Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000005
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01:14 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:16 Our Father in Heaven, we thank You so much for the privilege of 01:20 being in Your house for this very important lecture 01:23 on Messiah's family tree. 01:25 We ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit as we open Your Holy 01:29 Word, and we thank You for hearing us for we ask it in 01:33 Jesus' name, Amen. 01:36 I'd like us to begin our study today by going to the book of 01:41 Psalm; Psalm 8 and I want to read verses 3 through 5, 01:48 Psalm 8:3-5. And there are two things that I want to underline 01:56 in these verses as we begin our study today. 01:59 Here David writes the following words: 02:30 Now I want you to notice that in verse 5 we're told that God 02:34 crowned man with glory and honor. 02:37 Now who is crowned? a king. 02:41 And so we find very clearly revealed here that Adam 02:46 was created to be a king. 02:49 Now every king has a territory over which he rules, 02:54 and the question is, over which territory 02:57 did God create Adam to rule? 03:00 In the following verses, starting with verse 6, 03:04 we have a mention of the territory that God gave 03:07 this new king. It says there in verse 6: 03:33 So we notice here two things as we begin our study today: 03:38 1. Adam was created to be king. 03:43 That was his function. 03:44 2. The territory over which Adam was to govern was everything 03:51 relating to planet Earth. 03:53 It says here: the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, 03:57 and all of the animals that wander, or walk upon the earth. 04:02 So two things, as we begin our study: Adam was created to be 04:07 king over planet Earth. 04:10 There's a third point that I want us to underline, 04:14 and understand as we begin our study. 04:16 And that is that according to Genesis 2:9, God placed a tree 04:22 in the garden of Eden, and the purpose of that tree, 04:26 known as the tree of life, was to perpetuate the life of Adam 04:31 and his descendents. 04:33 In other words, it was God's plan that Adam, 04:36 and his descendents, live forever. 04:40 And so three elements we find of God's original plan for man: 04:44 1. God created Adam as king. 04:49 2. His territory was Planet Earth. 04:53 3. God created him to live forever 04:58 along with his descendents. 05:01 Now I'd like us to turn in our Bibles to Luke 3:23, 05:07 Luke 3:23. Here we have the genealogy of Jesus Christ. 05:14 Actually, it goes from the day of Christ when He was born 05:18 all the way back to Adam. 05:21 And I just want to read verse 23 to set the stage for the end 05:27 of the genealogy which is found in verse 38. 05:30 It says in verse 23: 05:45 And then, of course, the list continues: the son of, 05:49 the son of, the son of, until eventually you reach the first 05:55 being which was created by God, and that being was Adam. 05:59 Notice verse 38. It says in verse 38: 06:11 Notice that this king of planet Earth, whom God expected to 06:16 live forever, is called in this genealogy the son of God. 06:23 I want you to remember that point because we're going to 06:26 come back to it a little bit later on. 06:28 The king over planet Earth was called the son of God. 06:36 But then, of course, came the tragedy of sin. 06:39 Turn in your Bibles with me to the gospel of Luke 4:6, 06:45 Luke 4:6. Here Jesus is on the mount of temptation, 06:52 and the devil comes and he tries to entice Jesus 06:56 to take possession of all of the kingdoms of the world. 06:59 Notice Luke 4:6: and the devil said to him... 07:18 Notice here that Satan is offering Jesus all of the 07:23 kingdoms of the world, because the devil says, 07:26 they have been delivered to me, and to whomever I wish I give. 07:32 Now the question is, who delivered these kingdoms to 07:37 Satan? Obviously, it was Adam, because Adam was crowned 07:43 the original king over planet .earth 07:45 If the devil feels like he has the right to offer these 07:48 kingdoms to Jesus, it's because he has taken them, 07:52 he has stolen them from Adam, and he says, I give these 07:57 kingdoms to whomever I wish. 07:59 You see, something terrible happened when Adam and Eve 08:03 sinned. Adam lost his position as king. 08:07 Adam lost his heritage, or his possession, the Earth. 08:12 And now the Bible says that death was going to come into 08:16 the world. Adam, from being lord became a servant, 08:21 or a slave. Notice what we find in Romans 6:16. 08:27 There's a very important principle, which is expressed 08:30 here in Romans 6:16. 08:34 We're told there in the following words what happens 08:39 when a person chooses another master. It says: 08:59 Notice that we become slaves of that individual 09:02 we choose to serve. 