Jesus Is Better

Intro

The book of Hebrews begins by focusing our attention on Jesus Christ.

This first century preacher, of whom we do not know, is speaking to a primarily Jewish audience in Rome that is facing persecution, pain, and suffering. They were wondering if following Jesus was really worth it.

Was He worth losing their possessions? Was He worth being rejected by family? Was He worth the ridicule, the hardship, and the uncertainty?

Some were tempted to walk away from Christ and return to what was familiar because it seemed easier. They didnt realize that Jesus was the fulfilment of all that was contained in the OT. That he was better than what they saw in those scriptures and at the temple.

If we are honest, we ask similar questions today, even if they look different. We may not be tempted to return to Judaism, but we are tempted to believe that something else is better than Jesus.

Maybe for you When suffering enters your life, do you wonder if following Christ is worth it.

Maybe When our prayers seem unanswered, we question God's goodness.

When our health declines, when relationships fall apart, when we lose someone we love, or when life doesn't go the way we planned, We look for something better.

Something to fill the void that is being made in the pain of life.

What do you use to fill the void with?

Comfort, success, security, money, entertainment, or even Control. We are seeking something to fill the void and satisfy us.

We may never say it out loud, but our hearts often ask, "Is Jesus really enough?"

The book of Hebrews answers that question with a resounding yes.

The author even at the begining of his preaching lifts our eyes from our circumstances and fixes them on Christ.

Throughout the book of hebrews He is going to show us that Jesus is greater than every prophet, every priest, every king, every sacrifice, every covenant, and every earthly hope.

So as we begin this journey through Hebrews, we must ask the same question the author is answering throughout this letter:

In what way is Jesus better?

Jesus is better because He is God's final Word, God's divine Son, and our finished Savior.

I. Jesus Is Better Than the Prophets (1:1-2)

When we come to Scripture and seek to understand God's revelation concerning Himself and His Son, we see, as the author of Hebrews points out, that the Son of God is the means by which God has now spoken to His people.

The author says, "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets." As the author is expressing who Jesus is to a Jewish audience, they would immediately understand the truths contained throughout the Old Testament where the Lord spoke to His people in many times and in many ways.

What is significant about this wording is that it encompasses the entirety of God's revelation to His covenant people throughout the Old Testament.

The author is taking the whole of redemptive history and summarizing it in one phrase.

It is seen in God speaking face to face with Adam in the garden. It is seen in Him reminding Cain that sin was crouching at the door.

It is seen in His command to Noah to build the ark. It is seen in His call to Abraham and the appearance of the Angel of the Lord, as well as the fire that passed between the pieces of the covenant sacrifice.

Furthermore, God spoke through the burning bush to Moses, through the fire and smoke on Mount Sinai to the people of Israel, and through visions and dreams to His prophets.

He called the name of Samuel in the night. He spoke through David as he penned the Psalms.

He spoke through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, and the many prophets that fill the pages of the Old Testament. God is a relational God, and throughout history He has graciously revealed Himself to His people.

Previously, it was through the prophets that God confronted the sins of the nation. It was through the prophets that He warned of coming judgment. It was through the prophets that He proclaimed promises of hope, restoration, and the coming Messiah to a broken people. Again and again, God spoke. He was not silent. Every word He gave was true, every promise certain, and every prophecy pointed His people toward something greater that was yet to come.

As God revealed his plan through his progressive revelation to his people through prophets. It was given in portions and through the words of men. All of these being done in many ways.

All of God work and words coming in and through prophets were but a small whisper to what has now come in the person of Christ.

The author intentionally contrasts the old way of revelation with the new. "God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son."

The contrast is not that the prophets were insufficient or untrue. The contrast is that the prophets were preparatory, while the Son is the fulfillment. They faithfully proclaimed God's message, but Jesus is God's final and fullest revelation.

The phrase "has spoken" points to a completed act.

