The Superiority of Christ (Part A)

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. So this this second verse, whoever wrote this as humans go, is pouring out these superlatives of doctrine and truth and glory concerning the one whom we love and who loves us even more.

If we were to bunch up all the love of all the Christians ever together, it still would not come close to the love that God has for us as individuals. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the Book of Hebrews.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more about Cross Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. But for now, let's join Pastor Rick in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter one, as he begins a brand new message called the Superiority of Christ. We're in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter one. We'll take verses one through four. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

We're told in our Bibles that man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. If you were to make a list of the greatest chapters of the Bible, this first chapter would be there. These first four verses that we've read this morning, they could have been a psalm. They are some of the most beautiful words that speak directly about our Savior, is why we believe he is the Son of God. Not the only reason, but in this section, there's enough to come away with understanding that God in Christ Jesus is indeed God the Son. They speak of his glory, as should every Christian.

Maybe you have a problem with gossiping. It would be a good idea to replace the gossip with the exaltation of Christ, talk about him. Now, last week we introduced this document, Hebrews, and we won't go into verse one too much this morning, except to say that it begins with, in our English Bibles, typically God. The Bible never tries to prove God.

It understands that God exists and expects that human beings would see it the same way. We talked about it a little bit last session, but I will take this from Romans 1. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. So God says, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Well, that is the beginning of, of course, this paragraph, but we're going to go right to verse two. And again, this is one of the essential sections of scripture that teach us something about Jesus Christ that you're not going to find outside of the revelation of God's word, at least not in authority.

You'll find Christians preaching it because it has first been said here. Verse two, as in these last days spoken to us by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world. Now, the last days began with the coming of Christ.

And I'm going to take some scriptures to point that out because it is important to us. The prophets of the Old Testament have much to say about the day of the Lord and the end times. And the New Testament has much to say about the last days, which again began with the coming of Christ.

Hebrews 9, verse 26, he then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world, but now, once, at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. First Corinthians 10, verse 11, now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. You see, Paul is saying, these things were written for us, the New Testament church, and the end of the ages has come to us.

Now, of course, we think in terms of the end of the ages now, this year, this week. The Bible is, of course, much more extensive than that in its scope, but it has its lost souls in mind. Again, Acts, chapter 2, verses 16 and 17, but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And so Peter knew it was the last days. And finally, Peter again, knowing this, 2 Peter, chapter 3, verse 3, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts.

Scoffers against Jesus Christ. And so these are the last days. And so God, who at various times and in various ways spoke to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us, as it says in verse 2, by his Son. Now, this spoken to us by his Son. Again, the subject is not our salvation. That's important to each and every one of us, and it's important enough to God to have his Son die on a cross for us.

But without God being first, there is no salvation. And so he starts off with his subject, not the salvation or the blessing, but it is Jesus. It is all about Jesus to us.

Remove Jesus and we are left with nothing, as the lost soul is left with nothing but judgment. Now, Christ does not speak himself in this Hebrew document, but the message, the message of Christ is all through it. And he is the message. When we preach the gospel, we preach Jesus Christ.

He is the message. Luke's gospel chapter 9. Then a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my beloved son, hear him.

So you catch the connection. There were the apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration, and they were very mindful of Moses and the prophets, Elijah, and all the Old Testament that we have. And yet the father spoke and said, it is my son.

The prophets, Moses, the writings, they were about him. It is all about Jesus. If you get that right, you've got it right.

If you get that wrong, you may be doomed. This is our message, again in John's gospel. This is at the wedding of Cana. And in this little snapshot of a very human scene at a wedding, when his earthly mother was flustered, they ran out of wine, and she called to him.

And of course, he said, woman, now is not my time. And she dismisses that, and she says to the servants, whatever he says, do it, he is the one. All the attention was shifted off of everyone at that instant to Jesus Christ. And it seems to be such a little piece of scripture, and yet the Holy Spirit has deemed it to be the word of God. We take it, John chapter 2, verse 5. His mother said to the servants, whatever he says to you, do it. Nothing has diminished the authority and the force of those words.

To this day, it is still in force. To this day, we who believe, follow those instructions. God still speaks. But through what he has spoken and not outside of, that is how the sects and the cults are born. God's final revelation was given to man in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the message from the Godhead. And so we read again, verse 2, has in these last days spoken to us by his son. Everything now filtered through Christ.

Every thought, whether it was something as good or bad. If I should do something or not do something, the believer filters it through Christ. What does Christ say?

What is his position on this? Would this displease him? Would it honor him? Would it bless others in his name?

