Morning to everyone. You can turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. As you're turning there, I'll apologize ahead of time.
I have a little bit of a cold going on here and my ears are still plugged and haven't popped since I got off the airplane. So it sounds like I'm speaking from the parking lot from inside a metal barrel in my own head. So hopefully the volume and the Jonathan can maybe adjust as I'm preaching if it sounds too quiet or too loud. Also, before we read the text, having returned from the General Assembly down in Phoenix, I realized that I'm still a young preacher.
There's a lot of old preachers down there, in addition to Pastor Butler and Barcelos. But there's a lot of old preachers in the Reformed Baptist world. So yes, kids and teenagers, I'm still a young preacher. If I use any words, I try to define them as So I go along hopefully, but if any words you don't understand or anything, or if I don't define them, and hopefully I do, write them down and by all means ask me afterwards.
As we mine Hebrews 1, 1 to 4 for the riches and the glories of Jesus Christ, there is so much to open up. And hopefully, Lord willing, this morning we'll look at the glory of Christ from this text. I'm gonna read Hebrews 1, 1 and finish reading in 2, 4. So this is Hebrews 1, 1 to Hebrews 2, 4.
This is the word of the living and true God. God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by his son whom he has appointed heir of all things through whom also he made the worlds, 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 at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did he ever say, you are my son. Today I have begotten you.
And again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. But when he again brings the firstborn into the world, he says, let all the angels of God worship him. and of the angels, he says, who makes his angels' spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. But to the sun, he says, your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions. You Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain, and they will all grow old like a garment.
Like a cloak, you will fold them up, and they will be changed, but you are the same, and your years will not fail. But to which of the angels has he ever said, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation? Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
For if the words spoken through angels proved steadfast, in every transgression and disobedience received a just reward. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders with various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will. Amen.
Well let's go again to the Lord in prayer. Let us pray. Heavenly Father we rejoice that we can read from your scriptures We thank you for this revelation from on high. We rejoice in what it discloses concerning Jesus Christ, our precious savior and our reigning king.
And we pray that you'd help us as we engage in this act of worship, the preaching of your word, that it would be done unto the praise of your glory, that you would help preacher and give him aid in order to open up your word as it ought to be opened up yet fallibly. We ask Lord God that you would help those sitting in the pews this morning, be with them, that for your saints this exercise of worship would be an encouragement, that it would lift them up in the things of Christ Jesus. We pray that it would equip them well to go into this world, to rejoice in their Savior and to live in a manner worthy of their calling by grace. And we would pray as well, Lord God, that for sinners you would be here by spirit and word, that you would cause those who entered in this morning outside of Christ to leave singing the praises of His most high and precious name.
And it's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.
Introduction
Well, if we were to engage in some wholesome speculation, we could say, as one man said, or we could have reason to suppose, as one man supposed, that the book of Hebrews is an opening up of the sermon and the content preached by Stephen in the book of Acts chapter 7. Remember that scene. We have there a young man named Saul, a Pharisee, a persecutor of the church. And he's there at the stoning of Stephen and he's sitting by receiving the clothes of those who are taking their clothes off in order to be more mobile to crush the head of Stephen.
He's receiving their clothes and the text says that he gives approval to his vicious murder by those unbelieving Jews. That same young man named Saul is the author of this epistle, the epistle to the Hebrews. And so that man in his unconverted state is watching this martyr Stephen before his head is crushed, crushed, preach Jesus Christ. And he preaches Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all of those Old Testament types and shadows.
He is the true tabernacle. He is the true temple. He is the substance of all of those Old Covenant shadows. And then after His conversion, having heard this glorious Jesus preached by this Stephen, He goes about in His own ministry, by grace, preaching that selfsame Christ and preaching that selfsame message.
And the message of Stephen and the message of the book of Hebrews is the same, the glory of Jesus Christ, that he is the sum and substance of true religion. One man has called the book of Hebrews, or the theme of the book of Hebrews, the superabounding excellence of Christianity over Judaism. We could use that and elaborate a bit more on it or be cut maybe to the chase of the book and say that it is the super abounding excellence of Christ, generally over all things, but specifically over those types and shadows of Old Covenant religion. As Arthur Pink says in his commentary, He says that Christ is the sum and substance, or with regards to the book of Hebrews, the sum and substance, the center and circumference, the light and life of Christianity is Christ.
