for the ministry of the precious word of God. Thy word is the lamp unto my feet. And what a joy it is to know. A light unto my path. I don't know how many of you know him. But in the days of old, in the biblical days of the Old Testament, some of the saints of God actually had a lamp on their feet. They didn't have any street lights. and conveniences that you and I may have today when they walk. And in the darkness they would walk. And they'd have a light, a lamp, to pass them to their feet, to give them light as they walk. And from that chapter from which our sister sang, Psalm You have practically in every verse of that chapter. And may I say, if you'd like to memorize a good chapter, that's one of the best you can memorize. There's only a hundred and seventy-six verses in it. And it would be worth memorizing. But it does emphasize the word of God from the beginning to the end. And what a joy it is, my beloved me. I say reverently, lovingly and happily. What a joy it is to open the Blessed Word of God this morning and read from it. I've been led by the Holy Spirit, and may I say again when it comes to the Word of God, when we open it, whether privately or whether publicly, the greatest need is to have the best teacher, who is the Holy Spirit. For we read in the Word of God, that he is the great revealer of the truth of God, even the deep things of God, from First Corinthians chapter two, verse ten and eleven. But this morning I feel led by the Lord, by the devotional reading we had at home this morning, to go over that scripture which was our portion to read. In the book of Hebrews, if you have your Bible, I'd like to turn to chapter one in the book of Hebrews. and read the first six verses of that chapter. One of the greatest portions of the Word of God that can be a lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path. Beginning with the Word and note the commencement of it. There are many epistles in this book. Introducing the writer. but there's no introduction of the writer except God, who is the writer of the whole book. God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners, spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by or in the person of his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world, who being the brightness of his glory in the expressed image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sin, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which is the angel said he at any time, Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee, and again I will be to him a father, when he shall be to me a son. And let me correct the translation of the verse six verse. And when he bringeth again the first begotten into the world, He said to let all the angels of God worship Him. May God, by the Spirit, bless the reading of this section from His precious and His holy word. Very humbly I say it, but honestly, there are depths of truth in these words that we have read. Beyond your comprehension and mind, But there is enough to reveal to us by God's gracious help in coming together as we have this morning, looking to Him, depending upon His Holy Spirit. And may I again repeat, the Holy Spirit is the interpreter. He is the revealer of the truth that is found in this book. Thank God for such a teacher. I think of a dear young school teacher. as she did every year to university to further educate her education in her field of labor that she had in that secular world. She found the Lord Jesus as her Savior. One winter, and on the next summer when she returned to the university which she attended every summer, to further her education in the field of teaching she was in, The companions that she knew there found her very strange because her conversation and her testimony in the Lord who she had found that winter was very strange in their hearing. One old professor took her aside and said to her, My dear, tell me something. Who's been your teacher since we met you last summer? You're talking about things we never heard of. And she looked with a smile at the old fella and she said, Sir, I found a teacher with a capital T. And she told him of a conversion, finding the Lord Jesus. And now she had the teacher of the Holy Spirit in the Word of God. Now may I say this? I must. Secular education today. is very seldom about the Word of God. In fact, practically not at all. Your education in mind from this blessed book is the greatest one to go after. And particularly when you find the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you want to know more about him. But I'm reminded from the words that we have read, and I'd like to bring them to your attention. Matthew eleven in verse twenty-seven. There are words the Lord Jesus spoke that humble me as we approach our scripture. In that twenty-some verse of Matthew eleven he declared, No man knoweth the Son but the Father. And no man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. But let me emphasize the first portion of that reading that I gave. No man knoweth the Son but the Father. My beloved, I'm sure you're fully aware you wouldn't be here, that in the testimony of Christianity, Christianity is not a pertinent, it's not a religion. It is a person. And that person is the eternal Son of God. It's so different and very far different from all religions. And true were the words of the Lord Jesus. No man knoweth the Son but the Father. The realm and the height, the length and the breadth and the depth of knowledge concerning the person of Christ is beyond our comprehension, but not beyond divine revelation. When you find the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you have found the greatest person in the universe. In our Scripture, The words that are written are written as if they were penned and they are penned as all scripture is by God. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction in righteousness and so on. And from the beginning of the Bible to the end of the Bible we rejoice tis the whole word of God. But returning to our problem, no man knoweth the Son but the Father, the depths of knowledge, the Father himself and the Great Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They only know the Son in all the greatness of his person. But before us as we have read, God by the Holy Spirit writes, And I wish to present to you the sevenfold greatness of his beloved son. We sing an old hymn, you may love it. Most Christians do. How great thou art. How true. But who can measure his greatness? Listen to the words of God, as we have read. God who had sundry times in various times in the past. has spoken in the past as he did to the Father through the prophets. Then you read your Old Testament from the beginning to the end of the Old Testament. The prophets spoke and God spoke through them. But God stopped speaking anymore. He has spoken at the end of those times through the person of His Son, His dearly beloved Son. And may I say again, we'll get no further revelation from God than what we already have within the pages of this book. Let me quote the words of John chapter one, verse eighteen. When John wrote by the Holy Spirit, no man has seen God at any time. But the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. Beloved, may I say frankly, you never know God unless you know His Son first of all. Do you know Him? The greatest knowledge that you can ever have is to know his son. And he came to the earth to reveal him. But here in our scripture, written to the Hebrews, if I may say it, emphasizes, Luke, why did this apostle who wrote, whoever wrote this book of the Hebrews, no writer his name, but as if writing and was writing from the very pen of God, he wrote to the Hebrews. And may I suggest to you, don't ever forget the historical background of this whole book. To the Hebrews, to God's earthly people, in the early days of Christianity, when many of them had found Christ and received him as Savior, and when many of them who made that profession were going back to Judaism. And God wrote the whole book of the Hebrews. And he began it. by presenting the greatness of his son. And if you go all through the book, you'll find his greatness continually mentioned. Greater, not only than the prophets, greater than angels, greater than Moses, greater than Aaron, and all the way through the book, every chapter. The greatness of the Son of God is mentioned. But the amazing thing is the sevenfold greatness of that blessed person that God declares in the opening. First of all, if you may note, go read me the verse two. God has in these last days spoken unto us by or in the person of his son. And may I emphasize again, the last days unquestionably refer to the days of Christianity. Can I say it again? If you know your Bible prophetically, God's not going to talk like he has done. And his last voice for the world to hear. His son. His son. There are many other voices. Too many. That lead away from the son. But his last voice is speaking to you, to me, and to all. Through his son. But amazingly he describes the greatness of that son. My beloved, may I ask the question, how great is the Lord Jesus to your heart? I never will forget the testimony of a dear brother I knew. Saved many years ago, I would say maybe about fifty years ago, he's now with the Lord. But I recall when he was first saved, and he was saved from the life of wickedness And the life that he knew had been sinful in the sight of God. But when he found the Savior, great was his delight and great was his joy. And he enjoyed witnessing, telling others of the Savior. After he had been saved for some weeks, his wife said unto him, Ted, I think you're becoming the greatest, biggest liar I ever heard. He looked at his wife astonished and said, Virgie, what do you mean? But Ted, every time I hear you witnessing to somebody about Christ, your story gets bigger. He looked at her, he said, Virgie, he does get bigger. Let me say until that dear brother died, he was bigger. Christ was bigger to him. But may I raise the question? How big is he to your heart? How big is he to my heart? Do I really know who he is? My beloved, let me say, we are very familiar as a rule with the name Jesus. But we are not as familiar as we ought to be with the person who bears that name. First of all, know what God says about him. It's strange. He doesn't take us to the past. He takes us to the future. Note the words that you have in in verse two. Have in these last days spoken unto us by his... Whom? He has appointed his heir over all things. Bluntly, simply, but completely. He's the appointed heir to be the future ruler of the universe. Can I say that again? My Savior, the one of whom we find, the work that he did for you and for me on the cross. The future ruler of the universe. And that you find supported in God's word. Let me just quote one scripture. Chapter two of the Philippine Epistle, verse nine through