Tim Badger - Class 6: Sunday School

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   So this morning, we have our brother Tim Badger with us of the Brighton Ecclesia in Australia. And the title of his class is Honor the Sun, Brother Tim Badger.

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   So the title of our Sunday School this morning is on Honor the Sun. And that phrase is taken from a passage in John chapter 5. But we won't go there yet. I'd like to read you a quote that I love from a fairly well-known historian. His name is Philip Schaff. And some of his works that are notable are written on church history.

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   And in one of those histories, he takes an attempt at summarizing the greatness of Jesus Christ. Let me read it to you. It's a beautiful quote. This is what he says. Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Muhammad, and Napoleon. Without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined.

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   Without the eloquence of school, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet. Without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.

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   Now, I love that, because that's a fantastic attempt at trying to encapsulate the greatness and the influence of the Lord Jesus Christ through the ages. And it's interesting, because obviously for us, we know that Christ is the focal point of everything in our faith. That's how God's designed it. And if we look at our own community over time, we've always preached that, and we've always held that dear to us.

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   So even in our own hymn book, the Green Hymn Book, in that hymn book alone, we have nine sections revolving around the Lord Jesus Christ. Hymns concerning or to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's 30% of our hymn book have hymns that are centered around that. And back in 1997, in the Christophie magazine, when the hymn book was being put together, a number of brothers were on that committee putting things together and going through the review of the hymn book from the Brotherhood and other places.

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   And this is what they wrote in the Christophie magazine, concerning the hymns in those sections concerning Christ. They may be acclamations, so for example, sing praise, the tomb is void. Statements addressing certain truths about Christ, for example, thou art the way. Appeals for divine promises to be fulfilled, such as the return of Christ, Lord, we wait the time of blessing.

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   Or expressions of heartfelt thanks, was it for me thy flesh was wounded sore. And all of those are hymns that relate to the Lord Jesus Christ. And they put him in his rightful position as the center of our faith by God's design. So what Philip Schaff has done in his little quote that I've read to you this morning is try to capture some of that.

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   But when we look at the word of God, brothers and sisters, and we're going to do that this morning, we want to understand, well, what does God say about his son? Because sometimes it's easy in the whole kind of culture of Christianity that we live in to be a little bit more confused on where Christ's position is.

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    Sometimes we might react because the churches have made him part of the Trinity and God himself. And so we want to be careful, of course, and rightly so, of falling into that teaching and that doctrine. But we have to be careful to have the balance of scripture on where Christ is and his position.

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    I want you to come to John chapter 5. The greatness of Christ, from a scriptural point of view, cannot be underestimated. And this is a fitting thing to do on a Sunday morning because it just helps us all the more in our preparations for the emblems this morning.

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    Look at what John chapter 5 says. Now we're going to cut in at verse 16. But just before this incident, in John chapter 5, there was the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda. When Jesus said to him in verse 8, Rise, take up your bed and walk. Now the Jews were completely angry by what happened.

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    So verse 16, look at what it says. For this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him because of what had happened with this man, what he'd done. And because he'd done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them. So they're challenging Christ. And Jesus answered them and says, My father has been working until now and I have been working.

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    Therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill him. Because he not only broke the Sabbath, but he also said that God was his father, making himself, as they thought, equal with God. Now if there was ever a point, and this is a classic first principles passage that we could go to. If there was ever a point where Jesus could confirm the Trinity and their understanding, it was right here.

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    He could have said, Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. And then it would have been all on. Jews versus Christ. But he doesn't say that. In fact, he corrects their understanding, but in a way that's actually quite amazing for us to get a handle on. So they get all upset and they're angry because of what he's done and that he's making himself equal with God.

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    So they think. Look at how Jesus responds. Verse 19. Jesus answered and said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do. For whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner. So clearly Jesus is saying, from an equality point of view, no, I'm not claiming to be equal to my Father.

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    But that's not the end of the story. Look at verse 20. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself does. Now you've got to imagine being the group of Jews in this situation and listening to the words of Christ. And you can just see the temperature like going up because they get more and more angry at what he's saying.

