Jesus Christ---The Eternal Son Of God
Our Text: Book of Hebrews Chapter 1
I have always considered the Book of Hebrews my favorite book of the Bible BUT, I have grown to realize that every Book of the Bible should be my favorite.
There are no unimportant scriptures in the Word Of God!
We will find out that Jesus Christ is the main subject in this wonderful book. Jesus Christ may no longer be in a physical body on this Earth but more importantly, He still abides in each and every believer!
Jesus Christ is now in Heaven with the Father and He has become Our High Priest while He intercedes for "all the ones He owns".
YES, He paid dearly with His blood to purchase each and every believer and now defends each one in Heaven as our advocate. An advocate is somewhat like a lawyer.
Jesus Christ:
1.) Lived on Earth as a man.
2.) He also died on this Earth as a man.
3.) But Jesus Christ arose with the Power of God and now lives in God's Presence.
4.) And Now at this time, Jesus Christ is the permanent High Priest to the Church.
The Bible says:
Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, [hath an unchangeable priesthood].
Even when Jesus returns as the King of the Jews, He will still be High Priest to the Church, and Husband to the Bride of Christ.
When Jesus died, He ended the dispensation of The Law and ushered in a New Covenant that was written with His Own Blood!
This New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant and more involved, so then it must replace that Old One.
This is the message we should learn from the Book of Hebrews!
We may not know who wrote the Book of Hebrews until we get to Heaven when God says we will know all things and have the mind of Jesus Christ.
But what we need to know is:
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
This great book was probably directed at early Jewish believers. In fact the Church began with early Jewish believers and there are still Jewish believers, BUT the key word is of course "Believer" and every believer should study the entire Bible.
The Jews had to understand, and some did, that the time of the Law had ended along with the time of all animal sacrifices.
Jesus was our sacrifice and Jesus paid it all at the cross!
To say that Jesus Christ is superior to all the Old Testament prophets would be especially meaningful to the Jewish believer and maybe not as much to the Gentile believer.
To the Gentile, Jesus is more the fulfillment of all Bible prophesy!
Jesus is our Savior and not so much the Prophet to the Church!
There are many who want to be prophets but we can have only one Savior and we already know Him!
At the time of the writings of Hebrews it is very probable that most everyone that had known Jesus personally had died. I do believe that the Apostle John was still alive and also the Apostle Paul who I believe had some part in, or I feel is the writer of this book.
But, It is God who wrote all the Bible!
As we know, Our God, is a God of timing and there can be no doubt that this book was written at a critical time in the life of the Jewish Believer.
The Temple was still standing but it would only be a few years before Titus came to destroy Israel and Jerusalem and cause the dispersion of Israel for the third and final time.
This book would encourage the Jewish believer to believe that Jesus was superior to all the Old Testament traditions and all the Old Testament prophets!
When we study this book we should be encouraged to know what we are trusting in.
It is the Word of God that we can trust and not the words of this world we live in!
The world of the Jew was a world of chaos at this time and if we open our eyes we can also see a world in chaos against God and His people at this time we live in.
AND, God warns us of rejecting the teachings of Jesus:
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, [if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven]:
Heb 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: [but now he hath promised], saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
There should not be any doubt that this book and most all the New Testament focuses on the future from the time it was written.
We live in part of that future time spoken of in the Bible:
Heb 2:5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection [the world to come, whereof we speak].
We are living in the days just before the soon coming Glory Days of Christ Jesus and we are actually some of that future spoken of in the Book of Hebrews.
Not because we are in the Bible but because our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life!
Our Text:
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
When we study the Book of Hebrews we should have a better understanding of how much superior the Christian faith is above all other religions! The word "better" is seen many times in Hebrews. Our goal, to learn about Christ Jesus must include the Book of Hebrews.
BUT, The Book of Hebrews will also challenge us to see Jesus as He is now!
We also should keep in mind the main purpose God had in "Creation".
1.) God wants every one of us to know Him on a personal level, just as Adam did before his fall.
2.) But, God wants us to know that our joy on this Earth will happen only through a personal relationship with Him.
The very first word in this great book is "God". This means the Supreme, Divine Magistrate, The Godhead, The God that is the Holy Trinity, the God of the Bible, there is no other!
This is the "Creator" of this universe that we live and Our God expects us to accept that fact, so He does not mention why or how He is God.
