Staying Spiritually Alert: Submitting To The Crown | Weekend Service | Josiah Smith

A message by Pastor Josiah Smith on Hebrews 2:5-9

Compass Bible Church South Valley is located in Kuna, Idaho

For more information about Compass Bible Church go to https://www.compassbiblesv.org/

To follow our daily Bible reading plan and podcast go to https://www.compassbiblesv.org/lampandlight

Transcript

Anticipation Shapes The Present

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Anticipating the future can, in some ways, make you feel like you are already participating in it. Imagine that you are anticipating a long-awaited trip. I hear stories of this often. The sort of once-in-a-lifetime trip. Let's say you're going to Europe and you're wanting to visit countries you've never been to, to eat food you've never eaten before, to stay in places you've never stayed, to see things that you have never seen. And so what do you do if you're anticipating that trip? Well, you you think about it, you plan for it, you you strategize for how to get there in the itinerary. And there's different ways of different of doing that. Some people are a little bit more structured and want every hour of every day accounted for, and other people want a little bit more breathing room in that schedule. But nonetheless, if you are anticipating something like that, that would lead you to actively think about, plan for, and dream about what it would be like. And if you're anything like me, it wouldn't be enough simply to book the plane tickets, to uh to ensure the travel accommodations, to have a general idea of where it is that you're going and what it is that you want to do. You would want to kind of experience right now what you will experience then when you're there. And so you're gonna be looking at YouTube videos of people that have gone to the different locations and uh hearing their experiences, or you're gonna be looking at reviews of people who have gone to the restaurants that you're trying to go to to try out, or you're gonna be reading uh travel blogs or even books that have been published about the different areas that you're gonna be trying to sort of participate in right now what you are expecting and anticipating for the future. I mean, that's just uh part of uh life.

Hebrews 2 And The World To Come

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Now, as we continue our study in Hebrews chapter two, the author of Hebrews is going to show us the importance of growing in anticipation for what Christ has in store for us. As we anticipate what our future holds, and that's really the argument here in verses five through nine that we'll look at together. He's trying to direct our gaze towards the future, towards something that we're planning for, something that we're hoping in, something that we're thinking about, hopefully something that we're meditating on. And as we anticipate what our future in Christ holds, the author of Hebrews really is gonna show us that the purpose is to be faithful and stay alert in the present. And that's the context of what we are reading. Verse one of chapter two says, Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away. And continuing in that same thought with that same context, the author of Hebrews is gonna say, look forward to what Christ has promised you. Look forward to what your future will be like. And right now, in the present, participate in that. Think about that, meditate on it. And the purpose again is to be faithful and to stay alert as we look forward and anticipate what we one day will experience with Christ. So if you've got your Bibles, go to Hebrews chapter two. I'll read for us verses five through nine, kind of the next section here in the chapter. So it starts by saying, for it was not to angels. So again, that word for is connecting it back to what was just said. It's a continuation of the argument, it's a continuation of the same thought. This is a reason why you should pay much closer attention. For because it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere. What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now, in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him, but we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Now notice again the argument here that the author of Hebrews is unfolding, because we are seeking to pay attention, because we are wanting not to drift away. That's verses one through four of chapter two, four, because it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. So when has the author been speaking of the world to come, the future of Christians, the future of those who are in Christ? Well, he's really been speaking about it ever since chapter one. He's been speaking about Jesus being the king that will fully and finally sit on David's throne. And from the perspective of Hebrews, that is in the future. That is something that is connected to the future. He is uh even in chapter one, he talks about uh this throne that is going to be marked with righteousness and uprightness, uh, this throne that will remain, even though the earth will perish and wear out like a garment. And even the reality that Jesus will continue to sit at the right hand of the Father until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. So, all throughout chapter one, this throne, this future, this world to come has been spoken of. It has been anticipated. And he continues in verse six and says, It has been testified somewhere. Now, the author of Hebrews isn't like you or me who can forget references to scripture. I mean, he's a human, so I'm sure he could have, but in in the writing of Hebrews, he wasn't like, oh man, what's that? What's that reference? I don't know. I'll just put somewhere in the Bible. Somewhere it says something about this. No, of course, he knows what he's quoting. I mean, he quotes it literally word for word from uh the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. And he's quoting Psalm 8, 4 through 6. So why is he saying, well, it's testified somewhere? Well, he wants your attention and he wanted the audience's attention, his original audience that he's writing to these Jewish Christians, not to focus so much on who wrote it, but on its authority, on the nature of uh it being binding. And that's the whole idea. This has been testified. It has been testified, it is true, it is trustworthy. And this is after he lays the foundation of the law being reliable in verse two of chapter two. It says, For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, it's trustworthy, it's something that you can count on. And so he's continuing with that thought. He's appealing to authority of the Old Testament scriptures as a whole, and he's saying, It has been testified. This is something that is true from Psalm 8, verses 4 through 6. And this is what he's quoting. What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him? You made him, we're talking about mankind, humans, you made him for a little while lower than the angels. You have crowned him, you have crowned humanity with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now, what's so fascinating is the way that the author starts in verse 5. It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.

