(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Song 389. Art is the shepherd's voice I hear, out in the desert, dark and drear, calling the sheep who've gone astray, far from the shepherd's fold away. Bring them in, bring them in, bring them in from the fields of sin. Bring them in, bring them in, bring the wandering ones to Jesus, who'll go and help this shepherd kind, help him, the wandering ones, to find, who'll bring the lost ones to the fold, where they'll be sheltered from the cold. Bring them in, bring them in, bring them in from the fields of sin. Bring them in, bring them in, bring the wandering ones to Jesus. Out in the desert, hear their cry. Out on the mountains, wild and high, hark, tis the master speaks to thee. Go find my sheep, where'er they be. Bring them in, bring them in, bring them in from the fields of sin. Bring them in, bring them in, bring the wandering ones to Jesus. And let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, again, we just want to thank you, God, for another beautiful day you've given us to meet in your house and to hear your word preached. I pray, Lord, now that you would just be with our pastor, fill him with your power and spirit. We love you, for it's in Jesus' name we ask all, but amen. All right, if you would take your Mountain Baptist song books, your Mountain Baptist psalms, hymns, and spiritual song books, and turn to page number seven. Page number seven. In your Mountain Baptist psalms, hymns, and spiritual song books, we'll sing Psalm 117 on page number seven. Oh, praise the Lord, all ye nations. Praise him, all ye people, for his merciful kindness is great toward us. And the truth of the Lord endure forever. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Amen. Well, welcome to Mountain Baptist Church on this Sunday morning, beautiful Sunday morning, although we had some crazy storm last night. So yeah, they're cleaning up all kinds of stuff. I didn't realize it was that bad. But it's that type of thunder that shakes your house type of thing. So it was kind of crazy. But I know we still have some that are out traveling and all that stuff. So just be a prayer for those that are traveling, anybody that's sick, allergies, all that stuff. We do have a visitor from steadfast, up in the Chicago Soul Waning Marathon. So I saw that was a pretty good success. There was like 100 and how many saved? I don't know. I don't even know that's what we had in mind. Oh, OK. I think I saw it. It was over 100. Praise the Lord for that. We went out to Lancaster yesterday. And two salvations, definitely some hard knocks there. But it was a nice case study to see what you're getting into when you're talking to the Amish. Very friendly. But definitely the older, it's basically this linear line of as they get older, the less receptive they get. So if you're talking to the younger crowd, you could probably get into a conversation with them and everything. If they have gray, if they have any gray, it's like, nah. They're just like, nah, I'm done, not interested. So that was fun. And as far as service times today, everything is normal today. So we'll have our afternoon service at 4 PM. Before that, we'll have our main soul-winning time at 1 o'clock. So if you want to go out soul-winning, meet up here a little before 1 o'clock. We'll get teamed up. But also, this afternoon, we're doing the women's prayer meeting. So pretty much after we head out to go soul-winning, there's going to be a women's prayer meeting at 2 o'clock here at the church building. And so be in your places there if you can. Regional soul-winning times, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, just be on search group there as far as the times, places, and all that when it comes to those regional times. The men's prayer meeting will be this Friday, this coming Friday. So men, be in your places there if you can. And it's at 6 o'clock. So we used to have it at 7. We have it at 6 now. So just remember that. And then next month, we do have a soul-winning marathon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. So I did not realize until this Lancaster one came up that pretty much it's Lancaster, and then Philadelphia is right beside it, like right next to it. So I was like, I'll go to Lancaster. It's not as far away. Yeah, so pretty much another 20 minutes, and you're in the outskirts of Philadelphia. So anyway, Brother Charles is leading that one up. So if you want to go out, or if you didn't get a chance to go to Lancaster, you can drive through Lancaster. You can go knock on an Amish door if you want to on your way out there. So, but that's coming up on the 22nd of June. Our memory chapter for the month, we're still in May. And so Jonah chapter four is our memory chapter for the month of May. And then Colossians 1.15 is our memory verse for the week who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. So that's our memory verse for this week. And then birthdays. I think we got some Joneses to get when they're in town, or when they're here. But today is what, the 26th? So I think we're just, we're missing a lot this morning. So we've got the Fords. We got Caleb last week, but Joshua's this week. And then Josiah's the 29th, right? So that's what, Wednesday? So how old's Josiah gonna be? Did you just remember it's his birthday this week? You better get on that cake. So we'll sing happy birthday to Josiah here after the announcement. And then on the pregnancy list there, Crystal McCloy is on the pregnancy list due in August, so be in prayer for her, be in prayer for the McCloy family there. That's about what I have for announcements. The offering box is in the back there if you wanna give a tithe or an offering. And then the mother baby room is for the mothers and babies only. Brother Dave's gonna come and sing one more song. We're gonna sing happy birthday to Josiah. Who's reading this morning? Brother David. So Brother David's gonna be reading Colossians chapter one. After all of that. All right, take your song books and turn to song 363. Song 363. In your song books, we'll sing Wonderful Words of Life. But before we do that, we need to sing happy birthday to JoJo. Nine years old. Probably the next kid that's gonna be taller than me in like a week. Awesome. Could you stand up, JoJo? Great, all right. Birthday's on Wednesday, nine years old. We'll sing happy birthday to Josiah. Here we go. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, God bless you. Happy birthday to you. It was nice of his sister to video the whole thing. So that's great. Good job, Brooklyn, there. That's a memory to treasure, for sure. Okay, we'll sing song 363. Sing them over again to me. Wonderful words of life. Let me more of their beauty see. Wonderful words of life. Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Christ the blessed one gives to all. Wonderful words of life, centerless to the loving call. Wonderful words of life, all so freely given, wooing us to heaven. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Sweetly echo the gospel call, wonderful words of life. Offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life. Jesus, only Savior, sanctify forever. