God is Reaching the Drifting

In the book of Hebrews, God has spoken and He is reaching towards those who are drifting and even dissenting away from Christ in Christ alone. Take your Bibles if you would please and turn to Hebrews chapter 1. I'll read verses 1 through 3 and we'll see today just how God has spoken. The title for today's message is that God is reaching those drifting. And the heart behind the book of Hebrews is that God loves His people and He does not want to see anyone drifting away from His Son. God knows that it's hard and sometimes in our humanity we sometimes will drift away from Him, but God is reaching wherever His people are and He does that through His Word. And so God has spoken. We'll see that He has spoken in His prophets and in His Son. And then as well I want you to know as well today that God has spoken, but those who are far away from God do not have perhaps God's truth in front of them and they're not engaged in God's Word and so it's up to us to take God's Word and God's heart to them and to reach them.

And so the heart behind Hebrews today would be that to reach those who are not only deceived but drifting. We all have people in our lives who are drifting away from Christ rather than drawing closer to Him. And we all know people who are deceived in false churches or in false doctrines and so God cares about those who are deceived and He is reaching those by speaking and we want to do the same likewise. Read with me in Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 through 3 and see this. "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in many prophets, in many portions, and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us." Now that word "us" there is speaking to the predominantly Jewish Christians. It most certainly would have been a mixed crowd in the church, a normal New Testament church with those Gentiles as well. But He's speaking in these last days to us by His Son and whom He appointed heir of all things. And so Christ has inherited all things. That's a huge subject. We'll look at that in depth in future sermons to come. That is a great allusion to an Old Testament passage in Jeremiah chapter 3 verse 19 and 10 16.

"But not only is He the heir of all things, through whom also He made the world." What a great claim that is and it's substantiated in Colossians chapter 1 verse 16 and that Christ is the Creator. And then in verse 3, "And He is the radiance." All these attributes in this verse are daunting. Listen to them. "And He, being Christ, is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power. And when He had made purification for sins," it's a reference to the work on the cross, "He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high." That's a reference to Psalm 110 verse 1. And it's been said that Hebrews here is an exposition from Psalms 110 verse 1 and I believe that to be true and that'll come to light in future sermons as well.

I want today to speak primarily to how God is reaching those who are drifting through His Word and address it from the very beginning. So we'll kind of get behind Hebrews and make a long ramp and come up to the text and address the addresses. Who is Hebrews addressed to? Well, the majority of those whom are addressed here in the text are Jewish Christians. They would have attended synagogues and temples growing up and thus the Hebrew audience here has been heavily influenced by Judaism. So ethnically, culturally, and religiously, that's their backdrop. That's their heritage. Hence the first message in Hebrews addressed all of what they would have known, which would have been not to subject themselves to angels, to the law of Moses, to priests, to the old covenant, and to the old system in the tabernacle. All of these things are to be subservient to Christ. Christ is superior to all of these things. A lot of these things have their place but they're in light of New Testament revelation.

And so now this book Hebrews is addressed to Jewish Christians. In the midst of all this we would have had other Christians as well. So this New Testament congregation for which Hebrews is addressed to would have had some Gentile Christians. There would have been some Greek and Roman tendencies within their church history. This is just a New Testament normal church. Just like ours, we have a blend of all kinds of different people from all kinds of different countries with all kinds of different and a lot of different backgrounds, cultures, and languages. We have a blended church here in a lot of ways. One thing we do have in common is that we have not held to our old traditions or old way of lives, our old culture as superior to Christ. We are all subjected to Christ as Lord and Savior. Praise the Lord.

And so now that we know that Hebrews is written to predominantly Jewish Christians, this sermon, the book of Hebrews, presumes heavily upon their knowledge of the Old Testament. Now as regards to authorship, moving from the attendees to the authorship, the author states right up front God and it's not anything to be disputed. And even clarifies, in His Son. So God wrote Hebrews in His Son and this not only is by the Holy Spirit, but it's also through a human author which is unknown. Perhaps we can spend some more technical time on this subject, but for now I could just simply say that it is presumed by many that it could have been through Paul's preaching in Hebrew and recorded through Luke in Greek. And so that is a very strong presumption and we can look more at that later if you would like.

But the location of this church for which Hebrews is addressed is most likely Rome or Jerusalem. Hebrews seems to have been written from Italy. Turn if you would to Hebrews chapter 13 verse 24 and see this for yourself. Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 24. And the reason why I say most likely and could be is because there's wiggle room within these. These are truly hard to nail down certainly. Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 24 says this, "Greet all your leaders and all the saints, those from Italy greet you." And so you can presume that the author is in Italy right now preaching, writing, and teaching and such. And so those from Italy greet you.