Psalm 8 Human Glory And Dominion

SPEAKER_00 7:48

Now, of course, uh throughout chapter one, Jesus has been compared again and again to angels. Jesus is greater than angels. The name that he has inherited is much more excellent than theirs. In fact, angels are commanded by God to worship the Son in chapter one. It says in verse six, let all God's angels worship him. So there's there's this comparison and this contrasting with Jesus being greater than the angels, but this is something different. This is something, at least in verses five, six, seven, and eight, that he's he's, of course, he's continuing the thought about Jesus being greater than angels, but he shifts and he starts talking about humans. That's what Psalm 8, that's the context of what David is saying in Psalm 8. He's reflecting on creation, and he's reflecting on Adam and Eve, mankind, sort of being the pinnacle of creation. That's what he's quoting here. So he's saying it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come. It was not to angels that Jesus came in the flesh, the eternal Son of God came in the flesh, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, paid for our sins, rose again from the dead, and ascended, and now is sitting at the right hand in the floor. It wasn't to angels that Jesus did that. It was for mankind. It was for humans. It has been testified somewhere. What is man that you are mindful of him? This is the reflection of David. Why would you pay any attention to humans? Why would you pay any attention to man who has rebelled against God? What is man or the son of man that you care for him? You have made him for a little while lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor. And again, that's reflecting on the reality that humans made in the image of God are the sort of crown of creation. The only thing that bears the mark of God in the way that God says in Genesis 1 and 2 is humans. Humans are image-bearers of God. You have made him a little while lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. So there's this sense in which the author of Hebrews, he's pointing our gaze backwards to the garden in order to help orient us to what's coming in the future, to encourage us of something that's happening in the future, everything in subjection under his feet. This is going back to the dominion mandate in Genesis chapter one that we'll look at in a second. But there's this idea that in the future, those who are in Christ, we will rule and we will reign and we will share in dominion with Christ. And the author of Hebrews is saying, be motivated by that. Look forward to that day. Anticipate the day where you will reign with Christ. In fact, that's point number one this morning.

