The book of Hebrews offers today’s faith weary Christian the encouragement they need to stay in the race of faith. There are many distractions to get believers side tracted. So many times of frustration and disappointment, repeating your mistakes, neglecting your commitments or losing your modivation. Many ask, "What is the use? Is it worth the struggle it takes to grow and mature in Jesus?" Let me say as we begin studies in the book of Hebrews thats exactly how the first readers of the book felt. Yet the writer of this book cheers for them to stay on track and never quit. It is only possible by "...Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." It is this Jesus that is revealed to us in Hebrews more completely than any other place in the Bible, especially the first 10 chapters of the book. Today in chapter one and verses 1-3 we will begin to examine the person of Jesus Christ, God’s final Word in our day. Notice 1:1 - "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets." It is in this verse that we take a walk through the great Old Testament prophets. They alone were the mouth pieces of God in the past. Each prophet had absolute truth from God but his part or portion was incomplete by itself. We must think of each prophet’s truth from God (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Zechariah etc...)as a single piece of the pie. When the Old Testament was finished with the prophet Malachi the pie was still lacking the final piece and therefore was still an incomplete revelation. The Old Testament was absolute truth from God but the Old Testament alone does not tell the whole story. God’s revelation is progressive and incomplete over the centuries of the Old Testament. The final Word of God is found in Jesus Christ. Verse 2, marks the birth of Christ notice, "has in these last days spoken to us by His Son..." The last days of scripture extend from Christ’s birth in Bethleham (His 1st advent)to His coming again as King of (over) Kings and Lord of (over)Lords (His 2nd advent). It is in "these last days" the time between the advents of Christ that God has and does speak "...to us by His Son..." With the "HIS" being inalized in the scripture we understand the emphasis of the text is focused on the characteristics of being Sonlike. So we ask, "What is the Son like?" The writer gives us six explanations in our passage today showing us the one who is Sonlike
WHO IS THE SON? v2
He is heir of all things...
WHO IS THE SON? v2
He is the creator...
WHO IS THE SON? v3
He is the radiance(the out-shining)of God’s glory..
WHO IS THE SON? v3
He is deity, the exact representation of God...
WHO IS THE SON? v3
He upholds or sustains all things...
WHO IS THE SON? v3
He is the Redeemer,He made purification for our sins
Heir - Creator - Revealer - Deity - Sustainer - Redeemer - Let me ask you which of the Old Testament prophets had these characteristics? None, they were simply mere men, Jesus is a unique man, He is God’s final Word. No where else will you get a deeper appreciation of the person of Jesus Christ than in the book of Hebrews. What a passage and I haven’t even preached on it yet. Are you ready for a Word from God? In these last days God has spoken to us in one who is Sonlike, that is one who is appointed;
#1 HEIR OF ALL THINGS - The appointment of Jesus Christ as heir echoes the message of Psalm 2, hold your place here and turn to Psalm 2. It is in Psalm 2 that a prophecy unfolds for us. The writer talks about a rebellion "...Against the Lord and against His Anointed..." in verses 1,2. God’s anointed one is Jesus the Messiah. In verse 6 Messiah is seen as something else, He is installed as King Jesus. In verse 7 Jesus is revealed as God’s Son. and finally in verse 8 He is heir of all things. Who is it that owns all things, every star, every planet, and every nation on the earth? It is God’s Messiah, God’s King, God’s Son, Jesus alone is the heir of the whole creation. That is why Phil. 2:10,11 says, "... at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow,... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord..." Amen. But that is not enough says the writer of Hebrews.
#2 He IS THE CREATOR OF THE WORLD - The word "world" means ages, that is it means more than the earth it includes space - time - and all the physical elements in the galexy. and now in verse 3
#3 HE IS THE RADIANCE (the out shining or the revealer)OF GOD’S GLORY - God’s glory is the sum total of all that God is, and listen closely it is Jesus and Jesus alone that reveals to your heart who God is. Think of the SUN for a moment. The sun and its rays are one and the same thing. You cannot have sun rays without the sun and you cannot have sun without sun rays. Jesus is the out raying of all that God is (His Glory. If you know Jesus you alreadt know God. Jesus is the flashing fourth, the SON rays revealing to us the complete and perfect nature of all that God is. Is this a practical issue you may ask? Only Jesus can reveal God to you, since He is...
