It Is Finished (He Sat Down)

Words are powerful. We’re always told that actions speak louder than words and that can be true… but words are still powerful and they truly can change your life for the better or for the worse. Words can make you happy or they can make you sad. They can build you up or they can break you down. Words can build a bond that stands the test of time. Shortly after Lindsey and I found out that she was pregnant we immediately did what millennials do: we bought a book for first time expecting parents! One of the things that we read about was the need to speak to your child during the pregnancy and Lindsey and I would do this most nights as we’d sing songs or tell stories to our little guy. I thought this was kind of crazy at first but the more I studied the more I realized that a voice can build a relational bond, even in the womb. Again, words matter. Gabriel knows Lindsey’s voice and we certainly know his. Think of some words that have left a mark on your life. Maybe they are words from a spouse. Maybe they are words from a coach during a tense game. Maybe they are words from a parent or grandparent. We remember and hold onto important words because they are powerful and they impact us.

The Bible is often called the word of God. Just as human words are powerful, God’s word is no different. It is even more powerful because of Who it is that speaks. God’s word changes lives. His word changes our hearts and our actions. Think of some of the significant words found in Scripture: love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, adopted, redeemed, saved. These words continue to change lives today! Consider the words of Jesus on the cross: It Is Finished! Those words are significant! Jesus declares that our atonement is completed - that our debt is Paid In Full! Aren’t you thankful that we see in Scripture truths concerning Who God is and who we are? Aren’t you thankful that our God speaks? This is one of the greatest truths in Scripture. We do not serve a distant, removed God… We serve and worship a God who created all things and sustains all things and provides for all things. The God of the Bible is a speaking God. He speaks to His people through creation. He spoke to people in the past through prophets. And above all, He speaks through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is not only the center of the Bible as everything points to Him, but Jesus is literally called the Word for a reason. If you and I want to understand God, we have to understand Jesus. If we want to understand our purpose, we have to understand Jesus. If we want to understand salvation, we have to understand Jesus.

The book of Hebrews is a powerful, loaded, and complex book that tells us who Jesus is. Hebrews shares with us that our God speaks and that Jesus is the answer. Every other major world religion shares what we must do in order to earn God’s favor and get to God one day… Christianity is fundamentally different as it shares what God has done to save fallen humans like you and me… He sent His Son to be the god-man, fully God and fully man, to save us from our sins and sacrifice Himself in our place. The book of Hebrews is a game changer in so many respects and I’m excited to spend nearly 50 weeks walking through this book with you all over the next 2 years with some breaks along the way. That might sound boring and it might be different from what you’re used to… but this book shares with us how to understand the Old Testament as a Christian. This book shares with us how Jesus is the solution to our sinful condition. We are living in a world who doesn’t know Jesus - churchgoers who don’t even know Jesus - and in this world we must stand on what Scripture teaches about Jesus Christ and salvation being by grace through faith in Christ alone!

In a world looking for the next greatest thing, Jesus is the answer. He is what we need. The preacher of Hebrews makes the argument that because of Jesus there is no longer a need for another prophet, sacrifice, messenger, or king. Jesus is greater. The reason that He is greater, as we’ll begin looking at today, is because of what He has done, and specifically with Who He is. Let’s dig into Hebrews 1 this morning, verses 1-4

Hebrews 1:1–4 CSB

1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.

God has spoken to us through His Son. We serve a God who cares enough to not only speak but to live a perfect life and die a criminals death in our place on the cross. Let’s pause this morning and give Him thanks!

Jesus is the Greater Speaker (1-2a)

In order to understand Hebrews, we have to understand the Old Testament. So many people wonder why the Old Testament exists - in fact, I’ve been asked by multiple people over the years why we even have the Old Testament in our Bibles. This is a serious question that requires a serious answer. Here’s what we know: The Bible is first and foremost about God, not us. The Bible tells us of God’s great redemption story and why we need to be saved in the first place. If you start reading in Matthew with a genealogy, you’re probably going to be pretty confused from the get go. This is why the Old Testament matters so much. The Old Testament isn’t separated from the New Testament, the Bible is one united book with one central theme and one central hero and His name is Jesus. If we want to understand Jesus, we have to understand the Old Testament in order to see why He had to come in the first place.

