The Superiority of The Savior
Intro.
I The Question.
1. What do you hang your hat on?
a. What do you have all the confidence in the world in? Or who?
2. Since the beginning of time man has searched for the answers in life.
a. Where do I come from?
b. What are we doing here?
c. Where do we go next?
3. From the time we are born until the time we die man is looking for the right answer.
a. We sense with an intense feeling that there is something missing in each of us.
b. Most of the time we struggle with this feeling of incompleteness.
c. Man is like a jigsaw puzzle.
d. When we are born there is a piece missing!
e. That piece leaves a god sized hole in our hearts.
f. A hole planted by our creator.
g. A hole that only He can ever fill.
h. A hole He died to fill.
II The Good News
1. God wants us to know the answers to our questions.
2. Men have tragically sought after the answers to life as if it was a mystery to them.
3. They are still doing it today.
4. Scientists struggle with why they just can¡¦t seem to come up with all the answers.
5. They just can¡¦t make everything fit. (Earth should be decelerating, however it is
ACCELERATING! If life created by Big Bang, then everything should be slowing
down, like a bullet shot from a gun.
6. They¡¦re trying to complete the puzzle with a huge piece missing.
a. God hasn¡¦t left us to grope around blindly in the dark.
b. He hasn¡¦t left us to figure it out on our on.
c. God, The Almighty, Thrice Holy God, has revealed Himself to man.
7. He has left us with all the answers we will ever need concerning life.
8. If He has spoken to us, shouldn¡¦t we at least know what He says?
9. Shouldn¡¦t we be interested in knowing what He says?
a. Lets start by reading our text today taken from Hebrews 1:1-3
(Heb 1:1 KJV) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
(Heb 1:2 KJV) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
(Heb 1:3 KJV) 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 on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
BODY
I God Speaks THROUGH The Prophets.
A.
1. Verse 1 tells us that God spoke to man through The Prophets.
a. God Spoke at various times.
b. No one human could ever receive the whole counsel of God, so God revealed Himself to
us in small doses.
c. Matthew Henry says there had to be a gradual awakening of the human mind to the
concept of a God who loved us.
d. Like giving a newborn a steak! He might enjoy the flavor of it, but his body
just couldn¡¦t digest it. It is more than he can handle.
e. The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians in I Corinthians 3 and verse 2:
(1 Cor 3:2 KJV) I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
f. Each Prophet could present only a part of God¡¦s revelation.
2. God Spoke to Adam and revealed that the Messiah would come from woman¡¦s seed.
3. God Spoke to Abraham and revealed that The Savior would come from his seed.
4. God Spoke to Jacob and revealed that The Savior would come through the tribe of Judah.
5. God Spoke to David and revealed that The Savior would be born of His house.
6. God Spoke to Micah and revealed that the child would be born in Bethlehem.
7. God Spoke to Isaiah and revealed that the child would be born of a virgin.
B.
1. Verse one tell us that God also spoke in various manners¡K
a. He spoke to Moses in a great thundering voice, and in a burning bush.
b. He spoke to Elijah in a small still voice.
c. He spoke to Isaiah in a vision.
d. He spoke to Samuel in a dream.
2. As God spoke to these men He revealed more and more of Himself to us.
a. But the revelation was incomplete.
b. We didn¡¦t have the entire picture, or as we have come to call it in today¡¦s society
the whole counsel of God.
c. While what we had was accurate, we just had a piece of the puzzle completed here and a
piece there.
d. We were starting to see what the puzzle was going to look like, but we couldn¡¦t
see the whole picture.
II. God SPEAKS through HIS SON!
1. In verse 2 the missing puzzle piece starts to be unveiled.
a. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.
2. Folks we are living in the last days¡K
a. This reference to the last days is not talking about the end times.
b. Even though I think we are closer now than many would care to think about!
c. This reference is to the Messianic age. The day when Messiah would come.
d. If you made reference to an orthodox Jew about the last days, he would immediately
associate it to the coming of the Messiah.
e. This reference means this is the last dispensation of God Almighty.
f. This is the final way in which He will be revealed to mankind.
g. This is His FINAL ANSWER!
(Jer 33:14 KJV) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
(Jer 33:15 KJV) In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
h. Even the Samaritan woman at the well knew that when Messiah came He would
Have all the answers.
3. I want you to know today that the Messiah has come.
a. His name is Jesus Christ.
b. He is God¡¦s Son.
JESUS CHRIST
He came from the bosom of His Father¡Kto the bosom of a woman.
He put on humanity¡Kthat we might put on divinity.
He became The Son of Man¡Kthat we might become the sons of God.
He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity,
And only once crossed the boundary of the land in which He was born.
He had no wealth or influence, nor was He trained in the world¡¦s universities.
His relatives were inconspicuous and uninfluencial.
In infancy He startled a king¡Kin boyhood He puzzled the learned doctors.
In manhood He ruled the course of nature.
He walked upon the billows¡Kand hushed the seas to sleep.
He healed tens of thousands without medicine¡Kand never sought a cent.
He never wrote a book¡Kyet all the libraries in the world could not hold the books about Him.
He never wrote a song¡Kyet inspired more than all the songwriters of the ages.
He never founded a college¡Kyet has more students than all the schools of all time combined.
He never studied psychology, yet he has healed more broken hearts than others have healed broken bones.