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life. All right, take your Bibles and turn to the book of Colossians, chapter one. Colossians, chapter one. In your Bibles, we'll have Brother David read that for us. Colossians one, if you found your place, amen. And the Bible reads, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus, our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ, for sir at Colossi, grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, wherever you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come unto you as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit as the death also in you, since the day you heard of it and knew the grace of God and truth. As you also learned of Epiphras, our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ, who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you might walk worthy of the Lord under all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, under all patience and longsuffering of joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the embers of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, but by him are all things created, that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist, and he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence, for it pleased the Father that in him said all fullness dwell, and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven, and you that was sometimes alienated, and enemies in your mind, by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled, in the body of his flesh through death, to present thee holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight, if he continue in the faith grounded and settled, it be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which he hath heard, and which was preached unto every creature, which is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the church, whereof I made a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery which had been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, where unto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. I pray, dear heavenly Father, thank you for today. Thank you for this opportunity to come back to your house. Pray that you feel past me in the spirit, and help us all to be edified. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. So you're there in Colossians chapter one, and I'm preaching a sermon entitled, The Firstborn of Every Creature. The Firstborn of Every Creature. So this is gonna be more of a doctrinal sermon. I only have three pages, so this is pretty quick, but you know how that goes. You might as well just throw that out the window. You never know, because I go rogue. But I'm gonna be preaching on the sermon. I preached a sermon, which I thought I had done another sermon, actually, after that, but I did a sermon in 2018, so it was like in our first year, dealing with the difference between Jesus being the first begotten, and being the only begotten son of God, and that there is a difference between that, and that they're not one and the same. They both apply to him, but there's something, when it comes to him being the first begotten, it's not talking about his divinity. It's actually talking about the fact that he was the first to be raised from the dead. And that's what we're gonna be getting into here. And this passage is a lot of times, in Colossians here, in another passage, where false, well, one, you'll have the modalist type of stuff, that are denying the Trinity, denying that Jesus was always the son of God, that type of thing. But also, you'll have Jehovah Witnesses, that'll say that Jesus was the first creation. And what the Jehovah Witnesses believe is that Jesus was the only creation of God the Father, and that he's Michael the archangel, and that basically that creation created everything else. And it's this weird, obviously, denying the divinity of Jesus, and saying that he's some created being. And if you just read the passage in context, it's very clear what it means by when it says he's the first born, all of this stuff. And so we're gonna be getting into this. So look at Colossians one and verse 12. It says, giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. So that's our memory verse there in verse 15. But the firstborn of every creature. Well, what are we talking about when we're talking about the firstborn of every creature? Are we talking about creation in general? Okay, and what you have to understand is that sometimes, a lot of times, actually, in the New Testament, creature is talking about a specific creation. Like you can see the word creation, like where you get that word creation, or created and creature and how that all correlates, right? Just as much as you see like pastor and pasture, right? And the fact that the pastor is leading the flock to the pasture, you know, kind of thing. And you can see that link there. But what you have to understand is that sometimes in the Bible when it's talking about a creature, it's talking about specific creation, okay? For example, Mark 16, 15, very famous verse, especially when it comes to soloing, right? Mark 16, 15 says, and he said to them, going into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Now let me ask you a question. Do you think that that's all encompassing every creation, everything that he's made? So you're supposed to go preach the gospel to a squirrel, to a bird, you know, like that's what he means by that? Or do you think that when he says every creature, he's saying every person, right? Every human being that's out there. Go preach the gospel, right? And so that's obviously what's being stated. So when we're talking about the first born of every creature, we're talking about humanity here. We're talking about a specific creature. But when it comes to this, the first born of every creature, it's gonna be more specific than that, than just humanity in general, okay? And there's another verse that they'll use. And these, I believe, are talking about the same exact thing. And then we're gonna explain what's being said here. So the first born of every creature, what is that talking about? We'll see, okay? But go to Revelation chapter three, Revelation chapter three and verse 14. Now, in Revelation two and three, it's the letter to the seven churches as far as each church is being addressed. But Jesus is, basically Jesus is speaking to each church. And at the beginning of each address to each church, there's something said about Jesus, right? That whether it's he that holdeth the seven stars in his hand, or, you know, it talks about he that liveth and was dead, you know, like the first and the last. And it'll basically just kind of start off the letter with something about Jesus or who he is and stuff like that, right? So in Revelation 3, 14, dealing with the last church that's brought up, which is the Laodiceans, it says, and unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, these things set the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. The beginning of the creation of God. So this is where people, they'll go to a passage like this and just rip it out of context and be like, Jesus is the first creation, right? He's the beginning, you