God has spoken decisively in His Son. This does not mean that God no longer speaks to His people today, but it does mean that His final revelation has been given in Christ.

We do not waiting for another prophet, another messenger, or another revelation that will surpass Jesus. We do not wait for a fresh word from the Lord. We do not wait for a still small voice that points us to something better.

God's final revelation is contained in the Son of God, who is Himself the eternal Word made flesh.

Jesus is better than the prophets because He is the fulfillment of everything the prophets proclaimed. In the Old Testament, God ordinarily spoke through human mediators.

The prophets received the Word of God and faithfully delivered it to His people. But now, God has spoken to us through His Son. We no longer need another prophet to reveal God's will because His final revelation has come in Jesus Christ.

You may ask, "If God speaks to us through His Son, then why don't I hear His voice?"

The answer is that Christ has made Himself known through His divine Word in the final days. Even in the Old Testament, every revelation of God was ultimately pointing forward to Christ. The prophets anticipated Him, the sacrifices foreshadowed Him, and the promises found their fulfillment in Him. Now that Christ has come, He offers Himself as the full and final revelation of God.

Today as we no longer live in the days when we await the fulfillment of what God has promised.

we hear His voice as He speaks through the Scriptures, which testify concerning Him.

As we open God's Word, we are not searching for a new revelation; we are hearing the voice of the One who is God's perfect and complete revelation.

As Jesus Himself said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27).

How does Christ speak to His people today?

As the Word of God that came through the prophets was diverse and partial, the Word that has come through Christ is God's final and fullest Word.

No greater or further revelation is to be expected because God's Son has perfectly revealed the Father through His life, death, and resurrection.

Christ is the fulfillment of all that the prophets anticipated. The way Christ continues to speak His final Word to His people today is through the ordinary means of grace...

Through the Preaching of the Word

As God's Word is faithfully exposited and preached, Christ speaks to His church.

He rebukes us, confronts our sin, comforts our hearts with the gospel, strengthens our faith, and gives us grace to continue following Him.

This is why the preaching of God's Word is central to the life of the church. It is not merely a man giving a speech. As the Scriptures are faithfully proclaimed, Christ ministers to His people through His Word.

Through the Scriptures

Christ also speaks to us through the written Word of God. The same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures now illumines our minds to understand them.

As we read the Bible, we hear the voice of our Shepherd. The Scriptures reveal Christ, conform us to His image, and equip us for every good work.

We do not seek a new revelation because God has given us His final revelation in His Son, recorded for us in the inspired Scriptures.

Through Prayer

As Christ speaks to us through Scripture and the preaching of His Word, we respond to Him in prayer. Prayer is not new revelation from God, but our fellowship with Him.

We confess our sins, give thanks for His grace, pour out our hearts before Him, and praise Him for who He is.

As we continually commune with the Lord, something wonderful begins to happen. Our prayers become shaped by the Scriptures. Our desires become more like His desires. Our hearts begin to reflect His grace, His mercy, and His truth. The more we hear God's Word, the more our prayers begin to sound like His Word, and the more we delight in the Christ who has spoken so fully and finally to us.

His Word is enough because He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures. Every promise, every sacrifice, every prophecy, and every shadow finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. We do not need another revelation because God has given us His perfect revelation in His Son.

His Word is our grace because through it we find help for our fallen hearts. It convicts us of our sin, points us to Christ, strengthens our faith, and reminds us that God's grace is sufficient for every trial we face.

His Word is also our mercy because only in Christ do we find the forgiveness of sins. He is our great High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, welcomes us to the throne of grace, and gives mercy and grace to help in our time of need.

I think this is one of the beautiful truths of Hebrews. As we study a book whose human author remains unknown, our attention is never drawn to the writer but to the Savior.

The Holy Spirit intentionally fixes our eyes on Christ. Throughout this letter we repeatedly find grace for weary hearts, mercy for guilty sinners, and encouragement for struggling believers.

