We have Joy because of who Jesus is!

3rd Sunday of Advent: Joy

OT Reading: Psalm 66:1-7

NT Reading: Luke 1:26-33

Scripture Text: Hebrews 1:1-4 (That Baby in the manger - Who is He, really?)

He is the 2nd Person of the Trinity who entered His own creation to speak to us (Heb 11:2)

Explanation: God has always been in communication with His creatures. If He had not chosen to speak to us, we could not know Him. Creation, of course, reveals the truth of a Creator, but we would not much more had He not told us of Himself.

In the OT God spoke to His people through dreams and visions, the sacrificial system, His Word, and through His prophets. At the time of the first Advent, God addressed the world directly through His Son.

Illustrate: How do you communicate with an ant? (by taking on the size of an ant and by assuming the body of an ant)

Argument: The Eternal God of the Universe condescended to come to our level so that He might show us Himself more clearly. As Prof Gallioiti used to say, “If He didn’t come down, we wouldn’t be going up!”

He is the One who reveals the Glory of God (Heb 1:3a)

Explanation: The Eternal God dwells in unapproachable light and He is so Holy that sinful man cannot enter His presence and live (1 Timothy 6:16). Jesus IS God Himself, but He chose to veil His glory in human flesh (Phil 2:7) and come to us in the Incarnation. As the Apostle John declared, “we beheld His glory” (John 1:14)

Argument: In the Incarnation, mankind was granted the vast privilege of beholding the Glorious One. For the most part, Jesus cloaked His glory, but it was on display on a few occasions (on the Mount of Transfiguration [Matt. 17:2] and in the Garden [John 18:6] to name two such times). Even veiled in human flesh, the Glory of the God-head was present in our Savior.

He is the Powerful Sustainer of the Universe (Heb 1:3b)

Explanation: Jesus is not only the Creator of the Universe, He is also the One who keeps it running. Apart from the restraint of Jesus, the Universe would spin out of control (Colossians 1:17b). The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus holds it all together “by the Word of His power.” (1:3b).

Argument: By all outward appearances this world is spinning out of control. (At least for those of us with a biblical worldview - some of the global elites consider we are heading in the correct direction). In spite of appearances, this world is moving towards the intended consummation that God intends. We certainly don’t understand the ways and means God is allowing, but we can still take Joy in the journey because we are headed for a glorious future that Jesus controls.

Illustration: Display buttons that workers at Wal-Mart wear: “God’s Got This.”

He is the Only Redeemer (Heb 1:3c)

Explanation: The writer of Hebrews informs us that Jesus is the One who “purged our sins.” Another way of saying this is that Jesus is the One who purifies us in the sight of God. This passage is a reference to the Crucifixion of Jesus in which the Son of God served as a substitute by taking upon Himself the sin debt of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:25).

Argument: Jesus completed His mission of redemption. He was able to declare “it is finished” (John 19:30). This is the significance of Him being seated at the Right Hand of the Father. There was no provision in the Mosaic Law for the High Priest to sit down - the HP was always standing because his job was never completed - there was always another sacrifice. Not so with Jesus - His one-time sacrifice for sin was sufficient for all time and never had to be repeated (Heb 9:26). As a result, He is seated; mission accomplished - and that reality brings JOY to the heart and lives of believers!