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JESUS THE GREATEST
GLENN PEASE
CHAPTER 1 THE GREATEST REVELATION
CHAPTER 2 THE GREATEST
VOICE Based on Heb. 1:2
CHAPTER 3 THE GREATEST
WEALTH Based on Heb. 1:2
CHAPTER 4 THE GREATEST CREATOR
CHAPTER 5 THE
GREATEST GLORY Based on Heb. 1:3
CHAPTER 6 THE GREATEST
IMAGE Based on Heb. 1:3
CHAPTER 7 THE GREATEST
SUSTAINER Based on Heb. 1:3
CHAPTER 8 THE GREATEST
SACRIFICE Based on Heb. 1:3
CHAPTER 9 THE GREATEST
RULER Based on Heb. 1:3
CHAPTER 10 THE GREATEST
NAME Based on Heb. 1:4
CHAPTER 11 THE GREATEST
SON Based on Heb. 1:5
CHAPTER 12 THE GREATEST
JOY Based on Heb. 1:9
INTRODUCTION
History has many who
in some way earned the name great. They did things that motivated people to add
great to their first name, such as Alexander the Great, Herod the Great, and
Catherine the Great. But nowhere in history has the name greatest been added to
a name. Many have become the greatest in certain categories, such as the
greatest mountain climber, the greatest runner, the greatest artist of a
certain period, the greatest mind, the greatest scientist, and the greatest in
numerous areas of achievement. But none have been called Alexander the
Greatest, or Einstein the Greatest. This makes sense, for no person can be
called the greatest until history is over, for no matter how great a person has
been in any area of life, someone might come along and be greater yet. Nobody
has, nor can, attain to the heights of being worthy of the name Greatest. No
one, that is, but Jesus. He alone is worthy of the name Jesus the Greatest, for
He alone has attained a level beyond which it is impossible to go. No one in
the past, and no one in the future can be greater than Jesus, and that is the
point of the book of Hebrews. It is a message so stressed in the first three
verses that there is no place in the Bible where Jesus is more exalted than in
these verses. The highest Christology you will find anywhere is right here in
verses 2 and 3 of this first chapter of Hebrews. Before we look at what they
say about Jesus being the greatest lets look at an introduction to the book as
a whole, which I call God’s Greatest Commercial.
GOD’S GREATEST
COMMERCIAL Introduction to Hebrews
The book of Hebrews could
be called God’s Greatest Commercial. Commercials are designed to tell people
that their product is the best. It is better than what you are now using, and
so switch to what is better. This whole book is saying switch to Jesus, come
back to Jesus, or never leave Jesus, for he is superior to all others. He is
better than the angels in heaven and the priesthood on earth. He is the best,
and so why give yourself to the lesser? Like commercials this book does a lot
of comparing of values in order to show that Jesus is better. All products
claim they are better than their competitors, and that is what Jesus is, the
best of what God has given. He is the final product and the most improved of
all God has given to man. Competition is a major issue in life, for there is so
much calling for our time and commitment, and we need to be able to choose the
best and give it priority in our lives, and that priority goes to Jesus if we
listen to this book.
This book is very
judgmental in that it says all other persons and values are not as good as
Jesus. They may have been okay before Jesus, but now that he has come and
finished the work of atonement, there is nothing better. He is the best, and it
is time to switch from what you are now exalting to the highest level and put
Jesus there. If you think your soap is good, now is the time to use Jesus for
he gets all things whiter, for even your soul needs to be cleansed from the
stains of sin. There is none better. God gave much good in the Old Testament,
but now we have the new and improved offer of forgiveness by a better way.
The commercial often
says come now, call now, buy now. There is urgency about the message, and so it
is here, for now is the time of salvation, and we must not wait, or drift from
it or neglect it. Someone has put together this outline that shows the whole
book is designed to promote that Jesus is better.
Jesus - The New And
Better Deliverer - Ch. 1-7
1. Jesus the God-Man - better than angels - (Ch. 1-2)
2. Jesus the new Apostle - better than Moses - (Ch. 3)
3. Jesus the new Leader - better than Joshua - (Ch. 4:1-13)
4. Jesus the new Priest - better than Aaron - (Ch. 4:14- 7)
B. Calvary - The New And Better Covenant - Ch. 8 - 10:18)
1. New covenant has better promises - (8:6-13)
2. And it has a better sanctuary- (9:1-14)
3. And it has a better sacrifice - (9:15-18)
4. And it achieves far better results - (10:1-18)
I have put this list
together of how Jesus is better just in this first chapter. Like any good
commercial, it shows us that Jesus is better than all who have gone before Him.
Better Messenger-the
Son
Better than prophets
Better than angels
Better power
source-the king of universe
Better name than
angels
Better relation to the
Father
Better in permanence
Better joy v. 9
Better victory that is
complete v. 13
Another list I have
put together shows how these first few verses exalt the superiority of Jesus.
1. He is superior as a
spokesman.
2. He is superior as a
son.
3. He is superior in
status. Heir
4. He is superior as
source. Creator of all
5. He is superior in
splendor.
6. He is superior in
substance. Exact replica of Father
7. He is superior as
sustainer.
8. He is superior as
sacrifice.
9. He is superior as
sovereign.
Advertising is an over
100 billion dollar a year industry and affects all of us throughout our lives.
We are each exposed to over 2000 ads a day, constituting perhaps the most
powerful educational force in society. The average American will spend one and
one-half years of his or her life watching television commercials. The ads sell
a great deal more than products. They sell values, images, and concepts of
success and worth, love and sexuality, popularity and normalcy. They tell us
who we are and who we should be. Sometimes they sell addictions. Advertising is
the foundation and economic lifeblood of the mass media. The primary purpose of
the mass media is to deliver an audience to advertisers, just as the primary
purpose of television programs is to deliver an audience for commercials.
Bill Walsh writes
about what commercials say about us, and he tells us what we already know, and
that is that a good commercial has to capture our attention, and one of the
best ways to do that is by using a celebrity. He writes, "Real-life celebrities
like Michael J. Fox with that Pepsi ad where he was trying to sneak a Pepsi
during an opera and wound up on stage, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan trying to
out-do each other with trick basketball shots, and even football's Mean Joe
Greene, discouraged and limping, tossing his game shirt to some little kid who
offers him a Coke, are here also. What they all have in common, I think, is a
unique and instantaneously recognizable personality. It's interesting, although
it's carefully planned, that we often tend to link commercial products with
their spokespeople. It tends to humanize an otherwise inanimate commercial
commodity. And it works."
In this book of
Hebrews God is using the most celebrated celebrity of all time to get the
attention of Christians who may be tempted to go back to a lesser product,
which is the Old Testament system of sacrifice as a basis for forgiveness of
sin, and the legalism of the law as the basis for salvation. Jesus is the most
universal celebrity. In Italy Garibaldi is a great hero, but other nations do
not even know of him. In Germany they can celebrate Bismarck, but in France it
will be Napoleon, which England despises. Washington is a great hero in
America, but the rest of the world does not give him any attention at all. The only
person of universal fame is Jesus. The greatest commercial calls for the
greatest celebrity. If you want people to buy golf equipment you use Tiger
Woods. You use the best of who is related to your product to associate your
product with greatness. This motivates people to want your product so they too
might become great. Here are the key characteristics of great commercials.