AND, There will be no excuse for not knowing this God:
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 [For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen], being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
There is only one way to please God:
Heb 11:6 [But without faith it is impossible to please him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
*****Sundry times would mean at various times through many men, as Abraham through Moses and all others. The Old Testament was written over a 1500 year period and from a period of about 4000 years before Jesus.
God did not give all His truth to Abraham but revealed it at certain times to many others until the time of Jesus.
*****Divers manners would mean in different ways, as God will use all His Creation especially humans to do His speaking, but He has also spoken out Himself through the Holy Spirit.
We should realize that we have a God who speaks to His People!
God has used many ways of communicating to those that wrote the Old Testament.
He used dreams, He spoke through the Laws of Moses, He spoke through the design and the building of the Tabernacle and the Temple. He spoke through the sacrifices, and He spoke through "Types" and He has spoken through His "Creation"!
He spoke through His Psalms and He spoke through as many as 45 writers of the Bible.
He has given us His Divine will by giving us His Inspired Word!
[All scripture is given by inspiration of God]
*****The words "in time past" are in references to the Old Testament, that we have with us today.
God has indeed spoken to us all and with these scriptures but we immediately see that we did not have the completed Word until God spoke to us all through His Son!
What other religion can say they have a God who speaks to His people?
Most false religions begin by certain leaders who say a god spoke to them and they were to teach all others.
Jehovah our God speaks to all His children!
*****We should also know that these words that are spoken by the The Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, are superior to the word spoken by all the prophets of the Old Testament.
God wanted all the Hebrew believers to be aware of this fact.!
Jesus Christ is superior for He was not only a man but He is "The Son Of God"!
Jesus was not just a man that was called of God!
We must also realize that if God spoke out of Heaven to anyone in our day, [He would only repeat what He has already written down for us]!
There will not ever be any new chapters of our Bible!
There will never be any NEW WORD OF GOD!
If there are any new revelations they will come from His Word that He has already given to us!
We have a completed work and the complete Word of God [and it came by His Son]!
*****The Son, is the heir of all things of the Father!
*****The Son, is the Creator of all things!
*****The Son, is the completer of and, the fulfillment of the written Word of God!
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
And who is this Son?
Joh 1:14 [And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us], (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
And John the Baptist said, this is the One, This is the Son:
Joh 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
Joh 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, [but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ].
*****The "express image":
The Bible teaches us that Jesus was not just another sign nor was He just another revelation of God.
Jesus Christ is God's final and ultimate revelation of Himself to all people.
The New Age movement then is a lie!
Eastern mysticism is then a lie!
Humanism is then a lie!
Islam is then a lie!
All Cults are lies!
Anything that is not of Christ Jesus is then a lie!
Jesus Christ is the brightness of God' Glory!
Jesus Christ is not a reflection of God but Is The Shining Forth Of God's Glory!
Jesus Christ is "ONE" WITH GOD!
Jesus Christ, The Son, is the full and perfect revelation of what is in Our Father in Heaven!
AND, We can know The Father because we know The Son!
*****The Son upholds all things.
In other words this creation of God that we live in is sustained and kept in it's creative order by the power of the Son of God!
It is God that sits on the throne. It is through His Son that is in perfect control of the events that take place on this Earth!
Time will pass just as He says these Ages will come to pass!
If you study His Words you can know what "Age" you live in and how we should all be busy about the work He has given us to do!
*****It is this Son, the Lord Jesus Christ that "By Himself" cleansed us from all our sin!
This is the "image" God wants us all to see:
Jesus Christ, The Son, is the "revelation" of God's Love, God's Grace, God's Justice, God's Holiness, and God's Righteousness.
This is the "revelation" God gives us of cleansing us of our personal sin and He will one day cleanse His entire creation of sin and the curses.
This is the promise God makes and this is why we should base our salvation on the promises of God!
He is the God, who has never failed and His Son who paid the price for our salvation with His blood.
*****Our Lord is now back at home doing exactly what He said He would be doing.
He is preparing us a mansion in His Fathers house, and He is interceding on our behalf, BUT He is also praying for our victory over this sinful world!
What a Savior we have!
*****Our Text:
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Jesus Christ did not die to save any of the fallen angels!
They can never be restored!
Jesus died to save mankind!
Jesus is superior to any angel and any prophet!
We read a lot about angels in the Old Testament but we do not read of an angel ministry connected to the Church.
Do we all have guardian angels?
Are angels busy doing what God tells them to do?
A child of God is indwelled with the Holy Spirit of the Almighty God and not one angel has the power of the Holy Spirit!