#4 THE EXACT REPRESENTATION OF GOD’S NATURE - SUN and SUN RAYS are the same as we noted, then realize once and for all that JESUS IS GOD. Do not let anyone tell you any different. Listen closely now: You will never know more about God than you do about Jesus Christ. And you will never know more about Jesus Christ than what is revealed in the Bible. And lets not forget the Holy Spirit since His ministry is to "glorify the Son..." Jesus said in John 16:14, that the Holy Spirit would "...glorify Me, for He (the Holy Spirit)will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." I believe the greatest need in Evangelical Christianity today, is to get our eyes off of ourselves, our circumstances and focus on the Son. That is a major message in the book of Hebrews. The Bible is not me centered it is God centered for a purpose. Focus on Him and the result will be faith, faith that will happen, you will not be able to hold it back. Christianity is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus and Jesus.... The writer of Hebrews inspired by the Holy Spirit does not say exam yourselves, He says look to Jesus, fix your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith,...(12:2). Jesus is the center of everything He is HEIR, CREATOR, REVEALER OF GOD, DEITY and
#5 HE IS SUSTAINER (upholder) OF ALL THINGS BY THE WORD OF HIS POWER - Jesus holds all things together, He holds you in His hand. He is central to everything, SO STOP LOOKING IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES and start looking at, believing in and focusing on Jesus. Now I know I’m preaching to awall because we are all concerned about our future, about our health, about an unhappy marriage, about our happiness, about our money, about our feelings, about our kids, about our circumstances, about our needs, about our ourselves, ourselves, ourselves... Listen the answer is to focus on Jesus trust Him for everything, He holds all things together including your life. You may say, Pastor that is a pretty narrow perspective life is a little more complicated than that. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it." Some of you sitting here today and I say this kindly and with love, some need to make a U-turn on the broad way its wide enough for you to do that. Literally put on the brakes slow down and begin to turn your life in a new direction. If you are moving away from God, begin moving in the opposite direction and "draw near..." (Heb. 10:22)to God. As a believer you need to realize that your salvation is not something you once did and now thats past. NO, your salvation had a beginning but it has no end, praise God, it is to be happening everyday. Happening in your life in a fresh and fulfilling way. Let me suggest if I may, Look to Jesus and see Him afresh, see Him new, see Him as your Lord. Get aquainted with the son, get personal with Him by opening your heart to Him. He will never get stale, thats the thrust of Hebrews thats way we need to know His characteristics. Finally in 1:3 of our text
#6 HE IS REDEEMER - Plaese grasp what it means for Jesus to be Redeemer. How does He sustain or uphold all things...it si by the Word of His POWER. In Genesis as Creator He spoke into existance all that is (the world comes into existance at God’s Word). It is therefore simple work for God to hold together the universe. See that 8000 foot tall mountain, stay there Jesus says or move over there. See the boundaries of the oceans, its nothing but a Word from Jesus to keep them intact. Yet there is something bigger something more difficult He must deal with than the universe He created. It is the sin problem of man. Notice verse 3, "...when He had made purification of sins..." When it come to the world or the galexy He simply speaks but when it comes to our sins, He had to be sacrificed to remove our sins. To remove the sin barrier between you and God. Catch this now: In Hebrews the sin barrier is removed once for all, forever and we are not to think of a Savior on a cross, but He is seated on a THRONE. Not a cross but a THRONE. Once the sin problem was removed what did the Son do? Verse 3 "...He sat down..." Now there are two ideas in our English language about taking a seat. Normal everyday idea, You are at Perkins Resturant on Peach street and the host says you may be seated now. That just means sit down. But we use this idea of seating in another way and that is to have honor, leadership, power and authority. What if I say, "He won a seat in the Senate." What does that mean, he now has a place of leadership, ruleship, authority and honor. Likewise When the sacrifice of the Son took place by His Cross death because of our sin problem, and HE "purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," HE WON A SEAT IN HEAVEN, He sat down. Now the author of Hebrews says to the 1st century Hebrew Christian, "I know what you did this week. You went to the Temple and offered an animal sacrifice for sin, didn’t you. You offered a sacrifice for your sins that was blasphemous." It was all done on the Cross, we have no priests now, there is only one Priest and He is seated honorably in heaven. Forget the guys at the Temple, Forget the Temple, We are now the Temple, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the sanctuary, we are the place God now lives on this earth. That animal sacrifice since Jesus died does not mean a thing. The bits and pieces of the Old Testament mean nothing when the real thing, the Final Word of God has come. The Old Testament has its place to lead us to Jesus. The reality of Hebrews is you Hebrews must stop being Hebrews. You compromising Christians must stop being compromising Christians. Jesus is seated not to rest but to minister to us as our high Priest, (Hebrews 7:25) Jesus is as close to us as our willingness to pray, open your heart to Him and He will be there for you. With every head bowed and every eye closed.
