FBCWest 455 | God Has Spoken
Recorded On: 06/12/2021
Bulletin
FBCWest
June 13, 2021
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Revelation 4:11
“This is Amazing Grace”
“Your Promises”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“God Has Spoken”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Word of God Speak”
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate
Continued Praise and Worship
“Holy Water”
“More Than Amazing”
Benediction “Egypt”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Sermon Notes
Hebrews 1:1
God has spoken
God has spoken in many ways and portions through the prophets
1 Peter 1 10 – 12
The prophets searched and made inquires of the prophesies
Amos 3:7
God reveals His plans to the prophets
Jeremiah 23:28 & 22
Who has stood in God’s council, but if you had you would announce His word to His people so that they would turn frofm their evil ways
Hebrews 1:2
God has spoken through His Son, Heir of al
l things and the Son also made the world
John 1:1 – 3 & 14
Jesus is the Word, He made the world and has become flesh
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
We're going to do something this morning. We haven't done for almost three years.
We're going to start a new series.
This new series is in what we commonly called the letter to the Hebrews.
So whenever you start a new series, especially when it comes to a new letter or book.
Do you have to do some introductory type things? So here's the introductory types of things. Who wrote it?
No, I'm sure.
There are those who who are certain believe that Paul wrote it.
Others believe that.
Paul wrote it, but Luke translated it into Greek.
Which.
Gives the reason why they say it's a little different than Paul's other writings. Others say that it was Apollo's.
Some other still say was Barnabas.
I in agreement with many of the early church fathers.
We don't know.
So when I talk about the author of this, I will say the author. I won't say Paul because I don't know.
So we don't know the author.
Well, who was it sent to?
We're not sure.
Like a lot of the letters to from Paul, it's to the church at Corinth or the church at Rome, or emphasis or whatever. This doesn't have a geographical destination.
So why it's called the letter to the Hebrews is because of the content that it is quotes what we would call the Old Testament, which they would call the scriptures. They quoted the scriptures, and since he quotes the Scriptures a lot, the assumption is that it must have been intended for Jewish Christians and those who are considering to being Christians and those who were.
Making it difficult for.
The Jewish Christians.
It's called the letter to the Hebrews.
It doesn't look like a typical letter and you don't get the clue that it's a letter until the last few verses of the letter, and then it becomes clear that it's a letter. Otherwise the contents of it is much more exhortation and warning. Encouraging an getting you to to move towards faith and also warning you that if you don't.
When was it written?
We're not sure. It's certainly probable that it was written before 7080 because so much of the content talks about the Levitical priesthood and other things related to sacrificed. An if the temple had been destroyed, you would think that it would least get casual. Mention it minimum. Also, the early church fathers use this book quoted from it, so it's clear that they.
Believe that was scriptures in for instance, of one of the early fathers Clement quoted from it, and so it has an early origin.
So all that is to say we don't know a lot.
Other than from reading it and seeing the context and the information that we can tell that it's the word of God.
And others who were closer to the situation than us adopted it as part of the word of God. And so as a result.
If we would say, well, who wrote the book, I don't know who was it to us.
Because God's word was sent to us that we might have faith and be increased in faith, an secure in that faith. And be warned, if you get off track. So if you will. While this may be the letter to the Hebrews, is also the letter to FBC West and also the letter to all other believers. So that's who it's from. So let's get into.
The meat of it and I'm going to surprise you wanna stop with the first word, God?
How awesome.
To start what we call a book, call a letter.
Whatever writing with God.
God.
This is going to sound almost blasphemous. I wish Genesis had started that way. God in the beginning.
Not in the beginning, God.
But God in the beginning, because without God it doesn't matter what the beginning is, doesn't matter what the middle is, it doesn't. What matter what the end is without God, it just doesn't matter with God, nothing without God. Nothing with God everything. So the writer here starts in a way that should get her attention is not bless it, be you. And then all these it's God.
God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets, in many portions in many ways. So he saying God spoke.
Now there are two ways you know about God.
One we call General revelation, that's what the.
Theologians and others will talk about general revelation. Well, General Revelation is that you can tell that there is a God based on certain things. The heavens declare the glory of God. They speak that there is a God. The oceans tell of his glory. The geography tells us that there's a God. Biology tells us that there's a God. Physics tells us there's a God. All the sciences tell us that there is a God. All of these things point to the.
Existence and the fact that there is a God, that there is a creator. Now man can close his eyes and assume other things, but.
The general revelation is that there is a God.