Angels are Heavenly personalities, they have no place to dwell on this Earth.
They are made for the presence of God.
Angels are glorious creatures, and they are wonderful and powerful and skillful and they know many great things, but they do not know the feeling of being indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
Angels are seen in battles!
Angels are seen in death!
When an angle comes on the scene, "victory is assured" BUT it is not because of the angel it is because of the Lord of those angels.
They will do whatever the will of God without question and without remorse!
But among all the angels there is none as great as God's Son.
Every angel in Heaven could be sacrificed and not one lost person could have been saved!
Not one angel could pay the penalty of our sin!
Not one angel could become a man so they could die in our place!
Not one angel could shed blood, they do not have blood! And without the "shedding of blood" there can be no remission of sin:
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Only Christ Jesus, The "ONLY" begotten Son, could pay the price for all our sin!
When was Jesus "begotten"? When He was brought back from the dead!
Jesus was not begotten in Bethlehem!
The begotten is the work of God:
Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, [Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee].
Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
God will do whatever He desires with His angels.
He may change them into winds, or flames of fire and He has done these things and still does these things!
And ,we should know that God is good and everything He does is good!
*****Heb 1:13 [But to which of the angels said he at any time], Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
To make more sense of this verse let's look at what Jesus said as He responded to the questions of the High Priest before He was crucified:
Mar 14:61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
Mar 14:62 And Jesus said, [I am]: and [ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power], and coming in the clouds of heaven.
In Matthew we see:
Mat 22:41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
Mat 22:42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
Mat 22:43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
Mat 22:44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Mat 22:45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
Now back to our scripture in Hebrews, I personally believe it can be said that you will never find a place in the Old Testament where God said any of the angels were His sons!
The Psalms teach "the deity" of Christ, as God and there is a more complete picture of Christ in the Psalms than in the Gospels.
Jesus said:
Luk_24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, [that all things must be fulfilled], which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and [in the psalms, concerning me].
The right hand of God, is the place of honor for only the ["Begotten" Son of God]!
We have already stated Jesus is the [Begotten Son of God] because He arose from the death of the cross!
Not one angel could ever reach this place of honor as the Son of God!
There is only one Son in the Holy Trinity and that Son is Jesus:
Pe 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; [angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him].
There is no other Savior because there is no other Son of God!
Most false religions and most cults will honor Jesus, but only with there own man-made doctrine BUT, when they are confronted with the truth of Sin, and Righteousness, and Judgment, they will not accept that Jesus was God in the flesh!
It is a fact that no one in this world can be saved until they face there own decision of just "what are they going to do with Jesus"!
According to the Book of Hebrews, to reject Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Bible, is to reject the "One True God"!
The angels are powerful creations of God!
They were created back in Genesis 1:1.
An angel cannot die!
The angels are ministering spirits that were created to do obey the will of God!
BUT,
Not one angel can intercede on the behalf of God's children!
Not one angel can be a mediator for God's children!
Not one angel can answer pray!
Not one angel can fill you with God's Holy Spirit!
Not one angel can save you from the wrath of God!
And, Not one angel can forgive sin!
We have only one advocate, and that "ONE", is the Christ of God, the Lord Jesus, The Son!
Jesus Christ is greater then the angels!
Jesus Christ is greater than the Laws of Moses!
Jesus Christ is sitting on the throne of Power, YET, He still humbles Himself to intercede for every "Born Again" child of God!
What a precious Savior we have!
Christ Jesus is the Son, angels are His servants!
Christ Jesus will return as the King, angels are His subjects!
Christ Jesus is the Creator, angels are creatures of His creation!
Christ is now sitting on His throne in Heaven waiting until He will come to destroy His enemies with His angels.
He will wait until God stops calling on the Lost to be saved!
God says His Son will one day rule over all His creation SO, Jesus is much higher than any angel!
We must remember when Jesus returns as King, He will rule in Israel for 1000 years.
He will redeem His creation to Himself!
He will reverse the effects of the curse, and our environment will be restored as it was in the days of Adam and there will be harmony in this Earth again!
But we must also remember before this happens, the Church will be called out!
Satan will send a "false messiah" who says that he can bring peace to this Earth and there will be seven years of Satan's lies before the truth of the Gospel is revealed with the return of Christ Jesus.
There is no evil that can stand before the Glory of God and His Son.
Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
How can we not trust the truth of the Word of God?
Questions
Let's Pray!
Our Text: Book of Hebrews Chapter 1
I have always considered the Book of Hebrews my favorite book of the Bible BUT, I have grown to realize that every Book of the Bible should be my favorite.
There are no unimportant scriptures in the Word Of God!
We will find out that Jesus Christ is the main subject in this wonderful book. Jesus Christ may no longer be in a physical body on this Earth but more importantly, He still abides in each and every believer!
Jesus Christ is now in Heaven with the Father and He has become Our High Priest while He intercedes for "all the ones He owns".
YES, He paid dearly with His blood to purchase each and every believer and now defends each one in Heaven as our advocate. An advocate is somewhat like a lawyer.
Jesus Christ:
1.) Lived on Earth as a man.
2.) He also died on this Earth as a man.
3.) But Jesus Christ arose with the Power of God and now lives in God's Presence.
4.) And Now at this time, Jesus Christ is the permanent High Priest to the Church.
The Bible says:
Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, [hath an unchangeable priesthood].
Even when Jesus returns as the King of the Jews, He will still be High Priest to the Church, and Husband to the Bride of Christ.
When Jesus died, He ended the dispensation of The Law and ushered in a New Covenant that was written with His Own Blood!
This New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant and more involved, so then it must replace that Old One.
This is the message we should learn from the Book of Hebrews!
We may not know who wrote the Book of Hebrews until we get to Heaven when God says we will know all things and have the mind of Jesus Christ.
But what we need to know is:
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
This great book was probably directed at early Jewish believers. In fact the Church began with early Jewish believers and there are still Jewish believers, BUT the key word is of course "Believer" and every believer should study the entire Bible.
The Jews had to understand, and some did, that the time of the Law had ended along with the time of all animal sacrifices.
Jesus was our sacrifice and Jesus paid it all at the cross!
To say that Jesus Christ is superior to all the Old Testament prophets would be especially meaningful to the Jewish believer and maybe not as much to the Gentile believer.
To the Gentile, Jesus is more the fulfillment of all Bible prophesy!
Jesus is our Savior and not so much the Prophet to the Church!
There are many who want to be prophets but we can have only one Savior and we already know Him!
At the time of the writings of Hebrews it is very probable that most everyone that had known Jesus personally had died. I do believe that the Apostle John was still alive and also the Apostle Paul who I believe had some part in, or I feel is the writer of this book.
But, It is God who wrote all the Bible!
As we know, Our God, is a God of timing and there can be no doubt that this book was written at a critical time in the life of the Jewish Believer.
The Temple was still standing but it would only be a few years before Titus came to destroy Israel and Jerusalem and cause the dispersion of Israel for the third and final time.
This book would encourage the Jewish believer to believe that Jesus was superior to all the Old Testament traditions and all the Old Testament prophets!
When we study this book we should be encouraged to know what we are trusting in.
It is the Word of God that we can trust and not the words of this world we live in!
The world of the Jew was a world of chaos at this time and if we open our eyes we can also see a world in chaos against God and His people at this time we live in.
AND, God warns us of rejecting the teachings of Jesus:
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, [if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven]:
Heb 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: [but now he hath promised], saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
There should not be any doubt that this book and most all the New Testament focuses on the future from the time it was written.
We live in part of that future time spoken of in the Bible:
Heb 2:5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection [the world to come, whereof we speak].
We are living in the days just before the soon coming Glory Days of Christ Jesus and we are actually some of that future spoken of in the Book of Hebrews.
Not because we are in the Bible but because our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life!
Our Text:
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
When we study the Book of Hebrews we should have a better understanding of how much superior the Christian faith is above all other religions! The word "better" is seen many times in Hebrews. Our goal, to learn about Christ Jesus must include the Book of Hebrews.
BUT, The Book of Hebrews will also challenge us to see Jesus as He is now!
We also should keep in mind the main purpose God had in "Creation".
1.) God wants every one of us to know Him on a personal level, just as Adam did before his fall.
2.) But, God wants us to know that our joy on this Earth will happen only through a personal relationship with Him.
The very first word in this great book is "God". This means the Supreme, Divine Magistrate, The Godhead, The God that is the Holy Trinity, the God of the Bible, there is no other!
This is the "Creator" of this universe that we live and Our God expects us to accept that fact, so He does not mention why or how He is God.
AND, There will be no excuse for not knowing this God:
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 [For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen], being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
There is only one way to please God:
Heb 11:6 [But without faith it is impossible to please him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
*****Sundry times would mean at various times through many men, as Abraham through Moses and all others. The Old Testament was written over a 1500 year period and from a period of about 4000 years before Jesus.
God did not give all His truth to Abraham but revealed it at certain times to many others until the time of Jesus.
*****Divers manners would mean in different ways, as God will use all His Creation especially humans to do His speaking, but He has also spoken out Himself through the Holy Spirit.
We should realize that we have a God who speaks to His People!
God has used many ways of communicating to those that wrote the Old Testament.
He used dreams, He spoke through the Laws of Moses, He spoke through the design and the building of the Tabernacle and the Temple. He spoke through the sacrifices, and He spoke through "Types" and He has spoken through His "Creation"!
He spoke through His Psalms and He spoke through as many as 45 writers of the Bible.
He has given us His Divine will by giving us His Inspired Word!
[All scripture is given by inspiration of God]
*****The words "in time past" are in references to the Old Testament, that we have with us today.
God has indeed spoken to us all and with these scriptures but we immediately see that we did not have the completed Word until God spoke to us all through His Son!
What other religion can say they have a God who speaks to His people?
Most false religions begin by certain leaders who say a god spoke to them and they were to teach all others.
Jehovah our God speaks to all His children!
*****We should also know that these words that are spoken by the The Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, are superior to the word spoken by all the prophets of the Old Testament.
God wanted all the Hebrew believers to be aware of this fact.!
Jesus Christ is superior for He was not only a man but He is "The Son Of God"!
Jesus was not just a man that was called of God!
We must also realize that if God spoke out of Heaven to anyone in our day, [He would only repeat what He has already written down for us]!
There will not ever be any new chapters of our Bible!
There will never be any NEW WORD OF GOD!
If there are any new revelations they will come from His Word that He has already given to us!
We have a completed work and the complete Word of God [and it came by His Son]!
*****The Son, is the heir of all things of the Father!
*****The Son, is the Creator of all things!
*****The Son, is the completer of and, the fulfillment of the written Word of God!
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
And who is this Son?
Joh 1:14 [And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us], (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
And John the Baptist said, this is the One, This is the Son:
Joh 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
Joh 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, [but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ].
*****The "express image":
The Bible teaches us that Jesus was not just another sign nor was He just another revelation of God.
Jesus Christ is God's final and ultimate revelation of Himself to all people.
The New Age movement then is a lie!
Eastern mysticism is then a lie!
Humanism is then a lie!
Islam is then a lie!
All Cults are lies!
Anything that is not of Christ Jesus is then a lie!
Jesus Christ is the brightness of God' Glory!
Jesus Christ is not a reflection of God but Is The Shining Forth Of God's Glory!
Jesus Christ is "ONE" WITH GOD!
Jesus Christ, The Son, is the full and perfect revelation of what is in Our Father in Heaven!
AND, We can know The Father because we know The Son!
*****The Son upholds all things.
In other words this creation of God that we live in is sustained and kept in it's creative order by the power of the Son of God!
It is God that sits on the throne. It is through His Son that is in perfect control of the events that take place on this Earth!
Time will pass just as He says these Ages will come to pass!
If you study His Words you can know what "Age" you live in and how we should all be busy about the work He has given us to do!
*****It is this Son, the Lord Jesus Christ that "By Himself" cleansed us from all our sin!
This is the "image" God wants us all to see:
Jesus Christ, The Son, is the "revelation" of God's Love, God's Grace, God's Justice, God's Holiness, and God's Righteousness.
This is the "revelation" God gives us of cleansing us of our personal sin and He will one day cleanse His entire creation of sin and the curses.
This is the promise God makes and this is why we should base our salvation on the promises of God!
He is the God, who has never failed and His Son who paid the price for our salvation with His blood.
*****Our Lord is now back at home doing exactly what He said He would be doing.
He is preparing us a mansion in His Fathers house, and He is interceding on our behalf, BUT He is also praying for our victory over this sinful world!
What a Savior we have!
*****Our Text:
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Jesus Christ did not die to save any of the fallen angels!
They can never be restored!
Jesus died to save mankind!
Jesus is superior to any angel and any prophet!
We read a lot about angels in the Old Testament but we do not read of an angel ministry connected to the Church.
Do we all have guardian angels?
Are angels busy doing what God tells them to do?
A child of God is indwelled with the Holy Spirit of the Almighty God and not one angel has the power of the Holy Spirit!
Angels are Heavenly personalities, they have no place to dwell on this Earth.
They are made for the presence of God.
Angels are glorious creatures, and they are wonderful and powerful and skillful and they know many great things, but they do not know the feeling of being indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
Angels are seen in battles!
Angels are seen in death!
When an angle comes on the scene, "victory is assured" BUT it is not because of the angel it is because of the Lord of those angels.
They will do whatever the will of God without question and without remorse!
But among all the angels there is none as great as God's Son.
Every angel in Heaven could be sacrificed and not one lost person could have been saved!
Not one angel could pay the penalty of our sin!
Not one angel could become a man so they could die in our place!
Not one angel could shed blood, they do not have blood! And without the "shedding of blood" there can be no remission of sin:
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Only Christ Jesus, The "ONLY" begotten Son, could pay the price for all our sin!
When was Jesus "begotten"? When He was brought back from the dead!
Jesus was not begotten in Bethlehem!
The begotten is the work of God:
Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, [Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee].
Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
God will do whatever He desires with His angels.
He may change them into winds, or flames of fire and He has done these things and still does these things!
And ,we should know that God is good and everything He does is good!
*****Heb 1:13 [But to which of the angels said he at any time], Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
To make more sense of this verse let's look at what Jesus said as He responded to the questions of the High Priest before He was crucified:
Mar 14:61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
Mar 14:62 And Jesus said, [I am]: and [ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power], and coming in the clouds of heaven.
In Matthew we see:
Mat 22:41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
Mat 22:42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.
Mat 22:43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
Mat 22:44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Mat 22:45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
Now back to our scripture in Hebrews, I personally believe it can be said that you will never find a place in the Old Testament where God said any of the angels were His sons!
The Psalms teach "the deity" of Christ, as God and there is a more complete picture of Christ in the Psalms than in the Gospels.
Jesus said:
Luk_24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, [that all things must be fulfilled], which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and [in the psalms, concerning me].
The right hand of God, is the place of honor for only the ["Begotten" Son of God]!
We have already stated Jesus is the [Begotten Son of God] because He arose from the death of the cross!
Not one angel could ever reach this place of honor as the Son of God!
There is only one Son in the Holy Trinity and that Son is Jesus:
Pe 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; [angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him].
There is no other Savior because there is no other Son of God!
Most false religions and most cults will honor Jesus, but only with there own man-made doctrine BUT, when they are confronted with the truth of Sin, and Righteousness, and Judgment, they will not accept that Jesus was God in the flesh!
It is a fact that no one in this world can be saved until they face there own decision of just "what are they going to do with Jesus"!
According to the Book of Hebrews, to reject Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Bible, is to reject the "One True God"!
The angels are powerful creations of God!
They were created back in Genesis 1:1.
An angel cannot die!
The angels are ministering spirits that were created to do obey the will of God!
BUT,
Not one angel can intercede on the behalf of God's children!
Not one angel can be a mediator for God's children!
Not one angel can answer pray!
Not one angel can fill you with God's Holy Spirit!
Not one angel can save you from the wrath of God!
And, Not one angel can forgive sin!
We have only one advocate, and that "ONE", is the Christ of God, the Lord Jesus, The Son!
Jesus Christ is greater then the angels!
Jesus Christ is greater than the Laws of Moses!
Jesus Christ is sitting on the throne of Power, YET, He still humbles Himself to intercede for every "Born Again" child of God!
What a precious Savior we have!
Christ Jesus is the Son, angels are His servants!
Christ Jesus will return as the King, angels are His subjects!
Christ Jesus is the Creator, angels are creatures of His creation!
Christ is now sitting on His throne in Heaven waiting until He will come to destroy His enemies with His angels.
He will wait until God stops calling on the Lost to be saved!
God says His Son will one day rule over all His creation SO, Jesus is much higher than any angel!
We must remember when Jesus returns as King, He will rule in Israel for 1000 years.
He will redeem His creation to Himself!
He will reverse the effects of the curse, and our environment will be restored as it was in the days of Adam and there will be harmony in this Earth again!
But we must also remember before this happens, the Church will be called out!
Satan will send a "false messiah" who says that he can bring peace to this Earth and there will be seven years of Satan's lies before the truth of the Gospel is revealed with the return of Christ Jesus.
There is no evil that can stand before the Glory of God and His Son.
Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
How can we not trust the truth of the Word of God?
Questions
Let's Pray!
