Introduction:
1. As I Mentioned Last Sunday Morning, We Will Be Focusing Our Attention This Year On Our Rich Heritage Of Faith!
- And, In Order For Us To Consider The Object Of Our Heritage Of Faith – The Lord Jesus Christ – We Are Going To Explore The Book Of Hebrews Together!
2. So, This Morning, Let’s Turn To Hebrews 1 - The First Chapter Of This Wonderful Book That Elevates Christ To The Highest Position Of Our Faith!
3. IE: “There was a TV commercial in which two people were having a conversation in some public setting, with all kinds of activity going on around them. They were talking about financial investments, when one of them said, “My broker is Merrill Lynch and Merrill Lynch says . . .” Then, everybody in the room stops what they are doing in order to listen in to what is coming next. Then the announcer’s voice says, “When Merrill Lynch speaks, people listen!”
- Have You Ever Known Someone That When They Spoke, You Really Listened?
- Why Did You Listen To Them?
- Was It Their Impressive Delivery? Or Was It The Content Of Their Message? Was It Something That You Wanted To Hear Or Learn About?
- Most People Only Really Listen To Those Who They Want To Hear From!
- My Question For You This Morning Is: Are You Really Listening To God?
- Do You Want To Hear From Him?
4. Hebrews 1:1-3 Teaches Us That: God Has Spoken! Read Hebrews 1:1-3! God Has Spoken!
- And My Challenge To You Is: Are You Listening?
5. The First Two Verses Answer The Question:
- How Has God Spoken?
- God First Spoke Through His Reliable Servants!
- 1:1 - “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets!”
- When Has God Spoken? “In Time Past!” God Has Always Revealed Himself To Man! Because Of His Love & Mercy! God Has Always Been Consistent In His Revelation!
- Who Did God Speak To? “Unto The Fathers!” Those Whom God Chose To Show Himself To! Those Who Used What God Showed Them!
- Who Did God Speak Through? “By The Prophets!” Those Who Faithfully Recorded What God Said! So That We Know Exactly What God Said!
- He Did So: “At Sundry Times & In Divers Manners!” Over A Period Of Thousands Of Years! Through Dreams, Visions, Handwriting, & Direct Conversation!
- What A Wonderful Truth: That God Has Spoken In The Past! And We Have His Inspired Words In Our Old Testament! But That Was Then – This Is Now!
- What About Now?
- Hebrews Reveals That As Great & Wonderful As The Old Testament Revelation Is, There Is A Greater & A Better Revelation!
- Now God Speaks Through His Revealing Son!
- 1:2a - “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son!”
- God Did Not Just Speak “In Time Past!” But He Speaks Even Now, “In These Last Days!”
- God Did Not Just Speak To “The Fathers!” But He Speaks Even Now, “To Us!” To You!
- God Did Not Just Speak Through “The Prophets!” But He Speaks Even Now, “By His Son!” Through The Lord Jesus Christ!
- Jesus Christ Is How God Has Spoken To You! It Is A Continuation Of His Speaking! It Is A Completion Of His Speaking!
- God Has Spoken! Are You Listening?
- Why Should You Listen To God’s Son? Because He Reveals To You Everything You Need To Know About God! Because He Is The Living Word Of God!
- In The Rest Of Verse 2 Through Verse 3, We See Six Important Reasons To Listen To God’s Revealing Son!
I. Jesus Christ Is The Sovereign Word!
- Have You Ever Wondered What Everything Is For? This Universe? This World? Your Own Existence? Then You Need Listen To God’s Son, Who Is The Sovereign Word!
- 1:2b - “Whom he hath appointed heir of all things!”
- An “Heir” Is Someone Who Has A Rightful Claim To Someone’s Estate! IE: A Customer Dies - According To Their Will, Their Children Has The Right To Receive All Of Her Money! They Eventually Received It & It Became Theirs! Of Course, After Taxes, Nobody Could Take It Away From Them!
- God The Father Has Placed / Appointed His Only Begotten Son To Be The “Heir Of All Things!” Which Means Everything Belongs To Jesus! Everything! Everything Is His! Everything Is Under His Care! Everything Is Under His Control! Everything! Including & Especially You! Everything About You! Everything That Surrounds You! Everything!
- God Has Spoken To You Through His Sovereign Word!
- Are You Listening?
II. Jesus Christ Is The Supreme Word!
- Have You Ever Wondered How Everything Came To Be? Then You Need To Listen To God’s Son, Who Is The Supreme Word!
- 1:2c - “By whom also he made the worlds!”
- God The Father Used His Only Begotten Son To Be His Agent In Creation!
- When “God Said” In Genesis 1, It Was The Work Of His Son – The Living Word! He Is The Creator Of “All Things!”
