THE PERFECT IMPRINT OF HIS FATHER'S ESSENCE

Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority]

~Amplified Bible (AMP)

The superiority of God’s revelation through his Son is demonstrated by seven great descriptive statements about him: (1) appointed heir of all things. The incarnate Son, having performed the work of redemption, was gloriously exalted to the position of the firstborn heir of God, i.e., he received the inheritance of God’s estate (“all things”). See Ro 8:17. (2) through whom he made the universe. See Jn 1:3; 1Co 8:6; Col 1:16 and note. (3) radiance of God’s glory. As the brilliance of the sun is inseparable from the sun itself, so the Son’s radiance is inseparable from deity, for he himself is God, the second person of the Trinity (see Jn 1:14, 18 and notes). (4) exact representation of his being. Jesus is not merely an image or reflection of God. Because the Son himself is God (see note on Ro 9:5), he is the absolutely authentic representation of God’s being (see Jn 14:9; Col 1:15 and note). (5) sustaining all things. Christ is not like Atlas, the mythical Greek god who held the world on his shoulders. The Son dynamically holds together all that has been created through him (Col 1:17). (6) provided purification for sins. Through his redeeming death on the cross (see 7:27; 9:12; Tit 2:14 and notes). (7) sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Being seated at God’s right hand indicates that Christ is actively ruling with God as Lord over all (see v. 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; Mt 26:64; Ac 2:23; 5:34; Ro 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; 1Pe 3:22).

Footnotes:

Hebrews 1:3 The word “Shekinah” does not appear in Scripture, but has been used by both Christians and Jews to describe the visible divine Presence of God, in such things as the burning bush, the cloud and the pillar of fire that led the Hebrews in the wilderness, and the Presence of God that rested between the cherubim over the mercy seat of the ark.

A WHEEL UPON A WHEEL

A WHEEL UPON A WHEEL

(A multitude of layers of God's Glory Shining in the Heavenlies)

Awesome, as I look at this picture I think of Ezekiel 1:16 - The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

This also could be a painting of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Heavens. Beautiful!!!

Question: "What are the heavenly hosts?"

Answer: On the night that Jesus was born, an angel announced the good news to the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem. “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel” and joined in praise to God (Luke 2:13). Most hymnals include “The Doxology,” one of the great hymns of the faith, and that song includes the line “Praise him above, ye heavenly host.” In both of these contexts, the heavenly hosts are God’s holy angels who dwell in God’s presence.

Basically, the word host refers to a great number of individuals or to an army. Modified by the word heavenly, hosts becomes a great number of angelic beings forming a celestial army under God’s command. There is a suggestion of rank and orderliness, of companies and divisions within that heavenly army. The heavenly hosts were created by God and are controlled by God.

One of God’s names is “LORD of hosts,” which occurs often in the Old Testament. In Hebrew, it is Yahweh Sabaoth, meaning “Lord of the heavenly armies” or “God of the heavenly hosts.” The NIV translates the name as “LORD Almighty.” See 1 Samuel 1:3; Psalm 24:10; Isaiah 22:14; Jeremiah 2:19; Amos 4:13; Haggai 2:9; Zechariah 8:6; and Malachi 2:16.

There are places in Scripture where the heavenly hosts include fallen angels, such as in 1 Kings 22:19. The prophet Micaiah relates a vision of God’s throne room, where he saw “the whole heavenly host” standing on God’s right and left (HCSB). One of these beings in the divine presence is a “deceiving spirit” (verse 22), so the term heavenly hosts can refer broadly to all angelic beings, holy and unholy.

Psalm 148:2 equates the parallel terms angels and heavenly hosts: “Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.” Psalm 103:19–21 gives further information: “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.” In this passage, the psalmist praises God for the extent of divine authority—there is no part of creation that is not under God’s rule; His throne is “established.” The heavenly hosts (the angels) praise the Lord; they are, in fact, God’s servants who are at His beck and call. They dutifully obey God’s commands, carry out His bidding, and acquiesce to His will.