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    All of this connection. The Father loves the Son. How can you say such things? Although he's not claiming to be equal to God, he's definitely claiming a close relationship with him. And that angers the Jews all the more in this section. So verse 20. The Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself does.

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    And he will show him greater works than these that you may marvel. For, and he just keeps going, if that's not already intense enough, he says in verse 21, Now imagine those words falling on this audience. For, and I want us to notice verse 22. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son.

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    Now, brothers and sisters, I don't know if you've ever thought about the implication of that verse, verse 22. Jesus in his ministry is illustrating to the Jews his position as the Son of God. And he says to them in his ministry, the Father judges no one. All judgment has been committed to me, to the Son.

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    That's an extraordinary thing for us to think about. And particularly this morning as we examine ourselves, that the Father has given that whole role of discernment and judgment in the hearts of men to his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we know he is the judge when he returns to the earth. But he's the judge now as well.

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    In what's going on in our hearts and minds. Now look at verse 23. And this is where the title for our consideration this morning has come from. That all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

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    Now that's something that's worthy of our reflection and thinking about this morning and every day in our discipleship. That Jesus said, everyone should honor the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, just as, and the sense of that is in the same capacity, the same degree to which we honor the Father. And if you don't honor the Son, then you cannot honor the Father.

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    Now that's an incredible statement by the Lord Jesus Christ while still in his ministry to the Jews. No, he was not claiming equality. But as far as honor goes and his privileged position as the Son of God, he is saying that I am deserving of just the same honor as my Father. Now that concept, brothers and sisters, only really truly makes sense with an understanding of God manifestation.

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    That the Son was a complete embodiment of the character and the will of God. And that's something I want us to be challenged by this morning and think about. Our honor of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in our life. That it needs to be just the same as we honor the Father who sent him.

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    Now, when you think about it, you think, well, how else do we know in Scripture that the Son is to be honored? Like Philip Schaff's little description of Christ is great, but how does God describe his Son? Well, here's an example where Jesus' own teaching describes that. But how does God describe his Son?

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    And this is something that I want us to just think about this morning. So if you've got that little piece of paper, I would like you to just have a little think for maybe a minute. See if you can jot down as many titles or descriptions of the Lord Jesus Christ that you can think of in all of Scripture.

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    So I want you to think of any title or description of Jesus Christ that you can think of in Scripture that God has given him through the divine inspiration of the Scriptural record. So Son of Man is obviously one, for example. But see if you can find any more. Just take a minute.

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    What can you write down? On memory. And don't worry about the verse like the reference. Can I have one of these little waters? Yeah. So title or description that God gives in Scripture of his Son. Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Thank you.

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    Thank you. Jimmy, can you read yours out? Yeah, sure. Christ, Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah, Lord Jesus, Beloved Son, Word made flesh, Savior, Lamb of God, Son of David. Yep. Good. Those sound similar to the, obviously. Anyone other, any other examples? Yep. Great. Great. A wonderful counselor, mighty God, Abraham, his mother, and his mother.

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    Great. Now, that's actually a fair map when we start thinking about it from Old to New Testament, right? We can go through more. Now, I'm going to do something possibly unusual, but I do this for a reason. I'm going to read to you, brothers and sisters, and we've been working on this for a little while.

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    Students at school and myself collected them. I'm going to read to you all of the titles and the descriptions that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ that we find in the record of Scripture. And the purpose of doing this is exactly in the line of John chapter 5 to just soak in this morning, and it's great to be able to do this on a Sunday morning, just to be able to soak it in and realize the supreme place that God has by design given to his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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    So incorporating some of those titles and descriptions that we've already had coming from Isaiah and other places, here is how he is described by the Father. He is called the Advocate in 1 John chapter 2. He is the Almighty in Revelation chapter 1, verse 8, the Alpha and the Omega, and he's described in Psalm 5, verse 16 as altogether lovely.