And so this Lord's Day morning, we'll examine Hebrews 1, 1 to 4, and hopefully mine some of the riches that are therein contained. And we'll look at Hebrews 1, 1 to 4 under three headings, we'll look at the excellence of his revelation, the wonder of his redemption, and the glory of his reign." Again, that is the excellence of his revelation, the wonder of his redemption, and the glory of his reign.
The Excellence of His Revelation
Notice first off, the excellence of his revelation, verse 1, and verse 2a, of Hebrews 1. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son. We see there the excellence of his revelation. Now when we say that we're not saying we're not saying that the times past revelation is somehow not inspired is somehow errant or is somehow fallible.
But there is a contrast in the text that we do see here. And before we move to that contrast, let's make note of one thing. It is an amazing act of condescension that God has revealed himself in any way. For us to have special revelation in our scriptures is an amazing act of mercy and of condescension. being under no obligation to reveal himself unto men.
Nevertheless, God in condescending grace reveals himself. He manifests himself. He reveals his truth to us. So under the excellence of his revelation, notice first off, the excellence is seen.
The Latter Greater than the Former
This excellence is seen in the general tenor of the latter. being greater than the former. And this is what I mean by that. Kids, if you were taking a swimming lesson, and you're progressing along in your swimming lessons, you might say to somebody, I used to doggy paddle, but now I freestyle. You know what doggy paddle is?
You use your little paws, kind of like a butter churn. I'm not sure if a butter churn moves like that. But you go like this to the water, and it propels you forward really slowly. So I once doggy paddled but now I freestyle.
That's the full out arm length pulling of water where you can move a lot faster. Well, if you were to say that, I once doggy paddled but now I freestyle. That could be a statement of fact that you once did one thing and now you do the other. In fact, it is.
But it carries the weight of one thing being better than the previous thing. The freestyle is better than the doggy paddle because it moves you along faster. Or adults in the audience, especially the men who gather for Saturday morning theology study. You might say, I once drank coffee with cream and sugar, but now I drink coffee black.
You see, that is a statement of fact that you once drank coffee with cream and sugar, but now you drink it black. But drinking it black is better than drinking it with cream and sugar. You see? This is what we have to get to the more serious and the more glorious.
This is what we have in Hebrews 1, 1 to 2a. God, again, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. The latter is greater than the former. The former is still God speaking, God spoke to the fathers by the prophets, but it is not as great as God Himself manifested in the flesh, the Messianic King coming to disclose the riches and the truths of God.
And again, those old times or that times past, the words of God were no less inspired. The truth of God was no less true. But we have in the new covenant a greater opening up of the mysteries of the gospel and the glories of saving grace. And so first again, this excellence is seen in the general tenor of the latter being better or greater than the former.
And we have this as well in verses 1 to 4 of chapter 2. Notice at verse 2 of chapter 2, this tenor, this idea of the latter being greater than the former. For if the word spoken through angels proves steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? You see, the latter is greater than the former.
If those could not escape or if the word previously spoken by angels was steadfast and those in their disobedience were judged for that disobedience, how much greater the punishment and how much greater the justice when we now, this side of a crucified and resurrected Christ, reject the blessings and the glories of the gospel. So we see the excellence of His revelation in that. And this follows something of a theme in the book of Hebrews. When we said earlier, kids, that the theme of Hebrews is the superabounding excellence of Christ over all of those articles of Old Covenant religion, put very easily, it is simply saying this, better things in Christ.
Better things in Christ. As we move through the book of Hebrews, we find that in the New Covenant we have a better covenant. We have a better hope. We have this covenant built upon better promises.
And we have a mediator, a better mediator, Jesus Christ, the mediator of the new covenant.
