INTRODUCTION...

MISSION STATEMENT:
“Creekside Church will PROCLAIM CHRIST crucified and risen, existing to MAKE DISCIPLES through Biblical Teaching, Authentic Worship, Devotion to Prayer and living as a Loving Community, all to the GLORY OF GOD.”

This is a guiding statement, three main things…we could have given ourselves to a lot of other missions…Why is it our personal and collective mission to PROCLAIM CHRIST? Why is it that we don’t make it our primary collective aim to promote brotherly love or compassion or economic justice or peace? After all, those are all excellent and much-needed virtues. What makes Jesus Christ so special that he should be elevated as preeminent in our thoughts, our hearts, our activities, and our energy as a local church?

Because…Jesus is Better. This is the overall theme of the book of Hebrews (used 13x). Jesus is better than all that came before him in the Old Testament and better than anything that comes after him. What HE offers us is better than anything anyone else can possibly offer. As we journey through this book, my prayer is that your confidence in the person and works of Jesus are expanded and magnified and that your love and devotion for Jesus and your commitment to follow, serve, obey and worship him grow over the next several weeks

Background: Author ?, Recipients ?, where it was written ?, some things we can deduce…written to Jews, prob in Rome, before Nero persecuted them, best guess is in the early 60’s, first century || a lot we don’t know, but what we do know is that it is the inspired word of God, useful for teaching, rebuking, instruction and maturity…so it is an important book for us to study…it truly is all about Jesus!

KEY THOUGHT…

“Jesus is better and is absolutely qualified, in every way, to be our King!”

This passage today, like so many others as we study this book, tells us why JESUS IS BETTER. These first 3 verses are foundational to this book and our understanding of who Jesus is…it is absolutely packed with descriptive attributes, giving us at least 7 reasons why JESUS IS BETTER and why he deserves our obedience and allegiance and worship.

READ AND EXAMINE...

HEBREWS 1:1-3 ESV
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”

- Vs 1: Initially, God revealed himself to mankind PARTIALLY…
“long ago” || many times, many ways || in the past God gave partial revelation of himself to mankind…different amounts of revelation || and he gave those partial revelations over a 1600 year span, in many ways… he spoke to them “BY THE PROPHETS” || creative acts, patriarchs, angels, prophets, visions, rules/regulations/laws, “types”, prophecies || it was never complete, there were always shadows of the Messiah, shadows of redemption, but never fully revealed

- Vs 2: But now, God has FULLY revealed himself...
"in these last days” ||no longer is it partial, but now, God has fully revealed himself to us… he has spoken to us now “BY HIS SON” || actually “IN SON” || Jesus is the completion of God’s revelation of himself. There is no need for anything or anyone else…Jesus is the full revelation. It wasn’t that the OT was bad and Jesus was good, it is that the OT was incomplete, and Jesus was the completion…He is the best part of the revelation!

- Vs 2a-3: WHY JESUS IS BETTER
These next verses are packed with the depth of why Jesus is Better! Buckle your seatbelts!

1. Jesus has been appointed the heir of all things...

“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things”

Heir = universal Lordship = he cannot be less than God

- He is the God-Man
- Everything will be subject to his disposal, whether land or sea or stars or bugs or gold or dirt or demons or sub-atomic particles or books or individual human beings. Everything will be his, not just in title but in actual reality.

Q: How does it affect you to think that everything you are and own belongs to Jesus? Shouldn’t that totally transform how we make use of what we have: our time, our things, our money, our opportunities, our influence? This is who Jesus is: the heir and owner and Lord over all things.

2. Jesus is the one through whom God created the world...

“through whom also he created the world”

- “world” = ages, or times
- Jesus was in control of God’s plan and program for all time. It points to all that exists in the world under the conditions of time. He specifically has in mind the many eras and ages of time and history and all that occurs and everything that exists within them

SAM STORM Quote:“God the Son, who became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, created the whole universe of time and space and every single solitary particle, molecule, atom, quark, proton, neutron, electron, and neutrino that is.”

This is kind of overwhelming to take in and truly comprehend what that means! Jesus created everything! He didn’t merely assemble the parts of what already existed. He called into being out of nothing everything that is or ever will be. Every piece and particle of raw material, however large and imposing or tiny and invisible, he created.

3. Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God (Shekinah Glory)...

“He is the radiance of the glory of God”

- In the OT when we read of the visible manifestation of the presence of God (Shekinah Glory) this is what the writer is describing.
- Jesus reveals the fullness of God’s attributes because he has an unbroken connection with the Father

[John 1:1-4, 14]
"1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men…14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Question: Who is it that has been appointed the heir of all things? Who is it that created everything that is? Who is it that upholds all things by his powerful word and made purification for sin and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Answer: Jesus is the one who is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his character.

4. Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature...