COMPARE AND SHOW A
BETTER PRODUCT, NEW AND IMPROVED.
CONTRAST BY SHOWING
HOW THE OLD CANNOT KEEP UP WITH THE NEW.
CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT
BY USING WELL KNOWN AND LIKED PEOPLE.
CALL FOR ACTION BY AN
URGENCY TO BUY AND TRY NOW.
Each of these are
basic components of the book of Hebrews. It compares Jesus with all that God had
given in the past and shows that He is superior. He is the new that does away
with the old and makes it obsolete. Not only is He exalted as the greatest
celebrity, but a host of the great people of God in the past are brought forth
in Hebrews 11 to confirm that faith and not law is the essential principle that
has always been foremost with God. And all the way through the book we are
urged to make Him our priority in all things, and to live a life that pleases
God by being as much like Jesus as we can be by His grace. We are urged to turn
our eyes on Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith, and to be
loyal to Him alone as our Savior and King. This book is truly God’s greatest
commercial. If you want people to fall in love with Jesus, and see them fall
before Him in worship, then you can do no better than to direct them to this
book where He is shown to be the one who is better than everyone and
everything. No commercial can say that the product it promotes is the greatest
that has ever been, and that will ever be. That would be presumption on the
highest level, and so no one does it. But this commercial for Jesus does just
that, because the One it promotes is just that-the best ever, and the greatest
that can ever be.
There is no book of
the Bible that is more Christ centered than Hebrews. It is designed to show
that Jesus is superior to all that has ever been, or will ever be. He is the
final Word of God to man. There is no place to go beyond Jesus, and so this
book settles it once and for all that believers are to be Christ centered in
all that they believe and in all that they do. This is the very purpose of
life, for that alone fulfills the purpose of God. The only meaning to life that
counts forever is the meaning that comes to those who make Jesus the center of
all. This is the goal God seeks to reach by means of His greatest commercial.
St. Patrick got the
message and responded as God intended. We see this in his fifteen-hundred-year
old prayer, part of which goes like this: "Christ be with me, Christ in
the front, Christ in the rear, Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above
me, Christ at my right hand, Christ at my left, Christ in the fort, Christ in
the Chariot seat, Christ at the helm, Christ in the heart of every man who
thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me, Christ in
every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me." Here is a
Christ centered life, and it illustrates where God wants all of His children to
be.
Leonardo da Vinci
illustrates how we are to be Christ centered in all that we do. He was 43 years
old when the Duke of Milan asked him to paint the Last Supper. He worked on it
slowly and with meticulous care to detail. He spent much time making the cup
that Jesus held as beautiful as possible. After three years he was ready to
show it, and he called for a friend to come and see it. He said, "Look at
it and give me your opinion." The friend said, "It is wonderful. The
cup is so real I cannot take my eyes off of it!" Immediately Leonardo took
a brush and drew it across the sparkling cup! He exclaimed as he did so:
"Nothing shall detract from the figure of Christ!" This needs to be
the attitude we have in all that we do in life. We need to pray that nothing
will detract from Christ, for it is to Him that all eyes are to be fixed, and
not to the works of man.
Charles Spurgeon spoke
words that echo the conviction of all who love and preach the Gospel of Christ.
In his first words he spoke to his congregation when he became the pastor of
the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London he said this: "I would propose that
the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall
stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshipers, shall be
the person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist; I do
not hesitate to take the name of Baptist; but if I am asked what is my creed, I
reply, "It is Jesus Christ." My venerated predecessor, Dr. Gill, has
left a [theological heritage] admirable and excellent in its way. But the
[legacy] to which I would pin and bind myself forever, God helping me,...is
Jesus Christ, who is the arm and substance of the gospel, who is in Himself all
theology, the incarnation of every precious truth."
Writers are warned not
to over use superlatives, for they lose credibility when they overstate their
case and try to say too often that this or that is the best and the greatest
and the most fabulous. But when it comes to Jesus you cannot overstate the case
for His being the best. The first three verses of this book are all that is
needed to put Jesus on a level beyond which the mind cannot go. Jesus is
exalted here beyond all that the rest of the Bible can do. There is no place to
go after this. He is the final Word of God to man, and the heir of all things,
and the one through whom he made the universe, and the one who is the radiance
of His glory, and the exact representation of His being, and the sustainer of
all by His powerful word, and the one who paid the price for all sin, and the
one who is seated at the right hand of God in heaven. What human language can
find a phrase that can go beyond these and exalt Jesus ever higher? You cannot
use language that overstates the case for the superiority and supremacy of
Jesus. There is no way to exaggerate his glory, power and position. There is a
prayer prayed by monks that uses only superlatives, for it is fitting to so
address Jesus. It goes like this:
"Creator of
Angels and Lord of Hosts, as of old You opened the ear and tongue of him that
was deaf and dumb, so now open my perplexed mind and tongue to praise Your most
holy Name, that I may cry to You:
Jesus, most wonderful,
Astonishment of Angels.
Jesus, most powerful, Deliverance of Forefathers.
Jesus, most sweet, Exultation of Patriarchs.
Jesus, most glorious, Dominion of kings.
Jesus, most desired, Fulfillment of Prophets.
Jesus, most praised, Steadfastness of Martyrs.
Jesus, most gladsome, Comfort of monastics.
Jesus, most compassionate, Sweetness of presbyters.
Jesus, most merciful, Abstinence of fasters.
Jesus, most tender, Joy of the righteous.
Whatever Jesus is, He
is the most, and the best, and the greatest. Jesus never comes in second in any
competition. He is always first and number one. He is Jesus the Greatest, for
in every comparison the book makes with other persons Jesus comes out as
superior and the greatest. If you were going to give this letter a name other
than Hebrews it would be appropriate to call it Jesus the Greatest. When you
begin to grasp the truth of this letter, and get grasped by the truth that
Jesus is the greatest, you will be compelled by the Spirit to pray and praise
like the monks have done for decades in this manner:
"Jesus,
pre-eternal, Salvation of sinners.
Jesus, my King
supremely powerful.
Jesus, my God omnipotent.
Jesus, my Lord immortal.
Jesus, my Creator most glorious.
Jesus, my Guide supreme in goodness.
Jesus, my Shepherd most compassionate.
Jesus, my Master rich in mercy.
Jesus, my Saviour, Friend of man.
Jesus, enlighten my senses, darkened by passions.
Jesus, heal my body, wounded by sins.
Jesus, cleanse my mind from vain thoughts.
Jesus, preserve my heart from evil desires."
There are not enough
titles of glory and greatness to adequately describe all that Jesus is, but
someone has put together a marvelous list that shows that the entire Bible is
really a commercial for Jesus. Everything in the Bible is directed toward
Jesus. He is the center of it all, for He is the center of God’s entire plan of
salvation from beginning to end. Many of these names and titles are dealt with
in the book of Hebrews. As you read these names you will begin to grasp why
Jesus should be the Lord and center of your life, for He is the ultimate, the
best, and the greatest of everything, and He should be everything to us. There
is no other name so exalted in all of history and in all of the universe. Can
language express it any more forcefully than these verses? "God exalted him
to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name"
(Philippians 2:9-10). When God raised Jesus from the dead, he "seated him at his right hand in the heavenly
realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title
that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And
God placed all things under his feet" (Ephesians 1:20-23). Jesus is
the combination of all these names and greater, ones yet we will only learn in
eternity.