Comparison of the Two Ages
Secondly, we see this excellence or this excellence is seen in the comparison of the two ages. We have a comparison here of two ages. the times past and in these last days. These last days are greater than those times past because in these last days we have Christ coming from heaven. We have the Lord God, the second of the blessed triune condescending, taking upon himself the form of a bondservant, coming in the likeness of men and revealing truth from his divine human lips. we have this comparison of the two ages.
And this is brought out, or we read this a number of weeks ago in the book of Ephesians. Hopefully this morning, time and Lord willing, we can move through some Bible to see where certain things connect and where themes are consistent in their consent. Ephesians chapter one, if you turn there with me, on this idea that we see the excellence of Christ's revelation in the comparison of the two ages, In verse 7 of Ephesians 1 starts this language. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself.
Now notice that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. There is a fullness of the times character and reality to the revelation that Christ brings. Remember Galatians 4.4. In the fullness of the times, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who are under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Well, that same language Paul uses in Ephesians 1.10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, he might gather all things in Christ, in one, in Christ Jesus. Turn also with me to 1 Peter. 1 Peter, in 1 Peter, Chapter 1, we have this reality brought forth as we're talking about the excellence of the revelation of Christ Jesus and the contrast between these two ages. In 1 Peter 1, beginning at verse 7. Actually, sorry, beginning in verse 10.
Of this salvation, the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you, through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels desire to look into. So in those former times, in those times past, the Spirit of Christ was testifying regarding his future sufferings and the glories that would follow upon the heels of suffering. But it was a greater revelation this Christ having now come to them.
It was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they were ministering the things. And so the comparison of the two ages brings to bear that these last days is greater than those former times.
The Manner of Revealing
Third, we see the excellence or the excellence is seen the excellence of his revelation is seen in the manner of revealing notice what the text says again back in Hebrews one God who at various times and in various ways spoken time passed to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. In other words, the Gospel Revelator in this New Covenant era is God Almighty. The Gospel Revelator in these last days, according to the Apostle Paul, is the Son of the Living God. The Gospel Revelator is the Son of God and the Messianic King, Unlike times past, the one proclaiming the revelation, the one speaking the things is both messenger and the content of the message.
Isn't that a wonderful thing or a remarkable thing to see in terms of contrast? In those times past, we had the prophets, yes, coming with the authority and the spirit of God, but they were not the content of the message they preached. but rather they preached of another much more glorious and much more adorable. They preached of one that is to be the recipient of praise and worship and honor. They spoke of the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
And then that one who was to suffer, that one who was to receive glories upon the heels of suffering is the one who comes in the fullness of the times to disclose, to reveal, to open up the mysteries of the gospel and the glories of salvation. Unlike the prophets of old, this prophet is God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in being with the Father. The excellence of his revelation is seen in the manner of revealing. This is the one that Pastor Butler spoke of in John chapter one.
The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen the Father at any time. The only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed Him. The excellence of His revelation.
The Wonder of His Redemption
Secondly, we see the wonder of His redemption. The wonder of His redemption, and when we say, The wonder of His redemption, that's not a scratching-the-head wonder, like, I wonder what this is all about, I don't quite understand. But when we say wonder, we mean amazement. We mean astonishment.
We mean when we read about and consider the glories of this redemption, it causes us to figuratively drop our jaws in wonder and in amazement at so great a salvation. Notice the wonder of His redemption. whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds, 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. So where in that do we see the wonder of his redemption? Well,
Christ's Undiminished Likeness to the Father
first off, we see the wonder of his redemption in the identity of Christ as the one who has undiminished essential likeness to the Father. We already noted that in the one who is the gospel revelator in this new covenant era. He is God Almighty. He is the Son of God manifested in the flesh, dwelling among men and proclaiming the glories of the gospel.
This too, under the wonder of his redemption, we see this as the reason for that wonder. He is again the one who has undiminished essential likeness to the father. Where do we see that? In this language, verse three, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person.
You see the heretics that deny the deity. of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses, multiply the heretics that are out there. They come to this stone, this rock of stumbling, and they're shattered to pieces because of the clarity of its declaration that Jesus Christ is God from God, light from light. true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father, who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person." Other renderings that you may see, the King James is the same as the new King James. The NAS reads, and he is, the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature. The ESV, He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.