Now moving from the attendees and from the authorship and the location now to the even more ambiguous idea of the date in which it is written. It as well is a bit ambiguous and it seems since the author did not mention the life-crushing event for Judaism, that which being in AD 70, the destruction of the temple, that this letter would have been written before then. And that's a presumption. And so the magnificent rebuilt temple was destroyed in AD 70. All of Jerusalem was sieged and a lot of it was burned and destroyed. And so now we can kind of deduce from some of these clues within Hebrews and world history that this letter was written in sometime in the 60s or 70s. And so let me just mention a few of those indications. So the eradication of the temple or the destruction of the temple marked the end of Judaism's sacrificial system. And what took its place is what's called rabbinic Judaism. And that is not any better. In fact, it's worse. And in fact, it has a lot of modern day similarities in the false representations speaking on behalf of God in the present tense.

Scribing to rabbinic Judaism is the authority of a rabbi above the scriptures. And so in today's presence driven, you know, mystical, I got a word from God type culture, there's some similarities there. And so what replaced the sacrificial system was rabbinic Judaism and rabbi's writings. And we'll dig a little bit more into it. But for now, we're talking about the date of Hebrews. So, so far, it seems that it would have been logically pinned before AD 70 because of the destruction of the temple not being mentioned in the book of Hebrews.

Nero died in AD 68. Okay, Nero put Paul to death in AD 65. If Paul would have been the author, then it seems logically to say that perhaps Hebrews was written before AD 65 then Nero burned a bunch of Rome to the ground in AD 64. So now we can back up to 64 logically. Nero was persecuting Christians as a result of all of this. Look in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 4. This is fascinating because it helps us to see that perhaps it was before AD 64.

Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 4, the author says to the Jewish Christians, "You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood." And this is for all Christians to be prepared to do, to stand in your faith even to the point of shedding blood or being martyred. That's a given. But perhaps this verse is also alluding to the fact that they have not suffered from Nero persecuting them to the point of shedding blood yet. And if that be the case when Nero was persecuting Christians after burning half of Rome in AD 64, then that may be a logical case for Hebrews being written before AD 64. And so nevertheless, your guess is as good as mine. And I would say it would be safe to say somewhere around the 60s is the date of when this was written. There are other arguments for which I respect as well might I say. There's a purpose statement that I would like for you to look at in Hebrews 13:8 in that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.

The purpose of the writing of this sermon or the purpose of preaching this sermon or the purpose of Luke even writing this sermon in Greek and getting it to that church and being spread around to all the Christians, what is the purpose? Well, the purpose is urgent to be honest with you. And in Hebrews chapter 13 in verse 8 it says, "Jesus Christ is the same." Okay, He's the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. He's the Alpha and the Omega. Nothing changes, therefore do not change. Stay committed to Christ. Through persecution, stay committed to Christ. He doesn't change, you don't need to change. Don't change your religion, don't change your beliefs. Through frustration, through strains, through economic upturns and downturns, through death, through life, whatever the case might be, stay committed to Christ. Persevere in Christ. Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

The purpose of this letter is to encourage these Jewish Christians not to shrink back and drift and descent away from Christ into their old traditional ways in Judaism, but to remain steadfast in Christ. And today's message too, I want you to hear that God has spoken and we need to take His Word to those who are drifting away from Christ or are trapped in deceptive doctrines and false religions. God cares about those people. I should say it like this, God cares about His people. God has sheep everywhere, lost sheep that need to be reached, that need to become found, need to be brought into a closeness in Himself. And so Jewish Christians were tempted to revert back to Judaism, which essentially denies Jesus as the Messiah. And many of these stereotypical shallow approaches to their Christianity, you can call it religiosity, shallow, it's empty, it's void. This will leave them destroyed at the end of a trial rather than being built up in a trial. False religion is so destructive.

We've got to set our mind on a goal and that is reaching people for Christ and wherever lost people are. And today we're seeing in the text that the audience, the addressees are those who are under threat of drifting away from Christ and Christ alone. And we too should have the same concern that God has to reach those who are drifting and are trapped away from Him and reveal Christ and that He doesn't change, remain in Him. And so thus the author proves Jesus's deity in many ways, especially through Old Testament typology, which we will get to, and especially in the fact that He is a mediator of a new covenant which fulfills Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 31, which we will get to. So Hebrews was written to prove the superiority of Christ and Christ alone and to urge them to be steadfast in Him and not to be deceived and drift.

Point number one is that God has spoken. Look with me if you would in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1. "God, after He spoke, past tense, long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways." Well how did He speak? Well let me answer it by way of Scripture. Turn back if you would to Hebrews 13:22. How did He speak this particular portion of Scripture? It's by way of exhortation. Hebrews 13:22. And if you can't tell, you need to keep your finger in this book as we turn back and forth. I want to show you these things. Hebrews 13:22 says, "But I urge you," this is an urgent letter. It's been made a letter because the preaching through perhaps Paul has been now written by Luke in Greek. And chapter 13 would add it on to the sermon and sent to the addresses making it now a letter. So this is a sermon put in letter form. Okay?