Jesus
Is the:
Almighty
Alpha and Omega
Amen
Angel of his presence
Anointed
Author and perfecter of our faith
Beloved
Bread of life Bridegroom
Bright and morning star
Brightness of the Father's glory
Captain of the Lord's army
Captain of salvation
Carpenter
Carpenter's son
Chief Shepherd
Chief corner stone
Chosen of God, Christ
Christ Jesus
Christ of God
Christ the Lord
Christ the power of God
Corner stone
Counselor
Dayspring
Day star
Deliverer
Door
Emmanuel
Ensign
Eternal life
Everlasting Father
Faithful and True
Faithful witness
Faithful and true witness
Finisher of faith
First and last
First begotten
First begotten of the dead
Firstborn
Foundation
Fountain
Forerunner
Friend of sinners
Gift of God
Glory of Israel
God
God manifest in the flesh
God of the whole earth God our Savior
God's dear Son
God with us
Good Master
Governor
Great shepherd of the sheep
Heir of all things
High priest
Head of the church
Holy one
Holy one of God
Holy one of Israel
Hope
Horn of salvation
I Am
Image of God
Jehovah
Jesus
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ our Savior
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, the King of the Jews
Jesus, the Son of God
Jesus, the Son of Joseph
Just one
King
King of saints
King of kings
King of glory
King of Zion
King over all the earth
Lamb
Lamb of God
Lawgiver
Leader
Life
Light
Light, everlasting
Light of the world
Light to the Gentiles
Living bread Living stone
Lion of the tribe of Judah
Lord
Lord of lords
Lord of all
Lord our righteousness
Lord God Almighty
Lord Christ
Lord Jesus
Lord of glory
Lord of Armies
Lord, mighty in battle
Lord of the dead and living
Lord of the sabbath
Lord over all
Lord, strong and mighty
Lord, your redeemer
Master
Mediator
Messenger of the covenant
Messiah
Messiah the Prince
Mighty God
Mighty one of Israel
Mighty to save
Morning star
Most holy
Most mighty
Nazarene
Outstanding among ten thousand
Only begotten son
Power of God
Physician
Precious corner stone
Priest
Prince
Prince of life
Prince of peace
Prince of the kings of the earth
Prophet
Rabbi Ransom
Redeemer
Resurrection and life
Redemption
Righteous branch
Righteous judge
Righteous servant
Rose of Sharon
Salvation
Savior
Savior of the world
Seed of the woman
Servant
Shepherd
Shepherd and bishop of souls
Son of the Father
Son of God
Son of Man
Son of the highest
Son of David
Star
Sun of righteousness
Sure foundation
Teacher
True God
True vine
Truth
Way
Which is, which was, which is to come
Wisdom
Wisdom of God
Witness
Wonderful
Word
Word of God
Word of life
As you study the book
of Hebrews you will see many of these names used to exalt and glorify the
Person of Jesus. Why is this book so persistent in portraying Jesus as the
greatest in every way and in every category of comparison? It is because it is
a world filled with competition to get your attention, and then your time, and
then your life devoted to some philosophy or value system that determines who
you will be. The goal of Hebrews is to get us to "..fix our eyes on Jesus
the author and perfecter of our faith…" If we do this it will determine
our philosophy, our life style, our goals, and our eternity.
A good commercial will
get your attention, and then drive home a message that gets you to focus on a
need you have that can be met by a product that is available, and then motivate
you to take action and get that product. We have a need for a Savior and a
compassionate intercessor to deal with our sin. We have a need for a Friend in
high places who can assure us of a place in God’s final kingdom. We have this
and much more in the book of Hebrews, but it is also filled with warnings of
the danger of not looking to Jesus and trusting Him as Lord. The bottom line
is, we must surrender our lives to Jesus as Lord of all, and the greatest of
all, to make it true for us that Hebrews is God’s greatest commercial. Now lets
look at the product this commercial promotes. That product is the Person of
Jesus Christ as the greatest in every category. He is the greatest in
everything that men most long for in life. There are 7 categories of what men
most long for, and in verses 2 and 3 of the first chapter of Hebrews Jesus is
the greatest in each, and each of them will be a chapter in this book. Men long
for-
Possessions, and he is
heir of all.
Power, and he is
sustainer of all.
Position, and he is at
the right hand of God.
Perfection, and he is
sinless.
Personality, and he is
the radiance of God.
Prestige, and he is
the Son of God.
Permanence, and he is
eternal.
CHAPTER
1. THE GREATEST REVELATION
Anne Graham Lotz in
her book Just Give Me Jesus begins her introduction with this story.
"Several years ago, Andrew Morton wrote a biography of Diana, Princess of
Wales. In his publicity tour for the book he said his information was based on
conversations he had with some of her closest friends. His book sold thousand
of copies. After Lady Diana’s tragic death in a car accident in Paris, Andrew
Morton’s book was re-released. This time he revealed that the source of his
information had not been intimate friends of Diana’s but Diana herself. He then
produced hours of taped conversations with the princess as proof. And his book
sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It made an enormous difference to the
reading public to discover the book was not hearsay but what Diana had said
about herself."
God has had many
spokesmen through history, and they have revealed God’s will for His people
faithfully, but they were only instruments through which God spoke. When Jesus
came into history God was doing something different. He was no longer just
using the bodies and minds of men to convey His Word. He was Himself in a body
and mind speaking directly to man. It was no longer just "Thus saith the
Lord," but "I say unto you." Jesus was God speaking to man, and
not just another tool God was using to convey His Word. He was the Word. He was
the greatest revelation of God because He was God revealing Himself. His
revelation is superior to all that had gone before Him because He was superior
to all that had gone before Him. He was superior to everyone and everything is
the major point of this whole book. The first three verses of Hebrews are the
greatest summery of Christology you will find anywhere in or outside of the
Bible. They reveal Jesus to be superior in these ways:
1. He is superior as a
spokesman. He is superior to all past spokesmen.
2. He is superior as a
son. God’s ultimate revelation.
3. He is superior in
status. Heir of all things.
4. He is superior as
source. Creator of all.
5. He is superior in
splendor. God’s glory.
6. He is superior in
substance. Exact replica of Father.
7. He is superior as
sustainer. By His powerful word.
8. He is superior as
sacrifice. Provided purification for sins.
9. He is superior as
sovereign. At right hand of Father.
Hebrews does a lot of
comparing to show that Jesus always comes out on top when compared with any
other person or thing. We see it is the first goal of the book to show us that
God has done a lot of revealing of Himself by speaking to men in various ways,
but that the highest and final way is in Jesus. It is of interest to note that
the first verse uses alliteration in that the five key words of "many
times," "many ways," "past," "fathers," and
"prophets" all begin with the Greek letter "pi." I am going
to follow that pattern as we look at the three kinds of revelation that the
book of Hebrews deals with. They are Past Revelation, Progressive Revelation,
and Perfect Revelation.