First off, with respect to what we have here as brightness, who being the brightness of His glory, and that's referred to elsewhere as radiance. I think other translations may have reflection. The idea is, is that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of all that the Father is. He is not the Father, the Father is not the Son, and yet there is no undiminished deity in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our confession speaks to this reality that in this divine and infinite being that is God, there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit. and that all three of these do not have the essence divided, but rather the essence undivided. They all have the divine essence. And it is undiminished, it is undivided, they are co-eternal, co-glorious. We need to grasp, brethren, we need to understand Trinitarian doctrine.
You see, if we come to the Bible, or if we come to this doctrine of the Trinity with elementary minds, and we leave without diving into the depth of who God is, we leave undernourished and we may well leave heretics. If we say that God in His threeness is the divine essence divided into three, then we do not have the proper approach to our biblical God. God is not divided into three. It is not one-third the Father, one-third the Son, one-third the Spirit.
We do not have one being and three beings, but rather God in three persons, blessed Trinity. They all are co-eternal, co-glorious. They all have the essence of deity undivided and undiminished. So Paul can say here, who being the brightness of his glory, we look at Jesus.
In fact, he said this in his own ministry. If you have seen me, then you have seen the Father. That isn't to say that He is the Father, because He distinguishes Himself from the Father. But all that is true of the Father, with respect to the essence of deity, is true of the Son.
He is the brightness of His glory. And the language is duplicated, though it is a bit different, and the express image of His person. Others have the exact representation of His nature, that sort of thing. But what we have here, and it's interesting, the Greek word for express image, we could transliterate and pronounce it as character.
Character. You know when you use, kids you might not remember typewriters, but when we used to use typewriters, you would push the character and it would leave the exact imprint of that particular character on the paper. Nowadays, it's digital typewriters. You hit the K on your keyboard and a K comes up on the computer screen.
The idea that is in the background here has an imprinting mechanism, a mechanism used to imprint the exact replication of the thing that is imprinting upon the paper, an exact imprint. That's why we have that translation. Well, here the idea is the same. When you see Jesus Christ, you have seen the Father.
There is nothing different with respect to the glory of Jesus Christ that is different with respect to the Father. Now, again, the Son is not the Father. There is personal distinction within the Trinity. The Father is not the Son.
The Son is not the Father. The Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. The Father and the Son are not the Spirit. yet all have that blessed, eternal, and glorious deity, the essence of the Godhead. And so here we have, why do we say then the wonder of His redemption?
Because this One who is the radiance of the Father, the radiance of the glory of God, and the exact representation of His person, comes into our lower shame to save His people from their sins. Scan the world. Peruse the earth. That's probably not the right terminology.
Peruse the earth. Research the earth and its religions and its philosophies. Where do you find anything as glorious as the Christian religion? Where do you find anything as glorious as the sum and substance of our religion?
Jesus Christ. Very God of very God coming from the praise of angels, coming into our lower ignominy and shame to live a life of misery despised by his people of no esteem. People look upon him and they have, they see nothing in him that is desirable. He lives as a carpenter in obscurity, not animating clay pigeons.
He lives a life of obscurity. And he works as a carpenter until such a day where there is that time in history advent of his earthly ministry, where it's turned on, if you will. And he's hated by his people. He's attacked and sought after with murderous rage by the religious leaders of his day.
He undergoes betrayal. He undergoes the departure and the abandonment of his own disciples. He receives spittings and beatings. He's mocked and he's scourged.
And yet through all of that, he is the radiance of the father's glory. He is the exact representation of his being the wonder of his redemption.
Christ's Sovereign Mastery of Creation
Secondly, in the identity of Christ, we see the wonder of Christ's redemption in the identity of Christ as the one who has sovereign mastery and control of the created universe. Notice what the text says. After the part that we read, well, we'll read verse 3 again. "...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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high." Notice after we read about His radiance, about the express image of His person, He is upholding all things by the word of His power.