know, he's the beginning of the creation, meaning like he's the first thing that was created or something like that. And they just insert that and don't think twice about it. Obviously you get the witnesses and false doctrine and all that, okay? But go back to Colossians chapter one, because when it says the first one of every creature, I want you to think about this, the first born of every creature and the beginning of the creation of God, okay? Now we already saw that when we're talking about the creation of God, it could be talking about a specific creation. It's not just talking about just the creation as a whole, right, the sixth day creation and just like the trees, the moon, the stars, like everything, right? It's talking about a specific creation, but I want you to, we'll keep reading after it says the first born of every creature, okay? And it's going to answer both these passages within this same sentence, okay? Well, not the same, actually Colossians is very, like when I think of Colossians one, I think of like the longest sentences in the Bible, right? Because you just have semi-colon, semi-colon, semi-colon, semi-colon, you know, or colon, or, you know, a lot of times when I'm like trying to put a verse in Colossians down, I'm having to put like five other verses just so I can get the whole sentence, you know, like try to get it to where, because it just kind of keeps going on with the same thought and it's kind of reiterating it and talking about it. So Colossians one's one of the hardest ones to just bring up one verse because you kind of have to talk about the rest of it, okay? But in verse 15 there, it says, who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature? We're obviously talking about Jesus because it says, for by him were all things created. That are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him. So we know that Jesus created everything because in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. So we know that obviously Jesus Christ is the one that created everything, okay? But then it goes on to say, and he is before all things and by him all things consist. So put that in your pipe and smoke a Jehovah Witness. He was before all things. But keep reading there, it says, and he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, okay? So here's where we get the beginning of the creation of God. He is the beginning, okay? Of what though? What specifically? Who is the beginning? The first born from the dead, okay? So when you see a comma like that, what you're seeing is basically it's an equal sign essentially. The beginning is what? The first born from the dead. Just as much as if you said, God, even our father, right? It's just a reiteration, right? God, the father. Talking about the same person, it's just a different name stating the same person, right? So that being said, who is the beginning? Well, what are we talking about specifically? The first born from the dead. He is the beginning of the resurrection. He is the beginning of the creation of God, specifically dealing with the new man, dealing with the resurrection of the body. He is the beginning of that, because he's the first one, he's the first fruits. That's as simple as this sermon gets. I mean, that is like literally what, I could close my bio and be like, we're going home. But there's so many verses on this that I just want to point this out and just really nail this in, that when it talks about him being the beginning of the creation of God, we're talking about the first born of the dead, and then also dealing with just the resurrection in general. But go to Colossians chapter one there in verse 23. Because remember, I mentioned Mark 16, 15. Guess what? Colossians one says something very similar to that. So when we're seeing this creature, creature, creature, mentioned, what are we talking about? We're not talking about squirrels and chipmunks and all that other stuff. We're talking about human beings and people getting saved, right? We're talking about people getting saved and becoming children of God. And that is a creation that happens the moment you believe on Christ, you are made, you have the power to become the sons of God. And that is something that happens the moment you get saved, okay? And Jesus is the first born of that. He is the one that made that all possible, okay? But, and obviously you say, well, what about people before Jesus rose from the dead? Well, God regards it as so before it ever happened. He is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And that salvation was given us before the foundation of the world because God is outside of time and God obviously regards what Jesus did before he ever did it in our timeline, okay? So there's no problem there. But know this is that Adam is saved the same way we are and that he has the same salvation that we do, the same being born again as we do. All that stuff is the same, okay? Now, in Colossians 1, 23, it says, if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister. And again, it's very clear what are we talking about here when we're talking about the first born of every creature, we're talking about the beginning of the creation of God. We're not talking about the creation in general. We're not talking about the trees out there. We're not talking about the grass. We're talking about mankind is what we're talking about. And that we're preaching the gospel to every creature, meaning to every person, okay, that's out there, okay? Because salvation is only for human beings, okay? When it comes to getting saved and preaching the gospel, that's, and it's not even for angels, right? Because it says that he took not on the seed, the nature of angels, but he took on the seed of Abraham. And so that's where redemption's at, that's where salvation's at. Now, let's go further with this. When it comes to the creature, if we go to 2 Corinthians chapter five, 2 Corinthians chapter five, you say, well, you know, what is this creature? You know, like it talks about the first born of every creature. You know, it sounds like we're talking about the creation, you know, like the beginning and dealing with like the six day creation and all that stuff. But the Bible's very clear when someone gets saved to become a new creature, meaning that that's something that's new. I know that's not really hard to understand, but that's something that wasn't there before, and now it is, okay? But in 2 Corinthians chapter five, verse 17, it says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. And notice it says all things are become new. So when we're talking about being a new creature, when you get saved, it's your soul, your spirit that's made new. That new creature is that inward man, not the outward man, okay? So when people try to use this passage to be like, well, you know, if you're really saved, you're gonna, I mean, there's gotta be some things made new, but it doesn't say some things, does it? It says all things. Just as much as when it, you know, when it says whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he's born of God, it doesn't say that they don't commit really big sins. No, they don't commit sin at all. That's