09:04 And, of course, when Adam and Eve sinned they chose to become 09:08 subjects of Satan. Adam was no longer king. 09:13 He was no longer lord. 09:15 He no longer had a kingdom or a possession, 09:19 which was the Earth. 09:20 He lost these when he chose another master, Satan. 09:26 The tragic thing is that the Bible tells us that there was 09:31 no one within the human race who could recover 09:35 what had been lost. 09:36 There was no one who could recover kingship. 09:39 There was no one who could recover the Earth. 09:42 There was no one who could save man from death, 09:45 because we're told in Romans 3:10 there is none 09:52 righteous, no not one. 09:56 And in verse 23 the Apostle Paul says, for all have sinned 10:02 and come short of the glory of God. 10:04 In other words, there was no one within the human race 10:07 who could recover kingship, who could recover the Earth, 10:11 who could recover the possibility of living forever, 10:15 because everyone became a slave of Satan by choosing to sin. 10:20 Furthermore, there was no one to save man from death. 10:24 Notice Romans 5:12, Romans 5:12. 10:31 Here we find the terrible consequences 10:34 of the sin of Adam. We're told there: 10:52 So notice that sin came into the world by one man. 10:56 Sin spread among all human beings, and as a result everyone 11:01 came under the sentence of death, 11:04 and not only physical death, but eternal death; 11:08 saying goodbye to life forever. 11:12 And so we find a transition of power. 11:15 Adam the king, with his territory, whom God planned 11:21 to live forever, now is deposed from his thrones. 11:25 Satan takes over the throne. 11:27 He takes over the kingdom. 11:29 He takes over the Earth. 11:30 And he brings in death, and there's no one within the 11:34 human race who can recover that which was lost. 11:38 Obviously, the human race needed a redeemer. 11:43 The human race needed someone who could recover 11:46 that which was lost. 11:48 But who could do it if the Bible says everyone became a slave 11:52 of Satan? Now before I answer this question, I need to tell 11:58 you something about the Hebrew laws of redemption that we find 12:02 in the Old Testament. 12:03 Actually, these laws pointed forward to the Messiah. 12:08 And I want you to notice three of these laws that we find 12:13 in the writings of Moses, which pointed to Jesus. 12:16 Go with me to Leviticus 25:25, Leviticus 25:25. 12:24 We'll speak, first of all, of an individual who for some reason 12:29 sold his inheritance, or sold his plot of land 12:33 in the land of Canaan. 12:34 It was possible if someone sold his land for that land to be 12:40 restored to the original owner. 12:42 Notice Leviticus 25:25 on this point. It says: 12:55 Now in the Hebrew it doesn't say some, the word some is in 12:58 italics, which means that it's added by the translators. 13:01 Actually, it says: 13:07 That is the totality of it. 13:20 Notice we're told here that the person who could redeem the 13:24 possession which had been sold, the plot of land which had been 13:28 sold, the territory which had been sold, was a next of kin. 13:32 A brother or a very close relative could actually pay 13:37 the price to recover that which had been sold 13:40 by the original owner. 13:42 Now what if an individual sold himself into slavery? 13:46 Didn't sell his possession, but sold himself? 13:48 Notice Leviticus 25:48, 49, Leviticus 25:48, 49. 13:58 We're told there: 14:06 By the way, the word redeemed there means to buy back 14:10 by making a payment. 14:14 Who could redeem him? 14:21 That is may pay the price to buy him back, 14:24 buy his freedom back. 14:33 That is a close relative to him. 14:41 So notice that if someone sold himself into slavery, 14:45 a next of kin, a close relative, preferably a brother, 14:50 could pay the price to buy back his freedom. 14:53 A next of kin, or a close relative, could pay the price 14:57 to buy back the heritage, or the inheritance which had been sold. 15:02 Now what happened if an individual died and he had 15:06 no male descendent to perpetuate the name of the family? 15:10 Go with me to the book of Deuteronomy 25:5, 15:15 Deuteronomy 25:5. There was a law in Israel which allowed 15:23 for the name of that individual who had no male descendents, 15:27 to be perpetuated in spite of his death. 15:30 It says there in Deuteronomy 25: If brothers dwell together, 15:37 and one of them dies, and has no son, the widow of the dead 15:42 man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family. 