eleven. wherefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name that is above every name that is the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and of things on earth and of things under the earth and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father very humbly but very plainly God declares heaven earth and even the deaths of havoc will be compelled to honor the greatness of the one we call Jesus, his only son. Is he great? Beloved, let me say this. Forget everyone else on the earth. Name the greatest that earth must produce. Here's the grace. But second, strange to say, going backwards to an eternity fast, he declares, by whom also he made the world. What? He's the creator. If you've read your Bible, thy word is the lamp under my feet and the light under my path. John chapter one tells us in the beginning was the word, a title, a name belonging to Christ. And the same in the beginning was with God and the same was God. And then he goes on to say, all things were made by him and without him there was nothing made that was made. My beloved me, I raised the question. Have you ever considered the fact And I emphasize it's a fact. The one who died upon the cross to save your soul was your creator. Read Colossians chapter one. By him all things can exist. By him all things hold together. And thus he was the creator of the world. To the Son of God. The act of creation and the glory from it. was given by the Father and the Spirit to the person of Christ. Oh, beloved, how great he is. Please may I say it again? I've got to. My Savior is the great Creator. And from that which is future in the eternal future, God sweeps back to the eternal path. He's the Creator of the world. The great creator became what? My savior. And all God's fullness dwelleth in him as one that has properly written in a blessed, beautiful song. But then go further and go further further. And here we come into depth. I cannot be, I cannot fathom. As you read on. And upholding all things by the word of his power. Maybe again quote Colossians chapter one, from which I quoted just previously. By him all things consist, meaning Christ. And the meaning is this, by him all things hold together. He's the sustainer of the universe. The sustainer of the universe. holding all things up. There is a scripture in Second Peter chapter three as well as in Revelation chapter twenty. Someday heaven and earth will pass away. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. How will it pass away? All that the blessed son of God has to do is just let go his hand. And the present heaven and earth as we now know it. will dissolve. And there'll be a new heaven and a new earth in that new creation. But today he's holding it together. Now let me raise the question. It'll be very personal, I hope. If you can hold the universe together by his word of power, can he hold you up? Can he hold me up? As we've been mentioned in prayer. And we know how true it is. And we know it every day nearly. There are many dear ones that are suffering. Many saints of God that are in trouble. That are in sickness. That are in health. And many other forms of discomfort and infirmity. Look. And as we go through this world. And let me emphasize as our brother mentioned in prayer. What a world we are now living in. A world of sin and darkness. Let me please emphasize the fact. Though Christianity is the greatest truth that can never be hurled in, it's not converting the world. I think of the words of the Lord Jesus. When he said, there's a narrow way, there is a broad way. The narrow way leads on to life. The broad way leads unto destruction. I said to Lord Jesus, of the narrow way, few there be that find it. Of the broad road, many are there that go in their ass. If you want my humble candid, and please not C-A-N-D-I-E-D, but C-A-N-D-I-D, opinion, the world at large is on the broad road today. And may I emphasize the fact, though we preach Christ, there's nothing in the Word of God to assure us we'll convert the world. In fact, there's more in the Word of God to assure us we'll never be able to convert the world. We shall see later on, there's something else to be said about the Son of God when he comes back again. But now let's read on. We come very much deeper now as we go further and find precious truth. And what a joy to read it. In verse three, let me begin the early part of verse three, which I omitted. Who being the brightness of God's glory and the express image of his person? The brightness of God's glory? I remember a dear brother years ago when I was about eighteen in Chicago, I had to be telling me that when he was in Sunday school, which he attended in the denomination that he was affiliated with. The teacher professed to show him a picture of God. And the picture was of an old, old man with a long, long, long gray beard. Supposedly, you don't, can't describe God that way. You can't. God is spirit. an eternal being. What a joy to know the Son became flesh and dwelt amongst the full of grace and truth. But God, how can you describe God? For here's the Son of whom He says, He is, and you note the word, the brilliance, the outshining of my glory. I think of the words of Peter as you read in Second Peter chapter one. He reminds his sons as he writes in that epistle of the time he saw the glory of the Savior on the Mount of Transfiguration. His face was shining as the sun. His garments as bright as the light. We had Moses and