All Glory Be To Christ

Intro

As I stated last week we could have ended with that message and it would have been fine but as I thought it over I felt that it would be a good idea to wrap up our study by focussing in on the overall theme of Hebrews which is the glory of Christ. Now you know what the problem with that is don’t you. How am I going to focus in on this theme of the glory of Christ and cram it all into one message, furthermore preaching on the glory of Christ is far beyond me and my ability.

I mean if I were Charles Spurgeon, I am certain I could stand up here and proclaim the glory of Christ without issue but I am not him. Let me just be honest with you I know a lot of folks will say great sermon pastor, or that was deep, or whatever it might be and let me tell you I spend a great deal of time studying while preparing the sermons but I never really feel adequate, and today for sure I don’t . So I ask God to glorify himself in spite of me. We are going to review the entire book of Hebrews, and we are focus in on what it teaches concerning the glory of Christ.

There is nothing that is more important in this life than to gain a biblical and personal knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross. Here is what the apostle Paul said. “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” Php 3:8. So I want you to think about what the world values money, clothes, reputation, status, comfort and everything you can think of and I want you to realize that we are to let go of those things in order to know Jesus. In other words Jesus is everything. If you have Jesus Christ and lose everything you have everything you need but if you gain the whole world without christ , you have nothing.

So the authors of Hebrews is writing this letter to a group of Jewish believers in Christ and if you remember we said they were facing the threat of persecution and some were turning away from Christ and going back to Judaism. Now the author knew that the only way these people would stand firm in their faith even to the point of death was if they had a proper view of Jesus and HIs glory. This is why there was a focus on Christ and how he fulfilled everything the Old Testament pointed towards. If they would remain focused on the person and work of Christ and his glory they would be able to endure any persecution that came their way. So to sum up the entire book of Hebrews in a Sentence I would say.

Seeing the glory of Christ in His person and work will enable us to endure trials by faith.

John Owen said “The glory of God comprehends both the holy properties of His nature and the counsels of His will; and the light of the knowledge of these things we have only in the face or person of Jesus Christ” (read again) Jesus Christ came to reveal to us the holy nature of God and the counsel of His will. In Hebrews 10:7 the author speaking of Jesus cites from Psalm 40 and writes 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ”

Jesus came to do the will of God yes to display God’s holiness, yes to display His justice and his wrath in punishing all sin but also his infinite mercy and love in providing the sacrifice that his justice demands, Jesus came to offer Himself in our place on the cross. In order for His sacrifice to be applied to us, He had to be a man. This is what the author of Hebrews begins by revealing to us the person of Jesus Christ as both God and man. So lets break this down this morning first

I. Seeing the glory of Christ in His person (Hebrews 1-4)

The author of Hebrews did not mess around nor did he beat around the bush instead he got right to the point right from the beginning by letting us know who Jesus Christ is. First he declared

A. Jesus Christ is God’s final revelation

He did this in verse 1-3 of chapter 1

English Standard Version Chapter 1

Heb 1:1 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,

I preached 2 sermon over those verses and probable could have preached more. I gave a quote from John Calvin over these verses. Which Calvin was making an emphasis that the author was making the point that this was not theological but practical Calvin said “His purpose was really to build up our faith, so that we may learn that God is made known to us in no other way than in Christ: for as to the essence of God, so immense is the brightness that it dazzles our eyes, except it shines on us in Christ” If we look at the verse there are 7 statement on who Jesus is

1. Heir of all things

2. Through Him tGod made the world

3. He is the radiance of God’s glory

4. He is the exact imprint of God’s nature

5. He upholds everything by the word of His power

6. He has made purification for our sins

7. He now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high

I cant go back over these 7 things here if you want to no more I would refer you to the sermon The Supremacy of Christ which was preached on 9/24/17, Here is what is obvious in these verse and those that follow Jesus Christ is God he is not a God he is not one of many God’s Jesus is The God and he is God’s final revelation the author continues on to show that

B. Jesus has greater glory than the angels

The author reveal this to us in verses 4-14. Regardless of shows like touched by and angel and others the Bible makes it clear that angels are marvelous glorious creatures. Daniel when describing his vision of an angel said the body was like beryl, the face like lightning, eyes that were like flaming torches , arms and feet like polished bronze and the sound of his words were like the sound of a multitude. How did Daniel respond to this angel? He said that no strength was left in him, his natural color had turned to a an unnatural one and he had no strength left. Daniel was left so wiped out that he fell into a deep sleep and when the angel woke him he trembled on his hand and knees.

Why do I share this? Because that was an angel and the author of Hebrews days that the son of God is greater than the angels in glory so much so that he writes this 6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” now in case we miss it the author gives a contrast between the angels who serve God as flames of fie with the Son and this is what he says of the son 8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You see the author is building the case that Jesus is greater that the angel in glory.

He goes on to cite from Psalm 102:25-27 and applying it to Jesus and this is what the Old Testament ascribed to God 25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, 27 but you are the same, and your years have no end. Then he wraps this all up and puts a bow on it by asking the question 13 And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? No created being can sit at the right hand of God that honor belong to only one and that is the eternal Son of God.

