The Number One Issue In The World
By Dr. James O. Davis
What is the number one issue in the world today? Is it abortion, safe sex, homosexuality, or AIDS? Is it terrorism, ISIS or war? I submit the number one issue in the world is what we are going to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped off an aluminum ladder and planted his feet on the lunar surface of the moon. The President of the United States then addressed the nation and said, “The greatest event in human history occurred when man first put his foot on the moon.” I contend, however, that the greatest event in human history was when God put His foot on the earth. He stepped out of heaven, into the womb of a Jewish virgin, and Jesus was born in a manger.
Some have described Jesus as a great humanitarian, the highest form of life, a teacher, a prophet, a lunatic, a myth, and a legend. Someone said that Jesus Christ came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became the Son of Man that we might become sons of God.
He was born contrary to the laws of nature. He lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which He was born, and that was in His childhood. In infancy He startled the king, in boyhood He puzzled the learned doctors, and in manhood He ruled the course of nature. He walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services.
He never wrote a book, yet all the libraries of the world cannot contain the books written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He furnished the theme for more songs than all the song writers put together. He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast as many students as He. He never practiced medicine, yet he has healed more broken hearts and bodies than all the doctors combined. Jesus is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the Lion and Lamb of zoology, the Harmonizer of all discords, and the Healer of all diseases.
Throughout history, great men have come and gone—yet 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!
What does the Bible say about Jesus? There are no greater verses that identify Jesus than those in Hebrews chapter 1:1-4. These verses are all encompassing regarding Jesus. Yes, I believe the number one issue in the world is Jesus Christ--the number one issue for every person. What will we do with this Man called Jesus?
The Book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians whose faith in Christ was beginning to waver. As they thought of reverting to Judaism, the author of Hebrews comes along writing about the dangers of apostasy. He counters those dangers by showing the superiority of Jesus at the very beginning of his Book. As we stand on the brink of disaster and death in the world--on the verge of outright apostasy--how amazing it is that God’s Word always has a definitive word for difficult times.
I trust you will understand with me how great, how awesome, how mighty, how superior Jesus is. The writer of Hebrews addresses the superiority of Jesus in a three-fold dimensional truth about who Jesus is today. The first truth about the identity of Jesus is that Jesus is God communicating.
JESUS IS GOD COMMUNICATING
A) Jesus is the Past Communication -- Throughout human history, God has been speaking to the world so we might know who God is and what He expects of us. We read in the beginning of verse one that Jesus is the final, full communication of God. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers by the prophets, in these last days has spoken to us through His Son.” Jesus is both the past and present revelation of God. In the past, God spoke through various methods to His people. The author of Hebrews has in mind the Old Testament books containing visions, parables, types, symbols, narratives, poetry, prophecy, the law, and other ways the prophets used to communicate God’s message to Israel.
B) Jesus is the Present Communication -- Not only is Jesus the past revelation, but He is also the present revelation of God. Verse two of our text says the last days are divided into two major periods: world history to the coming of the Messiah, these days; and the age to come, the age of the Messiah. You see, my friend, the transitional period between the two would be the end of these days. The author of Hebrews believed he was standing at the turning point of the ages—the Messiah he says has come.
C) Jesus is the Final Communication -- Jesus brings continuity and discontinuity to us. He continues what the Old Testament prophets wrote about Him, but discontinues the Old Testament covenant and inaugurates a new one for us today. One last time, God speaks to mankind. When God said, “Jesus” He said it all. The past prepared the way for the most important communication of all—the revelation of Jesus Christ.
What is a word? It is outward verbal expression of an inward invisible thought. We cannot see a person’s thoughts, but can only know a his thoughts by reading or hearing his thoughts through words. The Bible states that Jesus is “The Word of God.” (John 1:1) Jesus is the outward, verbal expression of the thoughts of an invisible God. God’s final communication to us is through Jesus. Even though no man has ever seen God, they have seen the words and thoughts of God in the life of Jesus. He is the Word. He is the outward expression of the inward thoughts of a Holy Triune God.