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    He is the Amen of Revelation 3, the Anointed of Psalm 2, Apostle, Arm of the Lord. He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. He is the Author of Eternal Salvation. He is the Beginning and the End. And I just want you to soak these in. Just appreciate the length to which God goes to describe the position of his Son in the plan of redemption.

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    He is the Beginning of the Creation of God, the Beloved, the Beloved Son, Bishop, Branch, Bread of God, Bread of Life, Bridegroom, Bright and Morning Star, and he's the Brightness of the Father's Glory in Hebrews chapter 1. He's the Captain of Salvation. He's the Chief Shepherd, the Chief Cornerstone, and he's Chiefest Among 10,000.

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    He's the Chosen of God, Christ, the Christ, Christ a King, Christ Jesus, Christ Jesus our Lord, Christ of God, Christ of the Lord, Christ the Chosen of God, Christ the Lord and Christ the Son of God. He's the Commander in Isaiah 55. He's the Consolation of Israel, the Cornerstone, Counselor, and the Covenant of the People in Isaiah 42 verse 6.

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    He's called David prophetically in Jeremiah chapter 30. He's the Dayspring, the Daystar, the Deliverer, and the Door. And that's only up to the letter D. That's amazing. He's the Elect of God, Emmanuel, and he's the Ensign of Isaiah. He is eternal life, 1 John chapter 5. And he's the Everlasting Father of Isaiah 9 verse 6.

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    He's faithful and true. He's the faithful witness. Faithful and true witness, first and last. He's the first begotten, the first begotten from the dead, the firstborn, the firstborn from the dead, firstborn of every creature. He's the firstfruits, the forerunner, the foundation, and our friend. Song of Solomon 5 and John 15. He's the glory of Israel.

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    He's God. Psalm 45, John 10, and John 20. God with us, the good shepherd, the great shepherd of the sheep. He's harmless. He's the head, the head of every man, head of the ecclesia, head of the corner, headstone, heir of all things. High priest, high priest of good things to come. High priest of our confession.

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    He's higher than the heavens. He's highly exalted. And he's him whom my soul loves. His son, holy child Jesus. Holy one, holy one of God. He's holy, and he is the horn of salvation. He's the I am of John chapter 8. He's the image of God, the image of the invisible God. He's Jesus, Jesus Christ.

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    Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus Christ, our Savior. Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, King of the Jews. Judge of the living and the dead. The just man, the just one, and the just person. He's the King. The King of Israel. The King of the Jews. The King of saints. The King of kings. The King of glory.

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    The King of Zion. And he's King over all the earth. In Zechariah 14, verse 9. He's the Lamb. The Lamb of God. The last Adam. The life. Light. Light of the world. Light to the Gentiles. Living bread. Living stone. Lion of the tribe of Judah, which we read this morning. He's the Lord.

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    Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord Christ. Lord from heaven. Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. And he's the Lord mighty in battle. Psalm 24. He's the Lord of all. Lord of glory. Lord of lords. Lord of both the dead and the living. Lord of the Sabbath. Lord our righteousness.

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    And he's Lord over all. And he's the Lord's Christ. And he's Lord strong and mighty. He's the man Christ Jesus. Man of sorrows. Master. Mediator. Mediator of a better covenant. Messenger of the covenant. Messiah. Messiah the prince. Michael. Mighty God. Mighty to save. And he's the minister of the sanctuary. Most holy. He's the morning star.

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    And he's also the Nazarene. He's the offspring of David. He's oh most mighty. Psalm 45. Only begotten of the Father. Only begotten Son. Our great God and Savior. Our hope. Our peace. Our peace. And our Passover. He's the power of God. And he's a peg and a secure place. Isaiah 22. He's the physician.

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    The precious cornerstone. He's the priest forever. After the order of Melchizedek. He's a prince. Prince of life. Prince of peace. And he's prince of the kings of the earth. He's a prophet like unto Moses. And he's our propitiation. And he's a quickening spirit. That's the only one for Q. That's 1 Corinthians 15 verse 45.

