TYPE: Expository, Diamond, Book Sermon
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 110
DOMINANT THOUGHT: We can have a better life if we respond to the message of God’s heart through the expression of his one and only Son.
PURPOSE:
- Head: The people will understand seven of the qualities of Jesus and see the argument the writer of Hebrews makes that the Christian life is superior to any other.
- Heart: The people will feel privileged to have been offered a better life through Jesus.
- Hands: The people will take a more active role in hearing what Jesus has to say by spending time with him through his word, meditation, and prayer.
MANUSCRIPT:
[Kids’ Korner: Have the young children compete for a prize with a math quiz. Give them one minute to complete as many simple math problems as possible. Tell them to turn the paper over, read the directions, and solve the problems. The math problems have standard symbols (+. -. etc.), but they have different meanings. Only those who read the directions and carefully analyze the problems will be able to correctly solve them. The object lesson is that it is hard for us to know what to do if we do not spend the time necessary to learn about what we are doing. How do we know what God wants us to do? (By spending time in his Word.)]
A lot of times you read the news these days and just get downright depressed. Whether it’s financial crises, political corruption, an immoral society, or incomprehensible violence, we generally get more than what we bargain for.
For instance, did any of you read about the latest bumble by law enforcement? Out in Los Angeles the L.A.P.D. brought two years of undercover work to culmination, busting a fraudulent psychic hotline outfit that was stealing identities and wracking up huge shopping sprees on stolen credit card numbers. Apparently the mastermind behind the operation was vertically challenged. Literally, the head honcho was a midget. Even though he was vertically challenged, he found a way to be upwardly mobile.
Here’s where it gets even whackier. Apparently, the police didn’t have handcuffs small enough to keep this guy secured, and while they were transporting him to the jail, he managed to slip out of the cuffs, jimmy the door open, and make his escape.
You all haven’t heard about that? You couldn’t miss the headlines—SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE/
That’s not really the kind of medium I want to talk about today. Then again, maybe it is. After all, so-called psychics get the title “medium” because they supposedly serve as a channel of communication between one world and another.
That’s what medium stands for—something in between two other parties. That’s why a medium size, is well, medium-sized—it’s in between something small and something large. Being the go-between, a medium serves a form of communication. That’s why we call newspapers, radio, television, and the Internet media sources. “Media,” of course, the plural of medium.
I first learned about the word medium when I became interested in art back in high school. Artists work with several types of media—some work with graphite (what the rest of us would call pencils), others work with pastels, watercolors, or oils. Some work with stone, others with clay, and still others with wood, metal or photography. What is important to remember about a medium in this sense is that it is the vehicle, the means by which an artist expresses himself to his audience. A work of art is not a work of art simply because it looks pretty; it is a work of art because the artist has conveyed something of himself or herself through the work.
Sometimes what the artist is trying to convey through his or her work of art is more obvious than at other times. For example, with Picasso’s Guernica, it is obvious to see the horror and suffering of war, especially to those who are non-combatants. But then there’s Jackson Pollock’s The Key. And try as I might, I don’t know what the key is, or what it’s supposed to unlock.
And sometimes the kind of medium that is used makes it easier to understand the message the artist is trying to convey. Look at the difference between Alexander Calder’s The Star and Rembrandt’s David Presenting the Head of Goliath to King Saul. The message of one is somewhat vague and amorphous, but there is no mistaking the meaning of the other.
This morning I want to talk about an artist, the greatest artist the world has ever known. You find his masterpieces in every corner of the galaxy. I want to talk about the kind of media that he has used, and what he has tried to convey to us through that media. This artist’s name is God.
Speaking of masterpieces, we begin today a series from the most eloquent book of the New Testament—the letter to the Hebrews. We call it a letter, but in reality it is more of a sermon, a sermon composed by a dynamic preacher, someone who knew the Old Testament scriptures inside and out, a highly educated individual, a committed Christian who was deeply concerned about the spiritual state of the believers he was addressing.
And just who is he addressing? Jewish Christians, people who had once been fervent believers in the messiah Jesus, but who now stood on the brink of disbelief and apostasy. Because of hard times, unreal expectations, persecution and doubt, this group of beleaguered believers were on the cusp of throwing in the towel. And so the Holy Spirit moved through the writer to help compose one of the most beautiful and powerful pieces of literature in the Bible. Let’s dig into it, shall we? Hear the Word of God, starting in Hebrews 1, verse 1:
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
I believe this text shows us the ultimate medium through which God expressed himself to us—Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. And I want to talk about that medium with you today, as well as what God has expressed to us through his Son.