“and the exact imprint of his nature”

- The greek word for “exact imprint” is the origin of our English word for ‘character’...an impression, representation, exact reproduction; an engraving-tool
- ILLUSTRATION: coin die tool
- Everything true of the Father is true of the Son, precise reproduction of God the Father, all the same attributes of deity, all that is in the Father is in the Son
- A mirror like representation exactly reflecting its source

[Col 1:15]
“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

5. Jesus upholds the universe (all things) by the word of his power (powerful word)...

“and he upholds the universe by the word of his power”

- The word "upholds" is not just holding on to (ex: atlas with world on shoulders) but carrying/moving towards a goal. Jesus is upholding, sustaining, carrying, moving the whole universe to a predetermined goal set by God the Father.
- When he says “the universe”, that greek word means “all things”…everything…material, immaterial, visible, invisible…all of it, Jesus holds it together and is moving it towards a goal.

[Col 1:15-17]
“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

- All things…It is exhaustive in its scope and all-inclusive in its range. Nothing is exempt. Every “thing,” whether great or small, whether important or mundane, is being upheld and carried along by the risen Christ to its appointed goal.
- Boy, let that sink in

BY HIS POWERFUL WORD...
-All of this is held together by his “word”…talk about power - SAM STORMS Quote:“All this to say that he merely speaks and the power generated by his word sustains and upholds and gives direction and purpose to everything! Your kidneys and pancreas and freckles and flesh and the chair on which you sit and the ground beneath your feet and the air you breathe and the shirt on your back and the car which you drive and the soccer ball you kick and the love that you feel and the joy you experience and the people next to you this morning have all been created by the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and are all upheld in existence by him such that if he were for a mere millisecond to withdraw his power everything would literally vaporize. And all this, and everything else, is subject to his sovereign authority and is being directed and orchestrated to reach its God-ordained end.”

WOW

6. Jesus made purification for sins...

“After making purification for sins”

- JESUS the Son is mankind’s redeemer...this is his role in history, a priestly work, (Jesus is the BETTER HIGH PRIEST ch 5-7)

- 2 ASPECTS OF PURIFICATION:
1) It was an exclusive work: he made it by himself and on one else provided this redemption
2) It is a finished work: (Note the past tense: “made”. He isn’t “making” purification now. It’s not as if each time you mess up and commit some sin that Jesus has to rush back into the scene and provide yet another sacrifice. Nor does it say that he “will” make purification, as if we are left hanging and wondering if our sins will be among those that are purified. No. He “made”purification: this is finished, final, once-for-all atonement. Everything required by an infinitely holy God to overcome and remove the barrier that your sin had created between you and him has been done. It’s over. It only remains for you to repent and believe it and lay hold of Christ by faith.

7. Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...

“he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”

- Jesus is the sovereign King over all of humanity.

A. "Sitting down" emphasizes a ‘finished work’
[Hebrews 10:11-14]
“11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

B. "At the right hand of the Father" emphasizes equality with the Father
[1 Peter 3:22]
“…Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”

C. His current work at the Father’s right hand is to pray for us
[Rom 8:34]
“…Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

—> These 7 things show that Jesus is qualified to be a unique revealer who is superior to the Prophets || Jesus is qualified to be the FINAL revelation of the Father bringing the OT prophecies to its completion || Jesus is qualified to be the authenticating piece of all previous revelations that God the Father has given…all of them pointing to him in many times and in many ways…God now has spoken to us “IN SON”…Jesus is absolutely Better!

APPLY...

For those who have put your trust in Jesus Christ, here is what all of this means for you today…

- It means that you should never again live in fear that your sins will bring you into eternal judgment.
- It means that you should never again live in fear of death, because leaving this life leads you into eternal fellowship and intimacy with God in the next.
- It means that you should never worry that anything or anyone can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
- It means that you should never again be crushed by guilt and shame for all the ways in which you have failed others and sinned against God.
- It means that you should never again strive and strain and work and labor to win God’s favor and approval.
- It means that you should never again live in anxiety and fear about whether you’ve done enough to make atonement for your shortcomings and your sins.
- It means you should never again wonder whether, when you stand in God’s presence on the day of judgment, you will be properly prepared and thus find acceptance with your Creator.
- It means that you should never again strive to live in conformity with someone’s expectations of you or in accordance with the rules they have set down for you, as if by doing so you might become truly spiritual and thus acceptable not only to them but also to God. Never again!
- It means that you can now and forever breathe a deep sigh of relief and be filled with joy inexpressible and full of glory knowing that a perfect sacrifice for your sins has been offered and that all your guilt, yesterday, today, and forever has been wiped completely clean and that by faith in Jesus alone you stand clothed in his righteousness.

--> That’s what it means to say that this one who is the heir of all things, through whom all things were created, sat down at the right hand of God.
--> That’s what it means to say that this one who is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his nature sat down at the right hand of God.
--> That’s what it means to say that this one who upholds all things by his powerful word, after making purification for your sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high!

PRAY AND COMMUNION…

1. Sit in Awe of JESUS, who he is, what he has done
2. With all of that power, authority, holiness...he loves and knows you!! Rest in that now.