The God Who Has Spoken Series

INTRODUCTION: A DRIFTING SHIP

There’s a story from 1969 of a small fishing boat off the coast of Nova Scotia. A father and son went out at dawn, the waters were calm, and the skies were clear. But somewhere between the nets and the shoreline, a fog rolled in. A gentle current pulled the little vessel farther and farther out, so slowly they didn’t even notice. By the time the fog lifted, the shoreline had disappeared. No bearings, no compass, no land. The current that carried them was quiet, subtle, unalarming—and deadly.

They were found two days later, barely alive, miles from where they had been.

Here’s the tragic truth:

Most ships don’t sink by violent storms. They are lost by silent drifting.

And the writer of Hebrews knew something about that. Hebrews contains five warning passages, and the very first one—our text today—uses nautical imagery:

“We must pay even more attention… so that we do not drift away.” (Heb. 2:1, CSB)

A slow, quiet, imperceptible drift.

Not turning away in rebellion.

Not running away in sin.

Just not paying attention.

A distracted heart will eventually become a drifting soul.

RECALLING THE INTRODUCTORY SERMON

In our introductory sermon to the series, we heard the preacher of Hebrews calling us to:

“Run with endurance… keeping our eyes on Jesus.” (Heb. 12:1–2)

We talked about distractions, the weights and sins that cling to us, and Søren Kierkegaard’s famous line:

“Purity of heart is to will one thing.”

The one thing is Christ.

Now Hebrews takes us back to the very foundation—back to where the sermon begins—with a thunderous declaration:

“God…”

No greetings.

No Roman postal formula.

No friendly introduction.

Just: GOD.

AN ORPHAN EPISTLE — A HOME IN GOD

Hebrews is an orphan letter.

No stated author.

No signature line.

And yet it begins the same way Genesis begins:

“God…”

Good thing, as you said, that God “sets the solitary in families.”

Even an orphaned letter finds its home in Him.

THE TRANSCENDENT AND IMMANENT GOD (1:1)

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways.” (1:1)

Before we talk about the Son, we need to talk about God.

The Scriptures present God as:

• Eternal

• Immortal

• Invisible

• Spirit

• Everywhere-present

• All-knowing

• The Source and Ground of all being

He is transcendent—above all He created.

He is immanent—present within all He sustains.

This holy God spoke through:

• Dreams

• Visions

• Angelic appearances

• Burning bushes

• A still small voice

• Covenants made

• Creation itself

• And the prophets

Every sunrise was a sermon.

Every prophet a mouthpiece.

Every vision a sketch of the coming reality.

But the writer of Hebrews says:

“God didn’t stop there.”

THE FINAL WORD (1:2)

“In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son.” (1:2)

Jewish thought divided time:

• “This present age”

• “The age to come”

The Messiah was the hinge between the ages.

And the preacher of Hebrews says:

“The last days are here… because the Son is here.”

God has spoken many ways, but now He has spoken one way.

Not through shadows.

Not through fragments.

Not through symbols.

Through a Son—one who stands in the closest possible relationship to God Himself.

Not just a prophet who speaks for God.

But the One in whom God speaks fully and finally.

THE SON IS THE HEIR OF ALL THINGS (1:2b)

“God has appointed him heir of all things…”

Everything exists for Him.

Here’s where you wanted the story added, and it fits beautifully:

There was an estate auction of a wealthy man who had died. His son had died years before him. The first item was a simple portrait of the son—nothing valuable, just sentimental. Nobody wanted it. One man, a neighbor, bought it for a few dollars. The auctioneer stopped, closed the book, and said,

“Whoever takes the son gets everything.”

And so it is with Christ.

The inheritance belongs to Him—and to all who belong to Him.

THE SON IS THE CREATOR (1:2c)

“…and has made the universe through him.”

He made it.

He sustains it.

He owns it.

The baby in Bethlehem is the Word through whom galaxies spun into being.

Isaiah 9:6 calls Him:

• Wonderful Counselor

• Mighty God

• Everlasting Father

• Prince of Peace

He is the Child born…

the Son given…

and the Eternal Father.

A mystery beyond telling:

The Creator of the stars walked under them.

THE OUTRAYING OF GOD’S GLORY (1:3)

“He is the radiance of his glory…”

You cannot separate the light from the sun.

Nor can you see the sun without the light.

The warmth we feel

The light by which we see

The life that flourishes under its rays

All of it is the sun’s own radiance.