The King Who Conquers | Weekend Sunday Service | Josiah Smith

A message by Pastor Josiah Smith on Hebrews 1:13-14

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Transcript

Opening And Hebrews 1 Recap

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Well, today we are finishing our very first series through the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter one, or at least the first chapter of the book of Hebrews we are finishing today. And we titled it, Who is Jesus? And it goes without saying that there is no more important question for you to ask and have a decisive answer to than who is Jesus. And what a great way for us to start our church than to look at who Jesus is, the author and perfector of our faith, the one by whom and for whom and through whom all things are made. There is no more important question than who is Jesus. And I want to just kind of give a brief overview of where we've been in chapter one to set the context for where we will end in chapter one, in verses 13 and 14. Now, the question again is who is Jesus? And every week we've been seeking to answer that from the text of Hebrews chapter one. So if you can remember, if we're if you were with us in week one of verses one through four, we saw that Jesus is greater than we can possibly imagine. He's greater than we could have ever anticipated. He is the Son of God, who God has spoken through in these last days. That many times and in many ways long ago, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. And he upholds the universe by the word of his power. He is greater than we could have ever imagined. He is God in the flesh. He is the one who made purification for sins. That's right there in verse 3 of chapter 1. After making purifications for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. And that kicked us into a comparison, a contrasting and comparison and comparing Jesus to angels. Jesus is greater than the angels. And in the rest of chapter one, and even into chapter two, there is this comparison being made of how Jesus is far greater than the angels. He has become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is much more excellent than theirs. So he is greater than we can imagine. And then in verses five and six, we saw that Jesus is the long-awaited king. It starts there in verse five. For to which of the angels did God ever say, You are my son, today I have begotten you. Or again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, Let all of God's angels worship him. Now, all of these texts are quotations from Psalm 2, 2 Samuel 7, that are talking about the king, this future king, the one who is referred to in Psalm 2 as the Lord's anointed. Jesus is that king. He's the long-anticipated hope of the Old Testament. He's the long-awaited king who will fully and finally sit on David's throne. And then the rest of the chapter kind of talks about how Jesus is this king, what kind of king that he is. In verses 7 through 9, we saw that Jesus is the king of righteousness. He loves righteousness. He hates wickedness. He's the king of righteousness. He always does what is right. And then verses 10, 11, and 12 showed us that Jesus is the king who never changes. And it compares Jesus and his throne to the heavens and the earth. It says, You Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain. They will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed, but you are the same, and your years will have no end. Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. And so we've answered the question in Hebrews chapter one of who is Jesus? He's greater than we can imagine. He's God in the flesh, fully God, fully man. He's the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature. He's the long-awaited king, the Lord's anointed from Psalm chapter 2 and 2 Samuel 7. He's the king of righteousness who does what is right. He loves righteousness, hates wickedness, and he's the king who never changes. He's not becoming anything. He is who he is. He will always be who he has always been. That's the answer to the question: who is Jesus, according to Hebrews chapter 1. Now in

King Who Conquers Explained

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verses 13 and 14, as we round out this chapter, we're going to see that Jesus is the king who conquers. And though he has enemies, and those his though his enemies resist his throne, he nevertheless will be victorious. He is the king who conquers. I want you to see that with me in Hebrews chapter 1. Let's read it. I'll read it for us in verse 13. And to which of the angels? And I want you to notice that we're ending chapter one, how we sort of began this section of quotations in verse five. Verse five says, For to which of the angels did God ever say? Verse 13 says, And to which of the angels has he ever said? This is all kind of one thought. It's one argument about King Jesus, different aspects of who he is. And we're concluding that here in verse 13. And to which of the angels has he ever said, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Now there's a couple of things that I want us to note as we begin from verse 13 specifically. In verse 13, we see very clearly a continuation of this idea that Jesus is currently reigning from heaven. We've seen that in a variety of different ways, but it began in verse 4 of chapter 1, having become, or after the end of verse 3, rather, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high after making purifications for sins. He sat down. We saw that in verse 6 when he brings the firstborn into the world. He says, Let all God's angels worship him. There's a procession, a heavenly procession of Jesus as this king. And we see it again here in verse 13. Jesus is currently reigning from heaven. Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. So he's ruling and he's reigning. But we also see in verse 13 that his rule as it is right now is for a specific amount of time. It's for a specific amount of time that from our perspective is unspecified. It doesn't tell us. We don't know how much time it will be in its current state. But we see here again in verse 13, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. That's a time marker. Something's going to happen in the future. Something will take place in the future, but it has not yet taken place, at least to the fullest extent. Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool. So there's an unspecified amount of time for his current reign. We also see in verse 13 that Jesus is the king, that he reigns from heaven, that his current reign is unspecified, though there is some time where there will be some sort of change in the future. We read about that, of course, in Revelation. But we also see that Jesus has enemies. There are enemies of the throne. There are enemies of King Jesus. There are those who want nothing to do with Jesus as their king. And it says here that this is their destination. I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Sit at my right hand, rule and reign until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet, until they've been fully and finally conquered. And in that sense, we also see in verse 13 that Jesus' enemies will one day be fully defeated, but they have not yet been. We see that, of course, in Hebrews chapter 2. We'll read it later as we get into that series, but it talks about how we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. We do not yet see that, but there's coming a day when we will experience no more enemies of Jesus. There will be no more enemies of the throne. There will be no more enemies of the king. And so we see all of that from verse 13. He's ruling, he's reigning. We don't know how long, but there's an unspecified amount of time in this current reign that he is in. He has enemies right now that are against his throne, that are against him as the king. And one day, fully and finally, those enemies will be no more. We see all that in verse 13. We also see that there is this idea of Jesus being victorious, Jesus being the conquering king. Jesus, even in comparison to the angels, Jesus sits and he reigns. And in verse 14, he's being compared again to angels. Are they