In verse 22 it says, "But I urge you brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I've written to you briefly." Now if any of you dare to take on the stout task of standing and audibly reading the entire sermon of Hebrews, I think that you may differ with this verse in that, oh it's not very brief. It's a, this is a stout, this is a huge, thick, wonderful, deep sermon. But yet at the same time, wow is it just brief. There's so much more to Christ that you can't ever even begin to put it into one sermon. To begin to put it into one letter, into one book. The whole Bible is seriously about Jesus Christ. And so this brief, if you want to say that, I would agree with the author but at the same time understand it theologically, this brief letter has been written to you, this brief sermon has been preached. But it's a word of exhortation, "paraklesis" exhortation. And what does that mean? It means to implore, to impart, to entreat.

In Acts chapter 13 and verse 15 it uses the same Greek word of exhortation by way of preaching in a synagogue service. And so after the Scripture was read in the synagogue, there then would be exhortations or teachings or preachings. And so 1 Timothy 2:3 also uses the word exhortation by way of preaching. So this is an oral sermon and it was converted to a letter. Now you can support this because sermons have rhetoric, sermons have illustrations, sermons have references, sermons have points that support their points, they have arguments and all of this and more is found in here. And I would just simply say by way of humility that there are many respected scholars who would see it a bit differently. And that's okay because there's no theological implications in seeing it a bit differently. However, chapter 9 verse 5 says that this was by way of speaking and chapter 11 verse 32 says that it was what he was saying. So that's the case there.

Now as we continue to see that God has spoke in verse 1 of chapter 1, it's talking about spoke long ago in the prophets and in many portions and in many ways. Just to mention that this is God who is speaking, the Puritans rightly focused respectfully upon this first designation to God. And for respect's sake, for authority's sake, the Puritans started by mentioning that the author is holy, holy, holy. This name which was revered by the Hebrews as pleasant and as precious. And so it's worth just pausing for a moment and placing some emphasis on the fact that God is how Hebrews is opened up to us. The Puritans waded slowly into this profound depth and then ascribing to God's name this Latin term "profundum sin fundo", which is to say the bottomless depth of divinity. And so you can't even get past the first word or name in Hebrews in this lifetime, the bottomless depth of God.

But we can try and we can continue in the Word and we can get to know God more and more and more, somewhat so, in this lifetime. In fact, in Latin, the Puritans referenced God's name as also no man's majesty, which refers to the majestic name that is plural by a singular source, which is of the highest rank in authority, commonly known as the plural we. The Puritans spent a lot of time on writing and studying and they had a really, really wonderful way. Not that they had everything right, but they had a wonderful way of being able to draw you in to the presence and allness of God. So Hebrews is drawing us into the extreme reverence of God.

In fact, the Hebrews would have respected God's name so much so that they would be very careful not even to use His name as by way of honoring Him, not even to use His name to demonstrate perhaps even a tinge of disrespect. And so we should also be very respectful and awe-filled in regards to mentioning God's name and not have it as something that is normative, but as something that we respect and honor. Turn, if you would, to Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 28. Hebrews 12:28 and see how this idea of reverence is continued. Hebrews 12:28 says, "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence, and awe." Reverence, and awe. Reverence, and fear, honestly. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. And so verse 29 as well then says, "For our God is a consuming fire."

Oftentimes we refer to fire as refining, burning up the chaff, or burning up things that are unnecessary, and that is true. But as well, the idea from the Old Testament and God being a consuming fire is that when you are focused on God, then you are all consumed in Him. Being all consumed, He is a consuming fire. He will set you on fire for Himself. The things of God become so bright and so beautiful and so rich, wonderful, and hot, wonderful that everything else is very, very dim if even existing at all. And so our God is a consuming fire. Back to verse 1 in chapter 1, "God, after He spoke long ago in His last days, now He's spoken." And so this verse limits how God has spoken to the prophets and in His Son. And this would help us to understand our measuring stick or our standard of rule for how we know God to have spoken. This is a reference to the canon of Scripture. Canon comes from the Greek word for measuring stick or read.

And so point number two would be the canon is complete. And as you look at the limiting criteria here in verses 1 and 2, you see that God has spoken past tense. The canon is complete. His Word is a done deal. It's not still being written. It has been written. And so this completed list of authoritative books of the Bible is our canon of Scripture. One mountain preacher said it like this, "From Genesis to maps." And that's what I believe is God's authoritative Word. And so the criteria, let's talk about the canon, the criteria for establishing what the Old and New Testament books consisted of was a process. It's a process of recognizing some things. And so you would have good Christian people like you and I who would have the indwellment of the Holy Spirit within them that would help illuminate some things. And you too can recognize what books in the Bible are authoritative and inspired or not.