THE PAST REVELATION
The first things that
needs to be made clear is that the superiority of the revelation we have in
these last days through the Son does not mean that the revelation that came
through the prophets of old is not valid. It was the best that God was giving
at the time. It was incomplete, but it was the best that could be had in the
days of the prophets. Jesus did not come to destroy the law and the prophets,
but to fulfill them. They were the introduction, and Jesus is the completion.
They gave us fragments of God’s purpose, but Jesus gave us the final and full
revelation of God’s purpose. Through the prophets we come to know about God,
but through Jesus we come to know God, for He is God speaking directly and not
though the voice of another.
Jesus made it clear
that the Old Testament was God speaking to man about Himself, and that there was
a final revelation coming. In John 5:39-40 Jesus says to the Jewish leaders,
"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you
possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you
refuse to come to me to have life." Jesus is saying that the old
revelation was pointing to Him. He makes it even more clear to the two on the
road to Emmaus after he arose from the dead. In Luke 24:25-27 we read,
"How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then
enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he
explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself."
Later he appeared to the disciples and said in verse 44, "Everything must
be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the
Psalms."
Jesus made it clear
that the past revelation was valid and was revealing piece by piece the reality
of a final revelation, which was fulfilled in Himself. The bottom line is this:
As Christians we love the Old Testament as the Word of God, for it shows us how
God was working all through history to bring His Son into the world to be the
Savior. The whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the Christian Bible
because it is God’s revelation. The New is in the Old contained; the Old is in
the New explained. The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New
revealed. The Old was the commencement of revelation, but the New in Jesus was
the climax of revelation. Next then we see,
THE PROGRESSIVE
REVELATION
God is not longwinded
in the sense that He speaks so long that it drives men crazy and they cannot
wait to get away. Some preachers can do this in speaking about and for God, but
God is one who gets to the point and does not go on and on. He speaks His mind
on the issue at hand and then waits for a more appropriate time to add new
insight into His will. He knows that the human mind cannot handle everything
all at once. So He gave guidance in the past in small bits and pieces, like a
parent feeding a baby, or a very small child. They just break off little chunks
at a time, for they know the child will choke on larger pieces. God knew His
people could not handle more than He gave them, for they failed to live up to
the partial revelation that they had. If your baby is choking on what you are
giving it, give it less. Less is more when more is too much to handle, and so
God just spoke briefly and in part in the Old Testament. "By progressive
revelation . . .God brings man up through the theological infancy of the Old
Testament to the maturity of the New Testament." (B. Ramm, Protestant
Biblical Interp.)
If you have ever been
out walking during the late afternoon, and you are walking away from the sun
you can see your shadow cast on the road ahead of you, and it can be the size
of a blimp as it stretches out dozens of feet before you. Much of the Old
Testament revelation was like that shadow. It was not real, but only the image
cast by the better things yet to come. It was the best at the time, and by
obeying the law of God, which was a shadow, you could please God and be a
righteous person. There was nothing false about the revelation in the past. It
came by means of authentic men of God, who were His prophets. It was good, but
it was far short of the best. It was just a shadow of what was to come. When
what it foreshadowed did come it was foolish to stick with the shadow and
ignore the reality. The Jewish Christians to whom this book was written were in
danger of doing that very thing by slipping back to the ways of Judaism that
were more familiar than the new ways of the Christian church. That is why the
New Testament makes an issue of the difference between the shadow and the
reality.
Heb 10:1"The
law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities
themselves."
Col. 2:16-17
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what
you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon
celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to
come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
What was fine in the
old days is now folly in these new days, for these are the last days. There is
no more revelation to come, for this is the final age, and there will not be
another age coming with some new revelation. Progressive revelation has an
ending point where you reach the peak beyond which there is no place to go. You
cannot keep climbing a mountain once you reach the top, and you cannot keep
getting higher revelation once you have received the highest and greatest that
there is. Progressive revelation ended with Jesus. He is the pinnacle of
revelation beyond which there is no higher place to go. Jesus said to His
disciples, "Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because
they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to
see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear
it" (Mt 13:16-17). Jesus is that final Word that all the people of God had
been longing to hear.
God kept getting
closer and closer to mankind, and He became more and more intimate until He
actually became one with them and became a man. The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us. There was no way God could come closer and reveal Himself more
completely. There was no next step, for progressive revelation had reached its
final stage and highest level. Progressive revelation was concluded with the
coming of His Son. People often meet for the first time on the internet and
begin to share about themselves. They get to know each other quite well over a
period of time, and may even send pictures of each other. But the final
revelation of who they are is when they arrange to meet in person. Once that
happens, and they are conversing face to face, it is folly to think you can
know them better by type on a screen. The prophets are like type on the screen,
but Jesus is meeting God face to face. He is the superior, the final, the
ultimate, the greatest revelation of God.
Mike Bradaric has put
together a list of the ways that God revealed step by step more and more
information about the coming Messiah. He writes, "At differing times
throughout the OT, God was revealing more and more of himself and how he would
redeem a fallen humanity.
In Genesis 3:15 he
revealed that a Redeemer would come from the human race
In Genesis 12:1-3 he revealed that the Redeemer would come from Abraham
descendents
In Genesis 28:14 he revealed that the Redeemer would come from the seed of
Jacob and thence forth would be called Israel
In Genesis 49:10 he revealed that the Savior would come from the tribe of Judah
In 2 Samuel 7:16 he revealed that the Savior would come from the house of David
and that he would rule forever
In Isaiah 7:14 he revealed that he would be virgin born
In Micah 5:2 he revealed that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem
Psalm 22 he revealed the kind of death the Savior would die
In Malachi 4 he revealed that John the Baptist would come before him to
announce him
In Isaiah 53 he revealed not only the nature of his death, but manner of his
burial and his resurrection.
The Old Testament
saints had many pieces of the puzzle, but they could not get the full picture
of the Messiah put together until they received that large missing piece in the
center of it, and that piece was Jesus. Even when Jesus came He could not give
a full revelation of all God’s plan, for men were not capable of grasping it.
Jesus said he had many
things to tell his disciples but they were not ready. You do not tell your
young children about income taxes and wills, for they are not ready for such
things. So God’s people needed to be prepared for they were not ready. God is
like any intelligent parent and that is why He gives Progressive Revelation. He
tells people what they can grasp, and then builds on that to reveal more when
they are ready. It is called going from the known to the unknown, which is the
essence of education. Next we see-
THE PERFECT REVELATION
The goal of the book
of Hebrews is to so exalt Jesus that there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind
that He is the ultimate and supreme revelation of God. In these first three
verses the author makes it clear that Jesus is superior in every category. I
like the way one author described them as the narthex to a great cathedral. In
these opening words we begin to see the grandeur and majesty of the One this
book is all about. Lightfoot has called it "the most beautifully
constructed and expressive sentence in the New Testament" It may, in fact,
be the most expressive sentence ever written, for it says what is never said
elsewhere in such completeness. With less than a hundred words it conveys more
than can be found anywhere. It cannot be matched in any other part of God’s
Word. There is nowhere where Jesus is more exalted. Let me repeat the list
again:
1. He is superior as a
spokesman.
