Who is the Christ of Christmas?
God’s Supreme Revelation
Hebrews 1:1-3
In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in finally getting their “flying machine” off the ground, Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.” Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” He totally missed the big news: a human had flown!
Many people today make a similar mistake when they hear the word Christmas. They do not think of Jesus and His miraculous birth. Instead, they think of family, gatherings, festivities, decorations, and gifts. But if that is all that Christmas is to us, we are missing its true significance.
Last week, we began an examination of the question, “Who is the Christ of Christmas?” It is my goal to remind us that Christmas truly is about Christ. Without Him, there really is no Christmas. Try to imagine a world w/o Christmas (The Grinch who stole Christmas). What a dismal thought, yet many try to celebrate the season w/o knowing the reason for the season.
I have also tried to remind us that if we only see Christ as the babe in a manger, we are also missing the true meaning of Christmas. The Christ of Christmas is so much more than the nursing infant of Bethlehem. The Christmas story is more than the story of a special child’s birth.
It is the story of how God became a man. The Christ of Christmas is the God of heaven, the God who became one of us. Last week, we saw from Col. 1:15-20 that the Christ of Christmas is the Preeminent Lord. Today, we examine a 2nd picture of the Christ of Christmas, and from our text in Hebrews 1:1-3, we discover that the Christ of Christmas is God’s supreme revelation.
The book of Hebrews is one of the most unusual books of the NT:
- We are unsure of its author or audience.
- It is written in sermonic form.
- We are not sure when it was written or the life situation of the book.
* seems as if it is written to a group struggling with their faith
The overall theme of the book focuses upon the Supremacy of Christ. In the book of Hebrews, it is revealed how Christ is supreme over the prophets, over angels, over Moses, over the Old Covenant, and so forth. Over everyone and everything, Christ is supreme.
The writer’s first exhortation focuses on Christ’s supremacy over the prophets, and it is within the context of this first section that we have one of the greatest Christological passages in the whole NT. It is in this text that the Hebrew writer tells us 1) that Jesus Christ is God’s supreme revelation and 2) the reasons why Jesus Christ is God’s supreme revelation (His qualifications/resume). From our text, we examine two central truths:
I. Although God spoke in times past, his revelation was incomplete (1).
The Hebrew writer begins his epistle with some of the most important words in history: God has spoken. As F.F. Bruce observes, “This initial affirmation is basic to Christian faith. Had God remained silent, enshrouded in thick darkness, the plight of mankind would have been desperate indeed; but now he has spoken his revealing, redeeming, and life-giving word, and in his light we see light.”
These words, God has spoken, are important words. Why? B/c if God has not spoken we are without hope. You see we live in a “natural” box. We are limited to time and space. Our senses, as marvelous as they are, are incapable of reaching beyond the natural world. We are bound to this natural earth.
Outside of this natural box in which we live is the world of the supernatural. And although deep within ourselves, we all sense that something is out there, we are unable to know anything certain about what or who it is. Sure, we can guess or speculate what is out there, but b/c of our human limitations (b/c we are bound to the natural world), we cannot know for certain of anything outside our box (although we desperately try).
Religion is an attempt to discover the supernatural thru natural means. Multitudes of religions have risen thru the years attempting to discover how the natural can know or become the supernatural. Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, all of the major religions of the world attempt to get outside the box, to escape from the natural to the supernatural. The problem is, we cannot get ourselves out. We are bound to the box of the natural world. No matter how hard we try or what systems of religion we develop, we cannot get out of our natural boxes. We are still human beings bound to the laws of nature.
If this is true, for us to know anything about the supernatural, about God, He must reveal Himself to us. If it is up to us, we will fail b/c we are limited to the natural. Therefore, if we are going to know anything about “what is out there” (God), it will not be by escaping, or climbing out of the box, or working our way to God; it will only be by His coming to us, by His revealing Himself/speaking to us.
That’s why these words, God has spoken, are so important. He has revealed Himself. He has come to us. God has entered the box. The supernatural has come into the world of the natural.
So these are some weighty words, yet we discover in this first verse that God’s initial revelation was limited. Notice that the writer says, “God has spoken in times past at various times and in various ways to the fathers by the prophets.”
While God’s speaking is important, in times past, his revelation was limited, incomplete. It was restricted to various times and through various people. We read of these accounts in the OT. Think about the various times and ways God spoke in the OT:
- direct revelation (Samuel) (the prophets: mouthpieces of God)
- circumstances (Elijah in the wilderness)
- visions: Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel
- plagues (Egyptians)
- chastisement (Jonah)
- creation itself (Balaam’s donkey) (the burning bush)
God spoke in various ways at various times and through various persons, but his revelation was incomplete. It was not final.
II. God spoke fully and completely in Jesus Christ, the supreme revelation of God (2-3).
In verse 2, the Hebrew writer makes an important transition. In v. 1, he informs us that God has spoken at various times and in various ways to our fathers by the prophets, but in v.2, he informs us that God has spoken, in these last days, by His Son.
“In these last days” indicates that God has now revealed Himself fully and completely. While the revelation of the OT was incomplete and fragmentary, the revelation of Jesus Christ is complete and final. This is an important truth in understanding the Christmas story.
In the Christ-child, we have the supreme revelation of God to humanity. In Christ, we have God’s complete revelation. What this passage describes is called progressive revelation. In other words, in the past, God revealed Himself in a limited means. He spoke at various times and in various ways, but His revelation was incomplete. It was not the final revelation of God. That is not to suggest that it was not valid, genuine, or authentic. That is not to suggest that it was not important or necessary.