Hebrews was written to steady anxious souls by reminding them that Christ is better than anything this world could ever offer. He is better than every prophet, every priest, every sacrifice, every covenant, and every earthly hope. When our hearts are tempted to look elsewhere, Hebrews lovingly calls us back to the One who is infinitely better.

But the question naturally follows: Why is Jesus God's final revelation?

What makes Him better than every prophet who came before Him? The answer is found in who He is. Jesus is better because He is God.

II. Jesus Is Better Because He Is God (1:2-3a)

Look again at verses 2 and 3. The author begins to unfold who this Son truly is. He tells us that God has spoken to us by His Son. This is an important detail that we do not want to miss. Jesus is the Son.

This is not merely a title that He possesses, nor is it simply an office He fulfills. It speaks to who He is. Jesus is the eternal Son of God, sharing the very nature of the Father, while also being the promised Messianic King.

The mention of the Son immediately brings the hearers back to the Old Testament. Throughout God's revelation, the language of sonship carried tremendous significance. Israel was called God's son as His covenant people.

God promised David that He would be a Father to his royal heir and that the king would be His son in a unique covenantal relationship (2 Samuel 7). The Psalms declare, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you" (Psalm 2), pointing beyond David to the coming Messiah who would reign over the nations forever.

The author of Hebrews takes all of this Old Testament language and shows that it finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the true Son, the greater Son of David, the promised Messiah, and the eternal King whose kingdom will never end.

What Israel foreshadowed, what David anticipated, and what the prophets proclaimed has now become reality in Christ. He is not merely another son in the line of David. He is the Son, the One to whom every promise has always been pointing.

This is what the disciples expressed when Jesus walked on the water to meet them. As the wind ceased from the storm upon the water, they examined in worship Truly you are the Son of God.

The author continues by telling us that Jesus is the heir of all things. This is inheritance language. Throughout the Old Testament, inheritance was tied to God's covenant promises. Israel was promised the land of Canaan as their inheritance, and the sons of Israel would inherit portions of that land according to their tribes. But Jesus did not merely receive a piece of land. He is the heir of all things.

This language takes us back to Psalm 2:8, where the Father says to the Son, "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession."

Jesus is the heir because He is the promised King from the line of David, the One to whom God promised an everlasting kingdom.

God's covenant with David would never lack a man to sit upon the throne, and that promise finds its fulfillment in Christ, the greater Son of David.

So what did Christ receive as His inheritance?

He received dominion, authority, and comprehensive cosmic rule. Everything belongs to Him because everything was made through Him and for Him. As Paul says in Colossians 1, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through Him and for Him.

His authority extends over every earthly kingdom and every spiritual power. His reign is far greater than the borders of ancient Israel or the kingdom of David. Christ owns everything because He rules over everything.

He is what Adam was meant to be in the garden and what Adam forfitted because of his sin. Jesus is completing the call of God in the garden to have dominion over all things.

But there is another wonderful truth that should encourage every believer. The Father has also given a people to His Son as part of His inheritance. Jesus Himself prayed in John 17, "Yours they were, and You gave them to Me."

If you belong to Christ, you are one of those whom the Father has lovingly entrusted to the Son. Christ does not treat His people as disposable possessions.

He purchased them with His own blood, loves them with an everlasting love, and will never lose those whom the Father has given Him. We are secure because we belong to Him. He is our joy, our confidence, and our contentment, and nothing can separate us from His love.

Furthermore, in the fact that the Son created the world, His divinity is clearly displayed because creation is an activity that belongs to God alone.

Throughout the Scriptures, God alone is the Creator of all things. Yet the author of Hebrews boldly declares that it was through the Son that God made the world. Just as John picks up this truth by saying, "All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3), the author of Hebrews shows that the Son's creative authority extends throughout every dimension of reality.

Everything that exists owes its existence to Him. The Son possesses divine power because the Son possesses the divine nature.

The author continues by emphasizing Christ's deity in verse 3, saying that Jesus is "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature."