First of all, I have to marvel at the passage. In the NIV it is comprised of four separate sentences, but in the Greek, it is only one sentence, a string of 72 words. You try coming up with a 72-word sentence some time. But this grammatical mastery should come as no surprise since Hebrews contains some of the most complicated Greek in the Bible. There are words used in this passage that are used nowhere else in the New Testament—four of them to be exact, and another that’s found only one other time. So right off the bat the writer of Hebrews shows us that he’s no slouch when it comes to word-smithing.
And according to the type of preaching of the day when Hebrews was written, the opening sentence of a message was painstakingly crafted in order to accomplish two things—catch the audience’s attention and tell them what the message’s central focus would be. And if that’s the case here (and I think it is), then we must hunt through these 72 words for the central thought. Now, those of you who are grammar freaks like me know that every sentence has to have at least two parts: a subject and a predicate—what we call the main clause. All the rest of the phrases, subordinate clauses, etc., is just window dressing. So when we look at this passage, stripping away all the extra stuff and leaving only the essential subject and predicate, we are left with this unmistakable truth: “GOD HAS SPOKEN.” That is the message that the writer of Hebrews wants to get across to his audience. God has spoken. And not only has God spoken, but he has spoken in a way that is better than any previous attempt by him to speak. Just look at the following chart:
GOD HAS SPOKEN . . .
IN THE PAST IN THESE LAST DAYS
TO OUR FOREFATHERS TO US
THROUGH THE PROPHETS IN VARIOUS WAYS BY HIS SON (IN ONE WAY)
In the past God expressed himself in only fragmented and scattered ways, and what he expressed was only a shadow of the message he eventually did reveal. But now he has expressed himself through God the Son, and his heart has been laid bare to us.
The writer of Hebrews is telling his audience that they have a tremendous opportunity because God has spoken to them like he has spoken to no one else in the past. He has spoken to them by his Son, Jesus of Nazareth, the Incarnate Christ—the ultimate medium, the ultimate expression of God’s heart to mankind.
And what a medium God chose to employ! The writer of Hebrews goes on to detail seven unique qualities about Jesus. First he shows us that Jesus has a unique relationship to God the father as his one and only Son. No one else can claim to be the only begotten of God. You and I can become children of God through adoption, but only Jesus was so from the very beginning. Second, Jesus has a unique role in creative action, serving as the power through which God created the universe. Third, he has a unique role in representative action. By taking on flesh and becoming a man, Jesus gave us the most accurate glimpse of God we could ever have and comprehend. The word “represemtation” here is a word that originally used to describe the way an engraving or imprint was placed on something, like a coin. Jesus bears the exact likeness of God upon himself. Fourth, he has a unique role in sustaining action. It is through the power of Christ’s spoken word that the world continues and salvation history heads to its climax. Fifth, Jesus has a unique role in redemptive action. It is he who has provided for the purifications of our sins through his blood. Sixth, the Son of God has a unique role in judicial action—by placing him at his right hand, God the Father has granted the Son the power to judge all creation. Last but not least, Christ has a unique relationship to the created order. He is the Lord and Master of all. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, folks.
You can say a lot in one sentence, can’t you?
I don’t know about you, but when I realize just how privileged I am to be living in an age where God has expressed himself by such a wonderful, powerful, and effective way, I cannot help but feel the urge to spend some time reflecting on just exactly what it is that God is trying to tell me through the words, life, and ministry of Jesus. And one of the best places to reflect on the message of Jesus is in the book of Hebrews. GOD HAS SPOKEN. That is the springboard by which we are treated to a wonderful exposition of what God has told us through his Son.
So what can we learn through the ultimate medium of God’s expression? I wish I had the time to share everything that the writer of Hebrews shares with his audience, but I am going to have to pick and choose this morning, and hope you’ll come back to hear more.