Jesus is greater than the angels and we might be tempted to say well yeah that makes sense since he is God but the author of Hebrews does not just set out to prove the deity of Jesus he also reveals that Jesus is perfect in his humanity so in chapter 2:1-4 he gives some practical exhortation and then cotinues

C. Jesus is truly God and truly human

This is in verses 5-18 of chapter 2 The author introduces in these verse something that he will come back to throughout the book and that is that Jesus came in this world to suffer and die for our sins. Now when it comes to tragedy often people will say what a terrible accident let me be clear the death of Jesus was not some accident. It was not a wrench thrown into the plan of God, it was not a plot twist and it was not plan B and it did not thwart the plan of God. We must understand that the death of Jesus fulfilled God’s plan to rescue us from the ravages of sin. in fact the author of Hebrews makes a shocking statement in chapter 2 verse 10 when he writes 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

The author says “for whom and by whom all thing” what the author is saying and making very clear that God is the first and the final cause of all things that are, which includes the plan of salvation through the death of His Son Jesus Christ. He is also revealing that God is active in His creation governing it at all times and working all things after the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11). SO the death of Jesus on our behalf according to the verse was fitting why? Because it was working for God’s glory in accordance with His eternal purpose it displayed God’s perfect attributes of righteousness, justice, power, wisdom, love and grace. Jesus death was fitting because it confirmed him according to chapter 2 verse 14 as the captain of our salvation. The death of Jesus Christ was triumphant over Satan and the power of death, Jesus is now our faithful high priest (17) who can come to the aid of those who are tempted (18).

Now you would think that to portray Jesus is as truly God, who is superior to the angels and as truly human, who offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins, would be enough. However we must remember that the author is writing to the Hews who regarded Moses as the greatest man who had ever lived on the face of the earth. So he must show that

D. Jesus has greater glory than Moses

Chapter 3 is focusing on Jesus being greater than Moses. The theme of the book is summed in in two words from chapter 3 verse 1 “consider Jesus” Consider means that you thing about something bu taking the time to carefully observe it. Often our problem is that we do not take the time to consider Jesus as He is revealed in God’s written word. Moses went up into the mountain and he spent forty days alone with God. When he eventually came down his face was radiant with the glory of God. Jesus came from heaven itself, he came from the very presence of God to reveal God to us.

In Luke 10:22 Jesus make an astonishing claim he says that “all things have been handed over to him by Is Father, and no one know who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the son wills to reveal HIm. This is a powerful statement. If you want to know the living God then you must as k the Son to reveal Him to you, because you can’t know either the Father or the Son apart form divine revelation. Now if you remember in Matthew 16 Peter makes a confession about Jesus’ and he says “You are the Christ the Son of the living God” Jesus replied “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you , but my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus is saying that no mere man could make such claims. After He is resurrected, Jesus tells the disciples “all things that are written about Me in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Listen those are the three Division of the Hebrew Bible so it is clear that all Scripture points to Jesus, who was sent by God’s Sovereign plan to reveal Him and accomplish His will. This makes Jesus greater than Moses and all of the prophets that had ever lived combined.

But what about all of that which was written in the Old Testament about the Promised Land and the Sabbath and so the author answer that as well

E. Jesus provides rest for eternity that Joshua could not

Hebrews 4 is not talking about some inner peace that you experience rather it is speaking about the author’s concern for his readers , he was concerned that like many who were united with Israel in the wilderness they had an association with God’s people, but they will miss God’s salvation because of their unbelief. The author shows that salvation has always been offered to the people of God using the imagery of rest. He reveal that trues rest can only come from Christ when we rest from our works and trust in his completed work on the cross. This is why Jesus promised “come unto me all who are weary and heavy ladened and I will give your rest in Matthew 11:28.

The author conclude chapter 4 by letting us know that Jesus is our high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses and we are invited to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.

So in the first four chapters of Hebrews the author focuses in on the seeing the glory of Christ in His person. Let me just give you a challenge here this morning I don’t know how much or if you spend time reading God’s word but if you don’t first let me challenge you to start and when you do let me challenge you to ask God to reveal more and more about Christ to you as you read his word.

II. Seeing the glory of Christ in the work of His priesthood (Hebrews 5:1-10:18)

I know i said this before but it bear repeating. Hebrews is the only book that presents to us Jesus Christ as our high priest. Some people may fine this boring or irrelevant because we have difficulty understanding the idea of Jesus being our high priest. However if you really want to understand the priesthood of Christ then you must have a clear understanding of the absolute holiness and majesty of God. No Hebrew would have ever dares to go in the Holy of Holies and approach the altar, where god’s glory was manifested. We als need to understand our own sinfulness apart from Christ. This will cause you to have a deeper appreciation of what Jesus did for you on the cross as the high priest who entered the holy place, not by the blood of bulls and goats, but with His won blood as Hebrews 9 tell us.