Anticipate Reigning With Christ

SPEAKER_00 10:32

Anticipate reigning with Christ over creation. Anticipate that day. Now, this is testified to all over the Bible. I mean, you're going to see this in the Old Testament, you're going to see this in the New Testament. Let me give you just a couple examples so that you can kind of get a flavor of what we're talking about here. But we're anticipating reigning with Christ over creation as a means of staying faithful and focused in the present. Here's what Paul says in 2 Timothy chapter 2, verses 11 through 13. Paul says, the saying is trustworthy. For if we have died with him, if we have shared in the same death of Christ, the benefits of Christ's death, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. So this is what Paul is saying. He's saying, if we endure, we will also reign with him. This is a future that is promised to those who are in Christ. We will reign with him. Now, where does this come from? What is this rooted in? Well, this is rooted in creation itself, in Genesis chapter one. Let me give you the context of what Paul's talking about, what Hebrews is talking about, what John talks about in Revelation. It's all over the place. Genesis chapter one is where they're getting this idea. All the way back in the beginning, Genesis 1.26 says, Then God said, Let us make man in our image. Again, this is this is the crown of creation, the pinnacle of creation. A creation is finding its exclamation point in humans. Let us make man in our image after our likeness, and let them, mankind, have dominion, is the word used. And that word can be translated to rule, to have lordship, or to have a sense of authority. So if you remember when Joseph is telling his brothers about this dream that he has, where he's standing and they're bowing, and they don't like that very much, and they're upset because they're like, You're gonna make us bow to you, Joseph, our younger brother. They say, Are you to rule over us? Are you to have dominion over us, Joseph? And of course, if you know the story, that's exactly what ends up happening. But this is where we get this Genesis 1:26, let them have dominion, let them have rule, authority, lordship over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Does that sound familiar to what we just read and quoted from Psalm 8? You've put in subjection all things under his feet. You have put in subjection to mankind, it says uh in Psalm chapter 8, uh, everything, right? Putting everything in subjection under his feet. That's quoted even here, and it's reflected on by David here from Genesis chapter 1, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him, male and female, he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. There's a sense of ruling, a sense of lordship that God intended for humanity, that God intended for Adam and Eve. And of course, they were to be fruitful and multiply and to extend that dominion, extend that rule and that reign to others. Of course, that in Genesis chapter three, that all gets sort of messed up because of a sin. And so, really, the the storyline of the Bible uh in one part is Jesus becoming the new Adam to lead us in this new humanity towards fulfilling the original creation mandate of having dominion, of ruling and reigning over the earth. And this is where we're getting even in Hebrews 2, whether it's 1 Timothy or Genesis or 1 Corinthians, it's all talking about the same thing. Because even this sense of ruling and reigning is said to be for those who are in Christ over the angels. Did you know that? That if you're a Christian, if you've truly been saved by the gospel, there's gonna be a day in the future where you are going to sit in judgment over angels. What exactly is that gonna look like? I have no idea, but it sounds pretty cool, right? We're gonna rule over angels. This is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verses 1 through 3. When one of you has a grievance against another, he's addressing conflict in the church, Christian to Christian. When one of you has a grievance, a conflict against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Are you gonna go to the wicked courts and those who are unrighteous instead of going to those who are the saints, those who are followers of Christ? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more then matters pertaining to this life? So, all that being said, that's just the context of what the author of Hebrews is talking about. He's talking about this world, uh, God subjected the world to come to humans, to those who would have dominion and rule and reign alongside Christ. Anticipate that day, anticipate reigning with Christ. Now, the question you might be wrestling with, and hopefully you are if you're thinking critically and actively, what will that entail? What does it mean to rule and reign with Christ? What are the specifics of that? I thought a lot about that this week, and uh to be honest, I'm not sure. I'm not exactly sure what all of that entails. We're not given a ton of detail. We're not given all of the specifics of how that's gonna look or where that's gonna take place. I mean, of course, it's gonna take place in the in the new Jerusalem, the new heavens in the new earth, but um, there's just not a lot of detail that we have. So I'm not sure, to be honest, of all the specifics of what that means. I mean, it's equally perplexing and enthralling, is it not? We humans are going to reign with Christ, the eternal Son of God who took on flesh, the the one for whom and by whom and through whom all things exist, the one who upholds the universe by the word of his power, the one who is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, we are going to reign with him. We, us, that's that's perplexing and it's enthralling. All things, the Bible says, have been subjected to us if we are in Christ. That is incredible. Think about that. All things, Hebrews says all things, Psalm 8 says, all things, Genesis 1 says. This dominion, this rule, this reign. What does that mean? How how will that play out? Well, again, there's a lot that I'm uncertain of, but here's