D) Jesus is the Full Communication -- Not only is He the final communication, but He is the full communication of God. In verse three we read, “And He in the radiance of His glory, and the exact representation of His nature.” Jesus is the Radiance of the Glory of God -- Radiance here means light that shines from a luminous body. Christ is to the Father what the rays of the sun are to the sun. We can only see the sun’s rays. We cannot directly look at the sun because it would blind us. We cannot look at God, but we have seen Jesus, the Light shining from God. We can see the glory of God only through Jesus Christ. You find this in John 1:14.
E) Jesus is the Exact Representation of the Nature of God --The term for exact representation was used when an engraver would make an exact imprint of an emperor on a coin. Jesus is the exact reproduction of God. If you have seen Jesus, you have seen God. If you have heard from Jesus, you have heard from God. He is the portrait of God. If you want to know the character of God, then you look at Jesus.
Think with me about light and darkness. We remove darkness from a room by turning on the light. Understand that darkness never overcomes the light—light always overcomes darkness. Light is a phenomenal force and it is never defiled. It can fall on the most disease-ridden object and will still be pure and undefiled. Jesus is like the light, and He is sinless. He is perfect and was never defiled.
Not only is light always pure, but light is always constant. It never changes, and Jesus never changes. Light always overcomes the darkness; Jesus always overcomes evil. Satan and his darkened kingdom never overcome Jesus and His holy Kingdom.
Let me tell you something else about light. It travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second—equivalent to seven and one half times around the world in a second. It travels from the moon to the earth in one and a half seconds. Light travels from the sun to the earth in 8.3 minutes. The next time you are outside in the sun, realize that the light you see is 8.3 minutes old.
Albert Einstein discovered the law of relativity. He did not make the law, he only discovered it. He said, and scientists still confirm it to this day, that everything in the universe is changing except light. Therefore, everything is relative to light. Here is the essence of the law of relativity. When two cars pass, both going 50 mph each, the relative speed at the point where they pass is 100 mph. If you are driving 50 mph, and another car passes you going 60 mph, the relative speed between your car and the other car is 10 mph.
However, if you could saddle a beam of light and make your way into the universe, you would be traveling 186,000 miles per second. If you were to meet another light beam coming toward you—let’s say your closest friend was riding one--when you meet the speed would not be doubled. It would not be changed at all. What changes at that point is not speed, but time. You see, if you could go the speed of light, time would stop. If you could enter into the full essence of light, time would be no more.
Jesus is the Light. He is the Light of the Heavenly Jerusalem. One day you and I will enter into that Light and time will stop for us. Time will cease and life will be constant for us. That’s why the Bible is telling us that Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God. We have seen the Light of the Father found in the personhood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you want to know why this world is in darkness? It is because people have refused the light. They cannot tell the difference between right and wrong because they are living in darkness and cannot see. Jesus is the number one issue because Jesus is God communicating with us.
JESUS IS GOD CREATING
A) Jesus is the Power of Creation -- Not only is Jesus God communicating, but Jesus is God creating. Science states that the creation of the world was the result of a great cosmic accident called the big bang. They say billions of years ago there was a fortuitous concourse of some primeval life forms that collided in space and resulted in a big bang. Yet the Bible declares that Jesus is the Aged through whom God created the worlds. You see, ladies and gentlemen, Jesus is the power of creation, the preserver of creation, the possessor of creation, and the power of creation.
The Bible says in verse two, “Through whom also He made the world.” The Greek term for “world” means time, space and matter. Jesus made all reality. He created all that exists in the universe. Everything in the universe bears this stamp, “Made by Jesus.”
Jesus made the spiritual world of angels and unseen beings. He made the celestial world of the sun, moon, stars, planets, solar systems, and galaxies. He made the terrestrial world of earth, mankind, and animals. He made the botanical world of plants, trees, flowers, herbs, and shrubs. He made the biological world of germs, amoebas, paramecia, and all microscopic matter. He made the chemical world of atoms, neutrons, protons, and electrons. Jesus made all reality. The Babe in Bethlehem was also the God of Genesis. Jesus is the power of creation.
If one could use an electron microscope, he or she could see other worlds that are too small for the naked eye to see. It is possible to place 150 million atoms side by side within one inch. Inside each atom is a miniature solar system made up of a nucleus and electrons moving at inconceivable speed. If the number of molecules in one drop of water were converted to particles of sand, there would be enough sand to build a super-highway one-half mile wide and one foot deep from New York to San Francisco. Listen, Jesus Christ created all matter.