Angels Serve The Saved

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the angels, not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? So Jesus sits and he reigns and he rules, but the angels are sent and they serve. Jesus is greater. Jesus rules and reigns. The angels are sent and they serve. That's what we see in verse 14. And they serve, it says, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. They serve on behalf of God. And if you are in Christ, they serve for the benefit of you. They serve for the benefit of those who are to inherit salvation. Now, what does all that mean? I don't know. How does that look? I have no idea. Uh, we could talk all day and sort of pontificate about what angels are doing and how they're helping us. There's not a lot of clarity in scripture, but it says here that they serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. They are enlisted by God for the benefit of those who are saved and who will experience salvation for eternity. So Jesus sits and he reigns. The angels are sent and they serve. And Jesus, we might think of, we might be tempted to in this world. We live in a world where kingdoms come and go. We live in a world where kings come and go, presidents come and go. We live in a world where that's constantly changing, where guards are constantly switching, where powers are being distributed or dismantled or accumulated, all of those things. But what the Hebrews 1 says that this throne that Jesus sits on is forever and ever. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. So this throne is unlike any other throne. This kingdom is unlike any other kingdom. Though other kingdoms of the world may rise and fall, this kingdom will remain. And in that sense,

Jesus’ Throne Will Never Fall

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point number one, I want you to believe that Jesus' throne will never be toppled. Believe that Jesus' throne will never be toppled, it'll never be overrun, it'll never be taken down, he will never be overthrown as the king. He sits and he reigns and he rules and he will conquer his enemies. Believe that. Believe that Jesus' throne will never be toppled. And again, countless nations and countless empires have risen to power only to meet their destruction. If you do a quick search, this the history of the world on Google, you're gonna find empire after empire after empire, nation after nation after nation that have risen to power only later to crumble. Here's just a short list: the Egyptian Empire, the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Greek and Macedonian Empire, the Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the list goes on and on and on. They all rose to power and they all met their end. Their thrones were overthrown. They were toppled. They were taken down. They were conquered. But Jesus in Hebrews 1, his throne is forever and ever. And he will rule until every last enemy is subjected to him. They are made a footstool for his feet. That's a sign of submitting, a sign of being conquered, a sign of ultimately humbling themselves in a forceful kind of way before the king of kings and lord of lords. And the good news for us, if if you are in Christ, you are, according to the scriptures, a part of an empire. You're a part of a kingdom that will never end, that'll never be toppled. It'll never be overrun with enemies. That's Jesus' throne. He has enemies. We see that in verse 13. I will make your enemies a footstool for your feet. They seek to overthrow the throne, but it will never be successful. His throne is forever and ever. And this is a resounding theme throughout all of the Bible. As an example, in Psalm 145, verse 13, it says, Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. This kingdom that Jesus now rules and reigns over is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion, his authority, his power endures throughout all generations. He's not rising to power only to fall a few generations later. It says, Your dominion endures throughout all generations. Even in a time in Israel's history where they had experienced being conquered, when they had experienced being toppled, the Babylonian