15:47 Her husband's brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, 15:53 and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 15:58 That is, if a man died, he left no male descendent to carry on 16:03 the family name, the next of kin of the dead man was required to 16:09 marry his wife to perpetuate the name of the person who had died. 16:14 So we find three ideas here in the laws of redemption: 16:19 1. A next of kin, or a close relative could pay the price 16:23 to buy back the sold possession. 16:25 2. A next of kin or close relative, 16:29 preferably a brother, could pay the price 16:32 to buy back freedom. 16:33 3. If the name was going to disappear from human history, 16:38 a next of kin, or a relative, could marry the man's wife 16:42 to perpetuate the family name. 16:45 Now what did the human race need? 16:49 The human race needed a next of kin who could pay the price 16:53 to buy back the lost possession, who could pay the price 16:57 to buy back freedom, who could marry the church, so to speak, 17:03 to perpetuate the name of those who died without hope. 17:07 The problem is within the human race there was no next of kin 17:11 who did not become a slave, and who did not sell his 17:13 inheritance, and who did not deserve death. 17:16 So what could the human race do? 17:19 Go with me to Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:1, and then we're 17:26 going to compare John 1:1-3. 17:32 And I want you to remember three elements 17:34 in this verse in Genesis 1:1. 17:38 That's the first phrase I want you to remember. 17:47 Three elements: In the beginning, God, 17:50 created the heavens and the earth. 17:51 Now the question is, who was this Creator? 17:55 Now as Christians, we believe in the doctrine of the trinity. 17:59 We believe that God is three persons but one God, 18:03 in the same sense that a man and woman are two persons, 18:06 but they're to be one flesh. 18:08 Not that God is one person or one individual. 18:12 They are three persons that are perfectly united in one. 18:16 They are in perfect unity in other words. 18:19 Now the question is, who was this person who created all 18:25 all things, or created the heavens and the earth 18:27 at the beginning? Well, the Bible has the answer 18:31 to that question. Go with me to John 1:1-3, John 1:1-3. 18:39 It says there: 18:42 Do you see the connection with Genesis Chapter 1? 18:52 The same two elements: in the beginning, the Word, 18:56 who was God, did what? Notice verse 3: 19:17 So you have the same three elements: in the beginning, 19:21 the Word who was God, created all things. 19:24 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 19:29 So the Creator of Genesis 1 was none less than 19:34 Jesus Christ Himself. 19:36 Go with me to another text in the New Testament 19:39 which underlines this fact. 19:41 The book of Colossians 1, Colossians 1:15-18, 19:49 Colossians 1:15-18. We find the following words 19:56 speaking about Jesus. 19:58 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all 20:05 creation. Now the word firstborn doesn't mean He was the 20:07 first to be born, it means that He is the pre-eminent one. 20:10 the word firstborn in the Bible is frequently used to refer 20:14 that He's the first among many brethren. 20:18 He's the most important one. 20:20 He's the pre-eminent one. 20:21 Now notice verse 16: For by him, that is by Jesus, all things 20:28 were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, 20:32 visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, 20:36 or principalities, or powers: all things were created through 20:42 him, and for him: and he is before all things, 20:47 and in him all things consist. 20:50 That means all things hold together. 20:54 So the question is, who was the creator of Genesis 1:1-3? 21:01 It was none other than Jesus Christ. 21:05 Now I'm going to ask you a question, and don't answer 21:07 quickly because I don't want anybody to be embarrassed. 21:10 And usually when I ask this question, somebody will blurt 21:14 out the answer very quickly. 21:16 Before Jesus came to this world, was Jesus our close relative, 21:26 our brother, or our next of kin? 21:30 Did Jesus belong to our family before He came to this world? 21:36 The answer is no. He belonged to the family of the trinity. 21:42 He did not belong to our family. 21:45 He did not have flesh and blood. 21:47 So let me ask you, according to the Hebrew laws of redemption 21:50 could Jesus redeem the lost possession? He could not. 21:55 Could Jesus redeem us from slavery to sin? No. 22:02 Could He deliver us from the sentence of death, 22:05 our name disappearing from history? Absolutely not! 22:08 Because the laws of redemption required that he who redeemed 22:13 must be a next of kin of those who were to be redeemed. 22:18 And Jesus, when He was in eternity, when He created this 22:22 world, He belonged to a different family. 