2. He is superior as a
son.
3. He is superior in
status.
4. He is superior as
source.
5. He is superior in
splendor.
6. He is superior in
substance.
7. He is superior as
sustainer.
8. He is superior as
sacrifice.
9. He is superior as
sovereign.
There is no higher
source of revelation, and there is no other that can compare, for Jesus is in a
class by Himself. It is folly to even dream of finding a greater source, and a
greater Savior. To drift away from Jesus and begin to look for some greater
source of knowing God and His will is like giving up on the sun for a source of
light and raising fireflies in hopes of meeting your need. Hebrews makes it
clear that Jesus is the supreme revelation of God, and that there is only
judgment ahead for those who will not receive Him as God’s final and perfect
revelation. The author compares all of the values of the Old Testament to what
we have in Jesus, and shows that what was in the past was good, but that what
we now have in Jesus is far superior, for it is the best. Your crayon was good,
but your ballpoint pen is better. Your candle was good, but your electric light
is better. Your well was good, but your indoor faucet is better. We could go on
and on illustrating the point that the old was just fine at the time, but now
there is that which is far superior. That is the theme of Hebrews as it shows
us all that was revealed was good, but in Jesus we have the better and perfect
revelation. The old was a preview, but Jesus is the full feature. Someone has
made a top ten list in Hebrews that goes like this:
10. Better than the
prophets.
9. Better than the
angels.
8. Better than Moses.
7. Better than Joshua.
6. Better than Aaron.
5. Better message.
4. Better maturity.
3. Better covenant.
2. Better sacrifice.
1. Better rest.
Someone else has made
lists of what is better and perfect in Hebrews, and they are:
BETTER
1:4 Christ is better than the angels
6:9 Better things that belong to salvation
7:7 The less (inferior) is blessed by the better (superior)
7:19 A better hope is introduced
7:22 Jesus is the surety of a better covenant
8:6 Christ is the mediator of a better covenant
8:6 New covenant established on better promises
9:23 Better sacrifices
10:34 Heaven a better substance or possession
11:16 Heaven a better country
11:35 They obtain a better resurrection or life
11:40 God had provided something better for us
12:24 Christ's blood speaks better things than the blood of Abel
PERFECT
2:10 Perfect through suffering
5:9 Being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who
obey Him
6:1 Let us go on unto perfection (KJV)
7:11 If perfection had been obtainable by the Levitical priesthood...
7:19; 9:9 Law made nothing perfect
7:28 ...the Word of the oath... appoints a Son who has been made perfect
forever.
9:9 Sacrifices cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper
9:11 Greater and more perfect tabernacle
10:1 The Law and sacrifices cannot make perfect
10:14 His single offering has perfected for all time those who are sanctified
11:40 Old Testament faithful not made perfect apart from Christ
12:23 Spirits of just men made perfect
13:21 Make you perfect in every good work
I have made my own
list of what is better just is this first chapter. There is really no end to
the lists you could make, for if you compare Jesus with anything or anyone, He
always comes out better.
Better Messenger-the
Son v.2
Better than prophets
v. 2
Better revelation of
God v. 3
Better relation to the
Father v. 3 & 5
Better power
source-the king of universe v. 3
Better than angels v.
4
Better name than
angels v. 4
Better joy v. 9
Better in permanence
v. 11
The goal of the book
of Hebrews is to make it so plain that what we have in Jesus is so much better
and so superior to all that God has given in the past that no sensible person
would dream of forsaking Jesus for the old ways of Judaism, or, for that
matter, the ways of any other religion. When you have the best and the perfect
revelation you do not put your trust in anything less. From the point of the
incarnation on everything that is pleasing to God must be Christ-centered. This
is the standard by which we measure and judge all teachings and beliefs. Jesus
is the final, supreme and greatest revelation. As one author wrote, "The
prize jewel in the treasure chest of Hebrews is Jesus." We still study the
revelation of the past and treasure it, but it always needs to be upgraded by
comparing it with what Jesus said. He would say often, "You have heard
what it was said to the people long ago…….But I tell you…." Matt. 5:21-22.
Jesus was always upgrading the Old with the final revelation of what God wants
man to be and do. In Him the revelation becomes perfected. Consider the
following questions-
Is everything you say
of equal importance?
Is everything the
President says of equal importance?
Is everything God says
of equal importance?
We are to live by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, but does that mean that all are
equal? Is the Old Testament equal to the New Testament? This book of Hebrews
answers all of these questions with a resounding No! God updates his Word to
man in Christ and what he says through Jesus is more important than what he
said in the Old Testament. Much of the past Word was to prepare for the final
Word in Christ. When the fulfillment came the preparation was finished and
completed. This means that many of the laws that God laid down for Israel are
now obsolete for us as Christians. The ceremonial and Sabbath laws are no
longer in effect, for they were fulfilled in Christ. They were God’s ultimate
Word at the time they were given, but when God upgraded His Word in Christ the
old became obsolete. That is the theme of much of the book of Hebrews. When the
sun rises you can put away your candles, and when the real Savior comes you can
put away your types that pointed to Him.
The practical value of
knowing that Jesus is the greatest revelation we can have of God is that it gives
us a way to evaluate every situation in life. The "what would Jesus
do" theme is our guide. He is the revelation of what God would do. He
responded to every need of every individual He met with compassion. We cannot
do what He did in terms of healing and raising the dead, but we can show the
same love and caring spirit He showed. We can have the same hatred he had for
the legalism of the Pharisees that made religion a burden. We can have His same
heart that desires to forgive and bring about peace and reconciliation for
those who have gone astray. In every situation of life it is valid to ask the
question, "What would Jesus do?" He is the revelation of God’s will
in every situation. We do not know what Jesus would do in every situation, but
we will be more likely to respond as He would if we are looking to Him as our
highest example, and the most perfect revelation we have of God’s ideal person.
The Old Testament was
like the alphabet and the New was the beginning of reading. They needed the
foundation of the alphabet before they could understand the full revelation of
God. The world is full of truths, but only in Christ do we get the full truth.
He is the highest revelation of who God is and what his plan is. Christians do
not have a monopoly on truths, for there are truths in Judaism and most other
religions, but the fullness of truth is in Jesus. He is the truth and the last
word on truth because He is the greatest revelation.
We often long for
things to happen that would frighten us into wishing they would not have
happened. One of these things is that God would talk to us directly in an
audible voice. We have no conception of what this would be like to hear the
voice of God. The people of Israel did hear it once and they were so frightened
that they begged Moses to tell God never to do it again, but to speak to them
through the voice of a man. In Deut. 5:22-23 it says that God spoke to them out
of the darkness as the mountain was ablaze with fire. It was scarier than
listening to ghost stories around any campfire. They felt they would die if
they ever heard God speak directly to them again, and so they requested that
Moses go near to God and listen, and then pass on to them what God had to say
to them. God’s voice was too awesome for them, and they did not want to hear it
anymore. They survived it once, but did not want to risk ever hearing it again.
