THE GREATEST COMMUNICATOR
Hebrews 1:1-3
Intro: There was a lady who had a hearing problem. One day she and her husband were driving from Tennessee to Little Rock, Arkansas. They were pulled over by a state trooper who asked if the husband knew how fast he was driving. The wife asked, "What did he say?” The husband replied, "HE ASKED IF I KNEW THAT I WAS SPEEDING.” Looking at the driver’s license the trooper said, "I see you’re not from around here.” The husband said, "No we are from Memphis.” The wife again asked, "What did you say?” The husband told her, "I SAID WE ARE FROM MEMPHIS.” The state trooper then commented, "You know, the meanest woman I ever met was from Memphis.” The wife again asked, "What did he say?” The husband replied, "HE SAYS HE THINKS HE KNOWS YOU!"
. Two men were talking one day. One of them said, "My wife talks to herself a lot." His friend answered, "Mine does, too, but she doesn’t know it. She thinks I’m listening."
. Communication, some people seem to be able to communicate better that others don’t they?
. Ronald Reagan was known as the “great communicator”. One who could get his point across so that others could understand and accept what he was saying.
. In a speech upon his retirement, he said this: “In all of that time I won a nickname, 'The Great Communicator.' But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart …”
. We hear a lot about Reagan in the political climate of today and most would agree that he was a good communicator.
.While he was a good communicator. He was not the greatest communicator.
. Our scripture this morning the writer of Hebrews highlights just who the greatest communicator of all time is and how He communicated the greatest news in the world to mankind.
. Hebrews 1:1-3; 1Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.2And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.3The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
. The writer of Hebrews reminds us of God’s communication to us.
. The writer writes of the Preparation for The Messiah, The Presentation of The Messiah, and The Purpose of The Messiah.
. The Preparation For The Messiah
. In verse 1 we see the preparation for the Messiah
. 1Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.
. Deep inside all of mankind there is a search for the supernatural or a search for our existence.
. John Maxwell in his commentary on Hebrews describes mankind as living in a “natural box”. Meaning that we live in the natural world of man not the supernatural world of God. The supernatural world is outside the box and mans natural inclination is to try to get out of the box and get to the supernatural or God or Nirvana as the Buddhists call the ultimate enlightenment and end game so to speak. That is how religion is born. How do we reach out of the box and grasp the supernatural.
. The problem with this is that no matter how hard mankind tries, he just can’t work himself out of the box. We can’t get out of the box so God had to come to us. He had to speak to us and let us know how we could reach the supernatural.
. The writer of Hebrews says that the great communicator started long ago showing us that there was no way we could work our way out of this box. He says that he did that many times and in many ways.
. One way he did that was through the giving of the ten commandments.
. God gave mankind these laws to show us that we can’t work our way or obey certain rules and regulations to reach the supernatural. That there had to be another way.
. God began telling the Hebrew nation that as you can see, you cannot find me through rules and regulations because you are incapable as humans.
. I must provide another way. I will start by sending prophets to you to show you the way.
. To tell you what to expect and what to look for.
. This revelation or communication with man was progressive.
. This is much like giving directions to someone who wants to find your house or a business or something. If you give them all the directions at one time, they will get confused and never get to where you want them to go.
. I have a brother who is bad about this. We work together and he will be somewhere and want me to meet him and he will call me and start rattling off directions. He says go here and turn left and then go here and turn right and on and on. When he gets finished, I just tell him I will call him when I get to the first turn and he can tell me where to go next. I need progressive directions or revelations on how I am to get somewhere.
. God gave his people progressive revelation about how He was going to reconcile them unto Himself.
. The writer says that He spoke many times and many ways.
. While The Ten Commandments pointed to the need for a reconciler between God and man, God used the prophets to tell us what to look for in this reconciler.
.Through Noah, God revealed the quarter of the world that the Messiah would come.
. Through Micah we learned the name of the town this Messiah or reconciler would come.
. From Daniel we learn the time of His birth.
. From Malachi we learn who the herald would be that announced Him. We saw this in John The Baptist.
. From Jonah we see a model of death and resurrection in three days.