The Old Testament sets so many people up for success only to illustrate their failures. Whether its a prophet, king, priest, or everyday person, everyone falls short… Even the best human you can think of isn’t perfect. The Old Testament is an arrow pointing us to Jesus - the Savior. The preacher of Hebrews begins this epic sermon in verse 1 by saying that long ago, God spoke to our ancestors… Let’s stop there for just a minute and reflect on the truth proclaimed here.

God speaks to His people. The preacher of Hebrews shares that God has spoken in the past to *his* ancestors meaning that this author was Jewish even though he is not explicitly named. How incredible is it that we not only serve the all-creating God, but that this holy God desires to speak to His people? God could have just created and said after the flood that He wanted nothing more to do with these sinful creatures… but instead He had mercy and grace upon us and spoke to people through the prophets in various ways. Think of some of the ways that God spoke in the Old Testament: God spoke through a donkey in Numbers 22, He spoke through a burning bush in Exodus 3, He spoke through thunder in 2 Samuel 22, He spoke through the waters in Jeremiah 10, and He spoke through dozens of prophets throughout the Old Testament. God spoke through these people and these things and it was good - after all, 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us this

2 Timothy 3:16 CSB

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

Paul isn’t primarily referencing the New Testament here… he’s primarily talking about the Old Testament being inspired directly by God! This means that the Old Testament is good - it is true and from God. Yet, in the Old Testament God spoke in different ways and at different times. There was a 400 year gap between the Old and New Testaments where God didn’t speak at all called the Intertestamental period! The people of God needed a clear message from an even better speaker, because words and authority matter. Therefore, we read in Hebrews 1:2 that God has ultimately spoken to us not through a donkey or a bush, but through His own Son!

Have you ever paused to reflect on how incredible it is that Jesus came to this earth, not only to save sinners but to reveal Who God is?! Think about that for just a moment, some people wish that God would communicate His existence clearly for everyone to know… maybe He could write up in the sky that He is real and then everyone would finally get along, that’s at least what some atheists argue… But the Bible tells us that God has already done this with creation in Romans 1. The whole world knows that God exists through general revelation by seeing the sunrise and seeing a rainbow after a storm. We all know in our heart that He exists - we don’t need another method, we need another messenger. We need Jesus!

The Bible tells us that in these last days God spoke to us by His Son. Have you ever been asked by someone if you think that we are living in the last days? Has someone told you that this must be a “sign of the times”? We understand in part what people are saying but as you read the Bible we find something that people miss today. The last days began whenever Jesus came to this earth 2,000 years ago. Look at Mark 1 as Jesus says this

Mark 1:15 CSB

15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

This was Jesus’ message to those around Him! The Kingdom is at hand - repent and believe. Today we are living in these last days just as Peter, Paul, and James were 2,000 years ago. The last days encompass each day between Jesus’ first and second coming and we’re 2,000 years into the last days.

Use meme of wanting to hear the Word of God. “I want God to speak to me.” Read your Bible. “I want God to speak to me verbally” Read your Bible out loud. We don’t need “another word” from the Lord - we have His supreme word in the form of Jesus Christ. He has spoken all that needs to be said in Scripture. His Spirit guides us, certainly, but Jesus is the final Word from the Lord. We need to be content with Jesus and not desire *more* than what Jesus gives us. He will provide what we need and we don’t need to seek out more. The God of the Bible speaks. He has made Himself known!

Because God speaks, we’ll see throughout Hebrews the importance of listening and considering Jesus Christ and His message. Many today think that they don’t need Jesus because they’ve done a lot of good things or because they believe that there is no God in the first place. The Bible reminds us that God has made Himself known and that Jesus has the best message of all to share. God has spoken and there is no further message needed. Repent and believe in Jesus Christ - why? Because, 2nd,

Jesus is the Greater Sacrifice (2b-3)