These are some of the clearest statements in all of Scripture concerning the deity of Christ. Jesus Himself said, "Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).

Jesus is God incarnate. He is the visible expression of the invisible God. When we look at Christ, we are not merely looking at a godly man or even the greatest prophet who ever lived. We are beholding God Himself in human flesh.

The author also says that Jesus is the exact imprint of God's nature. The picture is that of a seal pressed into wax or a die stamped into a coin, leaving a perfect impression.

I dont know if you remember silly putty. Where if you take a newspaper and you press it on the comic section or a picture, the silly putty will take the impression off the page and it will show what it was pressed upon. The image bears the exact characteristics of the original.

In the same way, Jesus perfectly reveals the Father because He possesses the very same divine nature. He is not merely like God, nor did God simply give Him divine qualities. Jesus is God.

Everything that can be said of the divine nature belongs fully to the Son. He is the perfect revelation of the Father because He shares the very essence of the Father. He is better than the Prophets because he is Gods perfect revelation contained in himself.

So as God speaks to His people, Christ radiates the glory of God to us. He is the Light who has broken into the darkness of this fallen world. He reveals the glory of God to sinful men and women and calls sinners out of darkness into His marvelous light.

The One who created the world is also the One who illumines our hearts so that we might see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). There is no greater revelation of God than the Son because there is no one greater than the Son.

Jesus is better because He perfectly represents God's nature and character. He reveals who God is because He shares God's very nature and divine identity. He is infinitely superior to every creature, every prophet, and even the angels because He is not merely God's messenger, He is God the Son.

In Jesus, we behold the very glory of God. Everything that is true of the divine nature is true of the Son. The glory of the Father is the glory of the Son, for they share the same divine essence while remaining distinct persons. What is true of the Father's character is perfectly displayed in Christ.

This makes Him incomparably greater than prophets, angels, or any other mediator, for He possesses God's glory not because someone gave it to Him, but because it has eternally belonged to Him as the Son of God.

This means that when we encounter Christ, we encounter God. If we want to know what God is like, we do not have to wonder or speculate. We look to Jesus. If we want to experience God's character and nature, we find it perfectly revealed in Christ. Jesus is not merely pointing us to God; He is showing us God.

When we struggle to understand God's goodness toward us, we come to Jesus. We watch Him heal the sick, welcome the outcast, forgive sinners, and lay down His life for His people. When we begin to doubt God's purpose in our lives or wonder whether He truly cares for us, we come to Jesus. We see Him patiently teaching His disciples, compassionately restoring the broken, and faithfully accomplishing the Father's will even to the cross.

When we question whether God is gracious, merciful, loving, or just, we do not have to search any further than Christ.

Jesus is not merely telling us about God. He is revealing God to us through His very person. He is the visible image of the invisible God. He is the loving Shepherd who seeks His sheep, the compassionate Savior who welcomes sinners, the faithful High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, and the reigning King who will never abandon His people. Everything that the Father is, the Son perfectly displays.

This is why Jesus is better.

He does not simply give us information about God; He brings us into a relationship with God.

He does not merely tell us that God loves us; He demonstrates that love by giving Himself for us on the cross.

If you want to know the heart of God toward sinners, look to Jesus.

If you want to know the mercy of God, look to Jesus.

If you want to know the holiness, justice, compassion, and grace of God, look to Jesus.

There is no clearer revelation of the Father than the Son.

The author has shown us that Jesus is God's final revelation and that He is fully God. But the author is not finished. He now turns from who Christ is to what Christ has done. The greatness of Jesus is not only seen in His person, but also in His work. That brings us to our final point: Jesus is better because His work is complete.

III. Jesus Is Better Because His Work Is Complete (1:3b-4)

Look, we all love the feeling of finishing a job. Whether it is completing a project around the house, mowing the lawn, finishing a difficult assignment at work, or the end of an intense game of kickball…

, there is satisfaction in knowing the work is complete. We can finally step back, look at what has been accomplished, and rest because there is nothing left to do.