. There are many more revelations from God about the Messiah that we find in God’s communication through the prophets.
. The writer is reminding his readers, (the Hebrew people) that God has been preparing us for the Messiah for as long as we have existed as a nation.
. This Messiah will be the reconciler between us and God and the reconciler for the whole world.
. After the reminder of the Preparation for the messiah, the writer writes that you have been waiting and now I present to you the Messiah.
. The Presentation Of the Messiah
. Now God will no longer speak to us through the prophets, He will speak through the Messiah, His Son.
. Look at verse 2; 2And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe
. He has spoken to us through Jesus Christ.
. The writer is saying, ladies and gentlemen I present to you the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
. Many of you know that I am a big American Idol fan. As I was preparing this sermon I couldn’t help but see this statement as the of finale to God’s communication to mankind.
. The American Idol starts out telling us about these contestants and we see them being revealed to us through time and on the last night they crown the American Idol.
Ladies and gentlemen we present to you the American Idol.
. The writer says that God is presenting to you the last word.
. This is all God has to say on this subject.
. Listen to the one I have sent. This is my last communication to you.
. I am speaking through Him to you.
. All is revealed through the son.
. John MacArthur writes this. “The whole New Testament is centered around Christ. The gospels tell His story, the epistles comment on it, and the Revelation tells of it’s culmination. From beginning to end the New Testament is Christ. No prophet had been given God’s whole truth. The Old Testament was given to many men, in bits and pieces and fragments. Jesus not only brought, but was God’s full and final Revelation.”
. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my last revelation.
. Jesus, listen to what He has to say.
. There is nothing else to add to my word. Only what Jesus communicates to you.
. In the book of the Revelation on John, we are warned that we should not add anything else to the word of God.
. In revelation 22:18-19 we see; 18And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.19And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
. This is the final word. All these other world religions that have extra or additional revelation from God need to understand that the New Testament, the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Messiah is the final word from God.
. The writer writes that I present to you, the long awaited Messiah.
. Lastly the writer shows us how God communicates the Purpose of the Messiah.
. The Purposes Of The Messiah
. Look at verses 2&3 again.
. 2And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.3The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
. The purposes of Jesus were many.
. As we have just seen, God used Jesus to speak to us but if you look at these two verses you see that God had many purposes for Jesus.
. Here in verse 2 God says that the universe was created through the son.
. Jesus was the agent through whom God created the world.
. John1:1-4 says this; 1In the beginning the aWord already existed. The aWord was with God, and the aWord was God.2He existed in the beginning with God.3God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.4The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
. One of the purposes of Jesus was creation.
. You say wait a minute pastor, Jesus wasn’t born until many thousands of years after creation.
. That’s not what the bible teaches. The bible teaches that along with God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, and God the spirit existed before creation.
. That’s the Trinity thing we talk about and try to wrap our feeble human minds around.
. John writes that “God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.
. The writer of Hebrews confirms this.
. He says that through the Son He created the universe.
. Another purpose of Jesus is to communicate to us the very nature and character of God.
.Look at verse 3 again
. 3The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.
. Jesus radiates God’s glory.
. Colossians 1:15 say’s; 15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is dsupreme over all creation,
. Again in Colossians 2:9 Paul writes; 9For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
. God says look at the Son, look at Jesus, this is who I am.
. One purpose of Jesus is so that you can see my very nature in human form.
. Lastly Paul writes that the purpose of Jesus was “cleanse us from our sins.
. The last part of verse 3 says; When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
. Jesus cleansed us from our sins.
. That’s the consummation of all that the writer is saying here.
. God showed us a need for a Savior, told us who he was going to be, what His name was to be and how He would reconcile mankind to himself.
. He would do that by cleansing us from our sins by becoming the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
. In these three verses of scripture, the writer highlights the story of God’s love for mankind through Jesus Christ.
. Have you been cleansed of your sins this morning by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.
Invitation
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources:
The Holy Bible, NLT
John Maxwell, New Testament Commentary on Hebrews
Jeff Krist, It’s Time To Listen; (sermon central)