Apparently God talks
too loud for the comfort of the human ear. He does not even need any loud
speakers when He speaks from the top of a mountain to the people in the valley
below. If you have even been in a storm where the lightning and thunder have
kept coming in a continuous series of loud bangs that startle your ears, then
you have a slight concept of what it must be like to hear God’s voice. Spurgeon
said in one of his sermons, "It might well have occurred to a Jewish mind
to have called the thunder the voice of God, when he considered the loudness of
it, when all other voices are hushed; even if they be the loudest voices
mortals can utter, or the most mighty sounds; yet are they but indistinct
whispers, compared with the voice of God in the thunder." The people who
heard it said never again do we want this experience. We want God to speak to
us in a quieter voice. No man can shout loud enough to frighten us like the
voice of God, and so from now on they preferred to hear God through the voice
of man.
God was not offended,
for He knew His voice was not the best for public speaking. The ears of man
were not designed to listen to such loud tones. He agreed to keep silent and
speak through the voice of man, and especially a very specific man. This is how
he responded:
"And the Lord
said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise
them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my
words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which
he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him" (Deuteronomy
18:15-19).
This is a messianic
prophecy that refers to the coming of Jesus Christ into the world to speak the
Word of God. God sent many prophets, but Jesus was the Prophet who spoke in the
name of God. When Jesus spoke it was the very voice of God that men heard, and
God holds all men responsible for what they hear from the voice of Jesus.
Hearing Him is hearing God directly, and so the voice of Jesus is the greatest
voice in history, and the greatest voice in the universe, for it is the voice
of God. It is a softer voice, and it is easier on the ears, but it is just as
authoritative as the thunderous voice of the Father. Heb. 1:2 says, "..in
these last days He has spoken to us by His Son,…" God spoke in a variety
of ways in the Old Testament, but now He has spoken directly again by the Word,
and the Word was with God from the beginning, and the Word was God. Jesus was
the very voice of God in human flesh. Jesus was God speaking to man again
directly and not through an agent. God speaks through nature, music, poetry,
books, sermons, and a host of different ways, but these voices are not the
greatest. There is only one that is the greatest and that is the voice of
Jesus. Other voices tell of God, but the voice of Jesus is God speaking, and
his voice shows us God.
In Heb. 12:18-19 this
Old Testament event of hearing the voice of God is referred to again, and tells
of how the people begged not to hear the voice of God again. It was so
frightening that even Moses was trembling with fear it says in verse 20. It
goes on in verse 25 to warn believers not to refuse to hear the voice of Jesus,
for there is no escape from judgment for those who refuse to listen to the
voice of God in Him. He will shake up more than a mountain. He will shake up
both earth and heaven the passage goes on to say. Jesus is the greatest voice
any person will ever hear, for His voice is the voice of God. It is a quieter
voice, but it should still frighten us to think of not obeying it, for not
obeying the greatest voice will lead to the greatest judgment. Rather than fear
this voice, however, we should be praying often the prayer of Saint Makarios of
Alexandria (300 - 394 AD).
Eyes of Jesus, look on
me;
Lips of Jesus, smile
on me;
Ears of Jesus, hear
me;
Arms of Jesus, enfold
me;
Hands of Jesus, bless
me;
Feet of Jesus, guide
me;
Voice of Jesus, speak
to me;
Heart of Jesus, love
me;
Spirit of Jesus, abide
in me;
now and forever...
Amen.
We want to look at
some of the characteristics of the voice of Jesus. Because His voice is the
very voice of God it is a subject too vast to cover in one message, but I want
to share some basic ideas. First of all-
IT IS THE LORD’S
VOICE.
There are many
passages of Scripture that deal with the voice of God, and when you look at a
series of them you can get a clear impression that the voice of Jesus is the
voice of God. Here is a series of examples:
Genesis 3:8 And they
heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the
trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:10 And he
said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I [was] naked;
and I hid myself.
Isaiah 6:8 Also I
heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
Then said I, Here [am] I; send me.
Jeremiah 7:23 But this
thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye
shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that
it may be well unto you.
Jeremiah 7:28 But thou
shalt say unto them, This [is] a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD
their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from
their mouth.
Jeremiah 42:6 Whether
[it be] good, or whether [it be] evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our
God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice
of the LORD our God.
Matthew 17:5 While he
yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of
the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear
ye him.
John 10:3 To him the
porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by
name, and leadeth them out.
John 10:4 And when he
putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him:
for they know his voice.
John 10:5 And a
stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the
voice of strangers.
John 10:16 And other sheep
I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear
my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd.
Hebrews 3: 7 Therefore
(as the Holy Ghost says, To day if you want to hear his voice,8 Do not harden
your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.
He who is of God hears
the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not of God.
(John 8:47)
Truly, truly, I say to
you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he
does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24)
He who rejects me and
does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be
his judge on the last day. (John 12:48)
Jesus was the voice of
God, and in Him we have the final Word of God. He is the ultimate authority.
Secondly-
IT IS A LOUD VOICE.
It may not always be
as loud as the voice of the Father who scared the wits out of people when he
spoke and shook the very mountain, but it is loud enough to be clearly heard so
that there is no excuse for not obeying it. In Rev. 1:10 John writes,
"..,I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…" He turned to see
and discovered it was Jesus. Jesus knows how to speak loud enough to get man’s
attention. Revelation 3: 20 has Jesus speaking, "Behold, I stand at the
door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in
to him, and will fellowship with him, and he with me." He knocks loud
enough to be heard.
In John 10:27 we read,
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…"His
voice is always loud and clear enough for us to hear and open the door to Him,
or to follow Him in obedience as our Shepherd. Two hymn writers have conveyed
the idea that we can clearly hear and we can respond in obedience to the voice
of Jesus.
Hark, the voice of
Jesus calling,
"Who will go and work today?
Fields are ripe and harvests waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?"
Long and loud the Master calls us,
Rich reward He offers free;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
"Here am I, send me, send me"?
The voice of God is
calling its summons in our day;
Isaiah heard in Zion and we now hear God say:
"Whom shall I send to succor my people in their need?
Whom shall I send to loosen the bonds of shame and greed?"
"I hear My people
crying in slum and mine and mill;
No field or mart is silent, no city street is still.
I see My people falling in darkness and despair.
Whom shall I send to shatter the fetters which they bear?"
We heed, O Lord, Your
summons, and answer: Here are we!
Send us upon Your errand, let us Your servants be.
Our strength is dust and ashes, our years a passing hour;
But You can use our weakness to magnify Your power.
From ease and plenty
save us; from pride of place absolve;
Purge us of low desire; lift us to high resolve;
Take us, and make us holy; teach us Your will and way.
Speak, and behold! We answer; command, and we obey!
Another hymn writer made
it clear that all who will listen can hear the voice of Jesus calling them into
the family of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. This
voice of Jesus is going out over our planet constantly by means of radio, video
and print, and it is loud enough so that many daily make the choice to listen
and respond. In 1846 Horatio Bonar wrote-
I heard the voice of
Jesus say,
"Come unto me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down
thy head upon my breast."
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad.
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Behold, I freely give
the living water; thirsty one,
stoop down and drink, and live."
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"I am this dark world's light;
look unto me, thy morn shall rise,
and all thy day be bright."
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my Star, my Sun;
and in that light of life I'll walk
till traveling days are done.