what I do know. Here's what I know when it comes to creation. The heavens, Psalm 19 says, declare the glory of God day and night. Creation testifies to the magnificence of God, his eternal power, his divine nature. Creation testifies to the glory of God. And our task of dominion that was originally given to Adam and Eve before the fall, before sin, our task of dominion, of ruling and reigning is for the purpose of, you could say, multiplying, spreading the glory of God, of working and keeping and cultivating that which already brings God glory. Creation already brings God glory. It already testifies to the reality of God. The heavens declare the glory of God. But we work, we keep, we cultivate, we rule, we reign to bring God all the more glory. That's what reigning with Christ means. That's what it intends. One author put it this way: all things in the future, this day that we look forward to, will manifest the glory of God to you and through you as you rule with Christ. Anticipate that day, ruling and reigning with Christ. Now, here's another question, perhaps you've been wrestling with. Maybe you're asking that first question, what all does this mean? We don't have a ton of detail. You should hold on to though, that this means it's for the purpose of magnifying the glory of God, of bringing God glory. Another question that you might be asking is why should I anticipate this? Why should I be motivated by this? That's the author of Hebrews, his argument. He's trying to motivate his readers, he's trying to encourage them to keep pressing on. And this is how he does it. This is what he says. Look forward to the day where things will be fully and finally in subjection to you, because they are fully and finally in subjection to Christ, the new Adam. Why should this be motivating? Let me give you two reasons. First, this should be motivating because when God's glory is pursued, your joy is increased. You should be motivated and anticipate ruling and reigning with Christ. Because when God's glory is pursued, the Bible makes this direct connection: your joy is increased. Paul says this in Romans 5, 2. We rejoice, we are exuberant, we overflow with excitement, we are overjoyed in hope of the glory of God. So why should we be motivated? Because when God's glory is pursued through us ruling and reigning and having dominion in the way that God intended, all the way from the beginning in the garden, your joy is increased. Your joy is something that Paul says, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. That's why it should be motivating. A second reason for why it should be motivating is because it highlights the graciousness of God. Reigning with Christ, ruling with Christ highlights the graciousness of God. Think about this with me. We are not, if we are in Christ, we are not mere spiritual cronies. We are not bellhops that are anxiously darting around, hoping and pining for a glance from the one that we serve. That is not what a Christian is. That is not what Christ provides. We share, according to the scriptures, in the master's riches. Paul says in Ephesians 1 that every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places is yours in Christ Jesus. Sometimes we we think about salvation as maybe we are in the negative, we're in the red. And that's our sin, dead in our trespasses and sin, that's our rebellion. And because God forgives us, sometimes we can conceive of salvation as being brought to this place of being neutral. That is not the gospel, friends. The gospel is that not only do you go from the red owing a great debt that you could never pay, you go right into the category of being an adopted son or daughter that receives an inheritance that includes every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Your inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, and kept in heaven for you. That's the gospel. It's not just a wiping away, it's a lavishing upon you with all wisdom and insight the grace of God through Jesus Christ. That's what the gospel is. Again, we're not anxious bellhops, just keeping our eyes on the ground, hoping as God passes by through or Christ passes by that maybe he notices us or glances us because we love him and we serve and we serve him. No, no, no, no. We share in the master's riches. Every spiritual blessing is ours. And we not only serve Christ, although that's true, we do serve him. We do bow the knee, we have reverence for him. We not only serve Christ, we will one day rule with him. Friends, this is unfathomable. This is what the grace of God does. He lavishes it upon us and does not hold back. I couldn't help but think of uh the Lion King when I was thinking about this, right, where he says, everything the light touches is yours. I couldn't help but think about that. Because in the New Jerusalem, did you know that there is no darkness, it is only light, it is the unending radiance of the light of Christ shining all the time for eternity. And the Bible says, everything the light touches is yours in Jesus Christ. Everything that the light of Christ touches belongs to you. Every spiritual blessing is yours. It highlights the graciousness of God. So why should we anticipate the day where we will rule with him and reign with him? We don't have all the answers. We don't know exactly what that's going to look like. But friends, that is the grace of God, where he is lavishing upon you all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. So the author of Hebrews he says, therefore, stay alert, keep focused, keep running, know what you are running towards, and anticipate that day and keep going. Pay much closer attention. Anticipate the day that you will reign with Christ, where the original intention of dominion given to Adam and Eve is fully and finally realized. Of course, Christ is the first fruits of that. He is the first of the new humanity, of the new creation that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 5. And in Christ, and in all of creation, submitting to Christ, you will rule and reign and share in that reality. Anticipate that day and live in light of it in the present.