obviously talking about the inward man, that's the new creature. Because fleshly speaking, in my flesh dwells no good thing. But inwardly, as a saved human being, my soul is made perfect, my soul is sinless, my soul is a new creature. And what I'll be ending the sermon with is that eventually, our body will be too, right? That we're waiting for that, and that will be the case. Holistically, we'll be a whole new creature. But right now, we're still in the old, we still have the old man with us, okay? As far as the flesh is concerned. Go to Ephesians chapter four, but I'm gonna read to you Galatians chapter six and verse 15, it says, for in Christ Jesus is not a circumcision avail of anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. So this is brought up many times as far as the idea of when you get saved, you become a new creature. Obviously, this is talking about inwardly. This isn't talking about the flesh, the body yet, right? Now, there's gonna be, the last passage I go to, we're gonna be dealing with the flesh, and that creature being made new. But in Ephesians chapter four, what we see here is this is talking about the new man. And you may have noticed this, but when it talks about the new man, both in Ephesians four and Colossians three, it uses the term created, okay? Which we can see correlates with creature. So the new creature was created the moment you believe. And Jesus is the first born of every creature that every person that was born again, he's the first born, okay? And go to Ephesians chapter four and verse 20. Ephesians chapter four and verse 20. This actually is a very simple doctrine. I mean, this is really not that difficult to understand, but you can obviously see how people can just pull these verses out of context, like the beginning of the creation of God or the first born of every creature and say, he's the first one that was ever created. It's like, no, we're not talking about the six day creation in Genesis chapter one. We're talking about salvation. We're talking about the resurrection. We're talking about the first born from the dead, okay? He is the beginning, the first born from the dead. He is the first born of every creature, and that's why he's the beginning of the creation of God. Specifically, we're talking about this new creature, okay? And notice what it says here in Ephesians chapter four and verse 20. It says, but ye have not so learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man, notice this, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. So notice that new man, that inward man, right? That inner man, that new man is created by God, meaning that you're no longer, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, but that new creature was created the moment you were believed, okay? Notice what it says in Colossians chapter three, something very similar, and obviously, Colossians and Ephesians are very much parallel books, so you'll see the same type of language used there, but I just want you to see the same thing stated there. So Colossians chapter three and verse nine, it says, why not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. So isn't it very clear that the new man was created? The fact that it's called a new creature should give you that clue. So really, this all fits hand in glove. He's the beginning of the creation of God because he's the firstborn of every creature because he's the firstborn of the dead, and that's how we can be born from the dead, both spiritually and physically. That's how that works, okay? And just keep reading there, it says, wherefore there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Okay, so we're talking about salvation there. Now, go to Acts chapter 26. Let me just show you some other places that uses this terminology, or just this idea of him being the first to rise from the dead, all this stuff. And when we're talking about rising from the dead or being the first of the resurrection, what you have to understand is that Jesus raised people from the dead before he ever died on the cross. Raising people from the dead or people like in the Old Testament, like you think of Elijah, raises the widow woman's son from the dead, and just other places, obviously, where people were raised from the dead. That's not what this is talking about. We're talking about the resurrection, which is the fact of a glorified body, like completely, death hath no more dominion, right? Because everybody that was raised from the dead, even Lazarus, died again physically, right? And that they didn't just raise and then their body's in heaven right now, no. The only person that has their body in heaven right now is Jesus Christ. He is the firstborn, he is the firstfruits. I'm getting ahead of myself, but that's just all over the Bible as far as what we're dealing with here. Now, Acts chapter 26 and verse 22, it says, having therefore obtained help of God, I continue on to this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come, that Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and should show light unto the people, into the Gentiles. So again, what we're talking about here is that obviously people were raised from the dead, but what we're talking about is an actual glorified physical state where he dies no more, right? The Bible talks about how Jesus says, death hath no more dominion over him. And spiritually speaking, that's true. When we get saved, we were dead in trespasses and sins, you know, when we get saved, the Bible says you'll never die, you'll live forever, you have everlasting life. I mean, there's no more death. Death hath no more dominion over us spiritually, right? But our bodies will still die, but here's the thing, when the resurrection happens on the body, guess what? Death hath no more dominion over that and there's no more dying after that, right? That that body will then no longer have to deal with that either, okay? And so everybody that was physically raised from the dead died again. You know, so that's what the difference is between, you know, when I was talking about Jesus raised from the dead and then obviously people that were raised from the dead in the passages of the Bible. Now, go to first, go to James chapter one, I'm gonna read to you 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 20 says, but now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. So Jesus is the first fruits, he is the beginning, he is the first born. This is something that's just repeated over and over and over again. So when someone comes at me and says, you know, when it says that, you know, he's the first born, that that's talking about Mary and like the virgin birth, I'm just like, where? Like every verse that you see where he's talking about being the first born is talking about the resurrection. No doubt Jesus was the first born of Mary, okay? Okay, but that's true, okay? That he was the first born of Mary, but all the places where we're talking about him being the first born and all this is talking about the resurrection, okay? And so to try to link that with that and what people try to do with that is they'll say, well, that's when he became the son of God. No, Jesus was always the son of