captivity, King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, he rides into Jerusalem, he destroys the city, he destroys the temple, he destroys the walls of the city, he's burning things, he's taking captive the nation of Israel. And there's a book, Lamentations, that's written in response to that, as a reflection of that. It's a sorrow kind of recounting, a sorrowful recounting of what happened. But in Lamentations 5, verse 19, it says, But you, O Lord, reign forever. Your throne endures to all generations. And think about who's saying that. This is someone that has literally been conquered. This is someone whose kingdom literally was toppled, was torn down, whose temple that was built for worshiping the Lord was destroyed. And in reflection of that, he says, You, O Lord, reign forever. Your throne endures to all generations. We see that in Hebrews 1. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You are the same, Jesus. Your years will have no end. He sits and he rules and he reigns and he will never be overthrown. That's our king. That's King Jesus. And though that's true, and it certainly is true, and that's good news, because we share in that victory, we share in that conquest. It's not without trying, uh, and in the sense of the enemies of Jesus wanting to overthrow the throne. It's not without effort. They seek to, they desire to. There's scriptures that talk about how there are enemies of Christ that would love nothing more than to topple his throne. We see that as an example in Psalm chapter 2. Psalm 2, verse 1 says, Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The nations of the world are raging against God, they're raging against his anointed, they're raging against his king and his kingdom. It says in verse 2, the kings of the earth have set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their courts from us. We don't want their authority, we don't want uh we don't want anything to do with it. We don't want this king, we don't want this kingdom. They set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. What is God's response? Do you know Psalm 2? His response is he sits in the heavens and he laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. So Jesus' throne will never be conquered, but it's not without trying. I mean, as feeble as it may be. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, against his anointed, against the king. They don't want him as king, they don't want his throne, they don't want his rule. And yet Jesus, he sits in the heavens and he laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Why? Because one day every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And it says in Hebrews 1:13, Sit at my right hand until I make all of your enemies a footstool for your feet. So try as they might. Jesus' throne cannot, will not ever be toppled. In fact, I was thinking of Psalm 21, where it talks about God taking care of his enemies. In Psalm 21, beginning of verse 8, it says, Your hand will find out all your enemies. Your right hand will find out those who hate you. You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. For you will put them to flight. You will aim at their faces with their bows, with your bows. And this is this is what the scriptures say. The kings, those who are wicked and evil, they plan evil against the king. They devise mischief. But it says in Psalm 21, they will not succeed. Jesus' throne will never be toppled. And because Jesus sits in victory, because he is the king who conquers all of his enemies, if you are in Christ, the Bible says you are guaranteed to share in that victory. You're guaranteed to share in the victory that Jesus has over his enemies. But though we will share fully and finally in the future in the victory of Christ, we should nevertheless expect to be attacked by the enemies of Christ. If Jesus has enemies, if his throne and his kingdom and his rule has enemies, it would follow, and of course the scriptures say this, that those who follow the king, those who submit to the king, they also will have enemies. You will have enemies that seek to attack you, that seek to discourage you, that seek to discredit you because of your loyalty to Jesus as King.