You too can read things like the pseudo gospel of Judas and see that that is not of God. You too can read something like the Apocrypha and see that well there may be some valuable history in this but this is not inspired of God because there's contradictions within the text that contradict the Scriptures. Some of the criteria are that it would be, the books would be authoritative. And in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 8 it says, "Your throne is forever." How more authoritative can you get than that? And so God sitting on His throne is established forever. Not only that, these books would have an apostolic origin. And so those who saw Jesus or they would have been a prophet in the Old Testament. And not only that, they would have been not only authoritative and of apostolic origin but also theologically consistent.

And so if there is anything inside of a letter or a book that was being considered to be within the canon of Scripture that was perhaps inconsistent with others, then that was ruled out. Hebrews 13:8 we've already mentioned that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. And so it has to be consistent. Not only that, but the books that would be established within side of what would be the canon of Scripture would also have had to have had the power of God. And so when you read the Scriptures, it speaks to you. The power of God reaches you. It divides the soul and it divides the marrow. It gets to the heart. It's got the power of God upon it. And so when you read this, there is a sense of coming into the presence of God and Him cutting to the very point of the matter, especially if there is unconfessed sin in your life.

It just seems that you cannot read Holy Scripture and yet tolerate sin in your life. You have to pause and repent and pray and come back before the presence of a Holy God. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12 says that it pierces to the heart. The Word of God is piercing. And so if it was to have been considered Scripture within the canon, then it would pierce them. It would have something authoritative to the soul that would move you inwardly. And there's nothing that any normal writing or saying can do to pierce like the Word of God pierces. There's a difference. And so not only that, having the power of God, but that it would also would have been highly and affirmed by the church. Like I just said, you and me and other Christians would have also affirmed that it was Scripture.

Turn to chapter 2 verses 2 and 3. Hebrews 2:2 and 3. "For if this word spoken through angels proved unalterable and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation after it was at the first spoken through the Lord? It was confirmed to us by those who heard." Confirmed to us by those who heard. You see this by way of confirmation. I would confirm as well that Hebrews is authoritative, that Hebrews is doctrinally sound. I would have confirmed. And if I would have been there, I would have also said these other letters that were written in the name Paul that were just random letters that God did not inspire, did not have the authority and the power in it. So they weren't inspired. So I would have the ability by the intuition of the Spirit within sight of me because of being a Christian to be able to discern. So would you and so did they.

And so the churches filled with Spirit-filled Christians would have been able to utilize the Spirit in the day what they would have deemed to have been Scripture. You see in this day they didn't have all of their Scriptures in a binding like we do. They would have some here and some there. The Ephesian letter was to be circulatory and so the churches would have been faithful to have copied down Ephesians before they send it to the next church and so they would have to copy and so forth and so on. Same thing with like the scroll of Isaiah. All of these historic documents, the churches, the synagogues, the temples in this day becoming New Testament churches, they would have had fragments or pieces or copies. And you know that the scribes were tenaciously copying the Scriptures to try and mass produce and spread God's Word. So not until the canon was complete we actually get to the point to where we could have it all together in one place. It took centuries for this to come about.

And so now we have the benefit to be able to say that thy Word is truth. John 17:17, thy Word, the whole Word. We have it from Genesis to Revelation. We've got the completed Word here that took centuries of martyrdom and blood, sweat, and tears and work to be able to have what we have now as the completed canon. And the Bible says in Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 2 that you shall not add to my Word. This is a matter of supreme seriousness as to what you ascribe, as to what is Scripture. And our traditional Bible here is what has been verified over and over and over through the centuries now as authoritative Scripture. Thy Word is truth. And it comes with a very clear ultimatum. You are not to add to it in the beginning. And then at the end in Revelation chapter 22 and verse 18 there's the same, but it adds an implication. I testify to everyone who hears the words of this prophecy of this book. Anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. And so adding or taking away from God's Word comes with some serious repercussions.

How serious? Well, we need to know because there are other religions that call it rightly to a point of or death eternally. For example, the Council of Trent in the sixth session is still binding today upon Catholic churches and priests and those who are Catholic says that faith alone is to be anathematized, which is to excommunicate and remove someone from the Catholic church to condemn them to purgatory. And so this is literally a matter of eternal life or death as to what you determine is canonical. This is important not to add to the Word of God or to take away from it. There's a lot to be said there, but we need to take this seriously.

And I'm saying to you today, point number two is that the canon is complete. And then now point number three, the Scripture is inspired. In Hebrews chapter one and verse one, it talks about how it's been spoken in many ways. God, after He spoke long ago to the Father and the prophets and in many portions and in many ways, many ways in the Old Testament, there's visions, there's dreams, there's prophecies, there's narratives, there's poetry, there's hymns, there's prayers, there's law, there's all kinds of different ways, many ways for which God has spoken. And these are all like puzzle pieces that are being put together. When you put the puzzle pieces together, you see Jesus. In the New Testament now, He has spoken in one way, in the Son, and it puts the picture together. And so as you see through the lens of Christ, all of Scripture, all of the pieces fit in.