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    Rabbi. Rabboni. Ransom. Redeemer. Resurrection. And life. Redemption. Righteous. Righteous branch. Righteous judge. Righteous servant. He is righteousness. He's rock. Rock of the offense. Wrought out of the root of Jesse. Root of David. Root of Jesse. And he's ruler in Israel. Micah 5. Salvation. Sanctification. He is the sanctuary. The Savior. Savior Jesus Christ.

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    Savior of the body. Savior of the world. He's the scepter. He's the second man. He's the seed of David. Seed of the woman. And he is separate from sinners. He's the servant. He's the shepherd. He's the shepherd and bishop of our souls. He is Shiloh. Genesis 49 verse 10. Son of Abraham. Son of David.

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    Son of God. Son of his love. Son of man. Son of Mary. Son of the blessed. Son of the Father. And he's son of the highest. He's son over his own. House. Hebrews 3. He's the star. The son of righteousness. He's the surety of a better covenant. He's the stone. The stone of stumbling.

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    Stone which the builders rejected. And he's a sure foundation. He's a teacher. He's true. He's true bread from heaven. The true vine. The truth. He's undefiled. He is the vine. The way. Wisdom of God. Without spot. Wonderful. Word made flesh. Word of God. Word of life. And he is called Yahweh. Joel 2.

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    Acts 2. Philippians 2. Isaiah 45. That name has been given to Christ. And he's Yahweh's fellow. Or Yahweh's companion. Of Ezekiel 13. Verse 7. So no wonder brothers and sisters. In Philippians chapter 2. The apostle Paul says. Therefore God has highly exalted him. And given him the name which is above every name.

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    That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. Of those in heaven. And those on earth. And those under the earth. That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Now here's the point. Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Paul says. To the glory of God the Father.

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    That is an amazing thing to say. That all of those things that are bestowed on Christ. That the Father does. By design. From Genesis to Revelation. All of those titles. That give him the absolute preeminence in the creation of God. Are all designed to ultimately give glory to God. The Father. So when we honor Jesus Christ.

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    Brothers and sisters. In any way. By our actions. And following him. In our faith. And belief. Any of those things will ultimately honor God. Because he sent him. It's his son. And in him. All of the fullness. Of the Godhead dwells. In the son. The Lord Jesus Christ. You look at this passage.

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    Come to Colossians chapter 1. Now by the way. There could be more. But I think we've exhausted him. But I think. Brothers and sisters. I actually. And I've. By the way. I've. I've got you a copy of all those. With the references and verses. So you can have them after. But I actually.

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    On Sunday morning. Sometimes. The way I use that. Is I just read that list. And it's just. Such a good way. Of reflecting in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is very. Very powerful. And I think. We need to see it that way. Come to Colossians chapter 1.

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    Look at this. The language of the Apostle Paul. Could not be. Stronger. Let me just turn there. So Colossians. Come to Colossians chapter 1.

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    And we know this passage. Because in a sense. This is one of those. Trinity passages. Passages to do with the Trinity. Because of the strength. And the language of the Apostle Paul. And you sort of think. Oh. This is really. Really extreme. But it is. Brothers and sisters. Because of the position. Of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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    Although the Trinity. Obviously gets it wrong. From a. From an essential point of view. We cannot. Underestimate. And undervalue. The position of Christ. Look what it says. And we know these. These words. Colossians chapter 1. Verse 15. Speaking of Christ. And there's a reason. Why Paul is doing this. In this letter. To the Colossians.

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    Because of their troubles. They need an elevated position. Of Christ. The view of his position. Verse 15. He is. The image. Of the invisible God. The firstborn over all creation. For by him. All things were created. That are on heaven. Sorry. That are in heaven. And that are on earth. Visible and invisible.

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    Whether thrones. Or dominions. Or principalities. Or powers. All things were created. Through him. And for him. And he is before all things. And in him. All things. Consist. And he is the head. Of the body. The ecclesia. Who is the beginning. The firstborn. From the dead. That in all things. Oh. Think about this.

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    That in all things. He might have. The preeminence. Now. Just a little. Tangent on that side. If you remember. The apostle Paul. Later. In his. Letter to Timothy. Talks about Demetrius. That loves to have the preeminence. Remember that. That brother. And you sort of think. Well no. The reason why that's so wrong.