The work of Christ is the greatest finished work in all of history.

Jesus' work was not finished when He created the world. Though creation displayed His power and glory, His mission was not yet complete. Nor was His work finished as He continually upholds the universe by the word of His power.

Even now, Christ is actively sustaining everything that exists. Every breath we take, every heartbeat, every sunrise, and every moment of history continues because Christ sovereignly upholds His creation.

Yet the finished work of Christ is most clearly seen at the cross.

The cross stands at the very center of Christ's earthly ministry. The eternal Son of God entered the very world that He created. The Creator stepped into His creation. The One who spoke the stars into existence allowed sinful men to nail Him to a cross. He set His face toward Calvary, knowing that this was the purpose for which He had come. Church, can you imagine this? The One who created every star allowed nails to pierce His hands.

The One who upholds the universe by His power was mocked by the very people He came to save.

The One who radiates the glory of God hung beneath the darkness of Calvary so that sinners like us could be forgiven.

There is no one like Jesus.

He is sinless One willingly took the place of sinful humanity.

The spotless Lamb of God bore the wrath that we deserved.

He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Upon the cross, Jesus offered Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for sins. Unlike the sacrifices of the Old Testament that had to be offered repeatedly year after year, Christ's sacrifice was perfect, complete, and sufficient forever.

The author of Hebrews will develop this truth throughout the book, but he introduces it here by saying that Christ "made purification for sins."

Those few words summarize the greatest accomplishment in human history. Through His death, Jesus accomplished what no prophet, priest, or sacrifice could ever accomplish. He cleansed His people from their sins.

After accomplishing redemption, the author tells us that Christ "sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." This is an allusion to Psalm 110:1, where David writes, "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.'"

Sitting at the Father's right hand signifies honor, authority, victory, and sovereign rule. More than that, it signifies that His work of atonement is complete.

The priests of the Old Testament never sat down because their work was never finished. Day after day they stood offering the same sacrifices, which could never fully take away sins. But after Christ offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice, He sat down because there was nothing left to accomplish. Redemption had been secured forever. Hear that again, Redemption for your sins has been secured forever through Christ.

Now the exalted Christ reigns as King over all creation. The One who created the world now rules the world. The One who died for sinners now intercedes for sinners. The One who humbled Himself has been exalted above every name. His work is finished, His victory is complete, and His reign will never end.

So where do we find ourselves now? As we look at Jesus, in what ways is He better?

He is better because He is God's final Word to us. We no longer search for another revelation because God has fully spoken in His Son.

He is better because He is God incarnate, the very radiance of the Father's glory and the exact imprint of His nature. If we want to know God, we look to Christ. If we want to understand God's love, mercy, holiness, justice, and grace, we come to Christ. He is the perfect revelation of the Father.

He is also better because His work is finished. There is nothing left for us to add to our salvation. There is no sacrifice left to make, no payment left to give, and no work left to complete.

Christ has accomplished redemption once and for all, and now He reigns at the right hand of the Father as our victorious King and faithful High Priest.

Therefore, we can rest.

We can lay down the burden of trying to earn God's favor because Christ has already accomplished everything necessary for our salvation.

We can trust Him because His Word is true, His person is perfect, and His work is complete.

We can persevere because the One who created all things, upholds all things, and rules over all things is also the One who holds His people securely in His hands.

As we begin our journey through Hebrews, the author immediately fixes our eyes on Christ. Before he tells us to endure suffering, before he warns us against drifting away, before he explains the better covenant, the better priesthood, and the better sacrifice, he first reminds us of the One who is better. If we lose sight of Christ, we will lose heart.

But if we keep our eyes fixed upon Him, we will find everything we need for life, godliness, and perseverance.

Church, Jesus is better.

He always has been, He always will be, and He is more than enough for every need we will ever face.

Jesus Is Better.