In John chapter five and verse 46, Jesus said that He, being Moses, spoke of Me. And that is very important for us to realize that Jesus is saying not only the law in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and not only the all the New Testament, all the prophecies of the prophets were speaking about Me. And so this is to presume the doctrine of inspiration, which is God supernaturally giving His truth through the Holy Spirit by way of mankind. And so God breathed out His truth through the Holy Spirit by the agency of men writing them down. 2 Timothy 3:16 says all Scripture is inspired. There is an element of inspiration, and the inspired Scripture actually does something. Again, if you want to verify what's Scripture and what's not Scripture, you can test it by way if it does these things. 2 Timothy 3:16 says all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching.

Okay? Does Scripture educate you? Yeah, it teaches. Does Scripture reprove you? Does it take you to the woodshed? Some would say. Yeah, some say it's like looking in the mirror, like seeing in the depths of your soul. Does it do that to you? Scripture is profitable for teaching and reproof and for correction. Does it show you the right way forward? It doesn't just reprove you and point out your sin, but it shows and corrects you as to the way, the truth, and the life. Scripture does that. And then as well, does it train you in righteousness? It doesn't just, from a negative standpoint, point out your sin, but it also sets you on the correct path and trains you. Does it continue to encourage and spur you on in the right directions? Well, this is the wonderful positive pathway forward for Scripture. This is what Scripture does. Scripture is inspired. It does these things. And so how much more should we be in the Word of God? Because Scripture does this for us. No other books do this. No, no, no. Seriously, the Scripture, so much more powerful than anything else in this world.

So Scripture, it did not come by the will of man, but it came by the Spirit. In 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 20 and 21, it talks about how no prophecy of Scripture is of one's own interpretation. And so Scripture came by the Holy Spirit and is not subject to your interpretation. Turn, if you would, to 1 Peter and see it for yourself in chapter 1 and verse 20 and 21. 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 20 and 21. "But know this, first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." This is also an area that is abused in today's false religious circles. Notice it. No prophecy of Scripture is of one's own interpretation. Now in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy chapter 18 and verse 22, they would stone a prophet if he had an interpretation that was wrong or a prophecy that was wrong. That's serious.

And it might I say that God still takes it just as serious if there is a false prophet proclaiming things. God will deal with this, but until then we've got to be discerning because there are many there who are claiming new revelation, who are claiming prophecies from God, who are claiming dreams, visions, and all these different things. I said that God spoke by way of visions, dreams, prophecies, narratives, hymns, prayers, and laws in the Old Testament and others. But that is in the past tense. He spoke. It's done. But today we have people who are unfortunately adding to God's Word saying as if there has been new revelation given to them and they would say that this is authoritative. This is binding on the way that we live. In fact, don't delay in your obedience. Do it today. Has God told you to give you a thousand dollars? Don't delay. Give today. All these infomercials. Reducing God to a self-help Santa Claus.

It's predominant. It's what's being exported from America to around the world. You do four missions. This is the gospel that they believe that America believes. The false gospel, the prosperity gospel. The Hebrews had the scriptures and they would have been able to have seen Jesus in the fulfillment of the Old Testament pointing toward Jesus through the priesthood, through the prophecies, through the tabernacle, through the types, through the evidence, through everything pointing to Jesus. They would have been able to have seen God's Word in all of how He has spoken pointing to Jesus. Not pointing to a self-help system and not pointing towards a get rich scheme. But unfortunately the Jews today have rabbinic writings if they place more authoritative than scripture. The Jews in AD 140 added rabbinic writings to their scriptures as authoritative. They rejected the New Testament. They rejected the New Covenant, which is a rejection of Jesus Christ. So rabbinic writings, not inspired, have been added to the Word of God. It's still a problem today. More on that to come.

But by way of application, or I should say like a parallel issue, would be men like the outlandish false prophet, Mark Driscoll, who claims to have received a vision from God. This man was discipled by John Piper. Not that John Piper had every dot and tittle correct theologically. But Mark Driscoll knows sound doctrine. And as one who used to adhere to cessationism now condemns it as a continuous. As one who was never in my opinion a true shepherd, but has only continued to reveal very specific disqualifications along the way. They've become brighter and brighter and brighter as we have heard and examined his life. And it's only going to get worse. The only reason I bring it up is because he was harder to spot some years ago. Today it's like glaringly obvious for when he says, "I just got a vision from the Lord and this is my interpretation of it." And this guy is so disqualified. I won't even go into it. Listen online if you want. But I'm saying to you that he started somewhere and he was in sheep's clothing and it was harder to spot then than it is now.