God. The son of God was sent into the world and that the son, you can see the son of God mentioned in the Old Testament, okay? So he didn't become the son of God. The son of God came and became flesh, right? And he took on flesh and blood, okay? And you're there in James chapter one of verse 18. It says, of his own will begat he us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Okay, so this is dealing with the fact that, what are we talking about with creatures here? We're not talking about the animals outside. We're talking about obviously the new creature, right? The creature that's created the moment you believe and that word begat, obviously by the word of God because being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorrupt, by the word of God which is lived within the body forever and that's how you become a child of God. That's how you become a new creature is by faith in his word and in the gospel, right? Go to Romans chapter eight, Romans chapter eight and verse 29, Romans chapter eight and verse 29. Again, this is a Bible study really. This is a doctrinal sermon. So I'm probably not gonna be hanging from the chandeliers today dealing with this sermon, but that being said, I think it's an important doctrine to know because there is false doctrine out there and just like salvation and how people that aren't saved mix works with faith and they don't separate those two or they mix salvation with discipleship and they don't separate these two, I believe it's important that we separate the fact that Jesus is the only begotten son of God and that he's the first begotten from the dead. Both are true and both are needed, right? Both are great, but they're not one and the same, okay? Because when those two meld is when it comes into false doctrine and to where it turns into like the fact that he's became the son of God or somehow he was created and that type of stuff. And here's the thing, it doesn't make sense to be the only and the first. Does it make sense? Like if I said my firstborn son, well, if I only had one son, that wouldn't make sense. If I have one son, I would say my son or my only son, right? But to say firstborn implies there's a second born, right, there's a second there. Just as much as when it says that Mary gave birth to her firstborn son implies that she had other sons, which she did. She had four other sons that the Bible mentions, okay? So the idea of only begotten son of God and the firstborn, they have to be talking about something different and they are, okay? So that's where this gets into being important, why you wanna know this. But in Romans chapter eight, verse 29, it says, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to his image, I'm sorry, to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Firstborn among many brethren. Again, what are we talking about? Same thing, talking about salvation. Whom he did foreknow, why? Because they are a lacked, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. God foreknew who would believe because in whom they also trusted, in whom you also trusted after that you heard the gospel of truth and after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise and that you were predestinated based off God's foreknowledge of who would believe. Basically, God from the beginning knew who he believed and from the foundation of the world he predestined that believer that he knew would believe to be conformed to the image of his son. That's predestination in a nutshell but it all comes back to the fact that those that believe are considered Jesus' brethren and that he's the firstborn of that. And we're talking about obviously the resurrection, we're talking about salvation there. Now, let's go to a passage that they'll try to use, okay? And go to Hebrew chapter one but I'm gonna read to you where this is quoted from. So you're going to Hebrew chapter one, Psalm two and verse seven says, I will declare the decree, the Lord has said unto me, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. So what you have to understand is that this is where they'll say that there was a day that Jesus became the son of God, okay? But what I'm gonna show you is that it's very clear that this isn't talking about him being the son of God. It's just stating a fact, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee, but it's not saying I have begotten you as my son. It'd be like if I said, thou art Chris and this is what you're gonna do, right? It's not saying like you just became Chris, you know? It's like the idea that it's making a statement, it's like an imperative, you know, like an evocative type of statement of like, this is who you are and this is what's gonna happen, okay? But it's very clear what we're talking about here when you compare all the passages when it comes to this verse in Psalm two. Hebrew chapter one and verse five, it says, for unto which of the angel said he at any time, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. So obviously it's quoting Psalm two. And again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him. So when it's talking about this, thou art my son, this day have begotten thee, is it talking about only begotten or is it talking about first begotten? Clearly first begotten, right? In context, it's saying when you bring it the first begotten into the world, okay? Now what people will say is that this first begotten is talking about him coming into the world with Mary, okay? But let's keep looking at passages dealing with this. Hebrew chapter five, and I'm just gonna show you every place that's mentioned. Just every stone unturned, like, you're like, well, you didn't mention this one, you know? So Hebrew chapter five, verse five says this. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made in high priest, but he that said unto him, thou art my son, today have I begotten thee. Because this day, today, same thing, right? It says, as he saith also in another psalm, thou art a priest forever at the order of Melchizedek. So you're dealing with Psalm 110, you're dealing with Psalm two, obviously different passages, but, you know, talking about Jesus, right? Now here's Acts chapter 13, is where it's gonna be crystal clear defining to you what Psalm two is talking about. And it's gonna make perfect sense with all the other passages that it's brought up with, and Acts chapter 13. I don't understand how someone can look at Acts chapter 13 and think that it's this, Psalm two is still talking about the virgin birth, okay? Because notice what it says in Acts chapter 13, verse 32, it says, we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us, their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again, as it is also written in the second Psalm, thou art my son, this day I have begotten thee. So is there any doubt that that passage is talking about the resurrection? Because it literally says, in that he hath raised up Jesus again, as it is also written. Also means that it's talking about the same thing, it's not a new thought, it's like a restatement of like, he raised him from the dead, as it's also stated, you know, it's like it's also stated over here in Psalm, thou art my son, this day