In the church we need to recapture a deep appreciation of God’s holiness, and our sinfulness, and the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice it is one of the most practical doctrines in all fo the Bible because it humbles our pride. Pride is at the root of every single relational conflict and just about and sin that you can think of. We are to proud to say we are sorry, we are to proud to admit we are wrong. we are to proud to take the high road, you can think of all kinds of relational conflict and if we would just humble ourselves often times those conflicts could be solved but we don’t want to humble ourselves. So take some time and ask God to reveal to your heart the glory of Jesus Christ in the work of HIs priesthood. 2 things relating to this

A. As our High Priest Jesus is superior to Aaron and his priesthood.

This is seen in chapters 5-7. In chapter 5:1-10 the author shows that Jesus is the kind of high priest that every sinner needs. Then from 5:11-6, the author encourages his reader to “press on towards maturity”. He gives a severe warning in chapter 6:4-8, he confronts them with the assurance that he is convinced of better thing concerning them, namely, “things that accompany salvation”. He then points to Jesus who is the anchor of our souls, the forerunner who has entered beyond the veil as our high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek (6:19-20). Chapter 7 then goes into an explanation of why Jesus, as a priest after the order of Melchizedek, is superior to the Aaronic priests. It is throughJesus, that we can draw near to God and be assured of our salvation. Not only is Jesus superior to Aaron and his priesthood but

B. Jesus our high priest is superior to the Old Covenant

We find this in chapters 8:1-10:18. As much as I would like to go into detail I cant otherwise we would be here for hours. So let me quickly give you a summary of the important details

Jesus offers better promises that the old covenant offered (8:1-13) In every way Jesus is superior to the Old Covenant and it says that he makes the first one obsolete

Jesus offers a better tabernacle than the old covenant did (9:1-14) The Old tabernacle was this portable tent shrine that was always moving but it was inadequate it offered limited access, limited efficacy where as Jesus offers unlimited access and unlimited efficacy.

Jesus offers a better sacrifice that the old covenant did (9:15-10:18) Jesus’ blood offered a better purity was a better representation was a better sacrifice and offered a better hope the Old Covenant was imperfect it offered imperfect cleansing whereas jesus was perfected and offers perfect forgiveness.

The whole point is that Jesus is our high priest and he is superior to the Old covenant in every way imaginable and that if we want access to the father it comes only through Jesus Christ. We must place our trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to gain access to the father.

The final section of the book of Hebrews reveal to us how it is that we should apply these great truth about the glory of Christ in his person and work. So lastly we see

III. Seeing the glory of Christ in His person and work will enable us to endure trials by faith (Hebrews 10:19-13:25)

The author ends chapter 10 by issuing a severe warning and then chapter 11 he points us to those who endured by faith, by looking ahead to God’s promises found in Christ, which we received. We are then encouraged to submit to the discipline of God which he brings to us so that we will share His holiness. He then concluded chapter 12 by giving a contrast of God’s revelation at Mount Sinai with the glorious kingdom at Mount Zion, which we receive by coming to Jesus and the new covenant in His blood. It is for this reason that we have cause to endure by faith, even if it means we suffer reproach because we are seeking a heavenly city which is yet to come.

I titled this message all glory be to Christ for a reason. Our lives should reveal the glory of Christ how we live the things we do the things we say should all reflect the glory of Christ and not only that but our focus on his glory should indeed change how we handle trials in our life a few years ago while at a conference we sang a song titled all glory be to Christ and I am not going to sing that for you this morning but I would like to read it because it is why I Title this message all glroy be to Christ

Should nothing of our efforts stand No legacy survive Unless the Lord does raise the house In vain its builders strive To you who boast tomorrow’s gain Tell me what is your life A mist that vanishes at dawn All glory be to Christ!

All glory be to Christ our king! All glory be to Christ! His rule and reign we’ll ever sing, All glory be to Christ!

His will be done His kingdom come On earth as is above Who is Himself our daily bread Praise Him the Lord of love

Let living water satisfy The thirsty without price We’ll take a cup of kindness yet All glory be to Christ!

All glory be to Christ our king! All glory be to Christ! His rule and reign will ever sing, All glory be to Christ!

When on the day the great I Am The faithful and the true The Lamb who was for sinners slain Is making all things new.

Behold our God shall live with us And be our steadfast light And we shall ere his people be All glory be to Christ!

All glory be to Christ our king! All glory be to Christ! His rule and reign will ever sing, All glory be to Christ!

We must understand that this is not our home we must understand that we live for a higher purpose we must understand that because of Jesus and having our eyes fixed on him we can endure whatever comes our way and whatever trials we may face. All glory be to Christ church.

Conclusion

So the overall theme of the Book of Hebrews is that we can endure any kind of severe trial by faith in seeing the glory of Christ in his person and work. Jesus should be everything to us he is matchless in his person and work all glory be to Christ. I thought about how I wanted to conclude this message and I thought Pastor Lockridge might be the best way to conclude. Why because he can preach Christ so I ask that you tune into this video

Show the Video

I wonder do you know Him today. Do you know King Jesus do you understand that seeing the glory of Christ in his person and work will enable you to endure your trials. All glory be to Christ My Kin all glory be to Christ