Expect Attacks From Three Enemies

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So point number two, expect to be attacked by the enemies of Jesus. Expect to be attacked by the enemies of Jesus. Now, we could talk about enemies and define them in any number of ways, but uh traditionally there's just a really simple threefold way of categorizing the enemies of Jesus. Um perhaps you've heard this before. The enemies of Jesus are the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world, the flesh, and the devil. And we could expand beyond that, but that's a simple way of kind of understanding. If you're going to expect to be attacked, you've got to know who's doing the attacking. And the scriptures say the world, the flesh, and the devil are the ones that do just that. They attack Jesus, they they make their plans, they plot in vain, they devise schemes of mischief, but ultimately they will not succeed. But nevertheless, we need to understand that these three things the world, the flesh, and the devil, are attacking those who are followers of Jesus. This comes from a passage like Ephesians 2, verses 1 through 3. I want you to listen for those three things the world, the flesh, and the devil. So in Ephesians 2, verse 1, it says, You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work, and the sons of disobedience. That's the devil. So we have the world, we have the devil, and in verse three, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. These are the enemies of Christ. And in a sense, these are the enemies that will set themselves against you, against those who seek to truly follow and submit to the king, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Now Jesus himself comments on the world, he comments on a variety of things, of course, but in John 15, uh he says in verse 18, if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, if you looked like the world, talked like the world, did what the world does, approved of what the world approves of, if you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. This is Jesus' instructions to his disciples. We should expect that kind of opposition from the world, from those who love what is wicked, for from those who, as Jesus says, this is the judgment, the light has come into the world, and the men preferred darkness. The world loves the darkness, the world approves of that which is wicked and evil. And Jesus says, if you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. You'd be received with open arms, celebration and clapping, and you're the greatest person they've ever seen. But the world is against Christ. Because Jesus says, But you are not of the world. I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Expect that. Expect that kind of opposition. Jesus that is the king who rules and reigns, and he's got enemies that are seeking to topple his throne. They'll never succeed. And so what do they do? They'll go after you instead. They'll go after you and seek to discourage you and seek to attack you. John 15, again, Jesus says, The world hates you. They hated me before they hated you. Now, Peter, the apostle Peter, in commenting on the devil, here's what he says in 2 Peter chapter 5, verse 8. Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. That's what Peter is warning the church there. He's saying, I want you to be watchful, be sober-minded, be on alert, expect the attack. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. And so Jesus says, the world's gonna hate you because they hated me. I chose you out of the world. If you were to uh to do what the world does, they would love you, but they don't because you were chosen out of the world. Peter says, be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, he's on the hunt, he's on the prowl, he's seeking to discourage you, he's seeking to tempt you, he's seeking to lead you away from the truth and the light and the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now you could say that the world and the devil are sort of external in their attacks. They come from outside of yourself. The flesh as a category, though, is internal. The flesh is something that Paul often talks about, it's something that we wrestle with inside of us. It's something that we have dwelling within our hearts, the dark corners of our hearts, where sin likes to hide out, where sin likes to fester. That's why Paul says in Romans 13, 14, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. He says elsewhere in Galatians, as an example, that if you walk in the flesh, you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. And so the world is against you, the devil's against you. And if as before we start thinking, well, it's the world's fault, or it's the devil's fault, the scriptures also say you're also the problem, the flesh, the thing inside of you, the desires within you that are against the Lord, that are at enmity with God. Make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. And we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to fight against the flesh and the world and the devil. I want you to think about as you're kind of assessing, okay, how do I live a life that's led by the spirit and not gratifying the desires of the flesh? How do I make no provision for the flesh?

Two Jars For Daily Choices

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And one thing I would say is just imagine that you've got two jars on your nightstand next to your bed. One of the jars is labeled the flesh, and the other jar is labeled the spirit. I want you to think of just everything that you do throughout your day, every word that you say, every thought that you have, every action that you take, which would it fall into? If they were coins, right? Flesh coins and spirit coins. That's weird, flesh coins, but the coins, right? And you're dropping them in the jar, you're filling them up. At the end of the day, well, which which could you say honestly? I was walking in the spirit. I was seeking to obey what God commanded. I was seeking to have a strong prayer life and pray without ceasing. I was relying on the Lord. I was confessing my sin. I was putting coins in the jar of the spirit. Or would I was I making provisions for the flesh? Was I seeking to gratify my sinful fleshly appetites and desires? Was I giving into temptation? Was I was I dishonest? Was I hurtful with my words? Was I whatever provision that you might make for the flesh? Think about it that way. Which jar are you filling up day after day with your actions, with the things that you pursue, with the way that you even fill your mind with with either the word of God or other things, other nonsense from the world? It says, make no provision. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Yes, the world and the devil seem somewhat out there, but the flesh is very much in here. And we're being attacked on all sides. We got to expect to be attacked by the enemies of Christ. We've got to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to move forward in faith, clinging to the word of God, being desperately dependent through prayer. The good news in all of this is that though we are said to have enemies, though the world, the flesh, and the devil are actively working against us, in an ultimate sense, they will not succeed. They will, just like they will not topple Jesus' throne, they will not conquer those who are in Christ.

More Than Conquerors Promise

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Paul says in Paul says this in Romans 8, 35 through 39. Paul says, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sore? As it is written, For your sake we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No. In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. And if you are in Christ, you share in the victory of Christ over the enemies of Christ. It says in Hebrews 1, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet, until they are fully and finally conquered. Yes, we have enemies similar to the throne of Christ. They are attacking Jesus. They want to topple his throne, they want to go after his people. But in Romans 8, Paul says, we are more than conquerors in Christ. Nothing in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. If you are in Christ, you are more than a conqueror. And the world, the flesh, and the devil, they will not have the final say when it comes to you in your life. Because you belong to the king. You belong to the one who has the authority to give life and to give it more abundantly. But all that sort of begs the question of whether or not you truly are a follower of the king. It begs the question of whether or not you are one of these enemies that Hebrews 1 is describing. One of these enemies that will be made a footstool for King Jesus.