Hebrews is reaching those who are drifting. Hebrews is reaching those who are deceived by doctrine slipping into forms of like Judaism. Hebrews is reaching with the deity of Christ, those who are away from Christ. Hebrews is setting forth evidence for who Jesus is as opposed to adhering to angels, as opposed to adhering to the law, as opposed to adhering to modern day false prophecies. It's important that we get how relevant Hebrews is for where we live today. Because the same reasonings for why Hebrews was spoken by God is the same reasonings as to why we would be reaching those who are drifting today. Many are adding to God's Word, but in Hebrews 1:1 it says God spoke. In Hebrews 2:3 He said He spoke through the Lord. In Hebrews 4:12 it says the Word of God is living and active. And in Hebrews 6:5 it says that the Word of God is sound.

And so now the Old Testament saints believed and received God's Word from a distance. Hebrews 11:13 says they had it from a distance, but we now have it up front in these latter days through Jesus altogether. This is to be celebrated and embraced and proclaimed. And by way of quick wrapping up, I just want to show you something fantastic as point number four, Scripture is masterful. Back into verses one, two, and three. I want to show you just how masterful Scripture is. In the first three verses of Hebrews there's an observation that a trained reader, an interpreter, can spot in that God is a master craftsman, in that He has fabricated ideas here with alliteration. It's really neat to be able to see this in Greek, and I can't except for just looking at it written, but it's really cool to see how God has formulated these first few verses. And so those read Greek with C that the first five words that begin with the letter P alliterate these phrases at different times, in different ways, long ago, fathers, and prophets.

These all start with the letter P in Greek. Of course P is the English letter for the Greek letter P. And so let me read it to you. God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets of the world, He had been in many portions and in many ways. In these last days He has spoken to us in the sun, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He made the world. There's some alliteration in there that we can't see, but if we was to have been able to read or hear Greek you would pick up on that quickly. And that would be really super cool to have been able to have heard that in your own tongue.

Secondly, not only is there alliteration found in these verses, but in such a more intriguing way, there is another literary observation. There is a grammatical construction of words and concepts that repeat and then repeat again in reverse order. So let's just say concept A is followed concept B, which is followed by concept C, which is followed by concept D. And then masterfully, these concepts are repeated again. D, C, B, A, in reverse order. Let me make it as plain and as possible as I possibly can. Concept A, He has spoken to us in B, He has appointed Him heir of all things. C, He made the universe through Him. D, the sun is the radiance of God's glory. And then back again, D, He is the exact representation of His nature. C, sustaining all things by the Word of His power. B, after making purification for sins, He sat down the right hand of the majesty on high. And then A again says, "And He became a higher in rank than that of the angels, just as the name that He inherited is superior to others."

A, B, C, D, D, C, A, it's called a chiasm. Pretty neat, huh? This is masterful by our Master. This reveals God's intentions to reveal Himself to you in a very unique and masterful way. You say, "Why would God do such a thing?" Well, explaining God is a bit beyond us. It takes forever and ever and ever in this lifetime to get even close to explaining Him. But for certain, I can tell you that He is wonderful. And yes, it includes masterful chiasms, and alliterations, and things like this. And when God prays, He prays masterfully. When you have the prayers in the Bible and you can look at them, you can see a masterful God. And when you see God's teachings in the Bible, you can see a masterful Teacher. When you see God's creation, you can see a Master at work. And when God writes, you can see a Master Writer. This is masterful.

So God, when He does anything, He does it in a self-glorifying way. And even in the structure of writing, analyzing the literature, you see a Master at work. And the deeper that we can study God's Word, the more we can know Him. The deeper we can understand God's writings, and His prayers, and His teachings, and His creation and more, the more that you can know God. And so another example of God's depth, and brilliance, and glory is through Psalm 119. Many of you know that alliteration and chiasms are impressive, but Psalm 119 is also masterfully written. And God would have had to have had Psalm 119 in mind before He even created the Hebrew alphabet. To have been able to do this, the end would have had to have been in mind. It points to a brilliant, masterful Creator because Psalm 119 is what is called an alphabetic acrostic. And the Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters and therefore Psalm 119 has 22 letters, it has 22 stanzas, and each are dedicated to one letter. This is masterful.