Not Yet In Full Subjection

SPEAKER_00 25:53

Let's keep going in Hebrews chapter 2. Look at verse 8 again. So it says, You made him for a little while lower than the angels, you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now, in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, in the present age that we live in, of course, you would sympathize with this and recognize this statement immediately. We do not yet see everything in subjection to him. Of course, we live in a world where everything is not in full subjection to Christ. Therefore, it follows that not everything is in subjection to us because it's not in full subjection to Christ. We don't live in that world. We're not experiencing what that day will be like fully now. We do not yet see everything in subjection to Him, into mankind. Now, when is the day when we will? I think this is calling back to the end of Hebrews chapter 1, where it says, Unto which of the angels has he ever said, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? There's a future day where all of the enemies of Christ will be vanquished. And on that day, all things, things on heaven and things on earth, will be united fully and finally and subjected to Christ. And on that day, all things will be subjected to us, because we are in Christ, and we will rule and reign with him. But right now, we do not yet see. That is not our present reality. There are things that we can sort of participate in now that are kind of a future, a glimmer of what will come in the future, but we recognize we we live in a world that is fallen. We live in a world that is plagued with sinfulness. We still live uh under the shadow of the curse, in the sense of the ground is still hard, the it fights against us, all of those things that God talks about in Genesis chapter 3. And even Paul in Romans chapter 8, he's reflecting on this, and he describes it as creation groaning with eager longing for this future day. Let me read it for you. Romans 8, beginning in 18. Paul says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing for the future of the sons of God. You see how Paul connects creation sort of rest with the sons of God, because of the rule and reign and dominion that we are to have over creation, the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. That's God. God subjected creation in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Creation's freedom is connected to our freedom. A creation's groaning is something that we share in, something that we relate to. He goes on and says, For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, grown inwardly as we eagerly await for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. And Paul uses this analogy, this illustration of childbirth. And I was thinking of uh McKinsey when she was in labor uh with our son Wesley back in in August. Uh, the illustration that Romans 8 is groaning like pains in in childbirth, and the whole process of labor and childbirth. Of course, there's there's something very joyous on the other end, right? Groaning turns into joy. Uh, when you hear that first breath, that first cry, that first snuggle, the wonder of welcoming new life into the world suddenly, all of the pain and all of the groaning was worth it. And that's the illustration that Paul uses with creation. Creation is groaning and there's longing for the day where all things will be fully and finally in subjection to Christ. And it connects that freedom, that being, that that joy that it anticipates to the sons of God experiencing our full and final uh salvation. So there's a day coming where all of creation, where all things will be in full submission to Christ. And there will no longer be this reality that Hebrews 2 is talking about, that we don't yet see all things in subjection to him. There will be a day when we will see. There will be a day when all things are in full submission to Christ. And our response to that should be to anticipate that reality and to understand that that day will be filled with joy. That day, just like a child being born after the pains of childbirth, of laboring, turns into joy. Anticipate that day.

