Most Excellent Jesus

Children’s Bible Page 1298

Introduction:

Well, all of you who are older than me have been telling me for years that the older you get, the faster time goes.

And you are right on, because I am blown away how fast this year has seemed to go and that the holiday season is now upon us.

We are going to step away from Romans for the rest of the year, but we will pick it right back up in the new year.

And for the final Sundays of our year together as a church, I am going to preach a holiday series that I am calling “Merry Christology!”

The word Christology is a theological word that means the study of Christ.

And the goal is to understand who Jesus is in order to know Him in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Who is this Jesus who was born to a virgin over 2,000 years ago? And what does that mean for us today?

I also love the theme of Merry Christology because here has been my experience for the holidays, and I wonder if this is true for a lot of you as well.

As a kid, the holidays meant nothing but happiness!

A break from school, good food, time with family, plays and holiday traditions, music and gifts.

But, honestly, as an adult, I have had to learn to live in the bittersweet that the holiday season can bring.

I have had to learn to not be overcome by stress, expectations, comparing to past holiday experiences, considering what I wished happened this year but didn’t, missing loved ones who used to be with us but have now passed away.

And it is a reminder to me that perfect holiday seasons filled with holiday experiences were never meant to satisfy my soul.

It is only in a deep and satisfying relationship with Jesus that our souls will truly find rest this holiday season, so let’s dive into some “Merry Christology.”

Now, while the whole Bible can teach us things about Jesus, there are four particular passages in the New Testament that are considered to be the four great Christological passages.

So, in this series, we are going to walk through three of them, then there will be a bonus passage.

The only reason we are not going to walk through all four of them is that one is John 1. And we have recently as a church walked through it in our sermon series through the book of John, and I preached it just a Christmas or two ago.

So, today, let’s dive into:

Hebrews 1:1–4

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

One of the great themes of the whole book of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is better!

Jesus Christ is better than the angels

He provides a better hope.

He provides a better covenant.

He gives better promises.

He is a better sacrifice.

He provides a better possession.

He provides a better country which is a heavenly country.

He provides a better resurrection.

And His blood is a better testimony.

Jesus Christ is better.

And He is better than anything else you could give your heart to.

Let’s look at nine things that are proclaimed about Jesus Christ in this passage.

1. God Speaks To Us By His Son Jesus

In verse 1, long ago alludes to the idea of in the beginning.

It draws us back like so many other New Testament books do to the very beginning of Creation in Genesis.

And since the very Creation of the universe, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.

It is incredible to consider the fact that the Creator God speaks to us.

He speaks to humanity.

God could have simply created us and left us completely on our own and to our own devices,

We do not deserve God’s life giving words,

The fact that he speaks to us is a gift of His grace.

God is a relational God who has chosen to speak to His image bearers.

And throughout the whole Old Testament, we read of the many times and ways that God spoke.

God spoke through dreams, in visions, through Old Testament Scripture, through prophets, and even by a donkey.

Verse 2 - but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son

It is right to understand the Old Testament Scriptures as God’s promises given.

And the New Testament is God’s promises fulfilled in and through His Son, Jesus Christ.

It is clear from verse 2, that the last days were inaugurated when God’s son came to earth, died, and rose again.

And now, in these days, God speaks to us by His son Jesus.

Let me mention that it does not say that God speaks in many ways today.

No, it says He speaks through His Son, the word made flesh, and through the word of God inspired and written to proclaim Jesus to us.

So, I would warn you in saying that God directly told you something that is not in the Scriptures.

The Holy Spirit certainly guides us by the Word of God, he applies God’s word to our hearts, but he does not give us in these days new supernaturally inspired words from God.

It’s interesting to note that even in missionary contexts, when God gives people in the Muslim world dreams and visions, which many testify that He does, those dreams and visions are never God directly speaking the gospel message to them, instead they are always leading them to go speak with a follower of Jesus or they lead them to find a Bible and read it.

Because in these times, God speaks through His word, and the word made flesh, His son Jesus.

This is also why we center our times of worship around the preaching and proclaiming of God’s word.