Hebrews more than any New Testament book talks about sacrifices and offerings done in the Old Testament by priests in the temple. These sacrifices are done because of the sin of the people… Some wonder why sacrifices had to be offered in the first place. Why couldn’t God have done something different? The answer lies in who God is in the first place. The same God who sent His Son to die on the cross is the same God who created all things and the same God who has a perfect plan. Whenever you and I think about sacrifices we often think of sacrifices that we have to make. If you’ve ever flown on an airplane chances are you’re at least some what familiar with the term “red eye flight.” Say you’re going on a family trip or a vacation and you’re trying to find the best deal to save some money. Chances are that good deal won’t be from 10am-8pm, it’ll likely be a flight that gets you to your destination around midnight or perhaps even later. Think about the pros and cons about this type of flight. On the one hand, you get to your destination a half a day earlier, but you’re making a sacrifice as you’re sacrificing some sleep. Other times we think of things that we sacrifice and we think of money. Maybe times are tight and we sacrifice what we want for what we really need. Think of a sacrifice that you’ve made recently and the good and bad that can go into making a sacrifice.

In the Bible we see throughout the Old Testament that God told the people of Israel to set up a sacrificial system where a family would come to the temple, usually with an animal, and that animal would be offered to cover the sins of the family for 1 year. This was done on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur and this was a very important day for the people of Israel as they remembered the seriousness of their sin and the mercy of God in covering their sin for the upcoming year… But what would have to happen the next year? They’d have to come right back and do the same thing! Why would they have to repeat these sacrifices? Because of what Hebrews 10:4 tells us

Hebrews 10:4 CSB

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

What do we need as humans? We don’t just need our sins to be covered… We need our sins to be forgiven! Our works can’t do this. The sacrifices of old couldn’t do this. We can’t do enough good things to remove our sins… We need something new, something better, something perfect. Enter Jesus Christ! We see 5 things about Jesus in these 2 verses:

He is the heir of all things

He made the Universe

He is the radiance of God’s glory

He Sustains all things

He made atonement for sins

There is a link between creation and salvation. The same God who created all things has a plan to redeem and save His people as well. The only way that this can happen is for God to intervene… and this is exactly what God does as our speaking God sends forth His Son to be this perfect sacrifice.

How could Jesus be this perfect sacrifice? The Bible tells us that Jesus is God in human flesh

Jesus isn’t just kind of like God. He isn’t just mostly like God. He is fully God! He never stopped being fully God. This is so important for us to understand and it is so easy to get confused. Ligoner Ministries conducts a “State of Theology” survey every other year and they published their results from the 2022 study a few weeks ago and one of statements that was apart of the survey was this: Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God. Jesus was created by God. In other words, Jesus isn’t fully God. How many Americans do you think agree with this statement? 10? 25? 33? Try 55% of Americans! Over half of Americans believe that Jesus isn’t truly God. This is called Arianism and it was declared a heresy 1700 years ago. Maybe you think that this is just something that non-Christians don’t really know and that Baptists like ourselves wouldn’t believe something obviously false according to Scripture. Try again! Among Evangelicals like us nearly 60% of people believe that Jesus was created by God and, thus, not truly God.

The only reason that Jesus Christ could be the perfect sacrifice for sinners like you and I on the cross was for Him to be both fully God and fully man, you know that right? The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God - not only do we sin but we have a fallen, sinful nature! Do you know why the virgin birth matters so much during Christmas time? What does Jesus not inherit from Adam? A fallen, sinful nature! Jesus, still fully man, lived a perfect sinless life while still being fully God and after 33 years gave His life as the perfect sacrifice for sinners. Only a man could die in the place of other humans and only God could endure the wrath of God against sin and this is what Jesus does - He makes purification for sins.

As the great sacrifice we might expect this to be the end of the story… but the Bible shares with us that Jesus is greater than the sacrifices of old. Jesus rose 3 days later from the dead after winning this victory and 40 days later He ascended back to heaven where the preacher of Hebrews tells us that He sat down! Do you know who couldn’t ever sit down and rest? The priests in the Old Testament! There was always another sacrifice to make. There was always more work to be done. There was always something else to do for themselves and for other people. Have you been in that mode before? There’s always something more to do and you never get to stop? Isn’t that exhausting at times! Jesus is not only the greater sacrifice as His death is sufficient for all of our sins, but He is also the greater priest as He doesn’t have to offer this sacrifice again… His work is done - so He sits down. This is what the people of Israel were waiting for for thousands of years. You know the sacrificial system was a means to an end, right? We wonder why did the people have to offer those sacrifices? Because the law demanded that sin be punished. The law points out that we are not good enough by ourselves and that we need help! The law points us to the cross where Jesus, the better priest and the better sacrifice, says the work is finished - I’ve got this.

The law points us to Jesus. If you wonder why the Old Testament is a big deal it’s because it’s an arrow pointing us to our desperate need for salvation and it points us to Jesus, the Savior who dies for sinners like you and I. After His work was done He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high - this is the highest position of power in the entire universe and a quotation from Psalm 110:1. Why would Jesus do all of this? How does He accomplish this victory? Because He is God in the flesh. He is the creator and sustainer of all things. Jesus tells His followers this in John 14 -

John 14:9 CSB

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Paul shares in Colossians 1:15 and 17 that

Colossians 1:15 CSB

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Colossians 1:17 CSB

17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.

How can we fully understand this? Consider for a moment the light given off by a star like our sun.

1. You cannot separate the rays of light from the sun - there is no time where you have a ray of light without the sun or vice versa. Likewise, the Father and Son are coeternal and equally God.

2. The ray of light isn’t different from the sun itself - it is simply its radiance. Likewise, whenever you see Jesus you see God’s glory.

3. You and I live millions of miles away from the sun and it takes those rays of light about 8 seconds to arrive to our planet… and those rays allow us to see the sun. Likewise, you and I are separated from God but through the work and person of Jesus Christ, we are able to see God the Father. Not just a picture of God but God in the flesh in all of its glory.

In all of Scripture, this is the only time that the Greek word for radiance (apaugasma) is used! This is significant, church! Jesus reveals who God is just as rays of sunlight reveal the sun to us. Just as the sun warms us with its presence from 93 million miles away, Jesus warms us with God’s presence and character. Jesus is God. He is the same substance as God… yet He humbled Himself and came to this world to sacrifice Himself as the once for all sacrifice for our sin. In doing this, Jesus reveals to us the Father. He also demonstrates what He told His disciples back in the Gospels that He came to serve.

Jesus is the Greater Servant (4)

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension, we are told that He is given the name that is above every other name. Jesus is exalted by the Father because of His obedience and faithfulness. In our world so many like to be served rather than serve others. There is this mentality in our brains that says that we want to give orders rather than receive and obey orders. Yet, the economy of God’s kingdom is upside down to our earthly economy today. The Bible isn’t against hard work, it certainly supports working hard! But the Bible is completely against earning our own way. The Bible is completely against the idea that we deserve our salvation or that we deserve what Jesus did for us on the cross. We don’t deserve to be served. We don’t deserve to be saved. We deserve to be separated from God because of our sins. We deserve death which is the result of sin as Romans 5 tells us. Yet, Jesus as the eternal Son of God didn’t deserve this. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us this

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus didn’t deserve to suffer… yet He suffered. Why? Because this was His purpose. His purpose was to come and serve others instead of being served by others.

Mark 10:45 CSB

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus doesn’t serve like the waiter at Colton’s. He doesn’t serve like the hostess at the family gathering. He doesn’t serve like an employee does to a boss. He doesn’t serve like an Angelic messenger… Jesus, like many messengers in God’s army, brought a message and served others but He alone did so as God’s only Son! He serves as a Son to His Father. Not only does Jesus carry with Him a better message as we find in Mark 1:15 that He brings the good news, but He Himself is a better messenger and a better servant who humbled Himself perfectly to the Father’s will. We’ll flesh this out more in the weeks to come but Jesus is contrasted with angels in the book of Hebrews and we have to ask ourselves why is this the case. People in the 1st century world didn’t fully understand angels being God’s messengers and people today don’t understand angels very well either. Consider what verse 4 tells us, Jesus became superior and inherited a more excellent name than theirs… What’s going on here, how was Jesus exalted even further? He’s God, so it’s not like He could improve upon that… But before His exaltation came His humiliation. Jesus came to this earth. He humbled Himself. He subjected Himself to suffering like we’ll never fully understand. He bore our sin and shame. He died in our place. Therefore, Philippians 2:5-11 tells us this