The one who is the radiance of the father, the one who is the exact representation of the father's person, is also the glorious sovereign majesty of the universe who upholds all things by the word of his power. Why is that wondrous and why is that glorious? Why is that amazing with respect to his redemption for the same reason that we just said? The one who upholds all things by the word of his power is the one who is lifted up upon a tree.
That one, as one old father of the ancient church said, that one who set the stars in place, who fixed the stars in place, is fixed in place upon a tree. Who dares to reject such a Savior? Who dares to mock such a crucified Messiah? The One who upholds all things by the Word of His power is the One who by Himself purges our sins.
On the wonder of this reality, here's James Dolezal on this truth. What's happening with Christ's divine nature at the moment He is crying out, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? the very person who suffers in the moment that he suffers is autemporally, eternally, simply, omnipotently upholding the world by the Word of His power and dwelling in mutual and perfect love with the Father and with the Spirit. You see, we need to wrap our Christian minds around this fact. that Jesus Christ in his condescension, Jesus Christ in his incarnation did not divest himself of his deity. He did not.
When we read in other translations, he emptied himself. He didn't empty himself in that way. He didn't take away His deity for a time so that He might live as a man. But as He says here, at the very time He's crying out, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
The very time that He had been receiving the nails hammered into His hands and in His feet. The very time He is crying out that cry of dereliction and enduring the pains and the sufferings and the shame of the cross. He is at that same time. all temporally, eternally, simply and omnipotently upholding all things by the word of his power. The wonder, the wonder of Christ's redemption.
It is absolutely glorious.
The Character of His Redemption
And third, the wonder of his redemption is seen in the character of his redemption, the character of his redemption. Notice what we read and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins. Do we see in this? Notice first, under the character of his redemption, we see that it is exclusively the work of Christ when he had by himself purged our sins.
It is the heart of man. It is the wretched heart of man. As one preacher used, and I like this word, it is the dastardly heart of man, wherein we find this idea that, yes, Jesus Christ, yes, the purging of sins, yes, the forgiveness of sins, but mustn't I do this and that and the other thing? Christ did his 75%, but there's another 25 that we must do.
There must be addition. Yes, it's by faith, but it's also by works. The wickedness of man's heart with respect to religion, even, even so-called Christian circles where there is something that man can bring by himself, he purged our sins. Nothing in my hands I bring, only to thy cross I claim.
We fly foul to the fountain. And we cry for the cleansing blood of Jesus because there is nothing that we can bring by himself. He purged our sins. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
Christianity has glorious exclusivity because there is only one name given among men under heaven by which we might be saved. Christ Jesus, the Lord by himself. He purged our sins. This language carries with it the weight of a of a thorough cleansing of a of a of an absolute perfect purification.
There are no sins remaining that Christ has not cleansed in his precious blood. Jesus Christ purifies. Jesus Christ purges. It is exclusively the work of our Savior, the Lord Jesus.
Secondly, it is an expiatory sacrifice. There's a word kids expiatory. There's a word adults expiatory. There's two terms often used when it comes to the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ, expiation and propitiation.
Expiation is the removal of the guilt of sin by the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ. Propitiation is that Christ offering himself up as a sacrifice to appease the wrath of God, to take upon himself the wrath of God in the offering up of himself, a wrath-bearing sacrifice. Here we have, predominantly, the language of expiation. Jesus Christ removes the guilt of sin.
Now, let's stop here for a moment and understand what that means, because our minds usually move, when we talk about guilt, they usually move to that the psychological weight of our own transgressions. We have this guilt when we sin, don't we? We ought to have a godly remorse, a godly sorrow when we break the law of God. There is that psychological weight of sin.
But the guilt in view, though Christ does deal with that other guilt, more on that in a moment, but the guilt that Christ expiates, the guilt of sin that Christ expiates, is a legal guilt. We are morally or we are legally culpable before God for having violated His holy laws. Injustice, we ought to be punished legally for that. We ought to receive the penal sanctions from a holy and a just and a righteous God for having transgressed his law.
