The Relevance of Christ
The Relevance of Christ
I. Christ is Always Relevant
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). This cannot be said of anyone else in the universe. This is supported by the teaching of the Bible and everyday experience. There are three reasons that could be given to support this:
1) Jesus Christ is Relevant to Every Age
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). In Revelation 1:8 He is declared to be “… the Alpha and the Omega …”; that is to say, He is the A to Z of all truth in every age. There has never been a time in the history of the world where His message and ministry were irrelevant. Just as the alphabet encompasses every word in human communication, so Jesus Christ embodies the message for every age. His gospel is never out of date; indeed, it anticipates the headlines of our morning newspaper.
1. Amplify
But He is not only the Alpha and Omega, He is “… the Beginning and the End …” (Rev. 1:8). He not only encompasses eternity, but spans all time. Whether or not men and women like to admit it, all time relates to Him. Prior to His appearance in history all events are dated B.C.—before Christ; after His coming they are referred to as A.D., after the Latin phrase anno domini—in the year of our Lord. So our calendars are adjusted accordingly. Therefore, He is the changeless One, but with His changelessness He is absolutely contemporary.
2) Jesus Christ is Relevant to Every Race
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). Someone has said that “the mosaic of humanity is totalized in Jesus Christ.” This is true, for the New Testament reveals that “… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us …” (John 1:14). Jesus Christ was not merely a man: He was Man. By assuming human form He represented every race in every generation. How true are the words of the children’s chores:
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight …
No greater travesty of truth has ever been circulated than to imagine that our wonderful Savior belongs solely to the West, rather than the East. To understand this simple assertion of Scripture is to deal a deathblow to all forms of racism and discrimination. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8); therefore, He is the same to men and women of every color and every country. When He commissioned His disciples to go and evangelize the world He said, “… preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15); and again: “… make disciples of all the nations …” (Matt. 28:19). We cannot escape the thrust of those qualifying words— “every creature,” “all … nations.” What could be more relevant than that?
2a. Illustrate
2b. Illustrate
3) Jesus Christ is Relevant to Every Need
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). While it is true that great technological changes have taken place throughout the centuries man, basically, has never changed. His fashions and fads have altered with the passing of lime, but his nature and needs have been identical with every generation since the fall of Adam. He still loves and laughs, he still hunts and hates, he still buys and sells, and even more importantly, he still sins and dies. Sociologically, physiologically, and even psychologically, we may describe his needs by different terms, but man is essentially the same. Only Jesus Christ is “… the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). In every sense of the word, therefore, this contemporary Christ is the same Christ for every need.
3. Exegete
II. Christ is Always Competent
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). Words in Scripture carry great significance, for they are the communication and interpretation of the very thoughts of God. A profitable study would be to look up the divine names and titles throughout Scripture and study their meaning. When the writer says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8) he is spelling out a message of divine competency
1) The Competency of the Son of Man
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (13:8). “Jesus” was the human name given to our Lord when He entered human history to redeem a fallen race. The words of the angel to Mary are clear: “… you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). While it is true that Jesus was a reformer, a healer, a social worker, a teacher, and a friend of the outcast and oppressed, He was supremely the Savior. Indeed, even the religious leaders of His day applauded all His other works, but stiffened with opposition when He looked into the face of a paralyzed man and said, “… Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5). They were too blind to recognize that man’s fundamental problem is sin; all other panaceas fade into insignificance if we cannot answer the problem of sin. This is why Jesus is so contemporary and competent. No wonder the apostle Paul could exclaim, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15). To him, that was the reason for existence. But for the saving power of Christ all his background training and accomplishments were as worthless as garbage heaps along the streets of Jerusalem or Jericho. He needed a Savior and that Savior was Jesus Christ.
4. Illustrate
2) The Competency of the Son of God
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). “Christ” is the divine title and means “the Messiah” or “the Anointed One.” Bible students will know that such divine anointings were related to the offices of prophet, priest, and king; and all these offices are combined and consummated in Christ our Savior.
As Prophet, Christ represents the Divine Spokesman that every man needs. John tells us that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.… 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” (John 1:1–2, 14). He is “God’s conversation with men” [Emil Brunner]. At the zenith of His ministry God broke through from heaven and declared, “… This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him !” (Matt. 17:5). And the writer to the Hebrews adds, “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son …” (Heb. 1:1–2). There is no other message for a lost world than the message of Christ the anointed Prophet. In Him God has spoken His final word.
As Priest, Christ represents the divine sacrifice that every man needs. The Bible reminds us that our Savior “… had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Heb. 2:17–18). This is why His name is Jesus, for in His own body He suffered the penalty of our sin in order that “… we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Only through the sacrifice of Christ our High Priest can we know reconciliation with a holy God and, therefore, forgiveness and cleansing.
As King, Christ represents the divine Sovereign that every man needs. We read that “for … this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord …” (Rom. 14:9). Man is so constituted that he must have a king—not only in his personal life, but also in his social and national life. Now while it is true that earthly leadership is part of God’s order for man, the human heart will never be satisfied until Jesus Christ is King. Without Christ as King there is no purpose in everyday living.
Conclusion
We have seen that Christ is always relevant and competent. What a wonderful gospel this is and how contemporary, for it has to do with the contemporary Christ{ It remains to be asked: Do you know this Christ? Has He become relevant and competent in your life? Do you know Him as Savior, Prophet, Priest, and King? He waits to enter that life of yours and become to you all that your heart longs for and needs. Don’t miss out on what is the most contemporary encounter in human experience—even an encounter with Jesus Christ. Make your decision today. It is the only way to ensure you will have a happy New Year.
SUBJECT:
The Contemporary Christ
READING:
Hebrews 13:1–9
TEXT:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8).
Introduction:
Alvin Toffler in his book Future Shock tells us that we are living in the age of ad hocracy: everything about us is changing. Overnight what seemed to be the “in thing” is now regarded as “old hat” and passé. Only one Person is contemporary—Jesus Christ—and that for two reasons:
I. Christ is Always Relevant (13:8)
1. Jesus Christ is Relevant to Every Age (13:8)
2. Jesus Christ is Relevant to Every Race (13:8)
3. Jesus Christ is Relevant to Every Need (13:8)
II. Christ is Always Competent (13:8)
1. The Competency of the Son of Man (13:8)
2. The Competency of the Son of God (13:8)
Conclusion
Do you know this Christ? Has He become relevant and competent in your life? Do you know Him as Savior, Prophet, Priest, and King? If not, let Him enter that life of yours and become to you all that your heart longs for, and all that your life needs. Don’t miss out on what is the most contemporary encounter in human experience—even an encounter with Jesus Christ. Make your decision today. It is the only way to ensure you will have a happy New Year!
I. Christ is Always Relevant
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). This cannot be said of anyone else in the universe. This is supported by the teaching of the Bible and everyday experience. There are three reasons that could be given to support this:
I. Christ is Always Relevant
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). This cannot be said of anyone else in the universe. This is supported by the teaching of the Bible and everyday experience. There are three reasons that could be given to support this:
I. Christ is Always Relevant
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8). This cannot be said of anyone else in the universe. This is supported by the teaching of the Bible and everyday experience. There are three reasons that could be given to support this: