Hebrews: God Has Spoken to Us Part 3

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Today we begin a new series through the book of Hebrews titled The Supremacy of Christ. Pastor Rich will be in chapter 1, 1-4 as we look at God as the Great Communicator. Verse 1 tells us that God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son. God did not speak from afar, but drew near to us through the person of Jesus Christ.

Let's listen in. This is the third part of a message from Hebrews 1, 1-4 called God Has Spoken to Us in Person. It was first preached at Grace Bible Church on April 15, 2012. But He purged our sins, and when He had done that, He sat back down at the right hand of the majesty on high. The Trinity's back together again. Picture this, there are three chairs appear, and the three chairs represent the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God forever has been community, three persons in one, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And because God is love, it is His nature, and it compels Him to draw others to Himself, which is why you had a perfect community in the Trinity. And because His love compelled Him to draw others, He decided to create others in His image so that He could draw them to Himself. And so He creates mankind.

And what does mankind do? He chooses His own way and says, I think I know better, and He goes away and He rebels against God, and that rebellion separates man from God. And so the Father says, that hurts. I created Him for myself.

I want that rebellious child. And so the Father says, Son, you go. And the Son goes.

That's this one. He shows up in person, and He communicates the message. And what does He do? He purges our sins.

What happens? He takes upon Him. He absorbs the wrath of God that you and I deserve, so that we then can be brought back into fellowship with the Father. And once again, there is community with God in man. That's what Jesus accomplished. That's the message that He communicated. That's a pretty unique message, don't you think? It's a unique, He's a unique communicator, and He's presenting a very unique message.

We are invited to enjoy Him, enjoy Him together. 1 Peter 3.18, He suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. So why did this unique person show up in person to communicate?

Reconciliation and community. What a God. And His perfect and ultimate self-revelation is in this person of Jesus Christ. God has made Himself known, and He has come and He showed up in person to communicate to you and me these truths. You see, what there is here, we have in verse 3 and 4, is an unqualified uniqueness. Verse 4, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. The angels were venerated by the Jews. Of course, God was higher than the angels, but this man who came, this one who showed up in person, it became very, very clear that he wasn't just another man, and he certainly wasn't just an angel. He was so much better than the angels. There is an unqualified uniqueness about this communicator.

There is an unequaled exclusivity about this communicator, based on His very essence, His character, and upon His work, and what He accomplished when He showed up in person. So there may be some out here today who are saying, you know, I'm considering my options. Do you know that's exactly why the letter was written to the Hebrews? Because they were saying, right now I'm considering my options. When the church began, it was all Jewish.

And there were many Jews who had become affiliated and associated with Christianity, but you know what? They're saying, you know, I'm not sure I signed up for this, because there's a lot of persecution that comes along with this. I mean, you really have to commit your life to this guy. And they were teetering on the fence, and they're saying, you know, I'm considering my options. I think I might just go back to Judaism.

It's a little safer. I know what I'm supposed to be doing there. All the rules are clearly laid out. This Christianity and grace stuff and following Jesus and getting hurt for it, I'm not sure that I sign up for that. And so the letter to the Hebrews is written. And here is the point, here is the main thrust of this letter to the Hebrews.

By this point, we can understand the whole book and what's written in this book. The main thrust of the letter of Hebrews is the futility of any religious system that ignores the supremacy of Christ's work. The futility of any religious system which ignores the supremacy of Christ and Christ's work. In other words, there's no equal.

There's no equal. And this statement, this truth, is key to understanding everything that's written in this letter to the Hebrews. God has spoken in person and he has communicated his forgiveness, his love, his hope, and a life abounding with purpose both now and for all time. That's what he communicates. And it comes through this person, the one who said, I am the way, the truth, and life. No one comes to the Father but by me. That one, he's the one who communicated. And he had every right and authority to say that.

Why? Because he is God. C.S. Lewis was a master at word pictures. And in mere Christianity, he presents a word picture of what Christ did when he came and he showed up in person. Listen to this.

And this, you know, from the context of the 50s and 60s back, the 40s and 50s back then, you know, when he's, C.S. Lewis writes this, one may think of a diver first reducing himself to nakedness, then glancing midair, and then gone with a splash, vanished, rushing down through the green and warm water into black and cold water, down through the increasing pressure into the death-like region of ooze and slime and old decay, and then back up again, back to color and light, his lungs almost bursting until suddenly he breaks the surface again, holding in his hand the dripping precious thing he went down to recover. That dripping precious thing is you and I. That's why this one showed up in person.

So what? What does this mean for you and me? I would present here this morning a threefold application depending on who the application is for. If you are here this morning and you are a believer, you are a committed follower of Jesus Christ, you have surrendered yourself in faith to Jesus, then the application I would present is this. Remember, God's approach is personal communication.

God uses the personal touch. He didn't set up an educational system or a dynamic seminar event. He didn't throw money at our problem or establish a political platform.

You know what else? He didn't walk away. He had every right to, but he did not walk away. Instead, he showed up in person to restore you to himself. So Christians, let's be sure that our mode of operation is the same as his, as his commissioned ministers of reconciliation, personal communication. And remember this, the first person you must always preach the gospel to is yourself. To the person here today who might be, who might consider themselves religious, you might be a very moral person. You might even be a Christian, but you consider yourself a moralist.

You have very high standards and you think everybody else ought to be adhering those high standards as well, because you believe that every day you have to show God that you're okay to him. To you, I would say, God didn't speak to us in person to compel us to morality. Jesus didn't come. God didn't show up in person to peddle a lifestyle. He came to offer reconciliation to God. And that's what makes all the difference. Have you been reconciled to God?

I'm not asking you how good you are. I'm asking you, have you been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ? This one who communicates. You see, because his work of redemption is complete, at the end of verse 3, what does it say he did? He sat down. You know what that means? That means his work was done. You can't add to it. Your goodness and your morality cannot add to it. If there may be someone here today who is non-religious, you would not consider yourself Christian.

You might be sitting here this morning saying, you know, I'm considering my options. To you, I would say this. If you can find an equal to Jesus Christ, then go ahead and consider your options. But here's my guarantee. Your honest search, your honest study will lead you to the conclusion that Jesus Christ is unequaled.

Don't settle for less, because eternity hangs in the balance. This is the one who said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.

He had every right and authority to say that. One, because he is God. And two, his work of redemption, his unique unequaled work of redemption.

He has no equals. J. Sidlow Baxter said, in the super miracle of the incarnation, our very creator, preserver, and judge becomes our kinsman, sin-bearer, redeemer. Of all miracles and mysteries, this is the most staggering. God has spoken to us in person, and this is what it means. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.