But Christ comes in the stead of the elect and he offers himself up to pay the penalty due to remove that legal guilt, that culpability for having violated his law. Isn't that glorious? Do you rejoice when you think about the forgiveness of sins? Think about that guilt of sin removed and not to make you all the more glory in this Savior and wonder at his redemption.
That the glorious God of heaven and earth, that the one who upholds all things by the word of his power would come to such worms as us and die and take upon himself the penalty due for the guilt of violating the law of his father. the wonder of his redemption. But you see, Christ does deal with, and there ought to be a resulting effect with that psychological weight of sin. You see, I think, unfortunately, that the Christian can be found to, at least some Christians with a certain disposition, can be found to dwell in inordinate seasons upon that sort of guilt. Dwelling in a sense, very wrongly, upon their transgressions, their violations of the law of God.
You see, if you're from a certain tradition, and Jim and I are from one, the Roman Catholic Church, God saved us from out of that madness and that institution, but inherent in that institution is the use of guilt in order to enslave the adherence to that religion. You'll see monks that even today flagellate themselves with with things tied to balls, similar to the things that Jesus was scourged with before his crucifixion. To deal with their guilt, to appease God and to answer to their own sin, they'll flagellate themselves. Some of you, it just doesn't enter your mind.
Some of us, we know this. This physical beating of themselves in order to atone for their own sins. That's how they answer their guilt. Martin Luther knows full well that that only heaps burden upon burden, guilt upon guilt.
To answer your own sin by your own action is a wretched offense against the high court of heaven. But you see, I think we can as Protestants, if you're in a certain Protestant tradition that has that same attribute, before you can say that you are regenerate, that you are a believer, you must undergo a certain extended period of agony. You must agonize for weeks and for months. You must dwell upon your sins.
You must peruse the diary of your memory, and not quickly, but over an extended period of time before you can truly say that you are a Christian. Spurgeon says, quickly peruse the diary of your memory, and then even quicker, flee to the Savior. flee to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It is a wholesome exercise. We acknowledge our transgressions before God, but we don't metaphorically and figuratively beat ourselves up for eight months.
We don't dump sand in our coffee and drink it. We don't whittle together a wicker bag and throw tires in it, wrap it to our chest and climb up Mount Sham in order to atone for our own sins. We fly to this one who in amazing wonder saves his people from their sins. And lastly, under the character of his redemption, it was perfectly executed.
Notice what the text says, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. It was perfectly executed. This sitting down at the right hand of the Majesty on High speaks to God the Father's approbation, His approval of the Son's work. God the Father is satisfied with the Son.
And He sits down at the right hand of the Majesty on High. You see, satisfied, I think in our 20th, 21st century minds means just doing enough, but not doing, you know, a good work. You know, kids, maybe if you get a report card from a teacher or from your parents, I don't know if they still do this, but you'd have, you know, poor, very poor, poor, satisfactory, good, excellent, that sort of grading. You know, it's not the case that Christ's satisfaction is in the middle and then there is excellent.
Satisfaction means the perfect execution of a task, and Christ does that. He perfectly redeems His people, and we see the evidence of this in that the Father has seated Him at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
The Glory of His Reign
Lastly, thirdly, as we move towards closing in prayer, let's look at the glory of His reign. the glory of his reign. Notice, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." You can mark this down in the same category of texts as Philippians 2, 5 to 11. In those texts that encapsulate but encapsulate a theologically packed material into just the span of a handful of verses. When he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
First, the glory of his reign is seen in his position relative to the majesty on high.
His Position at the Majesty's Right Hand
He's seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. That speaks to the honor bestowed upon the messianic king. That speaks to the prestige of the savior. Gill says, as then, he ought to be loved on account of his redemption, so he ought to be adored on account of his royal magnificence.
You see, presently, and always, we don't worship a Christ who is a Halloween costume. We don't worship a Christ who is a Muppet in a Christian bookstore. You can buy Christ Muppets, blasphemy of blasphemies. Put your hand inside of a Christ Muppet and make it talk.
You want to pray for the rains of heaven to come down and burn that. We aren't as Christians to dress up as soul Jesus and put soul glow in a black wig and go and march door to door to get candy on October 31st. We're not to depict Jesus on a t-shirt and say Jesus is my homeboy. Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.