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    For a brother. Or a sister. Or any of us. To love to have the preeminence. Among our brothers and sisters. Is because. We have no preeminence. All of the preeminence. Belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the head of this ecclesia. And the head of every one of us. But look at verse 19.

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    For it pleased the father. Just so. Almost every word here. Is just. Amazing. For it pleased the father. That in him. All. The fullness. Should dwell.

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    All the fullness. Should dwell. He emphasizes this again. In chapter 2. Look at verse 9. For in him. That is Christ. Dwells. All. The fullness. Of the Godhead. Bodily. Which is why. When you come to Christ. You are complete. In him. Who is the head. Of all. Principality. And power. That's extraordinary language.

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    We can go to John chapter 1. As well. And John says. That he came. And he was full. Of grace. And truth. Full. Of grace. And truth. Brothers and sisters. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's the place. Which the father. Has put him. In the scene. Of his plan. Of redemption. No wonder then.

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    That Jesus says. That all should honor the son. Just as they honor the father. And that's true. Brothers and sisters. From so many angles. And we can see. That that's the way. That God has designed it. Because when we do. We accept the father. Who sent him. And we know who he is.

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    You know. There's a beautiful passage. In Song of Solomon. Chapter 5. You know. And I know. I love the Song of Solomon. And it just so happens. That currently. There's a few. Other views going around. Of Song of Solomon. Which I think. Means some. In my own personal view. Serious scrutiny. But. Song of Solomon.

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    Is an amazing book. Brothers and sisters. And I'm absolutely convinced. We can show this. In multiple different ways. That there is absolutely. No doubt. That this book. Is talking about Christ. And his ecclesia. Ultimately. It's an amazing book. Now when you think about it. We. We go here. And we feel like. Whoa.

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    This is a bit of a. A tricky book to understand. And sometimes. I remember as a young person. You sitting in. Sunny school. Whatever it was. And really. The only thing it really makes you do. Sometimes. Is kind of like. Give you a little bit of a nervous. Kind of like. Whoa. Let's go on.

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    But. When you put it this way. If this is a description. Ultimately. Of the love between God and Israel. And Christ and the ecclesia. Which it is. Profoundly is. And it must be. Then we have an entire book. In scripture. That plummets the depths. In exquisite detail. To try and get us to understand.

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    The love that needs to exist. And the passion. And the depth. Of commitment. And fidelity. Between Christ and his ecclesia. A whole book. Devoted to it. In language that's kind of. Unusual for us to do so. But I think. That this book. Has a primary place. In that role. God is trying. Just like Hosea.

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    Was commissioned to do. God is trying. Profoundly. To get us to understand. The depth. Of the love. That we need to have. For his son. And for him. So. In chapter 5. The Song of Solomon. You have. A little incident. Where. Where. The female character. The Shunammite. Is going. And looking. For her beloved.

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    Look at verse 6. I opened my. For my beloved. But my beloved. Had turned away. And was gone. And so. She goes. And finds him. She seeks him. Like the ecclesia does. You know. As she's going along. Look. Look what happens. Look what she says.

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    She says. In verse. Oh sorry. The. The daughters of Jerusalem. Find her going around. Looking for her beloved. So she's. She's moving around. Looking for. Her beloved. And the daughters of Jerusalem. Approach her. In the streets. And this is what they say to her. Verse 9. They say to her. What is your beloved.

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    More than. Another beloved. Oh. Fairest among women. What is your beloved. More than any other beloved. That you so charge us. Now that's a classic question. In the context. Of what we're doing. Like. You're sort of asking. What's. What's really. The. The big deal. About Jesus Christ. Why is he so important. More than any other.

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    What's the. What's the. Position that he has. That's so important. And now. Obviously. We know the answer to that. But that's the question. That she's basically asking. This. This. Shulamite. So. Instead of just saying. Well. He's my beloved. She launches into the most amazing description. Of an answer to that question. She's. Oh.