Enemy Or Friend Of Jesus

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Point number three, I want you to think about this. Determine if you are an enemy or a friend of Jesus. I get that. You're not thinking about it in those terms, but in spiritual categories, the Bible, in no uncertain terms, says if you're not in Christ, if you've not been saved by Christ, if you don't submit to Christ, you are an enemy of God. That's what the Bible says. You are seen as an enemy of the cross. In fact, this is what Paul says in Philippians chapter 3, verse 18, verses 18 and 19. Paul says, For many of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. There are many who walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Who are these people? Well, their God is their belly, and their glory, they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things. The kinds of people that are enemies of Christ are those whose God is their belly. That's a weird thing. We don't often think of it in those terms, but he's saying that their God, the one whom they worship, the thing that they submit to is their belly, their appetites, their cravings, what they want, their impulses, their desires. Those who are enemies of Christ, they don't submit to Christ as King. They don't submit to his authority, they don't submit to his word. Their God is their belly. They do what they want, when they want, how they want, however they want, however frequently they want. That's an enemy of Christ. That's an enemy of the cross of Christ. And it says, and they glory in their shame. Not only do they do what they want, when they want, how they want, wherever they want, they love it and they glory, they revel in their shame, they revel in their foolishness, and Paul says, with minds set on earthly things. Those who are enemies of Christ, their God is their belly, they glory in their shame, and their minds are set on earthly things. And you've got to do the work of determining are you an enemy or a friend of Jesus? Because Hebrews 1 13 makes it clear that if you're an enemy of Jesus, you will also be conquered. You will be made a footstool for his feet. You will also bow the knee to him, you will also confess that he truly is Lord, but you'll do it as someone that's been conquered, rather than someone who has been saved. That's what Jesus says. That's what Paul says, that's what the author of Hebrews says, that those who are against Christ, they walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Even the book of James, James chapter 4, verse 4, says, You adulterous people, you unfaithful people, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Those who love the world and the things in the world, who seek to be a friend of the world, who seek to be unfaithful to their devotion to God because they're so worried about their own appetites and their own belly and the things of the of the world, the things of the earth, as it says in Philippians 3. It says, They are an enemy of God. And if you were in this room and you are someone that's flirting with the world, you're someone that is desiring to just do what you want, how you want, when you want, where you want, and there's no mind for submitting to Christ. There's no mind for obeying to his word. There's no mind for submitting and bowing the knee to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The scriptures say you're an enemy of the cross. And there's a coming day where you will be made a footstool. You will be conquered. Determine if you are an enemy or a friend of King Jesus. Now, the good news of the gospel, of course, is that those who are enemies of the cross can be made friends through the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. Paul says this in Romans 5, verse 10. He says, For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life. How does someone get reconciled to God? How does someone go from being an enemy to a friend, from being an enmity with God to peace with God? Well, it's through the blood of Jesus Christ. The death of the Son of God on the cross. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, that he made him who knew no sin to become sin, so that you could become the righteousness of God. To be a friend of Jesus, you need the righteousness of Jesus. And you only receive the righteousness of Jesus upon putting your faith and trust in him. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Determine if you are an enemy or a friend of Jesus. Those who have not believed in the gospel, those who have not bowed the knee, the King Jesus. The Bible says, You're an enemy. You're an enemy of the cross, and your end is destruction. And even Paul, as he thought about that, he says, For many of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, he was sorrowful over the reality that there are those who walk as enemies of the cross. There are those who want nothing to do with Christ Jesus. There are those who will not submit. There are those who will not obey. It's a future reality that we look forward to. There is a coming day where those who are in Christ will fully and finally inherit the salvation that they have been given. That they have been guaranteed, as Paul says in Ephesians 1. You have been given the Spirit of God, sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of your inheritance until you acquire possession of it. But there's a future inheritance that Jesus has secured. I think our response to that today should be to long for the future inheritance secured by Jesus. That's

