THE GREATNESS OF JESUS CHRIST
HEBREWS 1:1-3
Our God is not a silent God. He has always revealed Himself to mankind. Hebrews 1:1 tells that in times past God spoke to man through the Prophets. He spoke on numerous occasions and in different ways. God’s revelation through the prophets was fragmentary, occasional, and progressive. He spoke by dreams and visions, by the typical ordinances, by angels, by the law, and by prophesy. Especially through the Jewish people we have the oracles of God.
In these last days, however, God has spoken to us by His Son Jesus Christ. In Jesus we have the final and complete revelation of God. If you want to know what the Eternal and Almighty God is really like, you must look at the Lord Jesus Christ. To me the theme of the book of Hebrews lies in the phrase, "Jesus is better than anything."
As we look at the first three verses we discover something of the Greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is certainly greater than the greatest of any of the prophets of the Old Testament era. Our Lord is indeed, greater than anything.
I. HIS GREATNESS IS SEEN IN HIS RELATIONSHIP TO THE UNIVERSE
Notice three outstanding characteristics of Christ as He relates to the universe.
A. HE IS THE HEIR OF ALL THINGS: Jesus is the unique Son of the living God. He is the sovereign Lord of the universe. The world belongs to Jesus Christ. He is the rightful heir of all things.
B. HE IS THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS: (Read Col. 1:16) Jesus did not have His beginning at Bethlehem. He was present in the creation of the world. In fact He is the Creator. The heavens themselves declare the glory of our Lord.
C. HE UPHOLDS ALL THINGS: That is, He holds the universe together by the Word of His power. It is in Jesus that we live and move and have our being.
II. HIS GREATNESS IS SEEN IN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Just who is Jesus Christ anyway?
A. JESUS IS GOD’S SON: Jesus is unique in that he is the only begotten Son of the Living God.
B. JESUS IS THE BRIGHTNESS OF GOD’S GLORY: That is, He is the radiance. Jesus radiates the glory of God. Now and again one encounters a believer who is so filled with Christ, one can see Jesus in them to a degree.
Moses face shone. He reflected God’s glory.
Stephen’s face shone as if it were the face of an angel. He too reflected the Glory of God.
I saw that glory in the face of my Mother as she died.
Jesus did more than just reflect God’s Glory. God’s glory radiated through Him.
C. HE IS THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON: He was and is God of very God. Only Jesus could say, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father."
ILL. A young lady said, "I love Jesus, but I am afraid of God." I shared with her that to see Jesus is to see God, and that He is a loving Father.
III. THE GREATNESS OF CHRIST IS SEEN IN HIS RELATIONSHIP TO MAN.
God revealed Himself in His Son and the Son revealed God to mankind. Jesus is God’s prophet. He is also the WORD. He is the message as well as the messenger.
He is great because of what He has done for us.
A. HE PURGED OUR SINS: "By Himself" in His own person, by His blood, by the sacrifice of Himself on the cross, He purged our sins. He made possible our salvation, our forgiveness, and our eternal life.
B. HE SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MAJESTY ON HIGH: "Sat down" speaks of the completeness of His great work on our behalf. The cross need never be repeated. His work was once for all. Following his resurrection and ascension, Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
CONCLUSION: An old preacher was a member of a church where I served as pastor. He loved to talk of the greatness of God. When I would visit him in the hospital as he was dying of cancer, he would often say, "Preacher, He’s a Great God." "Yes He is" I would agree with my preacher brother, now in glory with the Lord he loved so dearly.
My dear friends, our Lord is Great, and greatly to be praised. He is my Lord and Savior. I want Him to be your Lord and Savior too. However, Jesus will not force Himself on you if you don’t want Him. However, He waits with outstretched arms for you to receive Him into your life as your Lord and Master.
The very moment you receive him as your personal Savior, He will come into your life and change you completely. You’ll never have a greater opportunity than this moment to receive Christ into your life.