22:26 And, by the way, this is the reason why Jesus took upon 22:32 Himself flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bones, so that He 22:37 could become our next of kin, or our brother, and He could 22:42 fulfill the Hebrew laws of redemption. 22:45 Go with me to John 1:14, John 1:14, speaking about this 22:53 same person who created all things that we just read about 22:57 in verse 3. It says in verse 14: 23:17 Notice that the Word, who was with God, and who was God, 23:21 became, or took upon Himself, what? 23:25 Took upon Himself flesh. 23:27 He incorporated Himself into our family, partaking of our flesh, 23:34 our bones, and our blood. 23:37 Notice Hebrews 2:14 on this same point, Hebrews 2:14. 23:46 Here it says: 23:51 That's us. 24:04 Notice that because we have flesh and blood, Jesus partook 24:10 of what? of the same, that through... 24:23 Notice that Jesus, who belonged to the family of the trinity, 24:27 became flesh, became our blood, and dwelt among us. 24:34 In other words, He became our kinsman. 24:37 He became our brother. 24:39 He became our next of kin. 24:41 And as our next of kin He could now fulfill the Hebrew laws 24:46 of redemption. By the way, the mission of Jesus, 24:50 in coming to this earth was twofold. 24:54 Let's do a little parenthesis here. 24:57 Why did Jesus come to this world? 24:59 He came for several reasons, but there are two central 25:03 reasons, and they're reflected in the sacrifice of the lamb 25:07 in the temple service in the Old Testament. 25:10 Do you remember that when an Israelite, or when a priest 25:15 brought a lamb, before he sacrificed the lamb, 25:19 before the lamb was slain, the priest needed to make sure that 25:23 the lamb had no what? had no blemish. 25:28 In other words, the lamb had to be a perfect lamb. 25:32 It could have no spot, and the priest had to examine the lamb 25:37 very carefully to make sure that that lamb had absolutely 25:43 no spot or defect. And when the priest saw that that lamb had 25:51 no defect, then the priest sacrificed the lamb 25:55 for the sins of Israel. 25:56 In this ceremony of the lamb we have the two reasons why Jesus 26:02 came to this world. 26:03 Sometimes we emphasize so much that Jesus came to this world 26:07 to die as the lamb, that we forget that before Jesus could 26:11 die as the lamb, He had to live a perfect, immaculate life 26:16 in order for His death to have value for us. 26:20 And that's the reason why in 1 Peter 1:18-20, which I'll just 26:27 refer to, I won't read it, it speaks about Jesus being a lamb 26:32 without spot, and without defect, who redeemed us 26:38 by paying the price of His precious blood for our sins. 26:42 And so really, Jesus came to this world for two reasons: 26:47 1. He came to live a perfect life without sinning even once. 26:53 2. He came to this world so that after He lived a perfect life 26:59 without sin, He should die the death that all of us must die. 27:04 To live a perfect life, and to die a death for sin. 27:09 And, by the way, when Jesus does this He benefits us in two 27:14 ways. You know I can't come before the throne of God and 27:18 say, Here I am. You have to accept me. 27:20 The Father wouldn't accept me, because I'm a sinner, 27:23 and the wages of sin is death. 27:25 So when I come before the Father, I come before the Father 27:28 and I say, I have no merit. 27:29 I have nothing to offer to you. 27:31 But Jesus lived a perfect life. 27:33 I come to You through the merits of Jesus. 27:36 And the Father looks at Jesus, and He says, Yes, Jesus lived 27:39 a perfect life, and because He stands in your place, 27:42 I looked at you as if you had never sinned. 27:45 In other words, the life of Jesus is imputed to me. 27:48 It is credited to my account. 27:50 That couldn't happen unless Jesus had lived a perfect life 27:54 that He could impute to me. 27:55 But secondly, Jesus died for my sins. 27:58 The death that I should die, He died, so that He can go 28:01 before His Father, and His Father says, 28:03 Where is Pastor Bohr? 28:05 Well, Pastor Bohr is not here. 28:06 I'm representing Him. 28:08 Well, Pastor Bohr should die. 28:09 Jesus says, He's accepted Me, so I paid the death 28:13 that he should pay. 28:14 You need to accept him in Me. 28:17 And so the death of Jesus is also imputed, 28:21 or credited, to my account. 28:23 In other words, the Father looks at me as if I have never 28:26 sinned, and the Father also considers my debt of sin paid 28:30 through Jesus Christ. 28:33 Those are the reasons why Jesus came to this earth. 28:36 But in order to live a life without sin, He had to become 28:40 flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bones. 28:42 In order to pay the death that we should pay, Jesus also had to 28:47 become a human being. 