Behind the atom, behind the electron, behind the neutron, behind all reality is the power of creation and His name is Jesus. He is the power of creation, but He is also the preserver of creation.
B) Jesus is the Preserver of Creation -- The Bible says in verse number three, “And upholds all things by the word of His power.” The Greek word there for “upholds” has the sense of bearing up or sustaining. Jesus is seen as the center of the continuing stability of the universe, carrying and guiding the universe to its divinely ordained destiny. The Ruler of the universe controls everything through the power of His Word. All creation listens to the commands of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things have been created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together.” (Colossians 1:16-17) Jesus is the glue that holds together all the moving parts of the universe. He is the preserver of creation. He keeps the entire universe in proper position and in delicate balance.
He sees to it that the oceans are confined to their boundaries. He makes sure the rivers flow to the sea. He sees to it that the planets stay in their orbital courses and that the earth maintains its proper distance from the sun, which is 93 million miles. Jesus keeps the earth on its proper axle rotation, an orbital revolution of 1,000 miles per hour. He makes sure the earth stays on its 23 percent tilt, providing us with four seasons. If it were not tilted, vapors from the ocean would move north and south and develop into monstrous continents of ice.
He also makes certain the moon stays the correct distance from the earth so the tides will properly flow into the harbors to cleanse them. He maintains the earth’s atmosphere at 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen, the exact mixture required to maintain life. He synchronizes the rain cycles and wind speeds. Without Jesus upholding and sustaining the universe, it would spin out of control and disintegrate.
C) Jesus is the Possessor of Creation -- Verse two reads, “Whom He appointed heir of all things.” Jesus is not only the Creator of all things, but He is the heir of the universe. He has the supreme position in the entire universe. When we learn to serve Jesus, we depend on His power to sustain and help us maintain a strong Christian life in a world that has rejected Him. We have to understand that Jesus must not only be the Center of our life, but He must be the One Who guides our lives. Jesus is what keeps our lives, our homes, our businesses, our schools, and our nation together.
Scientists tell us the earth moves at 67,000 mph in space and weighs 6,600 billion pounds times one billion. Yet, Jesus upholds not only the earth but the entire universe. If Jesus Christ can uphold the universe, and the weight of the earth, He can bear our burdens also. He wants to be the glue that keeps our lives together. It is said that there are at least one million times one million galaxies the size of the Milky Way, all containing at least a hundred billion stars each. If Jesus can uphold all that, He is the number one issue in the world today!
At the close of World War II, the Japanese government was told it must surrender unconditionally. The leaders said they needed more time to convince the military leaders, and the population at large, that this was the only and right thing to do. It was May of 1945, when they began to draft a document of unconditional surrender. While preparing a document to be released to the media, a word was used that could mean, “We are considering it” or “We are ignoring it,” depending on the context in which it was used. Well, the message mistakenly read, “We are ignoring it.”
The translation was made available on July 28, 1945, and it stated that the Japanese had made up their mind not to consider it, but to ignore it. Therefore, Harry Truman, the President of the United States, on August 6, 1945, ordered an atomic bomb to be dropped on the city of Hiroshima where more than 90,000 people died. Then, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and another 40,000 more people died. Shortly thereafter the Russians invaded Manchuria. In less than three weeks, over 150,000 people died because of the mistranslation of just one word. In essence, that one word changed the world.
I have a Word for you today that represents the name of the Creator of all the cosmic forces in the universe. It represents the One who upholds all things and bears all things. This one Word has more power than all the nuclear armaments of the word combined. This Word is Jesus; the One Who still heals the sick, sets the captive free, and still changes the world. Jesus is the number one issue in world. He is God communicating, God creating, and God caring.
JESUS IS GOD CARING
God is not passively sitting by in Heaven, nor is He disinterested in the affairs of the world. Jesus came to let us know that God cares for us. Jesus is interested in our diseases, difficulties, pressures, problems, fears, finances, frustrations, our past, our present and our future.
A) Jesus is Savior -- Notice our text says that Jesus is Savior. Verse three, “When He had made purification of our sins…” Purification is most often used in the New Testament ritual of cleansing. You find this in Mark 1:44. But in verse three it refers to the removal of sin. The cleansing is a completed action. The purification of sin is used in connection with the high priestly sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. You find this in Exodus 30:10.