Progressive revelation simply means that God revealed Himself over time, and that revelation reached its climax, its culmination, in Jesus Christ. While God used different means and various people in the OT to deliver His message, in the NT, Jesus Christ became the Supreme Revelation of God. He became the complete and final revelation of God. That is why He is greater than the prophets. That is why Christ is supreme, b/c He is the complete revelation of God. God’s full and perfect revelation of Himself was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
But what qualified Jesus Christ to be God’s full and complete revelation? Why is He God’s supreme revelation? I am glad you asked b/c what the Hebrew writer does now is to list 7 qualifications of why Jesus Christ qualifies as God’s supreme revelation. He lets us look at the Son of God’s resume, and in so doing, we can get a picture of the Christ of Christmas, God’s supreme revelation. Let’s look at these 7 characteristics:
1) He is the heir of all things.
Jesus’ first defining mark is his inheritance. If Jesus is the Son of God, He is the rightful heir of all that God possesses. Everything that exists finds its true meaning only under the headship and control of Jesus Christ.
We saw this truth last week in Col. 1.15 where Paul reminds us that Christ is the firstborn of all creation. He is the preeminent one, the one deserving of honor and glory. He is the rightful heir of all things.
2) He is the creator of all things.
The Hebrew writer reminds us, “by Him all things were created.” He is the Creator God.
* Augustine: ex nihlo-created out of nothing
John 1.3: Apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Col. 1.16: for by Him all things were created.
He is the Supreme Revelation of God b/c He created all things.
* the word translated world is actually the word aionas which does not mean the physical kosmos but “the ages.” In other words, the Son of God is not only responsible for the physical world, but for the outworking of history itself. He is responsible for creating everything related to the physical world and its function throughout history. He holds the copyright.
3) He is the radiance of God’s glory.
The word radiance (“to send forth light”) represents Jesus as the complete manifestation of God. He reflects / mirrors God’s glory. He is the reflection of God.
In the OT, we are informed that no human can behold the glory of God and live. Yet, in Christ we are able to see the reflection of God’s glory. We see God’s glory in and thru Him.
God sent His light in the Person of Jesus Christ. In a world covered in darkness, Jesus Christ shines as the radiant light of God’s glory. The word “glory” represents all that God is. Jesus reflects all that God is. He is the radiance of His glory.
4) He is the exact representation of His nature.
“Exact representation” translates the Greek term used for the impression made by a die or a stamp on a seal. The design is reproduced on the wax. Even so, Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God. He is the personal, complete, perfect imprint of God upon time and space.
Col 1.15: He is the image of the invisible God.
The invisible became visible. He manifested Himself to us, and that revelation reflects exactly who God is. Everything that God is, Christ is. Every attribute of God, Jesus reflected (love, mercy, grace, holiness). Christ represents God.
5) He upholds all things by the word of His power. He is the sustainer.
Again, we spent a bit of time on this truth last week, so I will just remind us at this point that Christ not only created the world, but He upholds (continual tense verb) it by His the word of His power. He speaks the word and it happens. He is the provider and sustainer of life.
6) He by himself purged our sins.
He is qualified to be God’s supreme revelation b/c he is the Savior, the Redeemer. Perhaps this statement is the most important of them all. You see it was a wondrous work when Christ created the world. It is great that He sustains the world. But an even greater work than these is the fact that Christ purges sins.
The holy God not only became one of us, but He also provided a means of provision for our sins. In the sacrifice of Christ, God dealt with the sin problem once and for all.
“To purge” is to purify, to make clean once and for all. That is exactly what Christ did on Calvary. He paid the necessary price to purge our sins once and for all. He did all that was needed. He purged our sins.
7) He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
The last of Christ’s characteristics mentioned in this text is His exaltation. When He had completed His sacrificial work, He took His place of honor.
- “sat down” -- the act is finished/complete
- “right hand” -- symbolizes power and honor, authority. It is the special place of honor in the King’s presence.
There at the right hand, Christ serves as the Intercessor. He is seen in His place of honor and exaltation. He is viewed in all of His glory and authority. There, He is the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.
In this text, we have God’s portrait of Christ, a picture of the Prophet, Priest, and King. As prophet, He is God’s supreme spokesman. He represents God. He is the exact manifestation of God. As Priest, He atones for sin. He makes the necessary provision for His people and intercedes on their behalf. And then as King, we see Him as the Creator and sustainer of the world, and we see him as the One who sits enthroned in glory and honor having completed what He was called to do.
The Christ of Christmas is the Great Prophet, Priest, and King. And as such, He is God’s supreme revelation.
This Christmas season, we need to be reminded that God entered our box. The supernatural took upon Himself human flesh and entered the natural world. While all of man’s religions reflect his attempts to make his way out of the box, the message of Christianity (and Christmas) is that “the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19.10). God spoke, and His supreme revelation is found in Jesus Christ. For in Christ, God burst into our world and showed us what God is like. God invaded our world to show us Himself.
Someone has 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, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which He was born--and that in His childhood. He had no wealth or influence and had neither training nor education in the world’s schools. His relatives were inconspicuous and insignificant. In infancy He startled a king. In boyhood, He puzzled the learned scholars. 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 and yet all the libraries of the world could not hold the books about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all songwriters together. He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never practiced medicine and yet he has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors have healed broken bodies. This Jesus Christ is the star or astronomy, the rock of geology, the lion and the 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. This is the Christ of Christmas.
When the question is brought up as to who Jesus Christ really was, some people will say He was a good teacher, some will say He was a religious fanatic, some will say that he was a fake, and some will claim He was a criminal, a phantom, or a political revolutionary. Indeed, there are countless human explanations as to who Jesus was. But in this chapter, God tells us who Jesus is. He is God’s supreme revelation of Himself. That is the Christ of Christmas.
In Christ, God entered our world to show us who He is.