He is the star of astronomy¡K
The Rock of geology¡K
The lion and the lamb of zoology¡K
The harmonizer of all discords¡K
And the Healer of all diseases.
Throughout history great men have come and gone¡Kbut He lives on.
Herod could not kill Him.
Satan could not seduce Him.
Death could not destroy Him.
And the grave could not hold Him.
He is the Lord of Lords.
He is the King of Kings.
He is the Lamb of God.
He is the Messiah.
He is the Rose Of Sharon.
He is the Son Of God.
Give Him praise and Glory.
Hallelujah!
Amen!
3. It is through His Son that God has fully revealed Himself to us.
a. If we want to know about the nature of God, all we have to do is look to Christ.
b. If we want to know about the character of God, all we have to do is look to Christ.
c. If we want to know about the love of God, all we have to do is look to Christ.
d. God has fully revealed Himself through His Son.
e. The revelation of God is complete.
f. If we know the Son, we know the Father.
(John 14:8 KJV) Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
(John 14:9 KJV) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
4. The bridge has been repaired!
a. The mighty gulf that sin had created between God and man had been spanned.
b. The old system of sacrificial animals has been done away with.
c. The law has been fulfilled.
d. We have a new covenant.
e. We have a better covenant.
f. We have a Superior Savior.
B. The reasons for Jesus¡¦ Superiority.
1. As God¡¦s only Son He is the heir of all things¡K
a. This means that Jesus Christ is to be the rightful owner of ALL things.
b. What will He inherit?
„« All power is given unto me in heaven an in earth. (Matt. 28-18)
„« The authority to exercise judgment upon man. (John 5:22)
„« (STORY of the young lawyer saving the newcomers life, then being his judge.)
„« Lordship over the loving and the dead. (Rom. 14:9)
„« The new heaven and the new earth. (Rev. 21:1-2, 23-26)
„« An eternal Government. (Isa. 9:6-7)
„« All power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing. (Rev.5:12)
„« All the hosts of heaven, the angels, and authorities, and powers. (1 Pet 3:33)
„« A name above all names. (Ph 2:9-10)
(Phil 2:9 KJV) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
2. Jesus Christ is The Creator of all the worlds.
(Col 1:16 KJV) 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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
a. Sometimes I think we get too comfortable with Christ.
b. We fail to recognize His deity.
c. Jesus is not our fishing buddy!
d. He made the lake, He made the fish, and He placed them there for our enjoyment.
e. We must place Him in the reverent place that He belongs.
3. Jesus possesses the very brightness of the glory of God.
a. Notice in verse 3 the word being.
b. It means that Jesus has always had the brightness of the glory of God.
c. It points to His eternal preexistence and His relationship with the Father.
d. Many people erroneously believe that it was only the obedience of the cross that gave
Christ the glory of the Father.
e. The most awesome truth is this. The Glory of God has always rested upon His son.
(John 17:5 KJV) And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
f. Jesus laid aside His glory to become obedient to the cross, for the redemption of man.
g. God became man¡Kso that we might live with Him.
4. Jesus Christ is the express image of God.
a. Express means the very stamp of, an exact reproduction of, the perfect imprint of.
b. Image means the substance, or being.
c. Counterfeit bill may have one without the other. It take both to make the real thing
d. Jesus Christ is therefore the perfect imprint or the embodiment of God in the flesh.
5. Jesus is the sustainer of the universe.
a. Here¡¦s one for the scientists!
b. Know what the glue is that holds the universe in place?
c. The power of the WORD of Jesus Christ.
d. What makes the world go round in perfect harmony?
e. The fact that the son of God wills it to do so!
6. Jesus is the Redeemer of mankind.
a. Redemption could not come from the law.
b. Redemption could not come form the prophets.
c. So how could man be redeemed?
d. This is the focal point of this message.
e. Only Jesus could redeem man!
f. He alone lived a perfect and sinless life.
g. His sacrificial blood shed on the cross of Calvary was and is the only acceptable substitute for our sins.
h. Jesus Himself said there is no other way.
i. God had to give ALL He had in order for mankind to be saved.
j. What Adam gave away in the Garden of Eden Jesus won back at the Cross of Calvary.
k. Mankind¡¦s ability to abide with the Father.
7. Jesus is the Supreme Mediator and Intercessor.
when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
a. In this alone we see the Superiority of the Savior.
b. In the days of the Moses the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies
(Which was where the presence of God dwelt upon the earth) and offer a sacrifice
once a year. He would sprinkle the blood on the altar every year to atone for the sins
of Israel. Then he would quickly leave lest He die from being in the presence of God.
c. Verse three says that when Jesus himself had PURGED or sins¡K
d. He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high!
e. Jesus¡¦ redemptive work was accepted.
f. The Father was pleased.
g. All the sacrifices before had merely put off the judgment of man¡¦s sins.
h. Jesus¡¦ sacrifice on the cross PURGED them, or cast them out.
i. Our sin debt has been cancelled.
j. It has been paid in full by the blood of Him who sits on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
k. We have A SUPERIOR SAVIOR!!!
CLOSE
1. This morning I asked you a question. What do you hang your hat on?
2. Are you trusting in Jesus Christ today for your eternal salvation?
3. Or are you trying an inferior way?
(John 14:6 KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
4. This morning I am going to give you an opportunity to change hat racks.
