receiving The goal of our faith The salvation Of our souls Our Lord Jesus Reflects the glory Of God And bears the very Stamp of his nature And we have come To put our trust In him Point number five The Lord Jesus Sustains all things By his powerful word He is the Lord Of all of history

[43:06] Christ is the one In whom all things Hold together And in his providence He directs and upholds The universe He is the one Who carries all things Forward On their appointed course Think about this For a minute There's no such thing As an accident God is in control It's amazing to think Isn't it That there In Bethlehem That little baby Jesus Lying in the manger In such need Of help And care Of feeding And of changing Was also the one Who is upholding The very universe Amazing isn't it And at Christmas time There's a little carol We sometimes sing Called See amid the winter snow And one of the verses Of that carol Says this Very profound words Low within The manger lies He who built The starry skies And that's very true It's a great carol And it teaches

[44:06] An amazing truth Not only did he build The starry skies Not only did he make The earth But he upholds The universe And sustains all things By his powerful words Point number six He has made Purification For sins The Lord Jesus Made purification For the sins Of his people And this verse Gets right to the heart Of the matter And right to the heart Of the Christian faith The problem is this As God's word Reminds us That all have sinned And fall short Of the glory of God And that the wages Of sin is death And outside of Christ There's no hope For any of us We are lost And heading For lost eternity Only he can save A lost sinner Only God can do it But we can praise God This morning That he has done it

[45:06] And there are so many Of us here today That can testify To this fact We can say In the words Of that great worship song My sin Oh the bliss Of this glorious thought My sin Not in part But the whole Is nailed to his cross And I bear it no more Praise the Lord Praise the Lord Oh my soul There's another song That says Jesus paid it all All to him I owe Sin had left A crimson stain He washed it white As snow The Lord has done A thorough work He paid the price For our sins Once and for all And forever And there's no further Price to be paid Maybe you're in church This morning And you've not yet Become a Christian But all I can say Is this That the offer Still stands And it's a great offer Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ And you will be saved John chapter 3

[46:07] And verse 16 The greatest verse In the whole Bible Says this For God so loved The world That he gave His one and only son That whoever Believes in him Shall not perish But have everlasting life So you come into church This morning Feeling sad And you can go out With a spring in your step And you come to know The Lord Jesus And put your trust in him There's no one That can do that for you But the offer Still stands To take the offer Accept it Accept the Lord Jesus Well our final point Is this Number 7 It reminds us That Christ's work Is a finished work And when he had By himself Purged our sins He sat down At the right hand Of the majesty On high And surely this is One of the most Glorious themes In the whole Bible The Lord Jesus Is our great high priest He ascended up Into heaven And sat down At the father's right hand In the place of glory And honour And majesty

[47:08] As has already been mentioned The epistle To the Hebrews Would originally Have been read to And heard By Hebrew Christians And I feel sure That they would have been Startled by what they heard The Jewish mind Could not conceive Of an idea Of a seated priest In the Old Testament The priest of Israel Would stand To minister They wouldn't sit To minister They would stand To minister Daily and repeatedly They would offer Sacrifices Which could never Take away sins By contrast The Lord Jesus After he had Offered one sacrifice For sins forever Sat down On the right hand Of God He is the great prophet And priest And king And as believers We know that he is Our prophet Our priest And our king He is our prophet Through whom God Has spoken

[48:08] His final word He is our priest Who has accomplished A perfect work Of cleansing For his people's sins And he is our king Who sits enthroned In the place Of highest honour At the father's Right hand All glory And praise And honour Be to him Forever Amen Let's pray Our father We'd like to thank you Again for these Great verses From your word Remind us Of our great saviour The Lord Jesus Christ And we simply Pray this lord That you would help us To keep Our eyes Fixed upon him Those of us Who know him Lord may we take The warnings Of scripture As our own And may

[49:10] We be spurred on In our faith In you Not going back To the old ways But going forward Trusting in you All the days Of our lives And serving you With all of our hearts And Lord If there's any Here today Who have Not yet come to know you As their saviour I pray that even This very day May we be Joy and rejoicing In heaven Amongst the angels On account of one A sinner Who repents Lord you are Mighty to save Thank you lord That you are The only saviour And I give you All the glory In Jesus name Amen Let's sing In closing Another great hymn Another great hymn Another great hymn Of the Christian faith Through all the changing Scenes of life We'll rise to sing After the introduction And let's really sing

[50:12]  Out together The singing Has been excellent Today In my opinion Let's keep that up And really praise the lord Together with this great hymn Hymn of praise Through all the changing Hymn of praise Through all the changing Scenes of life Thank you for coming To this service today I'd like to invite you Back to the evening Meeting At six o'clock This evening If you're able Let's just finish With the blessing From the book of Hebrews In chapter 13 And verse 20 May the God of peace Who through the blood Of the eternal covenant Brought back from the dead Our Lord Jesus That great shepherd Of the sheep Equip you With everything good For doing his will And may he work In us What is pleasing to him Through Jesus Christ To whom be glory For ever and ever Amen