Jesus did not need any assistance. He did not need anything to supplement His sacrifice on Calvary. His death on the cross accomplished what He intended. Jesus is Savior. In fact, Jesus was the perfect, spotless, Passover lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Before there was ever sin in the Garden of Eden, the Cross was already in view. Not only is Jesus Savior, but He is Superior.
B) Jesus is Superior -- At the end of verse three, and in verse four, the Bible says, “He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on High, having become much better than the angels as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.” Jesus shows us a work completed, a work celebrated, a work commenced, and a work that is coming. Jesus is a Work Completed -- A work is completed in the end of verse three. The Bible says He “…sat down.” The term “sat down” was used to stir the Jewish readers of the book of Hebrews. The Jewish people knew there were no seats in the temple. The priests in the temple never sat down because their work was never finished. They were continually offering sacrifices for the sins of the people, yet Jesus purged our sins and sat down because the way to God was now completed. (Hebrews 7:27) The work was completed when Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world and then came out of the grave. When He uttered, “It is finished,” He meant once and for all, that every sin and every stain had been cleansed and covered by the blood. It was a work completed, but it was also a work celebrated.
C) Jesus is a Work Celebrated -- The Bible says, “…the right hand.” The right hand was traditionally the place of honor. After Jesus purged our sins, He ascended to the Throne of God where He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. I can see Jesus as He makes His way back home. He offers His own blood once as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Then He sits down at the right hand of the Heavenly Father.
For the first time in the history of the universe, Jesus is embodied in human form, not only to make intercession for the people of God, but to offer salvation to all peoples of the world. The final message of God communicated through Jesus is safeguarded by even more majestic sanctions than those which attended the law. The name is in the emphatic position in the Greek text. A person’s character was implied in the name. Jesus has a more excellent name and character than the angels of heaven. The work was completed, it was celebrated, and now a new work is commenced.
D) Jesus is a Work Commenced -- The Bible says that once Jesus completed the work of Redemption, He began the work of intercession for us. In Hebrews 4:14-16, He not only paid for our sins, but now He prays for the saints. He offers a new work, the work of intercession. When you and I offer our prayers to God, we enter into the ministry of intercession, the ministry of Jesus today. That’s why it is important for us to intercede in prayer. When we intercede, we take upon ourselves the present day ministry of Jesus. A work was completed. A work was celebrated. A work was commenced. And a work is coming.
E) Jesus is a Work Coming -- In the future, Jesus will rise from His throne and return to catch His children away. May 1, 1990, in Moscow’s Red Square, will be a day forever engraved in history. The annual display of military armaments was the norm on May Day in Moscow. Large banners of Marx and Lenin were the backdrop of the speaker’s podium. The public stood behind barricades as government troops marched by saluting Mr. Gorbachov on his platform. Suddenly, a group of men burst from the crowd and maneuvered their way through the parading tanks. A bearded Orthodox priest thrust an 8-foot crucifix into the air, and shouted, “Mr. Gorbachov Christ has risen.” The crowd shouted in response, “Christ has risen indeed.” At that, Mr. Gorbachov turned and walked off the platform. That day marked the day that Jesus Christ was lifted higher than communism in the Soviet Union. He was lifted above Marx and Lenin, and a short time later communism was defeated.
CONCLUSION
When Jesus was born, He was the same age as His Father, yet He was older than His mother. As a Prophet, Jesus is the One through whom God has spoken His final word to mankind. As Priest, Jesus is the One who accomplished the perfect work of redemption on Calvary. As King, Jesus Christ has been exalted to His rightful place on the Throne of God. He is the Lord of all creation, but is He the Lord of your life?
Indeed, Jesus is the number one issue. If the people of the world will embrace Jesus, they will be saved—otherwise we will experience the judgment of God. I have said it before, and I will say it again; the greatest threat to our national security is not the enemy within or the enemy without. The greatest threat is God Himself. Jesus is the number one issue today. Is Jesus the number one issue in your life, in your home, in your character? Jesus is God creating, God communicating, and God caring. May Jesus be the number one issue of your life today!