Elijah attending him in glory to. And Peter writes, We behold his majesty, his glory. Oh, but beloved, think of what Isaiah said in the sixth chapter of his great prophecy when he was in the temple long ago. And the glory of the Lord filled the temple. So he cried, woe is me. I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips. As if he hugged the glory of the Lord in the vision that God gave him in the temple, he was unworthy to look upon such glory. I have heard men tell me, they wish they could see God. They tell him, why didn't he do this? Why didn't he? Listen, when any man sees God, he's not going to talk to God that way. And here's the beloved Son, the brightness of His glory, and not only that, the exact character of His person. All that God is in the attributes, qualities of His being, they reside in His Son. I know children, my own children, as young, when they were young, would come and say, Daddy, what's God's light? Who can describe it? from the word of God. Let me just give you some thoughts. God is omnipotent. All-powerful. God is omnipotent. He knows everything. God is omnipresent. You can't get away from it. Read the Psalm-hundred-and-thirty-nine Psalms. And the Psalmist there describes the omniscient and the omnipresent and the omnipotence of God in that one Psalm. And even in his omnipotence, and his omnipresent. He said, where can I get away from him? If I take the wings of the morning and go to the other parts of the sea, even there he'll find me. Michael, one sure thing, you can never run away from God, you catch him. But not only that, God is light, God is love, God is hope, all the qualities of being. that God is, that the Word of God describes. They reside in the... Let me give you an example of that beloved son. I think of chapter one of the Gospel of John. And in that one chapter you'll find six men found Christ in the early days of his ministry. One of them happened to be Philip, to whom the Lord said, Follow me, and he rose and followed the Lord. And Philip went to see a friend of his by the name of Nathaniel, who lived in Bethsaida, and said, Come see a man. This is not Mr. Christ, the Messiah. And Nathaniel, sitting on the victory as he was, said, Who is he? And Philip answered, Jesus of Nazareth. That's all he said. And Nathaniel answered, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? It's a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. And he was despised by many good Jews. And Philip made the right answer. Come and see. And he came. And Philip brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him coming. Now listen to this. Behold an Israelite. In whom is no guile. As he saw Nathaniel approaching. It astonished Natania. He had never met Jesus before. He had never seen each other. And he said, Rabbi, whence Noah saw me, you know all about me. But you have never seen me. Natania, when you were sitting under the fig tree, I saw you. Now where Natania lived, And where we met Jesus, there was a mountain between them. The two places. Look. He's omniscient, too. He knows everything. And when you and I meet him face to face in judgment, he's not going to ask you what you like, what you have been like, or what you are. You'll tell you. He won't need a computer. He doesn't even need the internet system. That's bunchable only when it comes to what God is and cry. My beloved, please let me say this, humbly. The world, well, the book says it. The world, by its knowledge, does not know God. By its wisdom, it doesn't know. The wisdom of this world doesn't teach you what God is. You've got to do what our dear sister signs. Thy word is the lamp under my feet and the light under my path. If you want to know what God is and who he is and Christ, get to the book. But let's go on. There's another glory following. As we have mentioned already, he was upholding all things by the word of his power and the great upholder of the universe. But here's a precious one. I think this is one we can understand a little better. When he had by himself purged our sins. Well, we find that good old him. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Let me pause for a minute and reflect in a worshipful spirit. Here's the future ruler of the universe, appointed by God to be that, and He will. Here's the one that was the past creator of the world. Here's the one who morally and spiritually is the exact character and image of God in all of his divine glory. Sinless and holy. But he's on the cross. My beloved, can I say this? One well wrote the word, there was none other good enough, great enough to pay the price of sin. She only could unlock the door of heaven, and let us in. By himself. Paul rightly purged and made purification for our sins. Oh, I think of a dear Japanese young Christian. festifying as he did against one who was telling that they could believe anything they wanted long they were sincere. He said, please, no, only one person died for my sins. Jesus, the Son of God. Can I say this lovingly? Honestly, truthfully, you take all the religions that you can find, and you'll find plenty of them. Can you find one leader of those, the leader of those religions who died for their followers to pay the price of their sins? Never. I think of a man who posed himself as being the Messiah many years ago in the city of New York. The word was spread that he claimed to be the Messiah, the Christ of God. And one Christian had to run into the fellow on the streets of New York. And he went to him. He said, are you the one that claims to be the Messiah? And he admitted it. He said, let me see your hand. Oh, no. You're not the Messiah. The Messiah died and got nail prints in his hand. My beloved. He made purification for our sins all by Himself. You couldn't do it. I couldn't do it. I could never save my soul. But beloved, it took the great Son of God to become my Savior. By now note, He did it all Himself. No, you never helped Him. Neither did I. No one could. He did it alone. By himself. Oh, the joy of knowing. Let me quote the words of Galatians. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not I. But Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live. by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Beloved, that should be very precious to you, it should know him as your Savior. But may I please emphasize, there is none other who can say, well did Peter say, neither is there salvation in any other. For there's none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. What a person. Look, God said, look, the last time I'm going to talk to you, I gave you my son to die for your sins. What are you going to do with him? What have you done with him? Well, did the poet write a little chorus of a hymn, Jesus, I will trust thee. Trust thee with my soul. Guilty, lost, and helpless, thou canst make me whole. There is none in heaven or on earth like thee. Thou hast died for sinners. Therefore, Lord, call me. You know whom he is? No, it's not you, it's me. Say to yourself, he loved me. And the Son of God died for me. Oh, my beloved, our pleasure, we may truly think that one old hymn has said, Why should he love me so? Why should my Savior to Calvary go? Why should he love me so? There it is. And God describes it. Well, you remember, in John chapter four, the woman at the well who found him, called him what? The Savior of the world. And John in his epistle writes, that God sent forth his Son into the world to become the Savior of the world. There's only one Savior. I don't care who you may follow. There's only one Savior. Just one. And then, you know what happened. After he purged himself, purged his, purged our sins by himself, he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. Read Psalm hundred and ten. And you find the words, God's saying to the Son, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemy thy push through. And that's where he now is. On the right hand of God's majesty. And they're seated in glory. Having done the work, finish it to save your soul and mine. And that man in the glory. He's the one who is your risen and my risen Savior. Let me tell you something. In the Old Testament, I dare you to find when you look at the tabernacle or the temple that was built by Solomon in all of its furnishings, I dare you to find within the tabernacle and within the temple of old a place or a seat where the priest could sit. There wasn't any. the work was never finished but when the Lord Jesus died for the sins of the world it is finished he cried at the end of his death and sat down on the right hand of the majesty of God exalted him but then let me close by the words going down to verse six if I may for brevity's sake and as we read in the sixth verse and when he bringeth again the first begotten into the world, he said, and let all the angels of God worship him. May I say, he's not only the future ruler of the universe, not only the great creator of the world, not only the expressed image of God in all of his substance and glory and person, and quality of being, not only the upholder of the universe, not only the great sin purger, Not only the man in the glory living at the right hand of his father above is coming back to the earth. Let me say, I wish he were back. I could not help. I always think of it. When anyone is mentioned, sick, afflicted, suffering, tried, of God, dear people, my heart goes out and says, Lord, why don't you come? You know what's going to happen when he comes back to the earth? Read chapter thirty-three of Isaiah, verse twenty-four. I dare you to find a verse like it. It's describing the kingdom of our Lord. When they will say in that day, He is our, He is our judge. He is our lawgiver. He is our king. For may I say to you when the Lord Jesus comes back, I want to tell you, our brother was praying for their government. I want to tell you, I'm also praying for their help that they need. But I say, Lord, why don't you come and take over? For when he comes, he'll be the judge. The executive power of his government will be in his hand and under his control. He'll be the lawgiver. What do you mean? Read Matthew five, six and seven. The commandments of his kingdom. The law of his kingdom. They'll obey him. And he'll be the executive head of the government, the king. The judicial branch of the government, the legislative branch of the government, the executive branch of the government. It'll be all in him. Oh. And then in verse twenty four, strange words. In that day when he schemes, the inhabitant will not say, and faith. Have you read Malachi chapter three? The Son of Righteousness shall rise with healing in his wings. I tell you what, what this world needs and what's going to get is the coming of the Lord Jesus to be the king over all the earth. But oh, what is important today is to make sure you know him as your Savior and trust him. Shall we pray? Our beloved Father, our time has gone.