28:49 Now the question is, how far down did Jesus come 28:53 to this earth? Whose nature did Jesus take? 28:57 Did Jesus come to this earth like Adam before Adam sinned, 29:01 or did Jesus come to this world where you and I are? 29:05 Whom did He come to redeem? 29:08 Did He come only to redeem Adam, or did He come to redeem 29:11 the entire human race? 29:13 Notice Romans 8:1-3, Romans 8:1-3. 29:22 The Apostle Paul is very, very clear here about the fact that 29:26 Jesus Christ came to this world. He became our next of kin; 29:28 He became our next of kin in all ways except, of course, 29:33 that He didn't sin. 29:35 Notice Romans 8:1: There is therefore no condemnation 29:41 to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according 29:46 to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 29:48 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me 29:54 free from the law of sin and death. 29:56 And now notice verse 3: For what the law could not do, 30:01 in that it was weak through the flesh, 30:04 (In other words, the law couldn't redeem me because of my 30:08 sinful flesh, because my flesh gives in to sin.) 30:13 It continues saying: God did by sending his own Son 30:20 in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin, 30:28 he condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteous 30:35 requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk 30:39 according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 30:42 In other words, Jesus took my flesh, your flesh. 30:46 He became flesh of our flesh, bone of our bones. 30:49 He came to redeem the lost possession. 30:53 He came to redeem us from slavery to sin. 30:57 He came to redeem us from the sentence of death. 31:03 Now let's go to Luke 1:35 and notice something very 31:09 interesting. Luke 1:35. 31:12 Do you remember that we read the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3, 31:17 and we noticed that Adam was called the son of God? 31:23 Now notice what Jesus is called when He comes into this world. 31:27 Luke 1:35. It says here: 31:39 That is to Mary. 32:06 What was Jesus going to be called when He was born? 32:09 He would be called the what? the Son of God. 32:13 Now who was called the Son of God at the beginning? Adam. 32:17 This must mean that Jesus came to this world to be the second 32:23 Adam. Jesus came to recover what the first Adam lost. 32:29 He came to take Adam's place. 32:33 He came to recover the crown. 32:36 He came to recover the territory. 32:39 He came to recover life for the human race. 32:43 Everything that Adam lost, Jesus came as the Son of God 32:48 to recover and to restore. 32:53 By the way, the Apostle Paul picks up on this idea of the 32:56 two Adams in 1 Corinthians 15:45, 1 Corinthians 15:45. 33:05 I want to read that verse. Here it says: 33:15 That is because God gave him life. 33:24 And the Apostle Paul also in Romans 5 develops this idea 33:29 of the two Adams. The first Adam lost his throne; 33:32 the first Adam lost his territory; 33:34 the first Adam lost freedom; the first Adam lost life. 33:39 The second Adam, the second Son of God, if you please, 33:42 came and He recovers the throne; He recovers the territory; 33:47 He recovers the hope of eternal life for the human race. 33:51 Jesus came to occupy your place, my place, to redeem that which 33:59 was lost. He came to fulfill the Hebrew laws of redemption, 34:02 and He became flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bones. 34:06 In order to do it He became as much a human being as Adam 34:10 was originally. Now we have some very strange texts in the Bible 34:17 that refer to Jesus. 34:19 Go with me to Revelation 22:16, Revelation 22:16. 34:26 You're going to see what's strange about this verse. 34:30 By the way, Jesus is speaking here and He says: 34:41 And now comes the key portion. 34:51 Now notice what Jesus says: I am the Root and the Offspring 34:57 of David. Now I'm going to ask you a question which might 35:03 appear to be a little bit ridiculous. 35:04 Can I be my son's father, and my son's son at the same time? 35:15 You say, well, that is a dumb question. 35:18 Of course you can. You're either your sons father, 35:22 or your son is your father. 35:25 But you can't be your son's father, and your son's son. 35:29 But this verse is telling us that Jesus is David's father, 35:35 and He's also David's son. 35:36 Because it says that Jesus is the Root of David, 35:41 and He's also the offspring of David. 35:45 Now how do we understand Jesus being the father of David, 35:48 and the son of David? 35:49 It's very simple: Jesus is the father of David as God, 35:55 because when Jesus created Adam, from Adam came David, 36:00 and therefore Jesus created David. 