I have begotten thee. And by the way, it's not like it changes subjects again because then it says, and as concerning that he raised him from the dead, so it's like, it's talking about him raising from the dead as it's written in Psalm, and as concerning that, right, it's like how do you not see that that's talking about the resurrection? As concerning that he raised him from the dead, let's go on and talk about this, right? You know, it's like then it goes on to say, now no more to return to corruption. He said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David, wherefore, he saith also in another Psalm, thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption. This spake he of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus that God raised up, where have we all our witnesses? I mean, nail in the coffin. Is what that is right there. Now go back to Hebrews chapter one, where it says, unto which he the angel said he at any time, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee, and I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. And then it goes on to say, and when he bringeth the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him. When he bringeth the first begotten into the world, is the resurrection. The resurrection is the pivotal moment in the whole Bible. Don't get me wrong, it's not like the virgin birth is nothing, okay? Obviously, that's definitely a big event. But listen, everything goes back and points to the resurrection, the death, burial, resurrection. That is a pivotal point. So can't get around it. And here's the thing, go to Romans chapter one. Let me just give you another one for free here when it comes to this. Because I've heard people say that Jesus became the son of God at the birth. Then I've heard people say that he became the son of God at his baptism. And I've heard people say he wasn't the son of God until the resurrection. Which is all insanity, okay? But what you have to understand here is that when it says thou art my son this day I begotten, he's not saying, no, now you're my son, right? He's making a statement, it's like a statement of fact, you're my son, and this day am I begetting you from the dead. That is clearly what's being stated. You're my son, and you're being begotten from the dead because Jesus said I am the first and the last, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I'm alive forevermore, amen, and have the keys of hell and of death. Romans chapter one here, notice what it says in verse three. It says concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the son of God with power. Right? Every word's important. It's not saying like he was made the son of God at this moment because it says with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead. Meaning this is that when he rose from the dead, he's always been the son of God, but now he's the son of God with power because he has the keys of hell and of death, he has abolished death, he has destroyed death, he destroyed the works of the devil, he has the power now to redeem anybody that believes on him. That's what we're talking about. I think it's crystal clear. I don't see any way around. I don't see what verse are you gonna use to say anything different than that? And please answer Acts chapter 13. The only way you can get around is like, well, it's referring to both. It's like, well, have fun with that. Have fun reconciling how he's only and first at the same time. But let's get to the only begotten son of God. So let me show you every passage that says only begotten, dealing with the only begotten son of God. And don't worry, it's not that many, okay? So you're like, well, I thought you said, listen, it takes up half a page, okay? And I got all the verses right here. Good, go to John chapter one, John chapter one. But you know, when it comes to a sermon like this, sometimes I think it's good to just be like, I showed you every verse. I showed you every passage. You know, if you don't agree with me, then you're gonna have to take those same verses that I showed you and explain it in a different way, okay? And I don't believe anybody in our church is like struggling with this. But I do think that it's important to always have these type of doctrines kind of in the back of your mind. And you know, like, hey, here's, for example, you say, well, how do I answer when it says this day I have begotten? Acts chapter 13, case closed. Nail in the coffin. You go there, done. Conversation's over. First begotten is talking about the resurrection. And then obviously you can go to Colossians and explain that as far as what's going on there. And Colossians explains itself because it even says the beginning, the first born from the dead. It's literally telling you what the beginning means. It's telling you what the first born of every creature's talking about. It's talking about from the dead, okay? John chapter one of verse 12, okay? Speaking of which, of getting saved and becoming a new creature. It says in verse 12, but as many as received him, to them gave you power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. So you believe on Christ. You're all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. So on and so forth. Which were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Okay, so obviously the only begotten of the Father is talking about the only begotten son of God, right? So we're talking about that. Go down to verse 18, because what I wanna get into is what does it mean that he's the only begotten son of God? Does that mean that like God the Father in some like eternity past like brought him into existence? I don't believe that's what it's meaning. I don't believe that's what's being stated here. What you have to understand is that begotten means to bring forth. Not a lot of cases we're talking about birth, right? You're bringing forth a child. But I want you to think about this. Was the child alive in the womb before it was brought forth? Yeah, I mean it was a child, it was a life, right? So you can't say like it was created, because we were created in the womb, right? So when they began a child, by definition even in that, they were alive before they were brought forth, right? Now, don't take that too far. I'm just kind of giving you an example, being begotten can be saying like bringing forth, like a fruit tree begets like a certain type of fruit, right, it's bringing it forth, it's coming forth from that, all of that, right? Now, in John 1, verse 18, it says, no man has seen God at any time. The only begotten son which is in the bosom of the Father, he had declared him. So what are we seeing here is that God the Father obviously is what's being spoken of. When it says no man has seen God at any time, we're talking about God the Father, okay? The only begotten son which is in the bosom of the Father, he had declared him, and what you're going to see when the only begotten is mentioned is always him being sent out from the Father, okay? Because we're children of God, and we become sons of God, right? But none of us came forth from the bosom of the Father, had. Can anybody say that? Actually, when it talks about Jesus, it says that Adam was