The Joy Of Full Submission

SPEAKER_00 31:20

Point number two, anticipate the joy of full submission to Christ. Anticipate the day where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Groan along with creation in Romans 8 and recognize that there is a future salvation. There is something in the future that we groan inwardly and we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies, the future that we are promised, and we anticipate the joy of full submission to Christ. And this, friends, is something that is filled and full of joy. I thought of Isaiah 65, verses 17 and 18, where God's talking about the new heavens and the new earth, this new creation. It says, For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind, but be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. This is the future that is promised. I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. That is your future if you are in Christ. Anticipate the joy of full submission to Christ. Even David in Psalm 16, 11, he says, You make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. And on this day that creation groans for, that we eagerly long for, that we wait for, the adoption of sons, our salvation, it is a day where the fullness of joy will be finally experienced. Now, what does that mean? What does fullness of joy mean? It means no more dissatisfaction, it means no more discontentment, no more searching, no more longing. That's what fullness of joy means. It means full, eternal, overflowing, unending joy. And that's what you are promised if you were in Christ Jesus. Now, in the world that we currently live in, our joy gets blown around like the winds. It's ever shifting, it's ever partial, it's ever, it feels elusive. And we do not yet see everything in subjection to Christ, and we feel it. We ought to groan with creation. Our souls should groan with eager longing for that day, that future reality, the joy that is promised for us if we are in Christ Jesus. And I would say that our souls groaning with creation is one of the ways that God helps us to stay spiritually alert. That God helps us to stay focused. I want you to think of it, might be silly, but think of your soul as a sort of metal detector that is always on the hunt for something precious. Your soul is on the hunt for precious eternal joy. And the closer and closer that you get, the more and more the detector sounds. And in the meantime, as we wait for that day, we keep searching, we keep anticipating, and we look forward with eager longing, with eager growing for the joy that God has promised us. In his presence, there is fullness of joy. No more half-hearted joy. No more joy that comes and goes, that ebbs and flows, no more joy that can be taken, it feels like, no more joy that can be tainted. It'll be full, overflowing, never-ending joy. When all things are in submission to Christ. And so the author of Hebrews again says, think about this, anticipate this. Remember what is coming in the future and stay alert, stay focused on Christ.

Anticipate Christ Defeating Death

SPEAKER_00 36:16

Let's look at verse 9 of chapter 2 of Hebrews. So we don't see everything in subjection to him, whether it's Christ or to us by extension. But what do we do see? We see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus. Crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death. We see Jesus, the one who was crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death. Death was the path to the crown. We see him. And he did this so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. This is who we see. This is what we anticipate. Now it's true that Christ defeated sin and death. That's why Paul can say, Oh death, where is your sting? But the reality that we experience is that death has not fully and finally been defeated. There's coming a day that we'll look at here, that Paul talks about in a second. But our experience is that death is still very much at work in the world. Death is still very much an enemy of humanity. But there is coming a day because of the death of Christ. That death will no longer be a problem or something that brings pain to those who are near and in Christ. And our response should be the point number three: anticipate Christ's final defeat of death. Anticipate the day where death no longer brings heartache, brings loss, brings anxiety. Anticipate the day where Christ will fully and finally defeat death once and for all. Paul kind of lays out this argument very much in parallel with what we're reading here in Hebrews chapter 2. But 1 Corinthians 15, we'll look at verses 20 through 26 together. Now, Paul's making an argument for the resurrection of Christ. It says in verse 20, but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. He is the first fruits, the first of this new humanity that will not be entangled by death any longer. He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, that's Adam, through death, through one man, Adam, sinned and death entered into the world. Romans 5. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive, but each in his own order. Christ is the first fruits. Then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end. When he delivers the kingdom to God, the Father, after destroying every rule and every authority and every power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. And that day is a day that we long for. Because in our humanity, death is our unconquerable enemy in this present age. At least in the physical sense. Of course, if we are in Christ, we will experience life in Christ. That's why Jesus says, yet you die, you will live. If you die, a physical death, you will have a spiritually abundant life in Christ. So I'm not saying that we can't, we will lose that. What I am saying is that death continues to touch our lives. Death is our unconquerable enemy in this present age. It comes for everyone. It is the great equalizer. Those who are young, those who are old, those who lose their life in what we might consider a timely manner, those who lose their life in what we might consider an untimely manner, death comes for everyone in this present age. It is again the great equalizer. And no, no amount of clean food, no amount of holistic living, no amount of natural remedies can stop it. You can't stop it. No doctor, no scientist, no philosopher, no one can stop the effects and pains of death in this world. Except for Jesus. Except for the one who conquered death. And because of that reality, because of the death of Christ that allows us to have life in Christ, those who are in Christ don't have to fear death. It's just another enemy that will one day find itself under the feet of Jesus. Do you see that in 1 Corinthians 15? He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. That's Hebrews chapter 1, verse 13. Paul says the last enemy to be destroyed is death. And those who are in Christ don't have to fear death. It's just another enemy that will find itself under the feet of Jesus. The author of Hebrews says, We see him, we see Jesus, who for a little while took on flesh. He was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus. He was crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. By the grace of God, he would experience death so that we could experience life. That's why Paul says in Philippians 1 21, for to me to live is Christ, but to die is gain. That's the perspective of someone who is in Christ. That's the hope of someone who is in Christ. And though in this world, in the age that we live in, we still feel the effects of sin. We still feel uh the heartbreak of death. We still wrestle with the loss that death provides and causes in our lives. We, if we are in Christ, we can say along with Paul to live is Christ and to die is a gain. And so we should anticipate, look forward to the day where because of Jesus' death on the cross, because he rose again from the dead three days later, death no longer has its sting over those who were in Christ Jesus. To us, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

