Supremacy of the Son

“Supremacy of the Son”
(Hebrews 1:1-4)
Series: Captivated by Christ (Hebrews)

Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD

Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson

Well, amen and happy new year to you. We are kicking off the new year with a new series of messages. We’re going to be going through the Book of Hebrews. And let me say that I am looking forward to this series. It’s entitled, “Captivated by Christ.”

One of the key verses in the Book of Hebrews is Hebrews 12:2. This is the one where the Bible says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, lets us look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” And looking at Jesus is not just a hurried glance, not just a temporary gaze, but a fixed, locked-in, eyes-glued-to looking, being captivated by Christ. And to the degree we are captivated by Jesus Christ, we will live the kind of life we always wanted to live. When we’re captivated by Christ we are the people we always hoped we could be.

So if you haven’t already done so, turn to Hebrews in the New Testament and chapter one and I’m going to be reading the first four verses.

While you’re finding that, let me say just a few words about this book. We usually do a kind of overview of a Bible book when we begin a study of it, but we’re just going to delve right into our study this morning. Hebrews is a bit different from other letters in the New Testament so we’re going to be learning more about the main themes as we go along.

No one really knows who wrote Hebrews. The King James Version attributes the letter to the Apostle Paul, but the earliest Greek manuscripts don’t include his name and most scholars don’t believe Paul wrote the letter. The style is very different from Paul’s writings.

Some scholars suggest Luke was the author. Other names have been suggested like Barnabas, or Apollos. But we really don’t know. Like some of the other books of the Bible, it is anonymous. One of the early church fathers in the 3rd Century, Origen, he said “Who actually wrote the epistle, only God knows.” (cited in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 6.25.14).

And we don’t need to know, because the ultimate author is God who inspired all the writings of the Bible. This letter, Hebrews, was divinely inspired by God, His authority recognized by the early church, and accepted by the church as part of the canon of New Testament Scripture.

It was almost certainly written before the year 70, that is AD 70, for reasons we will consider in future studies. For now, just know that Hebrews was written around the year 65. Just to have a date, approximately AD 65.

And the title of the Book, Hebrews, tells us that the writer was writing this letter—to Hebrews!—to Jewish believers, Christians who had been raised in or steeped in Judaism. That will be especially clear as we progress through these chapters.

And what the writer is largely trying to do is to encourage and warn these Jewish Christians to stay the course. To keep on following Christ. To not abandon their faith in Christ and go back to the old ways of Judaism. Many of the believers were being persecuted for their faith, ridiculed for following Christ, families were at odds with one another, there was tremendous pressure to go back to the old ways, possibly even persecution from Roman authorities. And so the writer is saying, “Stick with the stuff. Don’t turn your back on Christ and drift away. Stay the course. Keep your eyes on Jesus.”

And that theme has immediate relevance to us, doesn’t it? We are often discouraged, defeated, and may drift away from Christ for similar or other reasons.

So the author of Hebrews is saying throughout this letter time and again, Jesus Christ is better than anything you’ll ever have or anyone you’ll ever know.

And he uses a number of different words to make the point, a number of superlatives, and terms like “better, more, and greater.” These words used some 25 times throughout the letter making the case that Jesus Christ is better, more superior, greater than anyone or anything.

Someone said: “You can learn to love Jesus better, but you will never learn or love anything better than Jesus.” That’s one of the main points of this book. “You can learn to love Jesus better, but you will never love anything better than Jesus.”

Alright, let’s jump in. Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1-4. Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word. Hebrews 1:1-4 These verses describe the person and work of Jesus Christ. Listen for that as I read.

1God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 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;
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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Pray: “Lord God we pray that through our study that we may know Christ more fully, see His glory more clearly, and serve Him more faithfully. In His name, amen.”

I want to talk this morning about the the Supremacy of the Son. That’s what the writer is talking about here so that’s what we want to talk about, too, amen? Expository preaching is preaching that exposes what is right there before us in the text. So let’s just turn our attention to these verses and consider three main truths about the supremacy of the Son of God. First:

I. His Supreme Place in Revelation (1-2a, 3a)

By revelation I don’t mean the Book of Revelation, but revelation in the general sense of the term, as God’s revealing of Himself to mankind. When God speaks, He reveals Himself to us. And God has spoken! This opening verse is not an argument, it is an assumption, a declaration, a fact: God has spoken.

1God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

“the fathers” are our ancestors, believers who have gone on before us.

You read the Old Testament and you read where God spoke at various times and in various ways. God spoke through prophecy, sometimes direct words to prophets, visions, angelic revelations, events, dreams, audible voice through a burning bush to Moses, a still small voice whispered to Elijah, words written on a wall to Belshazzar, God even spoke through a donkey to Balaam—an encouragement to every preacher of the Word, that if God can use a donkey, He can use us!

2 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;

Literally, “in Son.” Here’s a new way to speak—in Son! God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past…has in these last days spoken to us “in Son,” the focus being upon the Son’s supreme place in revelation as the fullest and final word from God.

“These last days” are the days from the writer’s time till now. Jesus Christ is the fullest and final revelation from God. He is God’s final word.

Prophets in the Old Testament prefaced their teachings with, “Thus saith the Lord,” but Jesus is the Word made flesh. He never prefaced His teaching with that phrase. You’ll never find Jesus saying, “Thus saith the Lord.” He is the Lord.

So this is why a believing Christian who interprets the Bible plainly will understand there is no room in his faith for a Joseph Smith of Mormonism or a Mohammed of Islam. Joseph Smith claimed a fuller revelation beyond Christ. Adherents of Islam also believe a fuller and later revelation from God came through the prophet Mohammed, some 600 years after Christ.