Long For The Coming Inheritance

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point number four. Long for the future inheritance secured by Jesus. Now, salvation in the scriptures is multidimensional. You have been saved. For those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, for those who have turned from their sin and placed their faith and trust in Christ, the scriptures would say, you have been saved. There's one aspect of salvation. You have been saved. It's a past reality. This is even what John says in 1 John chapter 3. See what kind of love that the Father has for us, that we should be called children of God. And so we are. It's a past reality. But there's also in the scriptures this future orientation. You will be saved. There's a day while you will experience the full benefits of your salvation with Christ in eternity. And that's what Hebrews 1 is talking about. The angels are sent to serve for the sake of those who will one day fully experience the benefits of their inheritance through the salvation that they have been given through Jesus Christ. You will experience the benefits. That's what the angels are doing. They are serving those who are to inherit the salvation. But this is a future reality. We see this all over the New Testament. One example, 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 3 through 5, Peter says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. That's what Hebrews is talking about. That's what Peter is talking about. This inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, can't be taken away, is guaranteed to you, but is kept in heaven for you. And who by God's power is being guarded through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. There is a future salvation that is coming. Yes, if you are in Christ, you are saved. But there is a future inheritance that you are promised that we are looking forward to. We should long for that day. We should long for the day where we will receive the full benefits that we are promised in Christ Jesus. We should long for the inheritance that is being kept for us, that is being guarded through faith and for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Now, what does this look like? What is this salvation? What are we looking forward to? Well, if you got your Bibles, I want you to turn there. I want you to see it with me. Revelation 21. Revelation 21. The last book of the of the New Testament and of course the Bible. Revelation 21. This is the wrapping up of all things, the new heaven and the new earth. Here is our future inheritance. Here is our future hope. What we are headed towards. Let's begin in verse 3. It says, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be them, will be with them as their God. Here's the future inheritance. And death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. That's what you are promised. That's what we long for. The day where Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes, where the sting of death and losing a loved one will be no more. Where there will be no more pain, no more mourning, no more crying, no more sorrow. The former things in that day will have passed away. The aches and pains of this world can sometimes feel like a death by a thousand cuts. It's just one thing after another. Thing and maybe they're little things, but they stack up and they add up, and our hearts can feel heavy, and we can feel overwhelmed, and we and our bodies can break down and our minds can deteriorate and and our hearts can be heavy, and we get a diagnosis here, a broken relationship there, a betrayal, a loss, a hope deferred that makes the heart sick. Jesus says that there's coming a day. There's an a future inheritance where all of that, including the struggle that you have right now with the indwelling sin, the world, the flesh, the devil, the temptations, the fatigue that you feel for not being able to conquer that sin that just keeps creeping up and is crouching at the door, all of that one day will be gone. And we we ought to long for that day. Long for the day where tears will be no more, where our lives will not be touched by brokenness, by sorrow, and by sin. There is a coming day. And Hebrews 1 points us to that reality that Jesus sits, he guards our salvation in heaven, our inheritance that's waiting for us. And there is a time, there's a coming day where his enemies will be fully and finally conquered. And the enemies that Jesus conquers are the world, the flesh, and the devil. And when those are conquered, and when those are put to rest, you will experience eternal joy, no more sorrow, no more suffering, no more aches, no more pains. Long for that day. Hope for that day. And for the joy that is promised before us, the joy of that future inheritance, set your minds on things that are above and keep enduring, keep moving forward. Set your minds on things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and live a life today that anticipates and looks forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow where we will spend eternity with our king, the king who conquers, the king who never will be toppled or overthrown, the king whose throne is forever and ever, who rules with the scepter of uprightness, who loves righteousness, hates wickedness, who never changes, and his years have no end. That's our future destination with that king. Long for that day. Long for the day where Jesus will make everything right and will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Prayer And Final Comfort

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Let's pray together. God, thank you for the reality that you rule and that you reign. God, your throne is forever and ever. Your dominion is an everlasting dominion. Your authority, your rule can never be toppled, can never be overthrown. God, what a comfort that that is. In this world where things are constantly changing, ebbing and flowing, there's no guarantees of even us drawing our next breath or waking up tomorrow. But God, you are the same. You are the same yesterday and today and forever, and your throne will remain. And your enemies will meet their end. Their end is destruction. So, God, I pray for everyone in this church, everyone in this room, everyone that listens to this sermon, however long in the future, God, I pray that they would determine whether or not they are an enemy of Christ or a friend of Christ by evaluating what the scriptures say about what the gospel is, who Christ is, that they would bow the knee to Christ, they would turn from their sins, place their faith and trust in Him, and that they would be saved and rescued and find victory in the King who conquers. God, we're so grateful that Christ shares that victory with us, and that we, because we are in Christ, are more than conquerors. And there's nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. God, I pray that that truth would be so precious to us. I pray that we would long for the day where there would be no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more nonsense in this world. We will experience eternal joy with the perfect, righteous King. Help us to long for that day and to live in light of it. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.