The problem is is that in general revelation we don't know who God is other than we can tell he's powerful and that he exceeds time in all these other things so that he's omniscient and omnipotent. And all these types of things because we can see the universe in its vastness and the power that we can understand that that type of God who created things must be that kind of God. But we don't know whether he's.
Loving or hateful?
Or
unmerciful
are merciful.
We don't know.
And So what requires this specific revelation and that specific revelation comes from God. God then tells us who he is.
So you have a lot of ancient beliefs about many gods, and they had their thoughts about how gods were and that they were.
Pretty arrogant and didn't really care about mankind, and sometimes they just did things to mess things up.
The scriptures tell us who God is, and the scriptures tell us who God is, because God is the one who speaks. So he says it is God who spoke long ago. So it's not somebody else speaking for God, God spoke.
So it is God who is revealing himself to us who he is, and he did so long ago to the fathers in the profits. So he said many years ago because between well we called the Old Testament and the New Testament was about 400 years with God. Stop talking.
So this is long ago, God used to talk to the prophets and he did so in many ways in different.
Variation, so for instance.
He would come to Elijah in the still small voice.
He spoke to Moses in a burning Bush that wasn't consumed.
He came to Abraham in others as an Angel, as a man he would come and differently. Sometimes he would come in visions and sometimes he would come in dreams and he would come in various ways to impart who he was and what his plans were. So that's when it says he came to the fathers in the prophets, in many portions and in many ways.
When God revealed himself it was.
In a planned.
Measured manner, he did reveal all of who he was.
He reveals it in portions in portions and portions, and so that's why you will see, for instance, Genesis, that you will see that God is provider in God is.
Existent one in all of these types, things revealing all the attributes of food God is he was doing so in portions no one got all the message.
Each would add to it and if you look at the promise of the Messiah, one Prophet would say he would be coming on a donkey's colt. Another prophet said he would come at this time. A different proper would say different things. David would talk about how the Messiah would be treated. Isaiah with the same thing. Each one would give a little account of God's word in who God is but not the entire picture. So God after he spoke long ago to the fathers.
In the prophets, in many portions in many ways, so is always through man's.
Activity God would reveal himself through a pool prophet to us.
In these last days.
Let me back up.
And so he would reveal himself to the prophets.
If you would turn to first Peter.
Chapter one, verse 10 through 11. It says this As for this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiries seeking to know what person or time the spirit of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you in these things, which now have been announced to you, to those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
He saying we think wouldn't be awesome.
If we were a prophet, wouldn't it be awesome if God revealed something to us and there's still a large group of people today who keep looking for a new word?
They want God to give them a new word.
And I keep saying I'm having trouble doing the words you already told me too. When I get that down, I'll worry about a new word. But until then, when I can love you like Jesus loved you when I can forgive you, like Jesus forgave you when I can do the things Jesus did and said I look for new word.
So there are those who say would it be awesome that God spoke to us, but notice the intentions. It's it's about them.
Peter saying the prophets.
When they were revealed, the word of God since it haha they continue to search the word of God, they continued to understand who he was talking about and what he was talking about. And so they made careful inquiry continuing to do that, not for their benefit but for ours.
And that's the problem with many people in the church dates, it's always about us.
US in the singular, not us in the plural.
So the Prophet would be get the word to God, but they would get it so that they would study it and they would understand it.
And help us out.
So sometimes we are more blessed than we really realize.
Then if you'll turn to Amos.
Chapter 3 verse 7.
I'm also going to include eight.
Surely the Lord God does nothing unless he reveals his secret council to his servants the prophets.
A lion has roared who will not fear the Lord God has spoken, who can but prophesied.
Not saying I reveal myself and I reveal my plans through the prophets, I speak to them.
And the prophets are saying just as a lion roars and you're afraid when God speaks, how can you not also speak what God has said? You are compelled to speak with God has spoken.
So here again, God reveals to us that he reveals his plans.
What the people in the Old Testament were called mysteries we now call clear understanding of exactly who the Christ is and was.
And what he's going to do and what he has done?
So God reveals his plan. He doesn't hide it.
And then if you'll turn to Jeremiah Chapter 23.
Starting with verse 22.
But if they had stood in my Council, then they would have announced my words through my people and would have turned them back from their evil ways, and from the evil of their deeds.
Am I a God who is near declares the Lord?
And not a God far off.
God is saying here.
That if you'd have been in heaven before I said, let there be light.
And you saw what my counsel was, and you saw the purposes of what I'm doing.
You'd preach.
And you'd preach Hellfire and damnation. You would preach mercy. You would preach grace. You would preach all of those things because you want people to be turned from their ways to God.
The more we know about who God is, the more we want people to be with him, not away from him.