It is not because we are against creativity or the arts. It’s not because we do not value two-way conversations.

But, We center our worship on the proclamation of God’s word because in these last days He has spoken to us by His son.

All throughout the New Testament Scriptures, God’s church is birthed, sustained, equipped, corrected, and trained through the proclamation of the word of God.

This is what God has chosen to birth and sustain His church.

And listen, it is no casual thing to miss and separate yourself from the consistent preaching of God’s word.

While private study and devotions are essential to your faith journey, notice, God’s word is most often addressing the gathered church and must be read and proclaimed when the church gathers.

It’s an essential part of following Jesus.

There is an aspect of hearing the word of God publicly read and publicly preached that grows us in faith.

Now, notice, I mention Jesus Christ a lot in this message, because Jesus Christ is the son of God, but nowhere in our passage today does the author write Jesus or Christ.

He only refers to Jesus as the Son.

And He does this in order to highlight the divine nature of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second member of the trinity.

One God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is the second person of the trinity: God the Son.

The son of God was, is, and will always be fully God.

Let’s now worship as we consider truths about the Son:

2. All Things Belong To Jesus The Son

Back to verse 2: he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things.

In those days, the heir was the inheritor of the whole estate.

When the father died, the son who was the heir inherited everything.

Consider the great commission passage in:

Matthew 28:18–20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Where do Jesus’ followers find the confidence to call all people to follow Jesus, and to baptize them into the communion of God the Father, Son, and Spirit and to teach them to observe all that Jesus commands?

Because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the son.

And he has promised his presence with us to the end of the age.

All things belong to Jesus.

There is not one corner or pocket of this universe that Jesus does not look at and declare, “Mine.”

3. All Things Were Created By Jesus The Son

Not only was he appointed the heir of all things, but through the Son also, God created the world.

John 1:1–3

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Dr. Daniel Akin writes: “All three members of the triune God are active in creation. The Father is the author, the Son is the administrator, and the Holy Spirit is the agent.”

You see, the Son of God did not just appear on the scene for the very first time when the virgin Mary became pregnant with the Lord Jesus Christ.

God the Son has always been from eternity past.

He is the first and the last, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have always existed as the one God in three persons.

They have always lived in perfectly harmonious love and unity together as the godhead.

You see, if you do not understand that the world was made by the Son and for the Son, than then it is difficult to understand just how devastating it is for created humanity to live with purposes that are against the purposes of the Son of God.

It is difficult to make sense of the great salvation and redemption of God through His Son, the very one for whom and by whom all things were made.

It is the ownership, the authority, and the purposes of God that give the gospel of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and Lordship such depth of meaning.

So, you must ask yourself, “Do you live in the awareness of the Son’s inheritance and authority over all things?”

Do you live in the awareness that this is His day.

You work His job.

Your money is his money.

Your physical body is His body.

Your gifts, talents, and skills are His and for Him and through Him and should all point back to Him.

Your time is his time.

This holiday season is His holiday season.

Lord, how may I please you with this your time, your body, your life?

This church is His church, you serve and steward and support the great purposes of the King of the universe when you serve, steward, and support His church.

Charles Spurgeon used to tell his preaching students, “If God has called you to be His servant, why stoop to be a king?”

Too oftentimes, we consider a little service to the Lord Jesus through the church as some kind of voluntary add on to our time that is the first thing to be set aside when something else comes up or gets in the way.

When the truth is: the greatest spiritual joy and privilege of the believer is to serve the one who holds all authority and through whom all things were created, and to serve him in the things that are closest to His heart,

The church of the Lord Jesus Christ, for whom he died, and to serve Him in the proclamation of his gospel to make disciples both here and around the world, and build his church.

You know, I think this is one of the best times of year to think about changes you desire to make in the new year.

No one’s thinking clearly in the week between Christmas and New Years.

And it gives you no time to plan.

What if you began planning now to give yourself more fully to the service of King Jesus through His church in this New Year?

We would love for God to open opportunities for us to reach out in ministry to international students on the college campus.

We would love to provide some intentional discipleship training for future leaders.

Our area is in desperate need of more biblical counseling and resources.