Philippians 2:9–11 CSB

9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Why is it a good thing that Jesus is a greater servant? Because if Jesus didn’t humble Himself to serve the will of the Father in the first place, you and I would be dead in our sins today. We wouldn’t have a Savior to call our Lord. It is a blessing that in God’s economy, humility is the way up and boasting is the way down. Isn’t that the reverse of our twisted, sinful world today? Follow the example of Jesus - don’t boast in yourself or your accomplishments or in someone you know or something they’ve done. Boast in Jesus and humble yourself. Follow in His example and serve others faithfully. Not because it’s easy but because that’s what He has done for us.

Because of What Jesus Has Done, We Must

Listen to His Words

AW Tozer once shared that “God’s Word is true whether we believe it or not. Human unbelief cannot alter the character of God.”

Whenever you read your Bible or spend time in prayer, do you find yourself in a rush to get on to the next thing in your day? We’re busy people, after all, and it can be so easy to try to carve out a quick 3-5 minute devotion and miss spending time genuinely listening to God’s Words and applying them to our lives. Even when it’s hard because of time or distractions or because of our feelings, our lives need the Word of God! God’s Word is true and it is for us - we need to listen to what God has to say and we need to apply it to our lives accurately.

Trust in His Plan

The same God who created all things is the same God who sent His Son to die on the cross and redeem us and is the same God who sustains us each minute of each day with His power and is the same God who guides us with His Spirit through each mountain and valley we face. If God has spoken to us through Jesus and if Jesus died in our place on the cross and if Jesus sat down because His work is finished, we surely can trust that He has a plan for what He has done and what He is doing.

While we may not fully understand His plan, we know that He’s at work. We know that He is good. We know that He has redeemed us and that He is with us as His children. If you’re a follower of Jesus today, trust in God’s perfect plan for your life regardless of the situation you find yourself in now.

Worship Him Alone

Donald Whitney in his book on Spiritual Disciplines shares that, “Worship is the God-centered focus and response of the soul; it is being preoccupied with God.” Whenever we worship Jesus for what He has done, we don’t do so in order to get something from Jesus or to make ourselves feel good… We primarily do so because Jesus is worthy of our worship! We don’t worship man, traditions, ideas, or ourselves… we worship our Savior and give Him thanks for what He has done! We don’t just worship through singing songs - singing is worship, but worship isn’t only singing - we worship our God with our attitude, through our conversations, through our actions, we worship God through prayer, preaching, teaching, and giving as well! We must make sure that we are worshipping Jesus alone in all that we do!

Words matter, and the Bible tells us clearly that our God has spoken! Not only did He create all things and not only does He sustain all things but the Bible tells us that He triumphs over all things and on the cross we see the greatest declaration of victory in history: It Is Finished. Victory is Accomplished. Paid In Full. Here’s where Hebrews leaves us today, though. Has the Speaking God of Scripture saved you from your sins? His work is finished. He is sitting down. But He is still saving souls today. His grace is still sufficient. His love is still life changing. His mercy is still greater than your sin. Have you repented of your sins and placed your faith in Christ as Lord? Are you living for Him as a new creation? Friend, if your answer is no then I ask you to consider why not. There is salvation through Jesus and through Him alone - He is the greater king, priest, and sacrifice. You and I are incapable of saving ourselves, yet Jesus delights in saving sinners like you and me! Trust in Him.

Maybe you’re here though and you are a follower of Christ but you’re wandering what’s next for you in your walk. Maybe you’re desiring to hear a fresh word from the Lord and you see others claiming that it’s happening to them and you feel left out. Friend, God’s Word is sufficient and Jesus is the final Word from the Lord. Stop seeking individual words from the Lord and seek the Word of the Lord and His will for your life. God has spoken to us all through His Son. Study Scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you seek to understand it.

May we all as individuals and as a church give thanks to God for what He has done through His Son in our place on the cross. May we rejoice and lift up a shout of praise that our God speaks, satisfies, sustains, and our God saves.

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