So when we meet with a mormon or a follower of Islam, certainly we can both be amiable with each other, but we cannot both be right. The Bible says, “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.” He is the fullest and final word from God.

Now look ahead to the first part of verse 3 and see a little more here about God’s revealing Himself to us in His Son.

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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The writer doesn’t describe the Son in terms of appearance, but in terms of His nature, who, what He is. We tend to describe people based on appearance: “He’s tall, has short hair, a beard, a little stocky.” We’re not given a physical description here of the Son of God, but a description of His very nature, His “being.”

“being the brightness of His glory” Jesus radiates God. The glory of God is seen in Christ. Like John 1:14. “The word was made flesh and dwell among us and we beheld His glory…”

The glory of God is obvious in the transfiguration. Remember that? But the transfiguration is not the only example of the glory of God in Christ. The biblical teaching here is much greater than that! The whole life and mission of Jesus Christ reflected the glory of God.

“the express image of His person,” or “the exact imprint of His nature (ESV)” The Son is identical in substance to the Father. In all of His attributes and abilities, the Son is exactly like the Father.

The word translated “image” is the Greek word for “character.” Think of characters on keyboard as you text. The letter you press is the same letter that appears in your text. There is an exact correspondence between the two.

In Jesus you have God. Whatever God is, Jesus embodies. There is an exact correspondence between the two. You want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus.

II. His Supreme Power in Creation (2b-3)

The pre-existence of the Son, existing before the material creation. There has never been a time when the Son was not.

2 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;

He made the worlds, all things and—the phrase just before that—the Son has been “appointed heir all things.”

He inherits what He has made

Space is vast. “To try imagining how big, place a penny down in front of you. If our sun were the size of that penny, the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, would be 350 miles away.” (wired.com)

Jesus did that. He created that distance.

He is the glue that holds everything together.

Colossians 1:17, “He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. “

“God might take my life.” Well, He doesn’t have to take your life; all He has to do is stop giving it.

His supreme power in creation. He makes it, He sustains it—and He redeems it:

“He had by Himself purged our sins.” We’re going to talk more about this phase next week when we observe the Lord’s Supper. We sang earlier “Jesus, only Jesus!”

His supreme power in creation. He makes it, sustains it, redeems it!

III. His Supreme Position of Exaltation (3-4)

His work is finished. It is only after He Himself purged our sins (all of them!) that we read of His exaltation at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

There were some folks in Colossae who were actually worshiping angels (Colossians 2:18).

ESV, “Yet Jesus is deemed superior to them, in part because his name (i.e., his essence) is “Son” (1: 5), which points to a more intimate relationship and which speaks of a better family inheritance (all that belongs to the Father belongs to his unique Son).”

***

So there’s good theology here in these opening verses. But biblical teaching, theological truth, is not just to be learned, but lived. By God’s grace this week we will live out what we have learned this morning. How? How does all this wonderful teaching about the Supremacy of the Son affect us? What are we to do with it?

When we follow the writer’s train of thought in this opening chapter and look on to see where he is headed, we see the primary point of application for our lives. The writer’s teaching here about the supremacy of the Son leads to a warning at the beginning of chapter 2. It is a warning to not drift away, a warning not to fall away from following Christ.

See it there in Chapter 2, verse 1, “Therefore (in light of what we have learned about the supremacy of the Son; therefore) we must give the more earnest heed (or give careful attention) to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”

That’s where the writer is headed. Embrace this truth about the Son of God, and His great supremacy over anything and anyone—lest you drift away. Don’t drift from Christ and His church. Don’t drift this week, this year. Stay focused on Jesus. Keep following Christ. Stay captivated by Christ.

And all that great theology helps you to stay captivated. You consider that He is God’s final and fullest revelation, that He is the agent of creation, creating all things, creating you—and recreating you through the power of the gospel and the grace of redemption, giving you life in His name—and you consider that He has purged you of all sin and is right now seated at the right hand of the Father—and you can trust Him.

Trust Him! He is large and in charge. He is in control of all things—including you—and He will always do what is right in your life.

It’s like in the sermon on the mount where Jesus said in Matthew 6, “What are you worried about? Don’t you know that the same God who created the little things like birds of the air, and grass of the field—and cares for them—is the same God who created you in His image and, says Jesus, ‘You are much more valuable’ than birds and grass. You can trust the Son of God to do what is right in your life this week.

Trust Him! Don’t turn your back on Him. Keep your eyes on Jesus! Stay captivated by His love for you and His power to work in your life. He will never let you down. Remember: You can learn to love Jesus better, but you’ll never love anything better than Jesus.

The first Sunday of the new year gives us the opportunity to renew our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Supreme Son of God. Every one of us in this room is either a follower of Jesus or we’re not. We’re either following Christ or we’re following something or someone else. As we respond to the truth of God’s Word and the fact that Jesus Christ is the Supreme Son and King and Lord and Savior, we renew our hearts in obedience fo follow Him.

If you’re not following Christ, turn to Him this morning. Confess your sin. Repent. Turn away from whatever else you’ve been following, whatever else you’ve been living for—self, stuff, secret sin—and turn to Christ. Follow Christ.

I’m going to pray and then we’ll respond to the truth in song. While we sing and consider the truth we’ve heard, worship Him, turn to Him, some of you may wish to talk more about spiritual things. And you can come forward while we sing. You may have questions about being saved, or baptism, or joining the church, you can come forward as we sing and I’ll meet you up front here. I’d love to talk with you and pray with you.

Let’s pray. “Jesus, we don’t want to drift away. We want to follow you. We want to be captivated by you. God, give us grace to follow Jesus every day of this new week, of this new year. Amen.”

Now stand and sing and respond however you need to respond.

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