Or would it be a false blessing because it is outside of his name? Every work is of Christ. And so heaven has been silent because God has nothing to add.

The work is finished. Christ says it all. He alone is superior and sufficient for the behavior of human beings.

Colossians chapter 2, you are complete in him, who is the head of principality and power. How many Christians don't believe they're complete in him? So they get bored with Jesus Christ.

They get bored with the word and they look for something else to supplement it. God's word needs no improvement. Our relationship, our walk with him does.

We don't need something new. We need fresh experiences in the existing revelation of God. All of this amplifies the messianic prophecies that spoke centuries before he was coming.

So many details that only he could fulfill. How many people have been born since the days of the prophets? And how many people have fulfilled the prophecies of Jesus Christ? Only one, Isaiah, when he writes, for unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. You see, when we speak has spoken to us in these last days through his son. Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. And the government will be upon his shoulders and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. And so this second verse, whoever wrote this as humans go, is pouring out these superlatives of doctrine and truth and glory concerning the one whom we love and who loves us even more. If we were to bunch up all the love of all the Christians ever together, it still would not come close to the love that God has for us as individuals, as in these last days spoken to us by his son. This son is unlike anyone else's son.

There's no comparison. If God has spoken to man, therefore he has a purpose for man. Not like the deists who believe God sort of started things and then walked away and let them run their own course to destruction. That's what the deists believe.

We know better. We know God has a plan, a purpose, and that he is very much involved with us. And had they turned to this first paragraph of the Hebrews, they would have received that information because we're going to find out he sustains all things to this very moment. Continues in verse 2, whom he has appointed heir of all things.

The Godhead, God the Father. Now when you think of Jesus, you have to sort of think of him this way when you come to verses that suggest to those not mindful of the whole scripture, you have to be mindful that there is Jesus according to his role as Messiah. And then there is Jesus, self-existent, eternal, glorious, proceeding from the Father.

And if you miss that, then you may fall into confusion. And that's what the cults do. When the cults see that scripture verses say, well, the Father appointed him, therefore he's less than the Father, therefore he's not equal with God.

That's how they reason it away and they are wrong. And there's no excuse for it because there's ample evidence in scripture. For instance, when Paul writes to the Philippians, he says, equal with the Father.

There's not that that just rules out objections to his deity. And so when the Bible talks this way, it is because there is the role of Messiah. He came as an infant and grew up through the years. And so here he says, whom he has appointed heir of all things. He is exalted.

The heir receives everything that belongs to the Father because he is equal. All that belongs to the Father belongs to him in glory and honor and majesty. Because as I mentioned, he has come forth from the Father. That is the source out of the Godhead. Same with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit proceeds forth from the Godhead. Throughout scripture we find God the Father and God the Son equal in fact of deity. The Son constantly, gladly, eager to do the will of the Father. And the Father, just as gladly, constantly, even excited about exalting the Son because of the love, because of the essence of what we know as the Trinity. The Word doesn't need to be in the scripture.

The fact needs to be there. And so, and it is there, he shares this inheritance with us. The love doesn't stop.

Love flows downward. It comes from the Father to us through the Son because without him it would never arrive. We would be in our sins.

But he has removed that obstacle. Galatians chapter 4, Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then heir of God through Christ. Romans 8 17, If children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together. So he includes us. He brings us into this inheritance and we're going to get to that as we go through the Hebrews. It's so powerful.

I want to get there now but I don't want to get off course. Through whom he made the worlds. You could translate the worlds here from the Greek or the ages. That is everything.

It doesn't leave anything out. It predates Genesis 1 1. Which prophet, which king, which human being or priest, has he appointed this distinction? Through whom he made the worlds?

None. No human king, no human priest, no human prophet, though he has within him the office of all of these towards us. Jesus is the creator. Now if you if you need other scripture verses I'm going to give you a list. Now remember, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So why would we skip words? The names are different.

We get the chronicles we'll be skipping names all the time. The word of God. God says I will honor my word above my name. Psalm 138 2. Anyway, Jesus the creator, John 1 3, Ephesians 3 9, Colossians 1 16 and 17, Revelation 4 11, Revelation 10 5 and 6, Revelation 14 and verse 7, Jeremiah 51 verses 15 to 19 coupled with those New Testament verses.

We have to get to this. The Yahweh of the Old Testament is the Yahweh of the Jesus of the new. We go went through this in Zechariah. We see Yahweh the father speaking to Yahweh the son, leaving no room for it to be any other way. And so through which man or angel has he made the ages?

None. And it says again through whom he made the world. Now here we'll take Colossians 1 verses 16 through 17 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 power.