So we're saying if you just been there.
You have a whole different outlook.
On this life.
Let's go back to Hebrews.
So God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets, in many portions, and in many many ways. In these last days, has spoken to us in his son.
Not saying I used to speak through prophets.
I spoke still small voice.
In a burning Bush that wasn't consumed, I sent angels. I did various things. I sent visions and dreams.
Now I'm sending you my son.
I'm speaking.
Through my son.
Whom he appointed air of all things, to whom he also made the world.
So the scripture says not only did Jesus become God speech.
He is the heir. He's the one who's going to inherit it all, and he's the one who created it all.
So the one who is coming to us to announce who God is and what God's plans are and what God's purposes are.
Is the one who was the creator himself.
Now I'm going to in the weeks to come to talk more about the arrow pointed, but I want to look at Jesus as that speech.
Probably the verses that you're thinking of is in John chapter one, so I want to turn there.
In the beginning.
Was.
The word.
The logos.
The word which God is going to be speaking.
And the word was with God, and the word was God.
God is now sent forth his son to tell us who he is, but he's sending not a representative. He sending himself to proclaim who he is.
That he is the creator, that he was there before the creation, and that he was with God. And he is God.
And was in the beginning with God and all things came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being.
We see here.
There are no exceptions.
Even the mosquitoes.
Came into existence because of him.
Now, maybe if I'm still interested when I get to heaven, I might ask him why he made mosquitoes.
But I'm sure he had a reason.
But even then were made by him.
And guess what?
You too.
Nothing has come into being.
Nothing has come into being. Guess what you came into being, you weren't and now you are, and someday you won't be.
Unless you're his and then you'll always be.
In him was life.
And the life was the light of men.
And if you'll jump over to verse 14.
And the word became flesh.
God is not just satisfied with sending his.
A word and some ethereal thought. Some ghost, some spirit. He put himself into flesh.
Ann blood to give us this word.
And the word became flesh.
But among us.
He didn't dwell apart from us. He didn't come as the savior who like in the all the Westerns. The the hero will come from the the East or whatever, save the town and then right off into the distance and will say who was that masked man?
Jesus dwells among us.
That we might see who God is.
God spoke.
That we might see who he is. So he dwelt among us.
Some 33 plus years.
To see who God is in the flesh.
How he went about his father's business while still ordering his mother and father.
How he loved us and forgave us.
And yet had power and wisdom.
So God spoke.
He spoke to us.
In his son.
The last verse I want you to take a look at is found in first Peter.
Chapter one starting with verse.
24
for all flesh is like grass in all its glory, like the flower of the grass, the grass wither and the flower falls off.
But the word of the Lord endures for ever.
The word of the Lord endures forever.
From the first Prophet and Genesis, which was if you will Adam and Eve, she was looking for a savior.
She thought Seth might be that one.
And they gave the sacrifices.
And then we see all of it, and we see Moses and we see Elijah and we see Elisha, and we see Amos and we see.
Haggai and we see her back and we see all of these and Daniel are all these other prophets revealing the word of God and we call it. Unfortunately, the Old Testament where we ought to call it the scriptures.
The Old Testament will never fade away. As a matter of fact, Jesus says not one jot or tiddle
will perish until the word of God has been fulfilled and Jesus also said.
Even heaven, an earth will pass away before his words pass away because he is speaking the word of God because he is the word of God. He is the locus.
The logos, the word of God and if.
But Moses had to say, will not pass away.
What do you think the words of Jesus?
Will indoor.
And yet we read the Scriptures with such casualness.
Will study for an exam.
And will study hard.
And we might even be successful and get 100 or 97 or whatever, and we feel good about it. And then within a week or three or six we forget the material.
The Scriptures are the word of God.
If we would spend such time on an exam.
That is here today and like the flowers.
Parrish
and maybe we ought to study.
Study.
The word of God.
Because it endures forever, and because the word of God is the word of God, and because it endures forever, maybe we shouldn't be ashamed of it.
Well, Pastor, the science says that evolution.
And you have to be stupid if you believe not in evolution.
I don't say this to those because I don't know.
But the word of God says, the Fool says in his heart, there is no God.
So why am I going to argue with you?
Now that's cruel and harsh, and I'll try to be much kinder to a person in my presence. But but again, there's this sense of.
Oh well, if science says this and we have to retreat from the word of God, well, science said the world was flat for a while.
Thor, God never did the world. God said the Earth was an orb.
So don't tell me that the word of God contradicts science.
Science will eventually get up to the word of God.
We just need to stop being embarrassed by it.
And this is the word which was preached to you.