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    You want to know why my beloved is better than any other beloved. Let me tell you. And she does. She launches into this description. Of her beloved. Look at verse 10. All the way to 16. My beloved. Let me tell you. My beloved. Is white. And ruddy. And he's chief. Among 10,000. His head is like finest gold.

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    His locks are wavy. And black is a wavy. And of course. Immediately. We're sort of confronted with this. Imagery. That is not meant to be literal. In any way. Because it would be a very strange looking beloved. In that sense. But all of these. Are absolutely packed. With metaphorical meaning. And. And she cannot restrain herself.

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    By describing in great detail. Why her beloved. Is the best. And I think that has some sort of. Application to us. Brothers and sisters. Maybe in our preaching. Why is the Lord Jesus Christ. So important to you. Is Christophers. And we should. Be able to answer that question. Profoundly. And. If people ask us at work.

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    Why. Why are you Christophers. Why do you follow the Lord Jesus Christ. What's this thing about the truth. We should be able to give. An absolutely. Definite answer to that. Of why we love. The Lord Jesus Christ. In a profound sense. From a scriptural point of view. From who he truly is. And what he truly means to us.

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    And that is what. This shoe might does. When she's confronted with that question. Who is he more than any other. Let me tell you. That's her answer. You know. There's many things in scripture. That emphasize to us. The primary importance. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're told in Matthew 28. Verse 9. That they came.

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    And held him by the feet. And worshipped him. And he did not refuse them. John does in Revelation. When he falls down before the angel. And he. It looks like he's going to worship the angel. And the angel says. No. I'm one of. You're one of my brethren. Do not do that. But when.

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    When Jesus is worshipped. By the disciples. By the sisters. He does not refuse. And that word. Worship. Worship means to give obeisance. To kiss. Or give reverence. Much the same. As Psalm chapter 2. That we read there. And no wonder. Based on who he is. In the divine plan. Now we have to be careful.

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    With that idea of worship. Because sometimes. Worship to us. Conjures up something. That maybe. It doesn't imply. Worship is just to give honor. And reverence. That's not just. I shouldn't say that. Because it's an extremely important. Concept in word. Do you know. Interestingly. If you've ever. Listened to or read. The transcript. Of the Lee Mansfield debates.

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    When H.P. Mansfield was debating. Debating Dr. Lee. It happened in. In Adelaide. In 1962. I believe. Has anyone. Got a hold of those debates before? If you've never listened to them. They are a cracker. Like it's amazing. If you get a group of people around. To your house. And listen to them. Or even some of them.

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    They're great. But. Actually just a little side point to that. During those debates in 1962. That happened in Adelaide. They were advertised to the deaf community. And so there was quite a number of deaf people. That came to those debates. And they were. They were interpreted. I don't know. Sorry. I don't know how to do it.

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    But. And a number of the deaf community. Were convinced by those debates. And came into the truth at that time. And we still have. At Heritage College. Annie Julie Bailey. Who's the librarian at our school in Adelaide. And she said. Her parents came into the truth through those debates. And they were both profoundly deaf.

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    And she works at our school. And she came in basically through that. No. That was a sidetrack. Dr. Lee presents H.P. Mansfield with this challenge. He said. Well hold on. How can you say that Jesus is not God the Father. Or God. When the disciples worshipped him. And the answer of H.P. Mansfield is like.

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    That doesn't prove anything. Of course they worshipped him. He was the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact they worshipped. And he quotes the Old Testament. He shows that the people worshipped God and the king. David. At the time. Because worship means to give reverence. And they knew that the king David at that time.

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    Was God's representative on earth. And to bow and give homage and obeisance to him. Was to give homage and obeisance in reverence to God. God. It's not taking away from God at all. In fact it's giving everything to him. To recognize and worship the Son. Is to do exactly the same to the Father.

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    Because he sent him. It's his Son. And that's the sense. Which we gain all the way through scripture. That is no proof of eternity in any sense. But it is a proof of the status and position. That Jesus Christ has. In relation to the Father and his purpose. Now what we want to do.

