International Gospel Hour

Guest (Male): God has spoken to us by His son, upholding all things by the word of His power. What a wonderful standard, and that we wish to study today from the International Gospel Hour. Stay with us.

J. Webb: Hi, this is J. Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God's word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archey of International Gospel Hour. Let's begin.

Jeff Archey: Thank you always to our J. Webb, and greetings and hello, everyone. It's great to have you with us today, and let's get right into our study with Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 through 3, which reads: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Friends, allow me to elaborate on this certain section of scriptures, or the sections within the scriptures here. Let's just think for a moment. First of all, "has in these last days spoken to us by His son." Now, isn't it of interest that the Hebrew writer speaks of "these last days" back thousands of years ago? Friends, we've been in the last days since. So when we hear about last days prophecy, people have made prophecies for years that have not come true. So let's be aware.

Notice also that His son, He appointed heir of all things. All belongs to God; all belongs to the Christ given to Him by the Father. Then I note the phrase, "upholding all things by the word of His power." Those things continue to be upheld today. And as we look into the word of God, the Bible, the scriptures, we can see His power come forth.

Note also He had by Himself purged our sins. There was never another blood sacrifice that could purge sins. We learn that later in Hebrews 9 and 10. But Jesus purged our sins. We always will have hope. And then to note that He is at the right hand of the Majesty on high, the power of authority.

Friends, when I look at all of this, I am grateful for a standard of which we can walk by—that standard, that rule, that guide. When I think about the word "standard" and I look at its definitions, it says a guide, or a pattern, or a rule of judgment. When I look at those definitions in the original language of the Bible, without a doubt, Jesus Christ and His word is the standard on which we can depend, and how one can grow in Christ from the standard.

So let's think about that in a moment as we look more at Jesus Christ as we grow from the standard. Before we do that, I'm going to defer to our J. Webb, who will share with you a good tool that you can use in growing your knowledge of the word of God.

J. Webb: World Video Bible School is at wvbs.org. That's wvbs.org. You can check out over 2,400 videos on a number of biblical subjects, and you can also enroll in their online school and work at your pace. And friends, it's absolutely free. That's wvbs.org. Again, that's wvbs.org.

Jeff Archey: Friends, have you ever considered how Jesus is worded in scripture? How about He's worded as a prophet? Now notice from our lesson text of Hebrews chapter 1, how that He, God, who has spoken to us by His son. Now when you think about what a prophet did in the Old Testament, then we understand how Jesus was also defined as a prophet as well.

Listen to Deuteronomy 18, verses 15 through 18: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' And the Lord said to me: 'What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.'"

Friends, it's interesting to find that that prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 was fulfilled in Acts chapter 3, 22 through 26. Here is Peter proclaiming about the Christ: "For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever he says to you. And it shall be that every soul that will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days."

Now remember, this is in Acts chapter 3, of what they had seen when the lame man was healed. I pick up with Acts 3:25: "You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' To you first, God, having raised up His servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."

So what Moses said in Deuteronomy 18:15 through 18 is what Peter and John as well brought forth in Acts 3:22 through 26. You see, a prophet of God best defined is one who reveals God, speaks for God, and communicates to people the truths that God wants them to know. Let me share that one again: a prophet of God best defined in the scripture is one who reveals God, speaks for God, and communicates to people the truths that God wants them to know.

We see all of that in Jesus Christ. For example, He revealed God the Father. Allow Matthew 11:27 to speak: "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

Did not Jesus also speak for God? In John 8 and verse 28: "Then Jesus said to them, 'When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.'" Now friends, let me add something here. Jesus said, "when you lift up the Son of Man," and you think about when Jesus was lifted up to be crucified. "And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me," John 12:32. Remember in Matthew's account the statement of the centurion who said, "Truly this was the Son of God." And Jesus carried through God's command all the way to the cross.

And then we note how He communicated what God wanted the people to know, and what God wants us to know. In John 12:48 and 49, Jesus said, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak."

So friends, as we note this identification of Jesus as our prophet, oh, to God be the glory. And we will hear Jesus. We will hear His word, and such is the standard of which we abide therein. And through this prophet, who is even more so our savior, our redeemer, and the only one in whom we can have forgiveness of sins, through this prophet, through the standard, through His word, we are able to obey and to grow thereby.

Friends, when we think about how Jesus is identified in scripture, how powerful it is that as He has spoken to us from God, He spoken unto us, we have the word of His power. We see how He can purge, and we see His blessings that are there before us. What a beautiful thought to see Jesus as our prophet, more so our savior, but the standard therein of which we obey.

You know friends, it is easy for us to say here from International Gospel Hour, if you take the Bible and the Bible alone, we can learn and understand God's will. And for the next few seconds, our J. Webb has a very special gift for you, and we hope that you will accept this free gift and use it in your study of the Bible. It's an interesting little booklet that upholds God's word. Well, here's J. Webb with the details, then I'll come back and wrap up our broadcast.

J. Webb: In a world of division and even confusion in the religious world, friends, please know this: the Bible is always right. The free booklet, "Something is Wrong, but the Bible is Right" is available from International Gospel Hour. Please call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, your address, and just say, "Bible tract." That's it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the contact tab, and leave us the same information: name, address, and type "Bible tract" in the message box. We will get it to you right away.

Jeff Archey: And friends, please reach out and let us know you would love to have that Bible tract today, and we'll send it to you as soon as possible. We like to offer these things to allow you to study in between our broadcast and to learn more of God's will. Speaking of our broadcast, well, that's as far as I can go today. I've enjoyed our study together, and I ask that you join me once again on the International Gospel Hour broadcast. I'm Jeff Archey and friends, keep listening.

J. Webb: Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God's word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com.