Of the increase of his government, there will be no end. John falls as his face is a dead man before the glory, the excellency, and the majesty of our blessed savior. He ought to be loved on account of his redemption, so he ought to be adored. on account of his royal magnificence.
His Position Relative to Angels
Second, we see the reign or the glory of his reign is seen in his position relative to angels. Notice the text here says, having become so much better than the angels. Now you might be asking, or maybe you're not because you already know this, but you might be asking, well, isn't he better than the angels by virtue of his deity? Yes, the answer is yes. better than the angels by virtue of the fact that he is the creator of angels.
But this has respect to the person of Christ, the God-man, with special emphasis on his human nature, having completed his messianic task, the forgiveness of sins, the ratification of the new covenant in his own blood, having done the will of the Father, he is now higher than the angels. God has set him upon his right hand, the right hand of the majesty on high, in approbation of his perfect saving work, and he is higher than the angels by virtue of that perfection. There was You see, from verses 5 to probably verse 18 of chapter 2, the Apostle Paul is setting Christ as greater than the angels, the superabounding excellence of Christ over all things. He's higher than the prophets, verses 1 to 4.
He's higher than the angels, verse 5 to verse 18 of chapter 2. Jesus Christ is better than the angels, having become so much better than the angels. And lastly, under the glory of his reign,
His Excellent and Inherited Name
the glory of his reign is seen in his excellent name, in his excellent name. Notice the text goes on to say, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. At the completion of Christ's perfect saving work, the completion of Christ's messianic work, the Lord God exalts him to his right hand and gives him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, of those on earth, and of those under the earth, that at the name of Jesus, or that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That name that is given to him, most likely, we read in Revelation 19, that Jesus Christ has a name that no one knows except himself, or that no one knows but himself.
That doesn't mean that we don't know what that name is. What it means is, is that we don't have that name because we're not, and here's the name, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus Christ has that name written upon himself, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. He has a name more excellent than they.
Application
So, brethren, we see in Hebrews 1, 1 to 4, the excellence of Christ's revelation, the wonder of his redemption, the glory of his reign. As we close a couple considerations with respect to he has revealed for the believer, rejoice that you have been made to hear the riches and the excellencies of Christ. God has revealed himself to us. Do we take that seriously?
Because there's lots of other speaking out there. God spoke. We can so often heap to ourselves everyone else who speaks and leave our Bibles collecting dust upon the shelf. There's lots of revealing out there.
People revealing the unhelpful, to put it lightly, and blasphemous and wicked thoughts of their own hearts. You scan print and digital and whatever media we have out there, there are people speaking to us. And I fear we avail more of those things than we avail of the blessed revelation, in which there is no error, in which there is inspiration, in which there is no fallacy. We need to avail ourselves of the revelation of Christ because therein we find truth and therein we find help for time of need.
But believer, beware of the rejection of this revelation. If you're out there this morning and you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, God has spoken. In those times past, he spoke to the fathers by the prophets. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his son.
Surely they will hear my son, the landowner says in the parable of Matthew 21. But what happens? They kill the son and they steal his inheritance. What happens to those wicked men?
The Pharisees who would receive this judgment answer rightly. He will kill those wicked men miserably. Don't reject this revelation. The warning comes in chapter two.
How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord. Read this revelation, avail of it, find Christ in it, and bend the knee to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, respecting He has redeemed, respecting the wonder of His redemption. Believer, rejoice that you have been made to know the salvation of Christ. You see, this removal of the guilt of sin, brethren, We might not have to, and let it never be that we force upon you the need to do so.
We don't have to smile externally, though it's always nice to do that. It indicates, you know, perhaps the joy of the heart when you plaster a big smile. I can't smile all that well, but I'll smile because there's joy in there somewhere. But whether inwardly or outwardly, We rejoice that we have been made to know the salvation of our Christ, the removal of the guilt of sin.
