3) Hebrews - Jesus is Highly Exaulted
Notes
Transcript
“Be Reconciled to God”
Root of Fruit Sin addressed “Unbelief, Pride, Selfishness”
Gathering
Hand Out-Catechism - Reading Plan
Call to Worship
1 Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the future he will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations. 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced before you as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils. 4 For you have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as you did on the day of Midian. 5 For every trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this. 8 The Lord sent a message against Jacob; it came against Israel. 9 All the people— Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—will know it. They will say with pride and arrogance, 10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with cut stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.” 11 The Lord has raised up Rezin’s adversaries against him and stirred up his enemies. 12 Aram from the east and Philistia from the west have consumed Israel with open mouths. In all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is still raised to strike. 13 The people did not turn to him who struck them; they did not seek the Lord of Armies. 14 So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail, palm branch and reed in a single day. 15 The head is the elder, the honored one; the tail is the prophet, the one teaching lies. 16 The leaders of the people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up. 17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over Israel’s young men and has no compassion on its fatherless and widows, for everyone is a godless evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. In all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is still raised to strike. 18 For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets so that they go up in a column of smoke. 19 The land is scorched by the wrath of the Lord of Armies, and the people are like fuel for the fire. No one has compassion on his brother. 20 They carve meat on the right, but they are still hungry; they have eaten on the left, but they are still not satisfied. Each one eats the flesh of his arm. 21 Manasseh eats Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh; together, both are against Judah. In all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is still raised to strike.
Corporate Prayer -
Worship through Song
Scripture Reading John 1:1-18, Phil 2:5-11, Col 1:15-18
Worship through Song
Worship through Song
Sermon
Prayer
Introduction
Introduction
Go ahead and open up your bibles to Hebrews chapter 1. lets read and refresh our selves with where we are at:
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.
The author is writing to a Jewish group of people who have believers and unbelievers in their church. In the gathering. There is persecution and many doubts and questions among these people. There are groups that are struggling to deal with some of their beliefs. For the gentiles to believe and to have faith in Jesus was completely new and they almost had a clean slate in their minds to build off of. They had come to believe in the cornerstone and were building off of that.
However the Jews had thousands of years of history and deep deep traditions that were completely challenged by Christ. Not only that they had all of this built off of God’s words as he spoke through the prophets in the old testament. They have had to come to face with the fact that their understanding of the word of God was wrong. That they had come to wrong conclusions and that sin had seeped into the religious community and leaders. And on top of all of that the new Christian believers were kicked out of the community that they had known and grown up in. To believe in Christ was to deny most of your life.
We don’t face that very often here. We don’t get kick out of our homes or community if we claim Jesus as Lord. Some parts of the world that is a reality and for some in our country who have migrated here with their families this is a reality for them. They risk being kicked out of the family but that is not the majority of Americans. Here we can believe anything we want and sometimes the crazier it is the more it is welcomed.
One of the problems is that there are no consequences here to claim Christ as Lord. This maybe changing little by little but for the most part it is true. It wasn’t very long ago that to add your church service or church affiliation to you resume or business website was a positive. Now probably not so much. But in the readers time it wasn’t very positive culturally so they needed to be reminded of who Jesus what and what he accomplished.
So far he has encouraged them to take heed of Jesus’ words that he spoke. That as the prophets of old spoke God’s words today it is Jesus. He encouraged them to remember Jesus’ place in place in relation to God’s creation. He is the heir of all. He has always been the one to receive the Father’s inheritance but it wasn’t given until after the work of Christ was accomplished on the cross. Everything in the heaven and on earth have been given to him as heir.
He has reminded them that not only did he receive everything created but he was the God’s agent in creation. That space, matter, time, and energy were all instantaneously created when they were spoke into existence and this was done through Jesus.
Then he reminded them of his Glory, that Jesus it the radiance of God and the exact expression of God nature. That all that God is is seen in Christ and all the Christ is reveals the Father to us. If you want to know what or who God is then we look to the Son to Jesus to Christ, to Christ alone.
This is who the Son is. He is exalted above all others because:
We have seen what he has, inheritance All Things
What he did, all creation,
What he is, All God the physical and spiritual representation of God,
And today we will look at
What he is doing, Sustaining all
What He accomplished, Purification of all sin
What he has authority over.
Sustains All Things
Sustains All Things
Hebrews 1:3 (CSB)
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
He is Sustaining all things. The word here means to uphold or to maintain. or to cause or remain to last. It is the active work to bring something to completion or to uphold something in perpetuity, forever. The author claims that it is by Jesus that everything that we know and don’t know it maintained by the Messiah. by Jesus himself. The use of this word is uniquely used here. No other place in the bible it it used in this way.
17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
What does he sustain:
All things means to count each one individually. Jesus is not maintaining and sustaining things from a distant and removed hand. He is intimately involved in each and every thing that is happening in our world. Every physical and spiritual aspect of our existence is sustained by Jesus.
How does he do this by his powerful word.
power n. — possession of controlling influence; often understood as manifesting influence over reality in a supernatural manner.
Jesus has the ultimate influence over everything that is happening in the world around us. It is his influence that sustains the world and he is so powerful that he completes this by his word. by his statements. Since he has stated it will be so then it will be so. There is no power that an even attempt to challenge Jesus on this.
Jesus must not be dependent on creation if it is he who sustains it. Creation is dependent on him not the other way around. This means that Jesus had to be in existence before creation or he wouldn’t be able to be the one to maintain it.
We also see that Jesus is active in the details of the world. He does not sit back and see how things will turn out. It is he himself that moves the world forward to his goals.
Purifies All Things
Purifies All Things
Hebrews 1:3 (CSB)
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.
After making purification for sins.
purification (ceremonial) n. — a ceremonial cleansing from defilement or uncleanness by the performance of appropriate rites.
Purification describes the actions required to cleans a person of their sins or their guilt. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, they incurred guilt from their disobedience. Man and God are now separated. Fellowship with God has been broken and Because God is holy He is set apart and different he is sacred. And because he is holy then he cannot be in the presence of evil of those that are not holy.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with you.
The sin of man separated man from God.
2 But your iniquities are separating you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not listen.
Because sinful man cannot approach God and the Holy God cannot abide with sinful men the a mediator is required. A mediator is a:
An intermediary who intervenes between two separated parties, with the aim of achieving reconciliation and fellowship.
Throughout the scriptures God has appointed intermediaries between himself and man. We see this in Abraham and Moses and then the priests. The priests were to be mediators between man and God. They would perform the ceremonial rites that would purify the people. I heard somewhere it is like a wall that goes up between man and God when a person sins. The priests would perform the sacrifices and the wall would come down but go right back up. So there had to be a constant flow of sacrifices to mediate between man and God.
Yet the author of Hebrews writes that Jesus made purification for sins. He who was sinless. He who was without guilt. He who has no iniquity was the final mediator of mankind.
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.
Jesus acted as the final priest making the final atonement sacrifice. On the day atonement in the OT the high priest would perform a special set of sacrifices that would pay the penalty for the sins, satisfy God Justice, purge the sins from Isreal. However it wasn’t enough. It could never be enough. Even though the priest would mediate man would continue to dive head first into sin each and every moment of every day.
So Jesus came as priest and mediator and was also the sacrifice. The ceremonial cleansing was performed by the only perfect priest on the only perfect blemish free sacrifice and in doing so took the complete wrath of God’s justice on is own person.
He came to the gap between God’s holiness and mans accrued guilt and took the punishment that man deserved and then gave to man what man needed to be reconciled to God. His own righteousness. And in doing so he went to the cross and cried out it is finished and then died and was resurrected on the third day overcoming the grave.
After this was accomplished he sat down at the right hand of God.
It was this action, the purification of sins, the final atonement where Jesus is given his inheritance and he is given the seat of highest authority as king over all.
12 But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.
20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—
We will come back to all of these topics through out Hebrews but now Jesus sits.
Authority over All
Authority over All
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.
Not only did Jesus do this but he also foretold it would happen
62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
And after the resurrection we see:
19 So the Lord Jesus, after speaking to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
In the temple there was a place called the holy of holies. This was where the presence of God would come. And now we see God in the most holy place seated at the right hand of the father.
The right hand is symbolic of the highest place of authority. There in no one or no being that has more authority than Jesus. Everything is under him and nothing is over him.
We see symbolism here in the fact that he sits. In the temple there were no chairs. there was just sacrifice after sacrifice. It is very symbolic that Jesus sits at the completion of his priestly activity.
But even though the greatest event in the history of mankind has been accomplish. To be reconciled to God. What is more important than that. Not our homes, our marriages, our children, our own lives. What is life as an enemy of God. Some may say pretty good but I would have to disagree. It is hollow and shallow, fleeting and temporary. We live in a time where we get to see the lives of the wealthy. How does that look. We get to see the lives of the powerful. How does that look. We get to see the lives of kings and the lives of people who have nothing in this world and in the end it is all for nothing without reconciliation to God. Without the removal of the burden being slaves to our own sinful nature we continue down the same roads over and over.
12 But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. 13 He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
In term of being under the authority of a king we really struggle with this as we have such deep knowledge of the issues with people in power but our king is different. He is not a tyrant or an aloof prideful, arrogant ruler.
6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.
He is wonderful counselor, full of wisdom, perfect wisdom, he is mighty God, eternal father, and the prince of peace.
It is a hard concept for many to grasp that to believe that Christ is King and that he has authority over us is the most freeing place in the world. We are free from the constant bondage of selfish sin, we get to experience for the first time sacrificial love and being sacrificially loved. The Jews wanted a messiah that would come and remove all authority. But what we have instead is the perfect authority. The blessed authority.
He sustains his authority through justice and righteousness.
He is exalted above all others and in worthy of all praise and worship.
He sits in authority but is still active in the world and the lives of people.
Conclusion
Conclusion
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.
Holy, Holy, Holy : Is our Lord Almighty. Who did Isaiah see. He saw Jesus and He was being worshiped.
The writer of Hebrews is reminding or teaching them who this Lord who sits on the throne is and why he sits there. That unlike so many kings he is worthy of this position and has been put there and Exalted by God.
He is exalted above all others because:
he is all wise: spoken
He owns all: Everything has been given to him as heir
He created everything: nothing was made outside of him.
He is all God, Therefore he is Holy Holy Holy
He is all powerful as he maintains all life as we know it.
He has paid for all sin as the perfect mediator, priest and sacrifice
He has all authority
What are we to do with this ourselves. We are to realize that we fight many of the same thoughts and action that the Jewish Christians were dealing with. Doubts and questions, struggles and trials. If God is all of these things then who are we?
We have been spoken too.
We are co-heirs with him. Adopted Children
We were made by him.
He shows us God
We are dependent on him as sustainer and he is in control.
We are saved and reconciled to God because of him.
He is our authority above every other name.
These truths should effect our faith in God our trust in him. Our perspective of him. We need to stop minimizing God to our standards making him just better than man and realize the true nature and authority of who he is.
We will continue to develop these ideas as we continue through the book.
London Baptist Confession of 1689
Christ the Mediator1 It pleased God, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them both, to be the mediator
between God and man; the prophet, priest, and king; head and saviour of the church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world; unto whom he did from all eternity give a
people to be his seed and to be by him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.
5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 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.
Prayer
Communion
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Prayer
Song
Closing
Blessing/Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.