A Pregame Routine For The Soul

SPEAKER_00 43:47

When I was in high school, my football coach made us stick to a pretty strict pregame routine. Guy. So it felt like do this routine and then we'll win. Which just didn't really work, I guess, because we didn't win that often. But there was a pretty strict pregame routine, right? For the last half hour before we stepped on the field, no one was allowed to say a word. And trust me, we would get yelled at if we spoke at all for any reason whatsoever. He did not care. You do not speak. You do not say a word. Now is the time to get your mind right for what we have to do, he would say. Get your mind right, get your head in the game. And he expected complete silence with the intention of getting us to think about what we had to do. He wanted us to run through in our heads. What's your assignment? If you're on defense, which gap are you rushing? If you're on offense, what's your blocking scheme? Where uh where is your where are you lining up? Slot receiver, wide receiver, quarterback, what's the what's the kind of think about all of it. Think about it, visualize it, dwell on it. That's what he wanted us to do. He wanted us to think about what we were preparing for all the all that week. And I would just feel, I'm in I'm in the locker room, and I would feel, you know, a bunch of teen guys, and none of us are speaking. There's something powerful about that, right? It didn't happen very often. So I would just feel this anticipation that would build as the time drew near for us to line up and head out of the locker room. And there would be this sense of because we were anticipating what we were about to do, kept us focused, it got us in the right frame of mind. Christian, as you seek to stay spiritually alert, and remember that's the the author of Hebrews' argument, pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away. As you seek to stay spiritually alert, anticipate what awaits you, anticipate what has been promised to you in Jesus Christ. Think about your future, what Christ has secured, and get ready for the day where faith will become sight as you gaze upon Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death. And as we anticipate that day, as we think about that day, the author of Hebrews is saying that that God will use that and bless that as a means to help you stay spiritually alert, to help you stay focused, to help you pay much closer attention. Thinking about and anticipating what will be tomorrow is God's intention for you to be faithful

Prayer And Closing

SPEAKER_00 46:51

today. Let's pray together. God, thank you for your word. We're thankful that we are heirs with Christ, that every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places is ours in Christ Jesus. Oh God, that is that is infathomable. How could it be? Who is man that you were mindful of us? The Son of Man that you care for us. And yet, God, you through the sending of your Son, through his life, through his death, through his resurrection, through his ascension and his glorious victory over sin and death, we will one day reign with Christ. Help us to anticipate the joy that comes when all things are in full submission to the crown. Help us to think about that day often, to be motivated by it, to be focused and narrowed in our lives, in our thinking, in our attitudes, in our hearts, because we are dwelling on what Christ has secured through his death. I pray that you would help us to be faithful. You would help us to pay much closer attention, that you'd help us to stay alert, help us to be a people that run the race with endurance, that run it well for your glory and our good. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.