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This is a sermon based on Hebrews 1:1-4 and was given at Wayside Community Church on August 5, 2012.
Written Excerpts:
Introduction:
As I was trying to discern the Lord’s will for today’s message I felt impressed to use this passage in Hebrews to focus our attention today on the central figure of our faith and of our entire history – Jesus Christ.
As Christian believers it is sometimes easy to get so involved in the behavioral and ethical components of our faith and trying to stay focused on how we should act, and live out our faith, that we sometimes lose sight of the fact that the central point and focus of our faith is a person; not a belief system; not a code of ethics; not a list of taboos. Those things are important and have their rightful place, but it is a person that we worship and serve. It is a person that we celebrate and honor, for He and He alone has accomplished our redemption from sin, from corruption, from destruction and hell. If we’re not careful our attention can be diverted completely away from Him and get caught up in the peripheral agendas of our daily lives.
So, today, I want to take some time to just focus on Jesus. I want to take some time to exalt Him, to emphasize some of the truths that the Bible reveals about His identity, His personality, and His achievements. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I want to help us all to get a new glimpse of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to help us get a renewed vision of the central figure of our salvation.
Obviously, there are hundreds of Scripture texts we could have used to accomplish this goal, because the entire Bible is about Him in one way or another. However, I believe that the writer of this letter to the Hebrews starts off his epistle with a description of Jesus that is as good as any other we could use.
Before we actually look at the statements made by the Apostle, I want to remind us about the historical setting and context of this letter, some of which I have mentioned in previous messages.
Biblical scholars obviously do not all agree on the circumstances surrounding this letter, but many have proposed that it was written around the year of 63 AD during a time when the Apostle Paul would have recently been released from his first imprisonment. It was probably written to the Christian Jews living in Palestine
I’ve already mentioned other times that the book of Hebrews emphasizes the key word, “better.” The idea was to convince the readers that they were far better off now because of the fact that Jesus was a better sacrifice, a better high priest, better than the angels, better than Moses, etc.
So, for today, let us take a look at these words in the first few verses of this letter to discover (or review) some important truths about the Son of God – our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. By examining the contents of these first four verses, we see that the author establishes the “credentials” of Christ by presenting the Identity of the Son; the Accomplishments of the Son; and the Exalted Position of the Son.
Let us begin with the
I. The Identity of the Son
One of the problems confronting the author as he is writing to the Jews was the fact that they undoubtedly struggled with who Jesus really was. Imagine the difficult time that Jewish believers would have trying to reconcile the belief in Jesus as Messiah along with their long-held understanding of only one God. Try to imagine how strange it would be for a Jew to think of Jesus Christ as God without somehow equating it with the common paganism all around them that promoted multiple gods. So the Apostle “had his work cut out for him” in trying to explain the truth about Jesus in a way that could convince devout Jews without making them feel like they were becoming pagans.
A. The Son is the brightness or radiance of God’s glory.
Someone has defined God’s glory as the expression of the divine attributes collectively and is used of various displays of divine light and splendor. (Wuest) Others have said that “glory” is equivalent to “honor,” “power,” or “majesty.” (NIDNTT)
Here in v. 3, the author is boldly stating that Jesus, the Son, is the brightness or the splendor of God’s glory.
(Clarke) The word implies the exhibited or emitted splendor in contrast to the inherent splendor. But they are one and the same since you cannot have one without the other.
What the Apostle seems to be saying is that Jesus Christ is the exhibited splendor of God’s glory shining forth the glory of God in a darkened world.
I am reminded of the passage in the OT when God told Moses that he could not view His full glory, but could only see a limited amount of it,
Exodus 33:20-23 (NKJV) 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." 21 And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."
Some writers have suggested that what God essentially did for Moses here was…. (Clarke) “probably … that appearance which he should assume in [later] times, when it should be said, God is manifest in the flesh…. covering him with his hand, and passing by in such a way as to exhibit a human similitude."
All of this to say that the writer is equating Jesus, the Son, with the glory of the Father for the benefit of those who were worried about worshiping another God. But, he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to proclaim that
B. The Son is the exact representation of God’s being.
v. 3 “…He is the express image of His person…”
In addition to declaring His splendor of God’s majesty, the author continues to declare that Jesus is the exact image or reflection of God’s very essence.
The word “person” used in the KJV, is the word that means being, substance or essence.
In Hebrews, the word “express image” is the Greek word meaning carving or engraving. But in Colossians, the word “image” is the word meaning likeness or profile (icon). In both passages the emphasis is the fact that Jesus Christ is the exact likeness of the Father, who is invisible to the human eye, but truly represents God in human form. This must have been difficult for a trained Jew to grasp without concluding that there were two gods.
II. The Accomplishments of the Son
The author of this letter not only presents the identity of Christ, but he further establishes His credentials by emphasizing His accomplishments. There are four different accomplishments that are presented in verses 2 and 3.
A. He created the worlds.
v. 2 “by whom also He made the worlds.”
Genesis 1: God created… God said let there be… and there was….
John 1: All things were made by him [i.e. the Word] and without him nothing was made that was made.
Colossians 1:16 (NKJV) 16 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.
This blazing splendor of God’s glory and exact impression or engraving of His being is the one that created all the worlds in this universe. He is the Word of God creating things out of nothing just by speaking them into existence.
B. He sustains the worlds.
v. 3 “…and upholding all things by the word of His power.”
“upholding” – is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word when Moses told God, “I am unable to bear this people…” The idea expressed is of guidance and responsibility of governance. (Wuest, Expositors NT)
This Son of God, Word of God, image of God, splendor of God not only speaks worlds into existence that never existed before, but He also holds all of those worlds together by the same powerful word that brought them into existence. He is the One that set the “Laws of Nature” into action and causes them to continue their courses by simply saying so.
If I understand my Bible correctly, there is coming a day when He will SAY it is enough and the Laws of Nature will revolt; the world will be dissolved and will melt with intense heat (2 Peter 3).
C. He reveals the Father
v. 3 “brightness of His glory… express image of his person.”
We already talked about Jesus revealing the Father through the fact that He is the exact image of God’s being and the shining forth of His glory. Now, we want to add the thought expressed in the beginning of verse 2 where the writer emphasizes the fact that God spoke to us in our language by sending His Son to be one of us.
v. 2 “Hath…spoken to us by His Son…”
Messages were previously communicated by God through the prophets to His people. But, eventually God sent His own Son to assume the form of humanity and communicate God to us in a way that we can relate to and we can understand.
(Wuest) “…the revelation God gave in His son consisted not merely in what was said, as in the case of the prophets, but [also] in what … the Son was….”
They not only could hear the Word of God, but now they could see the Word lived out before their very eyes.
D. He provided our Salvation.
The final accomplishment mentioned here is explained in verse 3.
“When he had by himself purged our sins…”
As the Bible thoroughly explains in other places, this phrase is a reference to the fact that Jesus Christ made it possible for our sins to be completely washed away; forgiven; and atoned for through the sacrifice Jesus made of his own blood.
The grammatical structure of this phrase emphasizes two thoughts:
1) He did it to himself. It was a willing self-sacrifice.
2) He did it once-for-all. It was a sacrifice to end all sacrifices.
III. The Position of the Son
Finally, we want to talk about the author’s reference to the exalted position of the Son of God.
v. 3 “…sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
This phrase emphasizes the exaltation of Christ following His sacrifice and passion. What a contrast to the shame and humility He experienced in Jerusalem and on Calvary ! There are three thoughts that are stressed by the structure of this phrase regarding His seat at the right hand of God.
A. It is a position of rest.
His work of redemption is finished. It is a description that is in direct contrast to the OT priests who always stood while they were in service at the temple because their work was never finished. There were always more sacrifices to be offered. There was incense to be offered.
Christ, as I stated a moment ago, made a sacrifice to end all sacrifices. There are no more sacrifices required or necessary. His work is completed. He cried from the cross, “It is finished.” So now He is seated, signifying His work is done.
B. It is a position of authority and preeminence.
(Expositor’s NT) Sitting down on the right hand denotes entrance upon a reign. The source of this expression is Ps. 110:1, which is quoted later in verse 13.
(Rendall) “The king’s right hand was a place of power and dignity, belonging to the minister of his authority and his justice, and the channel of his mercy, the mediator in short between him and his people.”
C. It is a position that is superior to any of the angels. (v.4)
Angels were always considered important beings in the Bible, mediating some form of God’s interactions with man; carrying out His orders and purposes. But none of them were ever given a position of prominence and authority like this.
Conclusion:
John 12:32 - Jesus said,32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
We have been trying to exalt and lift up the Son of God here today. As I stated at the outset, He is the central figure of our faith. He is the focus of our love and devotion. He is the center of all history.
He is the exact image of the Sovereign Majesty in heaven. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is our redeemer, our sanctifier and our coming warrior. Jesus is the Son of God and He is far, far superior to any other in the universe!
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Love Him, Serve Him, Worship Him!
I think it is only fitting for us to sing a song that glorifies Him, so I have chosen the hymn:
Crown Him with Many Crowns.
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