One day the voice of
Jesus will be so loud that it will wake the dead. "Truly, truly, I say to
you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the
Son of God, and those who hear will live." (John 5:25) When John says,
"and now is," he is referring to the fact that those dead in sin now
can hear the voice of Jesus and rise from the dead to new life in Jesus. The
ultimate will be, however, when Jesus comes again and by His voice raise all
who are in the graves to face their judgment and reward. Ray Stedman gives an
account of just how loud and powerful a voice Jesus has in raising the dead in
sin to newness of life. He writes,
"Yesterday
morning I gathered with about 650 other people to hear former Senator Harold
Hughes, ex-Governor of Iowa, tell how God had drastically changed his life.
When he was a hopeless alcoholic, wallowing in his own vomit, so despairing he
was ready to take his own life, God met him and delivered him through much
struggle and pain, and led him to a place of prominence and power. I sat on the
platform watching people hanging on his every word, listening to a man describe
what God could do.
Listening to Senator
Hughes, I was again impressed by this phenomenon. He spoke of reaching a point
in his life where his wife and children had left him and he had lost his work.
He ended up drunk, sitting in a bathtub, with the barrel of a gun in his mouth
and his finger on the trigger. He sensed within an agonizing cry of despair.
Then he called out to God and immediately felt a spreading sense of peace
within that delivered him from the crisis of the moment. Through much pain,
heartache, and failure, God led him along until he was at last free from the
grip of alcohol. He eventually became the governor of his state and a United
States senator."
The voice of Jesus is
loud enough and power enough to accomplish all that God wants to do in history
and in lives. Thirdly-
IT IS A LOVING VOICE.
Jesus was just like
His Father in heaven. He was the express image of the Father, and, like the
Father, He was always seeking to encourage those who followed him in obedience.
He loved deeply and longed for them to have his joy. It says of the Father in
Zeph. 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you...He will rejoice over you with
singing" Only once do we read of Jesus singing, and that is when the Last
Supper was over and He and His disciples were ready to follow Him to the
garden. It says in Matt. 26:30, "When they has sung a hymn, they went out
to the Mount of Olives." Jesus was in human flesh and so He did not have
the powerful voice He had before the incarnation. We cannot imagine what it
would be like to hear His voice in heaven as he sang in joy over His people.
What a divine duet it must have been for Father and Son to join in a song of
joy over the people of God when then walked in obedience. We know that He also
sang the blues, for so often His people did not walk in obedience. But the
voice of God and that of Jesus is a voice that loves to sing in joy. Love songs
are His favorite, and we will get to hear His songs for all eternity.
We tend to hear only
about how we will praise God and the Lamb of God for all eternity, but we have
every reason to believe that we will also have the opportunity for all eternity
to hear them sing to us, or over us, with joy. Talk about a concert! This will
be the mother of all concerts when we hear the Father and the Son join is a
concert of love songs for the people they have redeemed and made a part of
their family forever. The Hebrew word describing how God sings means a loud
shout expressing extreme joy and gladness. Imagine a vast choir with voices
like that of Pavarotti, and you still will not get the thrill it will be in
hearing this divine duet. For all eternity we will hear the loving joyful voice
of our Redeemer singing over the Bride He loves so dearly that He died for her
so she could be with Him forever. There will be no blues in heaven, but only
joyful love songs. We will sing them to our Savior, and we will listen to them
as we hear the loving voice of Jesus, and never again have to hear his voice of
judgment.
Unfortunately we still
need to hear His voice of judgment in this life because we do not always walk
in obedience. But the fact remains, that even in time we hear most often the
loving voice of Jesus giving comfort and encouragement as we run the race of
life. Thomas Troeger in The Parable of Ten Preachers tells this story that
comes to a conclusion that the Scripture clearly supports.
... A youngster...had
asked a spontaneous question during a church service... The child was standing
on the chancel steps with other boys and girls who had come forward for the
children's sermon. Before [the preacher] had spoken her first words to them,
the boy asked, "What does the voice of God sound like?"
...The little boy's
question had preempted the [prepared] children's sermon...All were waiting to
see how their pastor would answer the question, "What does the voice of
God sound like?"
...She began slowly,
saying "The voice of God sounds like...." and drew the words out as
long as she could while she prayed desperately that God would speak and give
her an answer.
She started once
again: "The voice of God sounds like ... like your best friend, like someone
you trust, someone you can really talk things over with. The voice of God
sounds like your mother or your father or your favorite baby sitter when they
comfort you because you're having a bad dream in the night. You hear them next
to your bed, calling: "Everything's all right. Everything's all right. I'm
right here beside you."
One of the main themes
of the book of Hebrews is that Jesus became fully human that he might fully
understand and sympathize with us in our temptations and trials. Chapter two
stresses that he became just like us in order to understand what we go through,
and then in 4:15-16 we read, "For we do not have a high priest who is
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are-yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne
of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help
us in our time of need." Again, the hymn writer has expressed it-
The great Physician
now is near,
The sympathizing Jesus;
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,
Oh! hear the voice of Jesus.
We can hear the loving
voice of Jesus time and time again by reading the many promises He gives us in
the Gospels. For example:
Come unto me, all you
who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
These things I have
spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John
15:11)
Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give to you . . .. (John 14:27)
I have said this to
you that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but be of
good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
So, if the son makes
you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36).
I am the resurrection
and the life. He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and
whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. (John 11:25,26)
I came that you might
have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
The more you listen to
a voice the more easily you can identify the person who is speaking. Some people
call on the phone and you can know who it is right away by the first word they
say because their voice is known to you. Mary Magdalene though it was the
gardener she saw that first Easter morning, but when He spoke her name she knew
it was Jesus. She knew His voice well, for she spent much time listening to Him
teach. We need to listen to the voice of Jesus often so we can distinguish
between his voice and the voice of impostors who try to pretend to be the voice
of God. That which does not conform to the voice of Jesus is not the voice of
God.
The world is filled
with the voices of those who seek to give you religious guidance, but these
voices often convey that which leads us in different directions from that of
the voice of the Good Shepherd. The only way we can be sure of any guidance is
to compare it with the voice of Jesus in His Word. The more we understand the
Bible the easier it is to detect what is false guidance. So much that sounds
good is not truly of God, and the only way to know this is to listen often to
the voice of God. When you hear what is truly His voice often enough you will
be able to detect right away what is contrary to His voice, and also what is
consistent with His voice.
I read an account by a
pastor who knew by experience how sheep can hear the voice of the shepherd and
respond. He wrote, "We just didn't have many sheep running around where I
grew up on the south side of Chicago. So I listened with fascination the other
day when my father-in-law told about being the shepherd for his family's flock
of sheep. He was just a boy, the only child, and Mom and Dad left the sheep
pretty much with him - and he was with them a lot. One day he and his parents
were watching the flock and he said, "Would you like me to call one of them
out?" Right, kid - like one sheep is going to know it's him you want? So
Mom and Dad kind of laughed. The little shepherd asked them to pick a sheep
they wanted called out . . . and then he made a little bleating sound . . . and
the selected sheep proceeded to leave the flock and come right to him. Mom and
Dad were still skeptical. "Pick another sheep", he said. Another
bleat - this one a little different - and Mr. Sheep answered the call. And no
one else could get that kind of response. That little exercise was repeated
several times, until there was no denying the amazing fact - those sheep had
such a personal relationship with their shepherd that his was the only voice
they followed."
The point is, if we
spend a lot of time listening to the voice of Jesus as our Shepherd we too can
hear when He calls to give us guidance, comfort, and encouragement. We will not
be led astray if we know how to distinguish His voice from the many voices that
seek to entice us to follow them. All the stress on reading the Bible and
prayer is not just a legalistic duty, but it is so that we can be familiar with
the voice of Jesus, and respond in obedience when we hear his call. The call
often comes through the voice of a man, and that is why Jesus has ordained that
the Gospel be preached in all the world.
By the voice of
pastors, missionaries, and teachers of all kinds, Jesus speaks today. Spurgeon
once said, "And now tonight Jesus speaks to us in the gospel. So far as
his gospel shall be preached by us here, it shall not be the word of man, but
the word of God; and although it comes to you through a feeble tongue, yet the
truth itself is not feeble, nor is it any less divine than if Christ himself
should speak it with his own lips." Jesus confirms this, for he said in
Luke 10:16, "He who listens to you listens to me…" When we speak the
Word that God has revealed in Jesus, we too can become the voice of God.
Ray Boltz and Steve
Millikan wrote a song called When He calls, and it end with this chorus:
"When
He calls, When He calls
Just say "Lord I am listening"
When He calls, When He calls
Just be ready to obey.
For there's no greater joy
Than hearing Him call . . . your name."
There is no greater
joy than hearing Jesus call, for there is no greater voice than His. Jesus has
the highest recommendation in the universe, for when Jesus was transfigured a
voice from the cloud said in Matt. 17:5, "This is my Son, whom I love;
with him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!" No matter how poor a listener
you are, it is your highest obligation to listen to Him. Without a doubt, Jesus
is the greatest voice.
THE RICHEST PERSON IN THE UNIVERSE
There was a day in the
history of our nation when a measly 20 million dollars could make you the richest
man in America. This was the case with John Jacob Astor, who came to this land
with only five pounds sterling and seven flutes that he got from his brother
who sold music instruments in London. Then you had Cornelius Vanderbilt who
gained that title with 105 million. Then came Andrew Carnegie with his 175
million, followed by John D. Rockefeller with 250 million. All of this was like
petty cash to the wealthy of our day. Bill Gates, for example, is not just the
richest man in America, but the richest man in the world. His wealth soared
over 100 billion at one time. Recently it has fallen to 55 billion and less,
but he is still the richest man in the world. He started Microsoft in 1975 and
has made on average since then about one million dollars per hour if you figure
14 hours for every working day since that beginning. That is wealth beyond our
imagination.
There is one person,
however, who is so much richer than Gates that he can only be given the title
The Richest Person In The Universe. That person is none other than the man
Christ Jesus. In His divine glory for all eternity He was the Lord of the
Universe, for He created it and guided its formation. But it is as the Son of
Man that Jesus died for the sins of the world and then ascended to heaven where
God placed him at His right hand on the throne next to Him. The whole point of
the book of Hebrews is that it is the man Christ Jesus who is on the throne of
the universe. The phrase that we want to focus on in this message is that in
verse 2 which says of the Son, "..whom he appointed heir of all
things." The implications of this are even more staggering than the riches
of Gates and all of the other over 500 billionaires in the world today. In
essence this phrase is saying that the lowly carpenter of Nazareth, who died
with nothing but the clothes on his back, and who did not even have a place to
be buried, is now the richest person in the universe. He is heir of all things,
and this is not an isolated idea, but is supported by many Scriptures.
"For from him and
through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
Romans 11:36
"To be put into effect when the times will have reached their
fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one
head, even Christ." Ephesians 1:10
"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head
over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who
fills everything in every way." Ephesians 1:22-23
"He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the
heavens, in order to fill the whole universe." Ephesians 4:10
"..and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on
earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the
cross." Colossians 1:20
Jesus spoke on this
subject, and He made it clear that God had full confidence in Him, and that He
had given Him all authority. "All things have been handed over to me by
my Father . . . " (Matt 11:27a, NRSV). "The Father loves the
Son and has placed all things in His hands" (John 3:35, NRSV).
"The Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing . . .
" (John 5:20, NRSV). "The Father judges no one but has given
all judgment to the Son . . . " (John 5:22). "For just as the
Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in
Himself . . . " (John 5:26, NRSV). " . . . the Son of Man will
give you. For it is on Him that God the Father has set His seal" (John
6:27, NRSV). " . . . the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent
into the world . . . " (John 10:36, NRSV).
There is no one who
can ever match such wealth, power, and authority, for he is appointed to
inherit all things. Everything God has made is going to the Son. He will be
rich beyond all human calculation. And the next best thing to being rich is
being related to one who is, and so all who are in Christ will be wealthy
forever. Paul writes in II Cor. 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so
that you through his poverty might become rich." It is clearly stated that
one of the goals of God for all his children is that they be rich. His only
begotten Son became poor that he might become a perfect sacrifice for our sins,
and make it possible for us to become partners in the eternal riches he would
inherit from the Father. The dream of every human being is to be so wealthy
that they can enjoy all the wonders of what God has made possible for man to
enjoy. This goal will be achieved, and we will be joint heirs with Jesus, the
richest man in the universe.
We want to look at
three aspects of these riches of Jesus that he inherits from the Father. First
we want to look at the fact that they are-
SUPERIOR RICHES
The richest person in the
world has to be wealthy in more than physical and material possessions or it is
irrelevant, for once one has millions and billions it is superfluous to have
more. It is a meaningless title to be the riches person in the universe if
there is nothing you have that is not also possessed by the millions of
millionaires of the world, and even by those with much less. Jesus inherits all
things, but if we read the whole chapter we see that his wealth includes far
more. Jesus is superior to all other beings that God has made. Verse 9 says
that because he loved righteousness and hated wickedness God has set him above
his companions by anointing him with the oil of joy. This means Jesus is rich
in the love of the Father, and this makes him the happiest person in the
universe.
It is possible to be
very rich in material things and be unhappy, and so the greatest riches are in
having a joyful spirit along with the wealth of things. When one combines the
riches of the inner life with the riches of all that gives external pleasure,
then one has the superior riches beyond which none can go. You cannot be any
happier than Jesus, for he is the happiest person in the universe. He is rich
in glory so that all the angels worship him, and rich in love, for he is loved
by God, the angels, and man. He is rich in joy because his kingdom will be
eternal and all his enemies will one day be defeated, and all who love him will
reign with him and inherit the salvation he purchased for them on the cross.
There can be no one in the same category with Jesus when it comes to riches. He
is the riches person in the universe in every way that one can be rich.
This phrase, however, does focus on things, and so we need to see that Jesus will be the richest person in the universe in terms of material possessions. It has been the dream of powerful rulers all through history to rule the whole world. Some have come close to ruling the known world of their day, but none have come close to having possession of power over the whole planet. This is the kind of riches we see that Jesus will have. Psalm 2, which is quoted in verse 5, states it forcefully in 2:7-8, "I will pro