All things were created through him and for him and he is before all things and in him all things consist. Sounds mighty godlike to me. So you see they're at it without excuse when they come along and say Christ is not God the son.

That's why I say it that way so often. We say you know the son of God. There are those that trick themselves into thinking well that he's demoted. He's less than God. He's not.

He's equal to. Our entire belief system hinges on this. This is what makes a cult a cult. The Jehovah's Witnesses. The Mormons. Those who you know Herbert W. Armstrong.

Some of you remember him. Cultists denying the deity of Christ. Christian Science.

There's no science in them whatsoever. They're liars out of the starting gate. It's gibberish and the list goes on. Sun Young Moon and his Unification Church. Scientology and all the other. They're cults. They use the Bible but they don't believe it.

They don't receive it and it's so plain speak here in English and Chinese and Greek and any other language. When it is translated it is so clear the fact is here. Does it have to say that he is God? Come right out. He is God.

They still would have a problem with that. And so he demonstrates it. It's the same with love. Romans chapter 5.

God demonstrates his love in that while we were still sinners Christ Jesus died for us. He demonstrated it. The fact. That's the fact right there. You can tell someone you love them and then behave as though you don't.

Or you cannot say you love them and behave as though you do. NASA goes to great lengths to make contact with extraterrestrials. Anyone out there listening?

They send signals out in different languages. These are otherwise intelligent people of spiritual fools because God has spoken in these last days through his son and they're not receiving it. They're not speaking to him. They're not seeking for him.

They want aliens. Not gonna go there. They're not listening. They will not read. They will not heed. They will not believe.

I'm talking about the unbelieving scientists because there are many good scientists that are believers. So this is what Zechariah brought up to the people in his day. He was talking about their ancestors. He said but they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. But God has spoken in these last days through his son. Shrug their shoulders.

They don't want to hear it. Verse 3 continuing about Jesus Christ who being the brightness of his glory the brightness of the glory of the Father and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he by himself purged our sins sat down at the right hand of majesty on high better than the prophets. No prophet ever accomplished any of these things only Christ. Again it is a distinction who being the brightness of his glory the radiance the outshining the rays of the father who would God can receive such such talk. Only God. This is about Jesus Christ as is Paul writing to the to Timothy he says who alone has immortality dwelling in unapproachable light whom no man has seen or can see to whom be honor and everlasting power amen. That is for the father but it is all through also for Jesus Christ above his role as messiah in his essence who he is. Yes we could see him in the role of messiah but that's not all there is to him and that's why when he prayed in John 17 that he would return to the glory he had with his father before the world began because he comes forth from his father he never lost that he just set it on the side for a little bit and not all of it his sovereignty but not his deity so he allowed them to crucify him because his sovereignty was set on the side he could have activated it he said that I you know I could call legions of angels or I could just do it myself but he did not and that comes into this what we're talking about because that is Jesus in the role of messiah second thessalonians concerning antichrist in the last of the last days and we believe all the indicators are saying not only are we this present church present believers not only are we in the last days but we are in the last of the last days because of israel that's the time stamp an antichrist things are getting ready for him you know it was a time we just could not fulfill the prophecies in revelation the technology was not there it's here you can move vast armies within hours across the globe you could not do that before the weapons of mass destruction we've moved from catapults nuclear weapons the moab bomb that one him sounds scary second thessalonians speaking of christ returned to destroy antichrist then the lawless one will be revealed whom the lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming and that's what we're talking about the brightness of his coming because it says look with me again in verse 3 who being the brightness of his glory now he had that glory from all eternity that's what he said on the side in the role of messiah he says and the express image of god the greek is very clear he is an exact a stamp an exact and so when god made himself visible in human form it was jesus christ in the old testament when god made appearances in human form called a christophany it was jesus christ colossians 1 verse 15 he is the image of the invisible god the first born over all creation and see the cults they get there and it's the first born of all creations he was born he was not always he just ruled out what everything else everything else that has been said he is the first in line because he's demonstrated according to his messiah's ship he became human so he can set this pattern up before us engraved a single word this express image it's a single word in the greek what is god like if someone is not a born-again christian say what is god like how can i know what what offends him what delights him what does he think of me what does he think of my enemies what does he think of how i should treat my enemies you've been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of pastor rick yaston of calvary chapel in mechanicsville virginia as we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast today's teaching is available free of charge at our website simply log on to crossreferenceradio.com that's crossreferenceradio.com we'd also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from pastor rick you can subscribe at crossreference radio.com or simply search for cross reference radio in your favorite podcast app tune in next time as pastor rick continues teaching through the book of hebrews right here on cross reference radio