As believers, we will someday inhabit heaven with God and the heavenly hosts. According to Hebrews 12:22, we have been called to the place where dwell “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.” When Jesus returns to earth to establish His kingdom, “the armies of heaven [will be] following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:14). In this context, the heavenly hosts are all those who inhabit heaven at that time: the redeemed of the church age, Old Testament believers, martyrs of the tribulation, and angels. The angelic army will be augmented by humans redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We will not become angels, but we will be with them in glory.

~Bits and Pieces of Got Questions

MY PEACE I GIVE YOU

Jesus said in John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Jesus stated that the peace He offers is a gift. We can’t earn it. We can’t buy it. We can’t use our will power to find it. It is a gift. But as with any gift it is useless if not opened. His gift is so desirable that it is wrapped in five layers. So let’s unwrap the five layers to get to this marvelous gift.

THE FIRST LAYER IS OBEYING GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS

Psalm 119:165 “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.”

God’s Word is the instruction manual for life. He designed us. He knows all about out buttons and knobs. He knows what it takes for our lives to run smoother. And He has placed it in his Word for our information.

If you ignore God’s Word you run that same risk for your life. If you are struggling with peace be sure that you are following his instructions. That responsibility is on you.

THE NEXT LAYER IS ACCEPTING GOD'S PARDON

Micah 7:18 “Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!”

In the Hebrew the word pardon meant to be lifted up and carried off. Our guilt was lifted up at the cross when Jesus became our sins. Our guilt was carried off and thrown into the sea of forgetfulness. God has chosen to forgive our failings. We must learn to forgive ourselves.

We will never find the gift of peace if we do not pardon ourselves for our past mistakes. We cannot change the past but we can change the future. God’s word says He delights in showing unfailing love. He delights in forgiving us. We need to find delight in forgiving yourself.

NOW THE LAYER OF TRUSTING GOD

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Please don’t misunderstand. I am not advocating stumbling along with a blind faith that God will handle everything and nothing will go wrong. I do believe that God, at times, will help us through our stupidity. We are still responsible for our spiritual maintenance. We should not ignore when our spiritual warning light comes on. And that warning light is stress due to loss of peace.

When you allow stress to dictate your life, you have loss the peace that comes from trusting God. In the midst of stressful situations we are to fix our thoughts on God. We are to trust that He is in control.

When Jesus was in the garden, He was under so much stress that He began to sweat drops of blood. He asked God to provide another way for man’s atonement. His thoughts were fixed on his death. But when He fixed his thoughts on God’s will He became filled with peace.

Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.” The Hebrew word for be still meant “to hang limp, be feeble.” We are to rest in the midst of our situations. We are to recognize that some situations are out of our control and learn to trust God.

THE NEXT LAYER IS SEEKING GOD'S WILL

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

The writer of Proverbs gives us three commands and a promise.

We are to trust in God. We are to put confidence in him and his choices for our life.

We are not to try and figure out circumstances. We are not to rely upon our own understanding. We do not have the mind of God or his ways.

We are to seek his will. We are to recognize that God is in complete control of all the situations that occur in our lives. Nothing occurs that He does not allow for his purpose.

When we quit trying to manipulate our circumstances but instead trust God and seek his will, we have the promise of peace. When we have this spiritual peace then God begins to show us the direction He desires for us to travel.

Jesus was able to sleep in the midst of a storm. Peter was able to sleep on the night before his execution. They trusted God, did not attempt to understand God’s entire plan, and sought his will.

THE LAST LAYER IS PRAYER

Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

What are you worrying about? Have you prayed about it? Nothing is too insignificant to God. Whatever we worry about we should pray about.

We are to pray about everything. We are to share our most intimate needs with God followed by thanksgiving for the times that He has shown himself faithful.

When we quit worrying and allow God to interact with us through prayer, things will begin to change. When we off-set our list of needs with worship for what He has already accomplished, we will begin to experience a peace we cannot begin to understand. It’s the type of peace that comes in the midst of a tragedy in life that assures us that we will survive through this pain.

This peace will act as a filter to our hearts and minds. We will discover that adversity has actually made us stronger.

There is a prayer that I am sure many of you have heard. It is,

“God, grant me the peace to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Let this be our prayer today.

~Bits and Pieces of Sermon by Larry Turner