Through Jesus we learn that God has a better understanding of us (4:12-16). Since Jesus was tempted in every way, yet was without sin, he understands our tests and trials, and is able to sympathize with us. Through Jesus we learn that God gives us a better warning (6:4-12), that living a God-pleasing life takes commitment and perseverance. Through Jesus we learn that God has given us a better High Priest (7:26-28)—Jesus himself, a bridge between us and the Father who is perfect and blameless, unlike the faulty bridges of old. Through Jesus we learn that God has offered us a better covenant (8:7-13), not a covenant of laws and rules, but a covenant of grace and love. Through Jesus we learn that God has provided a better sacrifice (9:11-14). No longer do we have to offer up the blood of bulls and goats day in and day out, an offering that did no good. For now Christ has offered up his own blood, once for all, the purification of our sins. Through Jesus we learn that God is building a better community (10:19-25), a community where people have the freedom to draw near to God and near to one another. Through Jesus we learn that God has given us a better hope (11:1-12:3), a powerful faith based upon a fuller revelation of God’s heart and plan for us. Through Jesus we learn that God will give us better discipline (12:7-13), a discipline superior to that of our earthly fathers, for our heavenly Father provides discipline that leads to eternal life. Through Jesus we learn that God has given us a better mission (13:1-21), a mission of love, outreach, holy living, obedience, and life-long learning. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
In short, the writer tells us that we can experience a better life—the best life—if we respond to the message of God’s heart through the expression of his one and only Son.
We have ran through a lot of stuff this morning, and by now your head may be spinning. If so, let me guide you back to that main thought: GOD HAS SPOKEN. Artists paint, potters mold, writers write, and people speak for one reason. They wish to express themselves to someone else. They want to be known.
God has spoken because he hungers to be known. He longs for man to recognize him and enter into fellowship with him.
Knowing God—responding to the expression of his heart through the person of Jesus—is what the better life is all about. Jesus said it best: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). In Luke 10:38-44 Mary and her sister Martha poignantly portray this truth. Jesus is over for a visit. Martha’s getting everything ready for a big meal. She’d like Mary to help her, but Mary’s sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to him as he speaks. Finally, Martha’s had it (you’ve been there, haven’t you, ladies?). She storms over to Jesus and reads him the riot act, a passive-aggressive move if ever there was one. Doesn’t he care that Mary has left her with all the work? Listen to Jesus’ reply: “Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).
In our action-packed culture, it’s a lot easier to be a Martha than it is to be a Mary, isn’t it? We’re focused on doing, on acting. We don’t have time to waste on thinking, on reflecting, or meditating. And yet here Jesus tells us that spending some time with him is far more important than any kind of activity we can be involved in. Food for thought, isn’t it?
Sadder still is the statement Jesus makes to the Samaritan woman in John 4: “You Samaritans worship what you do not know.” If you really don’t know someone, how can you adequately or accurately worship him? For example, let’s say you were a big fan of Michael Jordan. But you really don’t know anything about him. You would look somewhat foolish showing up at the MJ Fan Club convention wearing a Detroit Red Wings hockey jersey and talking about all the touchdowns Jordan scored. You can try to worship something you don’t know anything about, but you’re always going to come up short. Fortunately for the Samaritan woman and her people, they got some quality time with Jesus. He spoke. They listened. The result? They acknowledged him as the Savior of the World. It’s pretty neat how listening to Jesus leads to the right conclusions in life.
One of my kids’ favorite movies is A Night at the Museum, starring Ben Stiller. We went and watched the sequel last weekend. They’re both fun movies. The premise is that there’s an ancient Egyptian tablet in this museum that brings all the other exhibits to life after the sun goes down. So you’ve got Ghengis Khan chasing George Armstrong Custer and Teddy Roosevelt giving the poor night security guard some sage advice.
As I reflected on it, I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be cool to go to a museum, look at all the works of art there, and instead of wondering what those famous artists were trying to say through their pieces of art, hearing straight from them what they wanted to express to me. I can imagine it, can’t you? I’m regarding the Mona Lisa, wondering what message I was supposed to receive from it. All of a sudden someone clears their throat behind me. I turn, and there is Leonardo Da Vinci himself. And with a big smile he puts his arm around my shoulder and begins explaining his famous painting to me.
I may never get the opportunity to sit down with Da Vinci and discuss his work with him. But there is another Artist, the greatest Artist ever, who has expressed himself. And what’s more, he stands by our side as we admire his work, and he shares with us the intricate details of his love and grace/
(Hold up Bible.) Everyday we have the opportunity to roam the halls of God’s museum of salvation history. And every day the Artist patiently waits to walk alongside of us down those halls. He knows that if we do, he’ll remind us of his love, his grace, his promises, and the hope that we have in him. And he knows that if we listen, we will have strength for the journey.
The museum charges no admission. All the Owner desires is that you come in and spend some time with him.
God has spoken. Let us listen. Let us learn. Let us be reminded. Let us live a better life.