Every stanza then has eight verses and every verse starts with the same letter and everything is in perfect alphabetical order. So you have 22 letters written with eight stanzas each, all in alphabetical order. And guess what? There's one main idea to the whole thing and that is the Word of God, which is Jesus. So the theme of Psalm 119 is Jesus. It's the Word of God and He does this masterfully. Psalm 119 is a perfect literary masterpiece. Therefore God's Son is perfect. Psalm 119 is a complete literary masterpiece with repetition of essential themes, synonymous for God's Word, utilizing words like law, and statutes, and precepts, and commandments that utilizes parallelism, acrostic, and alliteration. This is wonderful. You know Psalm 24:1 says this, "That the earth is the Lord's and all it contains." Everything that the earth contains all belongs to God. And guess what that includes? Alphabets. And guess what God uses to speak to us? Words. And God uses these things in a masterful way. And so speaking words and writing words are possible because God created these things. He owns these things. He's got the patent on all of this and He utilizes these things in a masterful way and He still owns all that He contains.

And I hope that you have seen that Scripture is masterful. What does this mean for us? Well, I have some take-home truths for you as we wrap up. Number one, being that God spoke long ago. Point number one is don't ignore God. Being that He has spoken to us. Don't ignore Him. And if you would bear with me just a little bit and turn to Psalm 113. I would like for you to see a couple things. In Psalm 113, I'll get started here. Praise the Lord. Praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Psalm 113, verse 2. Bless the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever. Psalm 113, verse 3. From the rising of the sun and to the setting of the name of the Lord is to be praised. From the rising of the sun to its setting. The name of the Lord is to be praised.

Now this is a conundrum if you think about it. Because from your perspective, the sun rises and the sun sets. But how many of you know from, I don't know, a logical perspective, an accurate perspective, you want to say a biblical, scientific perspective, that the sun does not rise nor does it set. But the Bible says the sun rises and the sun sets. Oh, there's a bit of an issue here. Think about it. Does the sun move or is it stationary? Well, the Bible says the sun rises and the sun sets. Well, let's just keep reading just a little bit here. In verse 4, it says the Lord is high above all nations. Well, He being high above the nations can definitely see that the sun does not move, especially since He created it stationary. Just saying. But verse 3 says it rises and it says, I'm leading to something and this is important. His glory is above all the heavens.

Who is like the Lord I regard? Who is like Him? Think with me. Who is enthroned on high? And verse 6 is the answer. Who, this is God, humbles Himself. Who is like God? Who humbles Himself? God, yes, He is high above all things, but He is one who descends down to reach you where you are. He humbles Himself. And one of the ways that He comes down to meet you where you are is He speaks to you in a language that you can understand. And when He speaks to you through words and you can understand that, He goes even farther to speak to you in a way that you perceive. You perceive the sun rising and the sun setting. And He has spoken to you in a way that you can perceive Him. He's humbled Himself. He's descended down.

He does this for His own purposes of saving the poor and bringing them to Him to become rich. And He doesn't stop there. Not only does He descend down to save, but He also saves and sets them those who were poor, smelly, wretched, thieves, awful, naked, destitute, saves those, wretched sinners, saves them, sanctifies them, and sets them on a throne to be seated beside of kings. Keep reading. Verse 6 says, "Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth? Who raises the poor from the dust?" See that? Who raises the poor from the dust? God does. He descended down to save and lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes. The poor are saved, and sanctified, and set into a rich and wonderful place. This is our wonderful God.

Praise the name of the Lord who speaks to us in alliteration, and in chiasms, and comes down and speaks to us in a way that we can perceive what He wants us to understand. And my point in the take-home truth of number one is look at how God has spoken to us in the extreme measures in which He has taken to reach you and to speak to you. Don't ignore Him. When someone is speaking to you, don't ignore them. Don't ignore God. He has spoken to you and He is reaching and doing something. And so when someone is speaking to you, be respectful and listen. And so that makes a case for us being in the Bible a whole lot. Being in the Bible is one that should be normative in your life. Don't ignore God. He has spoken. And when we realized to the extremes for which He has humbled Himself and come down to put His concepts into words and to speak to us in masterful ways, then we are overwhelmed with Him. And we don't ignore Him. In fact, we can't get enough of Him. And we're in the Bible all the time.

So don't ignore God. Point number one. Point number two, knowing that the canon is complete, we should say then Scripture is all you need. Scripture is literally all you need. You don't need a fresh word from God, from a false prophet. You don't need a prophecy over your life. You don't need some rabbi to give you more rules from the Mishnah or the Torah reinterpreted. You don't need Scientology. You don't need Joseph Smith and his golden plates. They're worthless. You don't need the Quran. You don't need advice from Buddha. Scripture is all you need. And the Scriptures will lead you to wonderful things of God. So Scripture is all you need. Number two.

Number three, since knowing that Scripture is inspired, then it is safe to say by way of application, be careful not to add to Scripture. Take home truth. Number three, be careful not to add to Scripture. It is so easy in our humanity to add to what the Word has said. You can quote a verse and then add your own interpretation and everyday conversation. Be careful not to be given to like your coffee cup verses and to quote things like Jeremiah's one down 11 out of context. It actually means the exact opposite of what we have commonly heard it being proclaimed. And be careful not to quote Philippians 4:13 out of context. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength and then you add your own interpretation to that. Be careful. This is holy, sacred, inspired Scripture. And as you quote it, be careful to keep it within its context and not to add to it. God's identity and reputation is what you are hands and speaking out of your mouth. And God is blamed for a whole lot. That is not His fault by way of pseudo Christianity. And so be careful not to add to Scripture.