of the earth, earthy, right? But the second Adam, which is talking about Jesus, is the Lord from heaven. And even when he's talking, John the Baptist is preaching, it says, he is from above, I'm from beneath, right? It's showing this clear distinction that Jesus is coming from heaven. That's where he came from. He didn't come from the earth. Yes, he has physical flesh, and obviously the flesh is of the earth, but he's both God and man. He is the word made flesh, and it's obviously a great mystery. The mystery of godliness is without controversy, right? That God was manifest in the flesh. But here's the thing. When it comes to this, Jesus is the only one that proceeded forth, the only son that proceeded forth from the Father. He's the only one that can say that. And he will always be the only one that can say that. It's not like he's only now, but not later. Because you could say this, okay? Right now, Jesus is the only one begotten from the dead, holistically, right? He's the only one that's physically begotten from the dead. But that's not always gonna be the case, okay? But when it comes to Jesus being the only begotten son of God, that will always be the case, okay? Because he's the only one who's the son of God, okay? And because he's the second person in the Trinity. And that's what the only begotten son of God is specifically referring to, but I believe the reason it's saying only begotten son of God is because what it's really stating throughout the book of John is that Jesus was in the bosom of the Father, and God the Father sent him from him into the world. He came forth from the Father. For example, go to John chapter eight. Let me just show you some verses that uses this type of language. Whereas, you know, I think when we think begotten, we think born, okay? But born, you know, sometimes, like to give forth or bring forth, sometimes isn't talking about coming into existence, okay? And I think that's where a lot of people will get hung up on this when it comes to Jesus being the only begotten son of God. It's like, well, if he was begotten, that means he wasn't in existence at some point. No, that doesn't mean, that's not what it's talking about, okay? It's not talking about him becoming the son of God. It's not talking about him coming into existence, okay? It's talking about him coming forth from the Father, and he's the only one that came forth from the Father, okay, and declared the Father to the world, okay? Notice what it says here in John eight, verse 42. Jesus said unto them, if God were your Father, you would love me. For I proceeded forth and came from God, neither came I of myself, but he sent me. So it doesn't say begotten there, but he came forth from the Father, from God, okay? Go to John 16, verse 28, John 16, verse 28. And what you'll notice is that this only begotten is only used in John and 1 John, okay? So when you look at the context of the book of John, and what it's talking about, when it's talking about the only begotten son of God, it's always talking about the fact that the son of God is coming into the world, coming forth from the Father, declaring basically the Father to the world, declaring God the Father to the world. And throughout, I mean, even John 17, when he's praying to the Father, he's saying, I've declared thy name, and like the whole point of him coming, and the fact that he's the bread that came down from heaven, all of this stuff, okay? But in verse 28, so John 16, verse 28 says, I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father, okay? Now, think about that with the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3, 16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his what? Only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but everlasting life. And then, verse 17, for God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on the son of God, or he that believeth on him is not condemned, he that believeth not is condemned already, because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten son of God. What is the context of what's being stated here? God the Father sent the son to save the world, okay? Look at the last place that you're gonna see, only begotten, 1 John 4, and verse 9. 1 John 4 and verse 9, okay? 1 John 4 and verse 9. 1 John 4 and verse 9, it says, in this was manifested the love of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him, here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Same thing. What you see is that when it's talking about the only begotten son of God, we're talking about Jesus coming into the world, becoming flesh. We see Jesus coming from the Father to declare the Father. We see the God the Father giving the son into the world to save the world. And that when Jesus is explaining it in other words, he's saying, I came forth from the Father to come into the world. And many other passages where it's just the fact that he's the Lord from heaven. He is of, he is from above, we are from beneath. Right, that is the difference between Jesus and us. Listen, we are children of God, but we're adopted. But we came from the earth, Jesus didn't. That makes him the only begotten son of God, okay? But that doesn't mean that he wasn't the son of God before that or he wasn't in existence before that. Does that make sense? Or that he wasn't the son before that. He was the son, it's just that there was a point in time when he was sent into the world. And he's the only son that was sent into the world because he's the son of God, okay? So that's as simple as it gets right there when it comes to that difference between only begotten, first begotten. And I'll end with this, Romans chapter eight, go to Romans chapter eight, Romans chapter eight and verse 18, because spiritually speaking, we have the first fruits of the spirit and when it comes to being begotten from the dead, we are spiritually speaking, but we're waiting for the body, okay? So when we think about Jesus in the resurrection, obviously he's holistically raised from the dead because his body, he's got the glory, he has that glorified body. But throughout the Bible, it's constantly talking about how our bodies shall be made to be like, our vile bodies shall be made like unto his glorious body, right? And the fact of how we're gonna be like him and see him as he is. And there's so many verses on that, but I just want you to see this passage because this passage uses the term creature, right? Which is the whole premise of the sermon, which is the firstborn of what? Every creature, okay? You have the new man, which is called a creature, which is the inward man, but then we have the outward man, the flesh, that will also become a new creature, that will also be born and be raised from the dead, okay? And notice what it says here in Romans 8, verse 18. It says, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Now, when we're talking about creature here, we're obviously talking about human beings, but specifically in this passage, we're talking about saved humans that had the spirit of God, right? That are children of God, all of that. But what it's saying is that the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. So this means that