1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
At Christmas day, God spoke through His Son. He wanted to make contact with man, and the ultimate way of communicating with man happened at Christmas – He came Himself, through Jesus Christ. These short 4 verses described what happened at Christmas.
It reveals two aspects of God that we are going to ponder and appreciate today – we have a seeking God and a sacrificial God.
(1) WE HAVE A SEEKING GOD – Respond to His Call
1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets…
God has been making the move. He has been the One initiating contact with man, through prophets. No wonder the Bible says in 1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”
God wants us to know Him. He is not a silent God.
• He did not create this world and went into hiding, but that was not His intention, and that has never been His intention.
• Understand this fact – God wants to talk to you today. That’s why our time of communion with Him is so important. Our quiet time is crucial.
Look - He spoke through prophets AT MANY TIMES AND IN VARIOUS WAYS.
• He did it again and again, through many different means.
• We read that in the OT – God spoke to Abraham through angels, to Moses through a burning bush, to Balaam through a donkey, to Joseph in a dream, to Samuel in an audible voice, to Daniel in visions, to Joseph in dreams.
You see that – God has not changed. He is still that SEEKING God and SPEAKING God.
Right at the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, He showed us He is that SEEKING God.
• Adam and Eve were the ones hiding from Him (Gen 3:8-10)
• 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
And He has been calling out to man down through the Centuries.
Today, He is still that SEEKING and SPEAKING God.
No wonder John introduced Him as the WORD - John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us…”
• That’s the medium of communication – the WORD! That’s how we know His will and truth.
No wonder Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
• We have a God who is keen to speak to us today.
• If you go through an entire week without hearing Him, something is amiss!
• We need to tune our ears and heart to Him. Pray and expect Him to guide you.
He is not a passive God, resting on His throne.
• He is an ACTIVE God, seeking and speaking to you today.
• Through the written WORD, spoken WORD (sermons), testimonies, prayers…
• Can we afford to do our own things and neglect Him?
• What is God saying to us today? What is God saying to you today?
WHY WAS HE SO ANXIOUS TO COME?
A disease struck a certain section of Africa. This sickness is caused by the bits of the tsetse fly, which lives in the dense forest. Many natives succumbed to it and some died.
The Belgian government sent in a remedy for the sickness. Missionary doctors were sent to the villages to give this injection needed.
At the approach, however, many of the natives found it hard to trust the whites and were afraid of the needle. The sure cure had been provided but they went hiding from their rescuers.
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Finally, Jesus came.
2 but in these last days He has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.
No longer through letters, through phone calls, but He flew in and came into your world.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
The Son of God Jesus – divine and glorious – humbled Himself, to that He can provide purification of sins for you and me! That tells us something about our God -
(2) WE HAVE A SACRIFICIAL GOD – Rest in His Favours
If it takes such a price to save you, He will.
Ernest Gordon’s Miracle on the River Kwai:
The Scottish soldiers, forced by their Japanese captors to labour on a jungle railroad, had degenerated to barbarous behaviour, but one afternoon something happened. A shovel was missing. The officer in charge became enraged. He demanded that the missing shovel be produced, or else. When nobody in the squadron budged, the officer got his gun and threatened to kill them all on the spot . . . It was obvious the officer meant what he had said.
Then, finally, one man stepped forward. The officer put away his gun, picked up a shovel, and beat the man to death. When it was over, the survivors picked up the bloody corpse and carried it with them to the second tool check. This time, no shovel was missing. Indeed, there had been a miscount at the first check point. The word spread like wildfire through the whole camp. An innocent man had been willing to die to save the others! . . .
If Jesus has to step forward – and offer Himself to be crucified – in order for you and me to be forgiven of our sins and made right with God – He will. And He did!
No one else was qualified to do that. He alone could take away our sins. And so He did.
Rom 8:31-32 “…If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”
You don’t have to doubt God’s love for you. You don’t have to doubt God’s blessings for you.
• Don’t let the devil cause us to doubt His goodness, or question His wisdom.
• We are doing Him a great disfavour if we doubt His goodness.
Conclusion:
Philip Yancey shared this in Rumours of Another World, pp.154-55:
Living in Colorado, I climb mountains. Colorado has 54 mountains rising above 14,000 ft and every summer I climb some of them. On a summer weekend in the mountains, I see casual hikers who have no idea what they are doing. In sandals, shorts, and T-shirts, carrying a single container of water, they start up a trail at mid-morning. They have no map, no compass, and no rain gear. They also have no apparent knowledge of the lightning storms that roll in many summer afternoons, making it imperative to summit before noon and head for the safety of the timberline (the elevation in a mountainous region above which trees do not grow).
My neighbour, who volunteers for Alpine Rescue, has told me hair-raising stories of tourists who must be rescued from certain death after wandering off a trail, falling, or simply being exposed to a sudden hailstorm or 30-degree drop in temperature. Nevertheless, regardless of the circumstances, Alpine Rescue always responds to a call for help. Not once have they lectured a hapless tourist, "Well, since you obviously ignored the most basic rules of the wilderness, you’ll just have to sit here and bear the consequences. We won’t assist you."
Their mission is rescue, and so they pursue every needy hiker in the wilderness, no matter how undeserving. A whistle, a cry, a flashing mirror, a bonfire, an "SOS spelled out in pine branches, a message of distress from a cellphone - any of these signals will cause Alpine Rescue to mobilize teams of medically trained searchers.
I have come to see the central message of the Bible, too, as one of rescue. In the book of Romans, Paul takes pains to point out that none of us ’deserve’ God’s mercy and none of us can save ourselves. Like a stranded hiker, all we can do it call for help.
A hardened park ranger could look at the efforts of Alpine Rescue as indulging the bad habits of irresponsible tourists. Shouldn’t they spend their energy instead handing out rewards to hikers who follow the rules? ("God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers," prayed the Pharisees.)
When I posed such a question to my neighbour, she looked at me uncomprehending. "But our business is rescue!" she said. "Do you expect us to leave any hiker stranded in the wilderness? I don’t care who they are - they need help." ("In the same way," said Jesus, "I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.")
... from Philip Yancey, Rumours of Another World, pp.154-55
God has not changed. Appreciate Him more today. Don’t let Him seek you. Keep your time with Him. Worship Him, read the Bible, and talk to Him.
We are all in Alpine Rescue – s spiritual rescue mission. Can we afford to leave someone stranded in the wilderness, lost in their darkness? Do something while we still can.