Therefore, putting aside all malice and all the seating, hypocrisy, and evil and envy and slander.
Nannies making it hard.
We we gotta put away the old stuff.
My my immediate reaction to your hurting me is not to hurt you back.
Is to see your good.
Not to pretend not to, not to be a hypocrite.
And again, a hypocrite is a play actor.
That thing is sitting on our communion table.
Is pretending to be a candle.
I hate to break it to you, but it ain't.
It has some batteries and you flick a switch and a little light bulb fan.
It's a hypocrite.
Is pretending to be something that's not now we use it because our window has replaced it a lot and I have to worry about a building burning down.
So I guess sometimes hypocrites have their place.
So we're supposed to put all these things in, like newborn babies.
Innocent little newborn babies.
Long for the pure milk of the word.
So that by it you may grow and respect your salvation.
If you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
You see the study of God's word causes us to grow 'cause as they grow in faith causes the growing strength causes the grow in wisdom causes us to grow.
To maturity.
And just.
As a baby.
Earnestly desires its mother's milk.
Peter thing.
Earnestly desire.
The word of God.
Now, if a baby gets hungry, guess what? It doesn't care who he disturbs or who she discouraged. She's going to cry. He's going to cry. I'm hungry and I don't care if you're tired mom. I'm hungry and I desire that milk because that milk internally tells me I'm hungry. But that melt feeds me and nurses me so that I might grow from being a baby too.
To a toddler.
To an adolescent to a teenager.
God save us all into adulthood.
'cause they started out the pure word.
And so we too should not be so embarrassed about. Well, I don't want to cause problems no I'm hungry give me the word.
Satisfy me that I might grow that I might become stronger that I might not be a baby anymore, but an adult.
Now the problem is all too many churches people want to be babies 'cause they want their way. They don't want the word of the Lord to cause them to grow. They just want to be.
Infantile
notice, it says, tasted.
If you have tasted the kindness.
Of the Lord.
Now I know.
Some people have no clue when they read the scriptures. That's why it's kind of necessary for the Holy Spirit to help you out.
'cause I don't know how many times I've heard people say. Well, I've I've read the Bible once.
It has all kinds of inconsistencies. Then you didn't read it very well. Secondly, they always say though the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament at wrong.
'cause the God of the New Testament was the God of the Old Testament.
As he was the word of God who is with God and created everything. And if you look at the Old Testament, you will see the mercy of God.
You will see the forgiveness of God. You will see even when Moses agreed wife amount down and start over.
God doesn't.
As he's merciful.
And he's loving.
Even those that he's angry with the.
Animal rights and all those who were the occupants, and one quote owners of the promised Land God and say we're going to evict them right now. He says their time and I'll come there. Iniquity has not yet fully ripened.
God does what is right in Justin. What is merciful?
God is always looking for those.
Seek forgiveness and repentance.
There are those who will talk about at the end of our scriptures. Revelation will talk about how the Book of Revelation is about a book of judgment, and I disagree. It is about a book that God is saying repent.
And instead of repenting, man says, let the rocks fall on us and hide from us, they don't. They don't even bother with. There is no God. They just say we don't want to around him.
God is a God of mercy.
And God has spoken to us in these last days and told us exactly who he is.
You wanna know who God is look at Jesus?
You want to know what God would do? Look at Jesus.
You want to know what God would say here, Jesus?
And these last.
He spoke.
Maybe?
We had to pay more attention.
If the word of God.
With an alterable.
Through profits.
How much more so is it unalterable because of his son?
If it was clear.
Through the prophets.
How much more so six layer through his son?
Word of God speak.
Where did God fall down like rain order God may I be so?
Immersed
if you will baptize by your word.
That it sustains me. It refreshes me. It causes me to grow. It causes me to be wise and mature.
Because I have tasted.
His work.
I suspect many if not most or all of you have tasted his work.
All too often.
We need to go on a diet of real food.
As we consume too much of it.
I can guarantee you this.
2 / 8 The Word of God.
You won't get fat.
You'll be more like him.
It will be more like your intended. You're more beautiful, you're more kind, you're more merciful, more forgiving. Your more wanted to be around. You want more people who want to be with you.
Except for those.
Who want to pursue evil?
And then I'll attempt to do away with you.
But then again, that just makes you more like Jesus.
So God.
Spoke.
He's revealed himself to us.
Because he wants us to have a relationship with him and he wants us to know who he is.
He's not a God of far off. He's a God very near, and he's a God who wants to have a relationship with you and he's a God who wants you to trust him and he's a God who wants you to hear what he has to say.
Where did not speak.
And all God's people said.