36:02 But as man Jesus is the son of David, because He became 36:09 our close relative. He became our next of kin. 36:13 By the way, this shows that Jesus is God and He is also man. 36:18 You know, in Genesis we have the story of what is called 36:22 Jacob's ladder. It's a misnomer because it really was the Lord's 36:24 ladder. But you have this ladder that is placed on the earth, 36:29 and the uppermost part of the ladder reaches to the highest 36:33 heaven, and God is standing at the top of the ladder. 36:36 Now what does that ladder represent? 36:39 John 1:51 says that the ladder represents Jesus Christ. 36:44 Jesus Himself said so. 36:46 Now, in what sense does that ladder represent Jesus? 36:51 Well, the bottom of the ladder represents the fact that Jesus 36:55 is rooted on earth, because He is a human being along with us. 36:59 The top of the ladder represents the fact that Jesus is one with 37:04 God. In other words, Jesus as man, connects God with us. 37:08 And as God He connects us with God. 37:12 He's the connecting link between heaven and earth. 37:15 He can connect us with the Father because He is God, 37:18 and He can connect the Father with us because He is man. 37:22 Isn't this wonderful? 37:24 In other words, Jesus is the great bridge between heaven 37:28 and earth. So much for the idea that human priests can represent 37:34 us before God. You see, the problem with the priest is, 37:37 first of all, they're all sinners. 37:39 So how can they represent us before God; go before God 37:43 and say I come here representing a sinner. 37:45 God is going to say, you're a sinner, too! 37:47 Secondly, a priest is only human. 37:51 But in order to be a priest, in the strictest sense of the word, 37:56 and I'm not talking about the symbolic priests of the 37:59 Old Testament, which represented Jesus. 38:01 You know, they were only symbols of Christ. 38:04 I'm talking about a real priest, who can represent us before God. 38:08 That priest has to be God, and He has to be man. 38:11 I guess that disqualifies every single human priest, 38:15 with the exception of Jesus, because Jesus is human, 38:18 and Jesus is also God. 38:21 He is the great bridge between heaven and earth. 38:25 Now I want you to notice also Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:1, 38:33 another one of those strange verses when we compare it with 38:37 John 8, where we're going in a moment. 38:39 Matthew 1, and I want you to notice verse 1. It says: 38:57 Question: was Jesus the son of Abraham? 39:00 He most certainly was. 39:02 But now let's go to John 8:58, John 8:58. 39:09 Here Jesus is entertaining a conversation with several of the 39:14 people that belong to the Jewish nation. 39:16 And in verse 58, Jesus said to them, notice quoting: 39:33 Now isn't this strange? 39:35 We read in Matthew 1:1 that Jesus is the what? 39:39 He is the son of Abraham. 39:42 But in John 8:58, Jesus says, Before Abraham was, I am. 39:51 So Jesus is the father of Abraham, and Jesus is also 39:56 the son of Abraham. He is the father of Abraham because He is 40:02 God. He is the son of Abraham because He is man. 40:09 Now let's talk about our relationship with Jesus. 40:13 Go with me to Galatians 4:4-7, Galatians 4:4-7. 40:25 Here we find a description of the relationship between 40:29 the Father, Jesus, and us. 40:33 You've noticed that I said that we cannot come into the presence 40:37 of God on our own and say, accept me, 40:40 because we're sinners. 40:41 We have to come through our representative. 40:44 Now notice Galatians 4, and beginning with verse 4. It says: 40:57 Now notice verse 5: 41:01 That means to pay a price, to buy back. 41:10 As what? 41:14 So Jesus came to this earth to redeem us from death, 41:21 to redeem us from slavery, according to this, 41:24 so that we might receive the adoption as sons. Verse 6: 41:52 Now I want you to notice something very interesting 41:55 in this passage. Does this passage say that Jesus is the 41:58 Son of God? Has God poured out the Spirit of His Son in us, 42:03 according to this passage? Yes. 42:05 Does this passage also say that when we receive Jesus, 42:10 we also become Sons of God. Yes. 42:13 So God has Jesus, who is His Son, and He has us, 42:19 who are also sons. Now the question is, is Jesus a son 42:24 in the same sense that we are? 42:26 The answer is absolutely not. 42:30 There is only one who deserves to be called the Son of God. 42:36 By the way, do you know that in the gospel of John, 42:38 this is just in the gospel of John, whenever John speaks of 42:44 Christ as being a Son of God, he uses the Greek word, Queos, 42:51 which, by the way, in Spanish we get the word Ehoe from: Queos. 42:56 But whenever John talks about us as being Sons of God, 43:00 he doesn't use the word Queos. 