- Colossians 1:16 - “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him!”
- This Means That Everything Was Created By Jesus! Everything!
- God Has Spoken To You Through His Supreme Word!
- Are You Listening?
III. Jesus Christ Is The Showing Word!
- Have You Ever Wondered Who God Really Is & What He Is Really Like? Then You Need To Listen To God’s Son, Who Is The Showing Word! Through His Own Person, Jesus Christ Shows & Reveals: The Glory Of God & The Nature Of God!
- 1:3a - “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person!”
- God The Father Sent His Holy Begotten Son To Perfectly Reveal Himself To You!
- To Reveal The Glory Of God!
- The Outward Manifestation Of His Character & Attributes! Jesus Christ Reveals God’s Glory To You! For He Himself Is The Radiance Of His Glory! IE: Like The Rays Of The Sun!
- John 1:14 - “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth!”
- To Reveal The Person Of God!
- His Nature & Essence! What Makes God God! Jesus Christ Reveals God’s Nature To You! For He Himself Is The Exact Impression Of His Nature! He Is The ______________ Of The Father! IE: Like The Image Of A Coin Minted From A Die! Same But Separate!
- John 14:9 - Jesus Said To Phillip - “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father!”
- God Has Spoken To You Through His Showing Word!
- Are You Listening?
IV. Jesus Christ Is The Sustaining Word!
- Have You Ever Wondered What It Will Take To Make It Through This Life? With All Of Its Trials & Temptations? Then You Need To Listen To God’s Son, Who Is The Sustaining Word!
- 1:3b - “And upholding all things by the word of his power!”
- To “Uphold” Means To Carry! This Is What Jesus Christ Does To “All Things!”
- “All Things” He Created!
- “All Things” He Inherited!
- “All Things” He Sustains & Carries To Their Destined End! IE: Football Player.
- But He Does This Through “The Word Of His Power!” Or, “His Powerful Word!”
- Colossians 1:17 - “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist!”
- “He Is Able! He Is Able! I Know He Is Able! I Know My Lord Is Able To Carry Me Through!”
- God Has Spoken To You Through His Sustaining Word!
- Are You Listening?
V. Jesus Christ Is The Saving Word!
- Have You Ever Wondered How You Could Be With God Some Day? Then You Need To Listen To God’s Son, Who Is The Saving Word!
- 1:3c - “When he had by himself purged our sins!”
- To “Purge” Means To Cleanse! Oh, How Filthy We Are! Oh, How Sinful We Are! And There Is Nothing We Can Do About It! IE: Like A Soiled Baby! In Order To Be With God Some Day, We Must Be Cleansed By God Some Way! This Cleansing – This Katharsis – Is Provided Only By The Lord Jesus Christ!
- IE: Not By Any Other Means – Like The Muslims That Were Killed This Week Performing The “Stoning Of The Jamarat” Or The “Stoning Of The Devil” – Three Stone Pillars In The City Of Mina, Saudi Arabia, Just East Of Mecca, Which Represent The Supposed Three Times The Devil Tempted Abraham – They Were Doing This To Cleanse Themselves From Sin!
- God Has Spoken To You Through His Saving Word!
- Are You Listening?
VI. Jesus Christ Is The Settled Word!
- Have You Ever Wondered Whether What You Believe Is True? Then You Need To Listen To God’s Son, Who Is The Settled Word!
- 1:3d - “Sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high!”
- This Is A Place Of Prominence & Authority – Reserved Only For The One Who Has The Right To Be There! Only Jesus Christ, The Only Begotten Of The Father, Is There – Because He Is The Only One Who Has The Right To Be There! Therefore, Everything He Is – Everything He Has Said – Everything He Has Done – Has Been Approved Of By The Father!
- God Has Spoken To You Through His Settled Word!
- Are You Listening?
Conclusion:
1. When Someone Tells Us Something Important, There Are Times That We Forget!
- And When Challenged, We Might Say: “You Never Told Me That!”
2. You & I Will Never Have This Excuse To Give To God:
- “You Never Told Me That!” Or “You Never Spoke To Me!”
- We Do Not Have This Excuse Because: God Has Spoken! Hebrews 1:1-3!
3. It’s Not The Acquisition Of God’s Word That Is The Problem!
- IE: God’s Word – The Bible – Has Been Translated Into Over 2,200 Languages. Over 500 Million Bibles Are Distributed Throughout The World Every Year. In The Past 2 Centuries, Over 5 Billion Bibles Have Been Printed!
- God Has Spoken!
- It’s The Attendance To God’s Word That Is The Problem!
4. The Real Problem & Question Is:
- Are You Listening?