inwardly speaking, we're children of God, but not outwardly. In the flesh, we are still the children of disobedience, the children of wrath. We are still dead in trespasses and sins, or we wouldn't die, right, physically. No one that's saved would ever die physically. But the wages of sin is death, and therefore the body would die, unless Jesus comes back, obviously, and then at that point, not all will sleep and will be changed and twinkle of an eye, right? So that's like the one exception to the rule there, okay? But keep reading there. It says in verse 20, for the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who had subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself, notice this also. It's very important because it just got done talking about earlier in the chapter on how we're children of God, the spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. The creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. So notice, and it's gonna be very clear what this creature is, but it's making a big point that this is something also that's gonna happen. You already have it, spiritually speaking. You have the spirit of God crying in your heart, crying, Abba, Father, because we have the adoption of the Son, spiritually speaking, but that's going to happen also to the body, because it's in verse 22, for we know that the whole creation groaneth and travails in pain together until now, and not only they, but ourselves also, which had the firstfruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body. So when it's talking about that creature that's waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, that's waiting to be basically delivered from the bondage of corruption, we're talking about the body. You could literally stick in body there when we're talking about that creature, our body, our body, our body, and the fact that chapter seven just got done talking about how in the flesh dwells no good thing, and that there's a battle between the spirit and the flesh, and the fact that spiritually speaking, we're children of God, but physically speaking, we're waiting for that. And then it goes on to talk about, you know, in Romans eight, where, whom he glorified, and that he's gonna be the firstborn of many brethren, all of that. Spiritually speaking, that's true for every believer, but physically speaking, that hasn't happened for anybody yet. Even David the king, Elijah the prophet, you know, like, no one yet has that redemption of the body yet. And when does that happen? Go to first Corinthians chapter 15. Last thing I'll show you here is that the timing of this, you know, like when, because we're waiting for it, obviously, but when does that happen? It happens at the coming of Jesus Christ, is what happens here. But notice what it says here in first Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 20. It says, but now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, so that happened about 2,000 years ago, afterward, they that are Christ's at his coming. So that's why it's constantly talking about at his coming, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain shall be gathered, you know, and we're talking about the resurrection that's happening at his coming. But then it goes on to say, then come at the end. Okay, and what you have to understand is that the Bible does talk about during the thousand year reign, people are dying, living and dying, and those people don't just automatically get resurrected physically, there's another resurrection, there's a final resurrection of both the just and the unjust, and that those that are saved will be resurrected after the thousand years are expired, and they'll have their judgment state of Christ, and then they'll go and have that glorified body, okay? So that being said, we're talking about the resurrection, okay? So when we're talking about the firstborn of every creature, it's crystal clear, we're talking about Jesus is the firstborn from the dead. He is the first to rise from the dead. He is the first fruits of them that slept. Crystal clear is what we're talking about. When it says he's the beginning of the creation of God, he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. That's what we're talking about. He wasn't created, because he's the only begotten son of God. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He was in the beginning, he's the word, and he was in the beginning with God, and he was God. He was before all things, and all things were created by him and for him. That's who Jesus is. So both apply to Jesus, okay? Both apply to Jesus, but they're not one and the same. Only begotten is talking about something else than the first begotten. And the first begotten is clearly stated in the Bible. This day I have begotten thee, this day I have begotten thee is clearly talking about Jesus being raised from the dead. And he was declared to be the son of God with power when he was raised from the dead, because now he has the power to redeem those from death. He has abolished death. But yet, God has regarded that from the foundation of the world. And the Bible's very clear on that, that that salvation was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began, because he's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and God calls those things to be not as though they were. He knew that Jesus was going to do it. That was already established to him. And hopefully all that made sense. I know it's a lot of verses all at once there, but it's really that simple, not really that complicated. I just wanted to show you every verse so that if anybody's ever listening to be like, well, we didn't go to that verse though, even though it wouldn't change anything. Hey, you know what? There's every one of them. So let's end with a word of prayer. The only father we thank for today. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the souls that have been saved with the missions trips, and with the marathons and everything recently, and just pray to be with the soul winning efforts today, throughout the week, all of that, Lord. Pray to you to give us safety and travel, give those a safety and travel that are still traveling right now, and those that will be traveling, but also with sicknesses and all that stuff that's going around, Lord, pray to you to heal there. But thank you, Lord, for these truths in the Bible. Thank you for rising from the dead and giving us salvation and allowing that to be possible, Lord, through you. And we love you and pray all this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. So, brother, they will come and sing one more song, and then we'll be dismissed. All right, take your song books and turn to song 314. Song 314 in your song books. We'll sing More Love to Thee, if you would stand. We'll sing song 314. More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee. Hear thou the prayer I make on bended knee. This is my earnest plea. More love, O Christ, to Thee, more love to Thee, more love to Thee. Once earthly joy I craved sought peace and rest. Now Thee alone I seek. Give what is best. This all my prayer shall be. More love, O Christ, to Thee, more love to Thee, more love.