43:02 He uses that one only for Jesus. 43:04 When he talks about us being sons of God, he uses the Greek 43:09 word technon. In this way John is saying that Jesus is 43:15 the Son of God in a different sense than I am a son of God. 43:19 In fact, when I'm born into this world, I am a son of Adam. 43:24 I am a son of the fallen Adam. 43:27 I am a child of wrath. 43:29 We might not like it, but I am a child of the devil. 43:32 Jesus said to the Jews, You are of your father, the devil, 43:37 because they had not been converted. 43:39 And so when I am born into this world, I'm not born into this 43:43 world as a son of God. 43:44 I'm born into this world as a child of wrath. 43:47 The only one who lived a life which deserves to be called 43:51 the Son of God is Jesus. 43:53 And yet this passage says that Jesus is the Son of God, 43:56 and we are sons of God. 43:58 Now the question is, how do we become sons of God? 44:04 The answer is very simple. 44:06 We become sons and daughters of God by becoming brothers 44:15 and sisters of Jesus. 44:19 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 44:21 In other words, I can't claim to be a son and a daughter of God 44:26 directly. I must join Jesus. 44:30 And when I receive Jesus, I become a brother to Jesus, 44:33 a sister of Jesus. He's my next of kin. 44:36 And then Jesus can go before His Father, and He says, Father, 44:41 I have a new brother. 44:43 And the Father says, what's Your brother's name? 44:47 Well, my brother's name is John. 44:49 And so the Father looks at Jesus and He says, well, if John is 44:54 Your brother, and You're My Son, then John must be my son also. 44:58 That's the way things work. 45:02 In other words, the only way that I can be called 45:06 a Son of God is through joining, or linking my life 45:12 with Jesus Christ; become His brother, His sister, and then 45:18 I can claim to be a son or a daughter of God. 45:22 Notice Hebrews 2:10, Hebrews 2:10. 45:30 Here this great truth is brought to light. 45:35 Hebrews, once again, chapter 2 and beginning with verse 10. 45:41 Here the Apostle Paul, whom I believe to be the author of the 45:45 book of Hebrews, says the following: 46:03 By the way, this is talking about the Father. 46:11 Do you see that the Father and the Son are being spoken of 46:14 here? The Father saw that it was necessary to make the 46:17 Captain of our Salvation perfect. 46:19 That means qualified for His work through suffering. 46:23 Notice verse 11: 46:33 This is speaking about Jesus. 46:40 What is Jesus not ashamed of doing? 46:47 He's not ashamed of calling us what? brethren. 46:55 He's speaking to His Father. 47:12 See God has given children of His to whom? to Jesus. Verse 14: 47:21 That is the children of God. 47:48 Verse 17; key verse. 47:52 In most things, thank you very much. 48:24 He had to be made in all things like unto whom? 48:28 Not like unto Adam, but like unto His brethren, 48:32 according to this. He had to be tempted in all things, 48:36 such as we are, says the Apostle Paul. 48:40 Except that Jesus, though He was tempted, He never what? 48:44 He never sinned. And so Jesus comes to this world. 48:48 He becomes the Son of God in this world, taking the place of 48:53 the original Son of God. 48:55 And Jesus pays the price after living a holy and perfect life. 49:02 In this way, Jesus recovers the throne. 49:05 Jesus recovers the crown. 49:09 Jesus recovers the Earth. 49:11 And Jesus makes it possible for those individuals who are 49:15 sinners to not despair, because they can live forever, 49:20 because Jesus paid the price. 49:22 And by receiving Jesus they become brothers and sisters 49:27 of Jesus, and thus sons and daughters of God. 49:31 If this isn't good news, I don't know what good news is. 49:36 You see, that's what Jesus meant when He said, I am the way, 49:42 the truth, and the life. 49:48 No man cometh unto the Father but by Me. 49:53 You see, the only way we can approach the Father, 49:57 as sons and daughters of God, is through Jesus our brother. 50:03 And, by the way, when the devil comes and tries to intimidate us 50:06 we can say to the devil, hey, I have no power against you. 50:11 You're much more powerful than I am, but you'd better be 50:13 careful, because I'll sick my brother on you, 50:16 and He's much more powerful than you are, 50:20 because He defeated you at the cross. 50:22 He over came you at each step of your life. 50:25 And so you'd better leave me alone. 50:27 In the name of Jesus, I command you to leave me alone. 50:31 And the devil has to leave, because He's my brother. 50:35 And older brothers stick up for their little brothers, 50:39 and for their little sisters. 50:40 How about it? Praise the Lord! 50:42 Go with me to Romans 8:29, Romans 8:29. 