But it takes us rightly valuing and prioritizing the authority of Jesus in all things in order to give ourselves more fully to the ministry of His church.

4. The Father’s Glory Shines Forth In Jesus The Son

Verse 3: He is the radiance of the glory of God.

After Moses had been up on the mountain talking with God and receiving the Ten Commandments, the skin of his face glowed, it radiated with the glory of God to the point where he had to put a veil over his face for others to come near him.

Then, look at how Paul describes people who do not believe in the Lord Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:3–4

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Sometimes we will use the word “radiant” to describe the way a bride looks on her wedding day.

Beaming, shining, beautiful, glorious.

Jesus radiates the glory of God.

In the Old Testament, the Shekinah Glory was a shining visible display of God’s majesty that shown at the exodus and the dedication of the Temple.

But, how are we to clearly see God’s radiance today? By looking at Jesus Christ.

Because the more you gaze on Jesus Christ, the more you see the radiance of the glory of God.

John 14:9

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

As the sunlight is to the sun, so the eternal Son is to the Father.

So see him in his word, study him, pray to him, meditate on Him, see the radiance of the glory of God.

5. The Father’s Exact Representation Is In Jesus The Son

Verse 3 says he is the exact imprint of his nature.

The Son is the perfect representation of God’s being.

I always find it super fascinating to look at people’s children, and see some both parents’ characteristics in that child.

Maybe you have the same eye color as mom, or the same hair as dad.

But, Jesus Christ the Son is different than us in that He is the exact representation of His Father God.

He doesn’t just resemble him in some ways but in every way!

If God is all powerful, the Son is all powerful.

If God is all knowing, the Son is all knowing.

If God never changes, the Son never changes.

I’ve talked about before how we baptists are pretty boring when it comes to art and architecture.

We do not hang a bunch of religious paintings or utilize any kinds of icons.

And of course, there is nothing wrong with enjoying art in its appropriate setting.

But, the second commandment tells us to not make any kind of likeness of something that is in heaven.

That’s because the only perfect representation of God is the Son.

So, it seems that making likenesses or images or icons would only serve to skew our vision of God, not enhance it.

The only enhancing vision of God is looking to the Son of God who is the exact representation of the Father.

6. The Universe Is Sustained by Jesus The Son

Back to verse 3: he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

The Son sustains the universe.

Another way to say it is he “carries the universe along to its appointed goal and purpose.”

And notice, he does it by the word of His power.

He created out of nothing from the word of His power, and He sustains and carries along the universe by the word of His power.

And listen, I know these are deep and universal truths of Jesus Christ, the second person of the trinity, the Son of God.

But, I just want to remind you that that what is true about the universe is also true about you and your personal life.

You were created by Jesus for a good and beautiful purpose of knowing God and making Him known to others.

You live under the loving authority of your Creator and Redeemer.

He knows every detail of your life and He is sustaining you moment by moment, carrying you along to your good appointed purpose.

If you need light in your life,

If you need hope,

If you need renewed vision and purpose for getting out of bed in the morning,

Look at Jesus!

Meditate on His word!

Listen, if it is by the word of His power that the entire universe is being carried along to its true goal and purpose,

Surely, His word has the power to carry you along in your life and to bring you to His good and purpose for you.

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

If you need a guide, a compass, a map, a hero to emulate, look to Jesus in His word.

Study, memorize, pray, contemplate Jesus.

He is the exact representation of the Father God.

And the more time you spend basking in the glory of Jesus, the more you will come to represent Him in your heart, your motivations, your desires, and your peace.

Draw near to Jesus and He promises He will draw near to you.

If he was willing to take your sinfulness on himself, surely He desires to draw near to you now.

You may be walking through one of the darkest seasons in your life right now, and maybe you can’t see any way forward because it is so dark.

Can I remind you that Jesus is light and life and even when you cannot see, He is still carrying you along toward the good and right ends He has planned for you?

7. We Are Purified From Our Sins Through Jesus The Son

Back to verse 3: After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

You see, Jesus did something for you and me that no one else could do.

It could not be done by a spouse, or a parent, or a friend.

It could not be done by a politician or an athlete.

It could not be done by going to church, or crying over your sins, or begging for forgiveness.

Jesus did what only Jesus could do: He offered up himself for the purification of our sins.

You see, as you read the law of God in the Old Testament, you come to learn that our sin against God does not only make us guilty before God who is a just judge,

Our sin against God also makes us unclean before a perfectly pure and Holy God.

Under the Levitical system of the Old Testament, no one could come into the presence of God while being ritually unclean.

And they had to make sacrifices and perform certain ritual cleansings before then being examined and pronounced clean by a priest.

Yet, when Jesus died on the cross, he not only took the guilt of our sin onto himself, he also took the shame and filth of our sin onto himself.

Isaiah 64:6

6 We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Isaiah 1:18

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

Because Jesus was perfectly sinless, morally perfect and pure, pure in heart, will, and motivation, He was the only one qualified to take on our shame and filth and wash us white as snow.

You know, when it came to the law of God, being ritually unclean meant you had to isolate yourself from other people because if a ritually clean person touched a ritually unclean person, the clean person would become unclean.

But, the power of Jesus is while the Son of God walked this earth as the God-man, when the perfectly clean Jesus touched an unclean sinner, Jesus did not become unclean, instead the unclean person became clean.

Listen, maybe you are here today and you are hearing all these wonderful things about Jesus but you are tempted to think, “He may be great, but he would never want to draw near to me.

You have no idea who I am, where I’ve been, what I’ve done.

Maybe because of what you have done or what has been done to you, you feel second class, dirty, unclean, shame.

Maybe you have bought the lie that you couldn’t ever be cherished and pure.

Can I tell you that Jesus, who is perfectly pure, took on all the filth and shame of all you have done and all that has been done to you, so that He can draw near, touch your heart, and purify you from all sin, if you would turn to Him today?

8. The Work Of Atonement Is Finished By Jesus The Son

Did you notice that after making purification for sin through the cross, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high?

Because you see, after Jesus suffered the full weight of the punishment due our sin and shame, the final words Jesus cried out were the words, “It is finished!”

Signifying that Jesus had taken the full weight of God’s wrath due our sin onto himself.

There was no more debt to be paid. Jesus paid it in full.

Then He breathed his last and he died.

They removed the dead body of Jesus that very day and buried him in a tomb.

But, three days later, God raised Jesus Christ from the dead in power proving that Jesus’ sacrifice had been fully accepted by God the Father.

And after forty days of displaying his resurrection body on earth, Jesus ascended to heaven and sat down at the Father’s right hand, the hand of privilege and honor.

And Jesus’ seated position indicates that the work is finished, the debt has been paid.

Jesus currently sits in the Father’s presence as a constant display of the fact that all the work that needed to be done to cleanse you from your sin past, present, and future has been finished.

Hebrews 10:12

12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

Jesus presently sits in the place of greatest privilege.

Romans 8:34

34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Meaning he always petitions the Father based on His finished work to declare us righteous and clean.

The work of atonement is finished by Jesus the Son.

9. The Highest Worship And Praise To Jesus The Son

Verse 4: having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Worshipping the one true God means giving the highest worship and praise to Jesus the Son!

In Judaism, angels of God were highly esteemed and sometimes wrongly worshipped, so the writer contrasts the secondary servanthood of angels to the primary sonship of Jesus Christ the Son.

Angels are spirits who serve those who are saved.

Angels are good, but Jesus is far better.

Angels are servants, Jesus the son is sovereign.

Angels are creatures, Jesus the son is the creator.

Angels are workers, Jesus the son is worshipped.

Angels are esteemed servants, Jesus is the exalted Son.

In every way, Jesus is better!

Jesus is better in his person as God.

Jesus is better in His work as the one who has dealt with our sin.

Jesus is better in His position seated at the right hand of the majesty on high!

Whatever your joys and sorrows this Thanksgiving week, can I invite you to gaze on the glory of the Son, Jesus Christ and find your satisfaction, your hope for both now and the future, and your great thanksgiving in Jesus Christ the Lord.

(Elder at couch)

Let’s pray.