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    Brothers and sisters. Is bring this theme. All the way to our reading. In Revelation chapter 5. Now. It's not our intention this morning. To sort of. Sort of dissect the elements of Revelation 4 and 5. In great detail. But let's just sort of. Briefly have a general look at chapter 4 and 5.

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    In the context particularly of. The song that is sung to the Lamb. Chapter 5. So chapter 4. And we're just going to skim over this. Chapter 4. Seems to be. A vision of the final glory. That belongs to God. In the end. With the. Four living creatures. And 24 elders. Around his throne.

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    Singing. Holy. Holy. Holy. In verse 8. But then we come to chapter 5. And it seems like this is the glory of Christ. Or at least the Lamb. That's leading up to that point. So it's going back and showing how we got to chapter 4. In that sense. And what we find is this.

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    In chapter 5 verse 1. I saw in the hand of him who sat on the throne. A scroll written inside and on the back. Sealed with seven seals. Those are seven seals. That are going to be opened in chapter 6. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice. Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?

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    And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth. Which is interesting because we've heard those words before. Was able to open the scroll or to look at it. So I wept much. Because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or even to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, don't weep.

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    Behold. The lion of the tribe of Judah. The root of David. Has prevailed to open the scroll. Loose its seven seals. So what happens is John looks. And behold in the midst of the throne. The four living creatures in the midst of the elders stood a lamb. As though it had been slain.

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    Having seven horns and seven eyes. Which are the seven spirits of God. Sent out into all the earth. Then he came. This lamb. He came and took the scroll. Out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. Now brothers and sisters. This is a monumental moment in history. This is the very moment in a sense.

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     In the first century. Where the elevated and resurrected Christ. Who's given all power and authority. Is now taking the seven sealed scroll. That no one can open. And he's taking that. And he will be the one to open it. The only one that could ever do so. And when John sees that. And the people in this vision.

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     See that the lamb has taken that scroll. And he's ready to open it. Which happens in chapter 6. This is what happens in response to that. Verse 8. Now when he had taken the scroll. The four living creatures and the 24 elders. Fell down before the lamb. Each having a harp. And golden bowls full of incense.

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     Which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song. Saying. You are worthy to take the scroll. And to open its seals. For you were slain. And have redeemed us to God by your blood. Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And have made us kings and priests to our God.

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     And we shall reign on the earth. Now brothers and sisters. For quite a long time. I've always seen this vision. As something that we'll be doing in the kingdom time. And surely we will. There must be an aspect of that. Which when we are in the kingdom. In the east gate of the temple.

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     Or wherever we might be. We will be able to sing these words to the Lord Jesus Christ. Because he has redeemed us. To God. By his blood. But. But brothers and sisters. This song. Clearly. From reading Revelation chapter 5 and 6 carefully. Was first song. In the first century. That is when. The Lord Jesus Christ.

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     First took that scroll. The first seal. Was opened. In the first century. In the late AD 90s. As chapter 6 goes on to describe. The judgments. On pagan Rome. Right? Verse 1 of chapter 6. Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals. And that's the. That is the beginning of.

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     The whole unraveling. Of the story of Revelation. The judgment of God on the earth. Through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now. This is something. That our pioneer brethren. Have long written about. This is what. 13 lectures. Written by Brother Robert. Robert says. On this scene. That we find. He says. In 13 lectures. This is a dramatic.

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     Illustration. Of the great love. And esteem. Entertained for. By the Lord Jesus. By all. Standing. Related. To the matter. The great love. And esteem. Entertained for the Lord Jesus. By all. Standing. Related. To the matter. And he says. Of this song. Verses. Eight to ten. This is what he says. Page 37. Of 13 lectures.

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     The saints. Are seen here. The saints. Are in a praying state. The probationary state. As represented. By the 24 elders. The elders. Represent the saints. Not only. In the final glory. That awaits them. But also. In their contemporary. First century. Adoration. Of Christ. In their several generations. Well yet. In the flesh. Therefore.