Number four, deeper is better. I hope that you've been inspired by being able to perceive that God has masterfully written in the first couple of verses this observation called chiasm and alliteration. And the deeper we get with God, not only by way of understanding literary devices, but the deeper we get with God by way of doctrine and theology, the better. The better thus, the deeper you dig, the more meaningful your relationship with God gets, the more amazed and awestruck you will be. And so we should be deep people. Deeper is better. And lastly, fifthly, God on high reaches down low. We see that just simply by Him speaking throughout out of world history. He is reaching to His people and the mere fact that God uses language that we can understand proves that He's descending down to humble Himself to reach us to wherever we are. And the mere fact that God uses literary devices, such as what we have seen here in the first few verses, should cause you to say like the psalmist in Psalm 113 verse three, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

And He doesn't stop with these methods. He continues to save the poor and to sanctify the saints. He doesn't stop there either. He causes you to make you to be one who sits with princes. Psalm 113 verse eight. And so now I would say to us that we should go forth and do likewise and to be concerned about those who are drifting away from Christ. And to be concerned about those who were trapped in false doctrine like Judaism, like the addresses here are being tempted with, we should be concerned to be able to show them the true Jesus and all these wonderful truths, pray for them and captivate their hearts and be an evangelist, be a disciple maker and go be a great commission Christian.

We've come here this Sunday, this Lord's day to worship Christ our King. We've come here to learn in our Bible study groups. We've come here to hear the Word taught and preached. We've come here to pray. We have come here to fellowship. We have done everything that God wants us to do on the Lord's day and the Lord's day services. And now be a great commission Christian and go forth and make disciples. Share the life-saving news, the good news that Jesus saves. We were born totally depraved, totally in sin. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot rise ourselves up. We've been dead in our trespasses and sins and we need a Savior to reach down, to descend down, to humble Himself, to grab onto a dead corpse, a dead corpse, to raise up a dead corpse, to breathe life into a dead corpse and to make one alive. You need your lostness to become saved. You need your dark body to be exchanged with a heart of flesh, a heart that's alive, a heart that is for God. People who are not saved need Jesus and it takes a lot of explanation, a lot of exhortations, a lot of compelling, a lot of persuasion, a lot of drawing, a lot of prayer.

Ministry is messy. Christians get into bad shape sometimes when they don't protect themselves when they're evangelizing. So be strong in the Lord and the power of His might when you go and you go to dark places and then come back and fellowship with the saints and worship God. This is our life. So God is sending you from this day into a Monday and a Tuesday to go forth into the world and wherever you're at to make disciples, to be alive, to be a light, to be salt, and light, to be change agents for Christ and not to shrink back, not to be closet Christians. If you're going in your closet, pray and then get out and go be a light, right? Amen. Let's pray together.

Lord, thank you for today. Thank you for these introductory thoughts that really are just talking about what You are doing. And I look forward, Lord, to some exhortation of the text as we continue to say what You have said and for it to edify our lives. And for today, I thank You, dear God, for helping us to understand these truths, these premises from which You are coming from so that we can ascertain Your heart and to know why You have done what You have done by pinning this book Hebrews to reach those who are drifting, to convince those who are trapped in false doctrine of Christ in this deity. I pray, dear Jesus, that we would be ones who are able to articulate Your Son's deity and what He has done in the cross and that He has fulfilled all of the work necessary to provide an atonement for sin, a payment that is sufficient, that which we could have never done ourselves.

God, I pray that You help people to continue to see Your truth through the lives and the words of Christians here at Beulah Baptist Church that men might be saved. And I pray, dear Jesus, that men not only would be saved, but they would be drawn into a close walk with You that is being sanctified regularly. And as they continue in the Word, may they see that they need to be baptized and belong to a church and study the Bible for themselves. And then may You strike a flame inside of their heart and make them to go like evangelists that are on fire to share Your Word with the lost and dark world. One of these days, dear Jesus, we're going to stand before You and give it an answer. We're going to stand before You at judgment and we will give an account for the time that You have given us here on earth as to how faithful we were. And I pray, God, that we would have no regrets on the day of judgment, that we would live fully alive for You today with the idea that this life is short and is soon to pass and only what's done for You will last.

And I pray, dear Jesus, that You would help us to give ourselves fully to the gospel, to understanding Your Word and spreading it. Now, we ask these things in Jesus's wonderful, and precious, and holy name, and it's in Christ's name that we say. Amen.