50:49 Here we find this same idea of Jesus being the Son, 50:55 Jesus having His Father and us being sons, and brothers and 51:01 sisters of Jesus. Notice Romans 8, and we'll read 51:05 verse 29 first of all. 51:07 It says there: For whom he foreknew, he also predestined 51:13 to be conformed to the image of his Son,... 51:17 The Father wanted all those individuals who come to Jesus 51:22 to be conformed to the image of His Son. 51:24 And now notice: that he might be the firstborn among many 51:30 brethren. Do you see that Jesus is the Son, but through Jesus 51:37 we are His brethren? 51:38 Now notice verse 32, It says: 51:41 He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up 51:49 for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us 51:55 all things? So the Father has His Son, Jesus. 52:01 But the Father, besides having Jesus, He has other Sons. 52:07 Those He foreknew, according to what we just read in 52:11 Romans 8:29. That means those who have received Jesus 52:16 as their Savior, and as their Lord. 52:18 Now the question is, how do I receive Jesus? 52:21 How do I become a brother and sister of Jesus? 52:24 Go with me to Galatians 3:26, Galatians 3:26. 52:31 Here we find the definition, or the explanation of how we become 52:36 brothers and sisters of Jesus, and sons and daughters of God. 52:41 It says there in verse 26: 52:48 In what way? 52:56 How do we become sons and daughters of God? 53:20 How do we become sons and daughters of God? 53:23 By receiving Jesus. 53:25 And what ceremony has God given to indicate that we have 53:29 received Jesus as our Savior? 53:31 According to Galatians 3 it is baptism. 53:36 You see, when I am buried in the waters of baptism, 53:40 and I come out of the waters of baptism, God looks at me as 53:44 being included in Jesus. 53:46 And then at that moment the voice of God is heard. 53:50 I can't hear it audibly, but the voice of God is heard, 53:53 like at the baptism of Jesus, saying, This is my beloved Son, 53:57 in whom I am well pleased. 53:59 This is my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased. 54:03 So when Jesus was baptized, the Father announced that this 54:08 was His Son. When we are baptized into Christ, we receive 54:11 Him as our brother. Then the Father says, You are now 54:16 My beloved Son. You are now My beloved Daughter. 54:21 The beautiful thing is folks, that through Jesus, 54:25 everything which was lost will be recovered. 54:29 Allow me to conclude by reading a few verses that show that 54:36 what was lost will be recovered through Christ. 54:39 Notice Matthew 5:5; very short verse. 54:43 How about the Earth that Adam lost? 54:46 He lost dominion over the Earth. 54:49 Is that going to be recovered? 54:50 Notice Matthew 5:5. It says: The meek will what? 54:57 The meek will inherit the earth. 55:00 Will we get the inheritance back? 55:02 We most certainly will. 55:04 Through Jesus have we been delivered from slavery to sin. 55:09 And have we become sons and daughters of God through Jesus? 55:13 Yes. You see, Adam sold us into slavery, but Jesus not only 55:17 bought back the earth to give us as an inheritance, 55:19 but Jesus also delivered us from bondage to sin. 55:22 Notice what we find in Galatians where we just read a few moments 55:26 ago. Galatians 4:7, Galatians 4:7, here the Apostle Paul says 55:33 this for those who have accepted Jesus: 55:48 Are we slaves anymore? 55:51 Not according to this. 55:52 Are we disinherited anymore? 55:55 No, we are heirs through Jesus of that which was lost. 56:00 Now what about perpetuating the name of the dead. 56:04 You know, this is where the symbol in the Old Testament is 56:07 not as perfect as the reality. 56:08 See, in the Old Testament when a man died without any male seed, 56:14 in order for the name of the dead person to continue 56:19 the next of kin had to marry the wife. 56:24 But you see, the reality that this points to is far greater 56:28 than the symbol, because Jesus when He came to this earth, 56:33 He did not only come to perpetuate our name, 56:36 He came that if we should die, He will perpetuate us. 56:43 Not only our name, but He will resurrect us from the dead 56:47 and He will perpetuate us. 56:49 See He's not only interested in perpetuating our name, 56:53 but He's interested in resurrecting us from the dead 56:56 though we should die, that our name will not be erased 56:59 from the book of life, and we will live forever and ever 57:02 in His presence. Through Jesus everything which was lost 57:08 was recovered. And all we need to do is receive Jesus. 57:15 I am the way, the truth, and the life: 57:18 no man comes unto the Father, but by Me. 57:21 May we all come to the Father! |
Revised 2014-12-17