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     They say. Perspectively. We shall. Reign. On the earth. Showing that at the time. Of this part of the vision. They are still in the position. Of hope. Now that's a. That's an amazing. Thing to remember. And to think about. Brothers and sisters. With this vision. Although clearly. It's got. Implications for the future.

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     There is an element. To which. This vision. Happens in the first century. Because that's when. Christ was elevated. And given all power. And authority. And that. Our brothers and sisters. Of that age. Recognize. That that was the position. Of Christ. That he was going to be the one. To unleash the judgments. On pagan Rome.

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     The seven seals. And they were so thankful. To God at that time. That they sang. Worthy. Are you. To take the scroll. And to open its seals. For you were slain. And have redeemed us to God. By your blood. John. John then has. Another element. To this vision. As he turns. In verse 11.

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     And this is one of those elements. In Revelation. Where he suddenly. Goes right into the future. And the evidence of that. Is clear. In verse 11. Then I looked.

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     And I heard the voice. Of many angels. Now. Not just the saints. But angels. Around the throne. The living creatures. The elders. And the number of them. Clearly this is. Kingdom related. The end of the age. The number of them. Was 10,000 times 10,000. And thousands of thousands. Saying with a loud voice.

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     Worthy is the lamb. Who was slain. To receive power. And riches. And wisdom. And strength. And honor. And glory. And blessing. Do you see what John's doing? That's clearly at the end of the age. And the song. In verse 9. Is in the first century. And from the first century. To the very end of the age.

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     When Christ returns. In the first century. We give honor. To the son. Because he has redeemed us to God. By his blood. And in that time. Just like we saw in Revelation 19. We will be rejoicing. Together. As a community of believers. And with the Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoicing over that salvation. And all that was accomplished.

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     Through the son. The will of the father. And so it says in verse 13. And every creature. Which is in heaven. And on earth. And under the earth. And such as are in the sea. And all that are in them. I heard saying. Blessing. And honor. And glory. And power. Be to him.

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     Who sits on the throne. And to the lamb. Forever. And ever. So here's the thought for us. This morning with the sisters. Just as we sort of consider. In Sunday school this morning. We need to really give thought. To how it is. That we worship the son. And honor the son in our life.

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     And just for the record. Sometimes we sort of. When we're talking about this topic. We sort of bring up that. The curly question of prayer. To the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's a discussion that comes up. Frequently in our community. But I think there's a really simple answer to that. Even though there's a lot of discussion.

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     Around that at a time. And I know that's true in Australia. From time to time. The simple answer is this. First. In my mind. The Lord Jesus Christ. In the very context of John. In John chapter 14. Taught us that prayer was to be made. To the Father. That is what he teaches.

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     And he never taught anything else. That's what he says. You pray to the Father. But he says. When you do. And if you do. I will do it. That's the amazing point. That's where Jesus is involved. He helps. He not only does he bring us to the Father. And open that way. And make that possible.

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     But he's also saying that I'm the one who's going to perform it. And we can spend a whole other sort of time together. Looking at what Jesus Christ is doing now. As the resurrected Lord. In the ecclesias. Walking through the lampstands. And so many other things. And it's really important I think to understand that.

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     That to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Does not mean that. And we don't necessarily get there by just chatting to him. The disciples had that opportunity for three or so years. Right? But even then. They didn't really necessarily profoundly know the Lord Jesus Christ. The message of John is to know the Lord.

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     Is to profoundly live him in your life. It's not just through conversation. Or trying to talk to him in prayer. Is there cases where people actually came to Christ. And said things like at the end of Revelation. Quickly come. Or oh Lord Jesus quickly come. And the answer to that is yes. Yes.

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     And we're thanksgiving to Christ. Was thanksgiving to Christ? Yes. And some of our hymns do that. But preeminently brothers and sisters. The theme and the thrust. And the focus of the New Testament. Is that we pray to the Father. Through the Son. Because that is what the privilege is. That he has given to us.

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     So let's honor the Son. By the way we live. And by the way we speak. And by the way we preach the gospel. To the world around us. And may he come soon. Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida