The Excellence of Christ

Intro:

This morning we are beginning a four part series on the book of Hebrews entitled Verified: Called to Christ. The writer of Hebrews is speaking to Jewish Christians who were facing persecution and imprisonment because of their association with Jesus causing some to abandon the faith.

The writer of Hebrews had two primary goals.

First, he elevates Jesus as superior to anyone and anything else in order to show that he is worthy of total trust and devotion.

Second, he challenges these believers to remain faithful to Jesus despite persecution.

These two primary goals ring true to each of us today. We live in a world that continues to be hostile towards Jesus. Many face persecution throughout the world. Some are rejected by peers or family, many face the threat of violence, and some even face martyrdom and death.

Many nations are hostile to the gospel. People are imprisoned for their faith in places like China, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Eritrea, Burma, Syria, and Pakistan. In Eritrea there are currently about 1,000 christians indefinitely detained who have not been officially charged with anything.

What I love most about the book of Hebrews is that it reminds us that Jesus is superior to anything we will ever encounter in this world, and that in the midst of suffering or hardship we have compassionate savior who will help us.

Faith in Christ is not a gamble. It is an anchor that will hold through every season of your life.

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Submit:

If you would turn with me to the book of Hebrews 1:1-4.

Hebrews 1:1–4 “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

A few key things I want to point out in this passage:

God speaks to humanity.

In Eden, he walked with them in the cool of the day.

Before the great flood, God spoke with Noah. Genesis 6.

God spoke to Joseph in Dreams. Genesis 37.

He spoke to Moses from a burning bush. Ex. 3, and then as friend through the wilderness and mount Sinai Ex. 19-20.

He gave wisdom through Solomon in Proverbs.

He gave direction, revelation, and instruction through the Prophets.

Then the ultimate. He gave us His Son Jesus Christ, who is the word made flesh John 1:14.

What is important to understand is that, if God spoke and revealed himself to people in times past, he continues to reveal himself and speak to people today.

In Malachi 3:6 God says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

This is why faith in Christ is not a gamble. The character, attributes, and promises of God remain constant from generation to generation.

Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 55:11 “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

This truth provides comfort and assurance to believers, especially during times of change, uncertainty, and hardship.

In every season, God continues to speak to us through the Word. As we gain familiarity and understanding of the word, the Holy Spirit expounds on it to guide, encourage, and reveal truth, bringing understanding. John 14:26.

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” .

God also uses other people through the process of discipleship. He has given Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors, and Teachers for the perfecting of the saints (Ephesians 4:11) .

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Apply:

The second point I wanted to emphasize out of the text:

The excellency of Christ.

God has not only spoken to humanity, but He has revealed himself to humanity through the person of Christ. Jesus is the express image of his person (the exact replica) and the brightness of His glory (the outward visible representation of the glory and honor of God).

John 1:14 “And the Word became 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.”

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

He is the appointed heir of all things. He is the creator who made the worlds, and He upholds all things by the word of His power having supreme dominion over all things. He is now seated at the right hand of Majesty on high. All of creation and the angelic realm are subject to Him.

What amazes and humbles me is that God made a way for us through Christ by purging our sins. We were owed nothing, and yet he chose to show mercy. God in the person of Jesus, stepped out of the eternal realm and became a man. He lived in the same form as his creation.

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Do you realize that Jesus could have spared himself? In Matthew 26:53 as Jesus is being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane he says, “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?”

Christ’s humble submission to death on the cross is an inescapable representation of His love for you and I. He was committed to our freedom and forgiveness.

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Closing:

He has position, authority, power, dominion, and right through his death and resurrection. He is worthy of all worship and devotion. He lived and died to set us free from the chains of the wicked one.

This truth gives context to the final passage I want to share with you today.

Hebrews 2:1-4 “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”

Through Christ we have received salvation, access to the presence of God, exceedingly great and precious promises, and ultimately the hope of eternal life.

In understanding this we are instructed and even to some degree warned, to give careful attention to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. Drifting speaks of a gradual or slow descent back to unbelief.

Unbelief enters our life as time in the word diminishes. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If will give careful attention to the word of God we will be a people rich in faith, and well pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6).

We must choose to reject sin, spend time in prayer, gain understanding of God’s plan for our lives through the word, and intentionally rely on His word, and not our own understanding.

My prayer today, is that we be a people who diligently pursue the word of the Lord, and that the result would be a faithful, faith-filled people.

Let’s Pray.

Lord open our eyes to the excellency of Christ. Give us heart that are hungry for the word of God.

Salvation.