The Supremacy of Christ
The Arguments and Warnings of Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted
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· 14 viewsArguing for the Supremacy of Jesus
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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.
The book of Hebrews has been misinterpreted by a variety of Christian groups!
Probably, because scripture can be twisted to fit into a particular theological position, many who pro-port that one can loose their salvation have used passages from this letter to substantiate that opinion.
This Series from Hebrews is designed to shed light into the dark chasms of misrepresentation that we find prevalent among certain Christian sects.
It is also designed to allow you, to enlarge your understanding of the gospel of Christ, and share that knowledge with those you witness to.
The Key to understanding the letter to the Hebrews:
The Teacher’s Commentary 155: Intro.—Hebrews
This letter was written to Hebrew Christians who apparently were disturbed by legalistic Jews who traveled to young churches, arguing that an Old Testament lifestyle must be maintained by believers in Jesus. The letter shows that Christ is the reality which Old Testament institutions only foreshadowed. Believers need not go back, but must go forward to experience a new life in Christ which does not depend on the old ways.
When we talk about Jesus and the whole Christian faith thing, we are either confident in our understanding or not sure where we stand!
Probably, because scripture can be twisted to fit into a particular theological position, many who pro-port that one can loose their salvation have used passages from this letter to substantiate their opinion.
This to me, is dreadful!
This Series from Hebrews is designed to shed light into the dark chasms of misrepresentation that we find prevalent among certain Christian sects.
For if we aren’t confident in these things, it surely isn’t going to take much for Satan to convince us to abandon it altogether!
Many of the Jews in Jesus’ time did not think He was who He said He was, despite their belief in the one who was to come.
So who was this one to come?
The woman at the well in , reveals that she knew that Messiah was coming.
The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
John 4:15
John 4:
What was this woman referring to, and how did she know that Messiah was coming?
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,
This prophetic statement of Moses, was well known by the people in Jesus’ day.
When Jesus asked His disciples “Who do men say that I am?”, the answer was that some said the prophet that should come.
This brings us to our first point of the supremacy of Christ:
I. He is the True Prophet. Vs.1-2
I. He is the True Prophet. Vs.1-2
“God spoke to the fathers in times past by the prophets, but has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.”
This is Jesus the true and final prophet!
The one that Moses told Israel would come!
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,
And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
And so I don’y say this glibly, but Mohammad is not the prophet according to God’s word.
;
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ “And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.
It seems there have been and still are, many prophets who speak a lot of flowery godly things.
But these are not prophetic voices for the Lord Jesus!
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,
Deut. 18:15
The early church was a transitional work as seen in the book of Acts, and was in need of direction from the Lord Jesus.
If Jesus is the prophet that God spoke through, then why did the early church have prophets?
The early church was a transitional work as seen in the book of Acts, and was in need of direction from the Lord Jesus.
Good question huh?
And so there were prophetic voices who spoke in the name of Jesus, for the edification of the body of Christ.
But here’s the catch:
And because of her transitional beginning, she was in need of prophetic voices to instruct her in what the Lord had said, and those prophetic words were verified with miracles.
those prophetic words were verified with miracles.
Because the things that Jesus spoke were not known to the masses.
The same way Jesus verified what He said, with miracles!
The same way Jesus verified what He said, with miracles!
The same way Jesus verified what He said, with miracles!
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?
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?
So we can see the logic in listening to the early church prophets.
But, What about today?
Should we listen to the modern day prophets?
There is one prevailing difference between the church today and then:
We have the complete revelation of God in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
And it is a perfect revelation, right through to the end of time.
So, the prophetic voices today, speak and proclaim the Word of God as preserved for us in our own language.
If they are proclaiming the written word of God, then we should listen, but if they are claiming that they have some new revelation from God, then do not give them the time of day!
Well, we can and should listen, as long as one condition is met:
The prophet today must be speaking the word of God as given to us through His Son, which He delivered while here on earth!
Well, for one thing we have the written word of God.
The revelation is complete in the Holy Scriptures!
And it’s this Word that God commands the prophet to bring forth, just as the early church prophets did.
We have the words of Jesus.
If they are proclaiming the written word of God, then we should listen, but if they are claiming that they have some new revelation from God, then do not give them the time of day!