Remember, and I've probably said this, I've probably said this, you know, 17 times, but remember that blessed image in the Pilgrim's Progress. My favorite extra biblical quotes, and there's a lot of them. Remember what's going on in Pilgrim's Progress when our hero Christian brought to that scene, and there's those three shining ones. And the first one, I believe, announces that his sins have been forgiven.
The second one removes his old garments and puts on new garments. And my mind is escaping me, but I can't remember what the third one does. Tell me later. The scene is that Christian sees the cross and he sees the tomb.
And with regards to this idea about the weight, the guilt of sin, he says, how far have I come loaded up with sin? Nothing could ease the grief that I was in till I came here Seeing the cross in the tomb when the burden fell from off his back till I came here. What a place is this? Must here be the beginning of my bliss.
Yes Must hear this burden fall from off my back must hear these chords that tied it to me crack blessed cross blessed to Blessed rather be the one who there was put to shame for me." You see, believer, that is true of you. That burden of sin, that guilt of sin has rolled off that hill into the tomb, disappeared out of view, the forgiveness of sins. But unbeliever, that burden is building. That burden is building.
That burden is getting heavier. That burden is growing so large that one day it will crush you and there will be no escape. Before time comes, before time ends, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You will be saved and you'll know the joy of Christian.
Blessed rather be the man who there was put to shame for me. And finally, remember that Christ believer is to be adored on account of his royal Magnificence. Think of the contrast here. And this is a preacher's promise, a minute and 37 seconds left.
Think of the contrast here. Jesus Christ is this royal magistrate, having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Not 30 years ago to round down. Not 30 years ago.
This selfsame Christ been mocked and scourged. He'd been given a reed scepter. They placed a reed in his hand. He'd been given a crown of thorns.
And these wicked, unbelieving Jews and Romans did not rest the crown of thorns upon his scalp so as to, you know, not injure the Son of God manifest in the flesh, but rather they dug those long, deep thorns into his skull so that the blood would be dripping down upon his face. He has this reed scepter and this crown of thorns and he's mocked at, he's mock worshipped the king of the Jews. What a glorious contrast now to move, having performed the work, having endured the shame and the ignominy of the cross, this side of the resurrection and ascension, and Jesus Christ wields the scepter of righteousness. It's what the text here says.
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. Believer, rejoice in. You see, Christ is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 as He wields the reed scepter and as He takes the crown of thorns.
He is altogether lovely as He wields the scepter of righteousness and as He bears the crown of majesty. But unbeliever, He might be a thing to mock and a thing to spit at, how dare you? And a thing to ridicule in that lower ignominy as the blood's dripping down his face, screaming along with the crowd, crucify him, mocking him. Isn't that the king of the Jews?
But fear him. as the wielder of the scepter of righteousness, as the one who rides the white horse, who treads the wine press of the fierceness and of the wrath of Almighty God. While there is still time, today is the day of salvation. Do not be those who will cry at the end of days. Cry in that last time frame, that last window where one can cry.
Do not be the one who, wanting to hide from the wrath of the Lamb, calls upon the rocks and the trees, mountains to fall on you, but rather cry out. Men and brethren, what must we do? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. And you shall speak of and glory in the excellence of His revelation, the wonder of His redemption, and the glory of His reign.
Let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we rejoice in the truth of Holy Scripture. We thank you so much for what we read in Hebrews 1, 1 to 4. We thank you for our Christ, and we pray that it would never be the case that as we sit under preaching, as we sit under teaching, that we would go through it, even seeing it favorably as an exercise which is just unto the acquisition of knowledge. but in acquiring knowledge, in hearing the truth, in listening to the truth preached, Lord God, that we would end in doxology, that we would sing the praises of our glorious Christ. We rejoice in His revelation.
We are amazed at His redemption. And Lord God, we worship Him in His reign. And we do pray that you would help all saints gathered here this morning to rejoice in the Savior, to rejoice in Christ, to leave this place singing the praises of His name, We pray that sinners who entered this morning would join us, Lord God, that by amazing, condescending, and victorious grace, you would call sinners from deadness and sin to life and light in Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior. Go with us now.
Help us to live this day believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, rejoicing in His name, and seeking to live in a manner worthy of our calling by grace. And it's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.