Because they are false prophets!
II. He is the lawful heir. vs.2
II. He is the lawful heir. vs.2
The word for heir comes from two Greek words, one means possessor and the other means lawful.
God is a God of laws, and so He lawfully has bequeathed everything their is, to Christ His Son.
This concept is somewhat lost to us in the West, because it is foreign to our culture. The only part of inheritance that really makes sense to us is when some rich relative leaves us a sum of money.
But inheritance and the concept of the Heir was most important to the Jews as well as other nations.
In the case of the prodigal son of Luke, it is the older brother who is the rightful heir to the father’s estate, property, servants, business, etc.
There is no provision for the father or anyone in his position to sell the property or give another the stewardship of the estate. It would properly be a scandal and he may even be held liable by the community.
There were also many mutual responsibilities of the heir:
· The kinsman redeemer as seen in the book of Ruth
· The responsibility of debt.
· Proper management of property considering the year of Jubilee when all rented, leased or sold property reverted back to the original tribes.
· Provisions for the proper inheritance for servants and other family members.
To be the heir required ethics, business savvy, compassion, principals, and most importantly, the true Heir was the first born.
Well, Jesus is the only true and qualified Heir of the Kingdom inheritance!
Don’t miss this, because if everything is inherited by Christ, then everything belongs to Him, and He does with them as he pleases.
He has also told us what He will do with those He inherits:
He has also told us what He will do with those He inherits: The believers will go into eternal bliss and happiness , and the unbelievers will go into hell and then the Lake of Fire!
He will separate the goats from the sheep!
The believers will go into eternal bliss and happiness , and the unbelievers will go into hell and then the Lake of Fire!
He can and will do that, because everyone, faithful and unfaithful are His by inheritance!
He has also told us what He will do with those He inherits: The believers will go into eternal bliss and happiness , and the unbelievers will go into hell and then the Lake of Fire!
He can and will do that, because everyone, faithful and unfaithful are His by inheritance!
But inheritance and the concept of an Heir was most important to the Jews as well as other nations.
In the case of the prodigal son of Luke, it is the older brother who is the rightful heir to the father’s estate, property, servants, business, etc.
There is no provision for the father or anyone in his position to sell the property or give another the stewardship of the estate. It would properly be a scandal and he may even be held liable by the community.
There were also many mutual responsibilities of the heir:
· The kinsman redeemer as seen in the book of Ruth
· The responsibility of debt.
· Proper management of property considering the year of Jubilee when all rented, leased or sold property reverted back to the original tribes.
· Provisions for the proper inheritance for servants and other family members.
To be the heir required ethics, business savvy, compassion, principals, etc.
Don’t miss this, because if everything is inherited by Christ, then everything belongs to Him, and He does with them as he pleases.
III. He is Co-Creator. Vs.2
III. He is Co-Creator. Vs.2
“Through whom also He made the universe”
The word for worlds is the same used for where Jesus says I am with you always even to the end of the ages.
He’ll be with us til the end of the ages, because He made it all.
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Col.1:15
Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ is the creator with the Father.
IV. He cleansed us from sin. vs.3
IV. He cleansed us from sin. vs.3
I don’t think there is any truth more precious than this fact, that Jesus the second person of the trinity, came to earth as a man and paid for all our sins, cleansing us and making us right with God!
As the writer begins his arguments here in the first few verses of Hebrews, he dispels any notion of the adequacy of the law to make anyone right with God, rather he states that Christ alone has made it possible.
The law in every aspect was the model or type of Christ.
Because Jesus had no sin, nor ever sinned, everything He did and is, was an example of perfect righteousness!
The law, was brought in to show us where the line in the sand was.
It was to allow sinful man, who only knew sin, to understand what sin actually was.
The law was fulfilled in Jesus.
So perfect righteousness was nailed to the cross and all the sins of the world with Him.
He paid the debt owed by us with His very life, and then rose from the dead to give new life in Him, a life of righteousness.
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Conclusion:
Just from these first three verses of this letter, we have four proofs of why anyone should choose Jesus.
We do not need to be ignorant of these things. If we study God’s word, we will find plenty of evidence to strengthen our faith and knowledge, and the natural outpouring of which will lead others to the cross of Calvary, where they will find forgiveness and cleansing!