If you will, let's open our Bibles
tonight to the letter of Hebrews, chapter 1. Hebrews, chapter 1. God, who at sundry times and
in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, 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, 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. being made so much better
than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent
name than they. 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. And again, when he bringeth
in the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all
the angels of God worship him. And of the angels, he saith,
who maketh his angels' spirits and his ministers a flame of
fire. But unto the sun, he saith, thy
throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness
is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness
and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows,
and thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the
earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall
perish, but thou remainest. They all shall wax old as doth
a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall
be changed. But thou art the same, and thy
years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said
he at any time, said on my right hand, until I make thine enemies
thy footstool. Are they not all ministering
spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of
salvation? I plan, if the Lord wills, to
speak to us several Wednesday evenings from this letter of
Hebrews. You know, Hebrews has the distinction
of being the only New Testament book or letter that we do not
know its human author. Many, of course, believe that
the Apostle Paul was its writer, but there's some very good reasons
to believe that he wasn't. Some very good reasons in this
letter to believe that it wasn't Paul who wrote it. I accept that if God had intended
for us to know who was the author, human author, he would have told
us, he would have made it known. And I think of the verse in Deuteronomy
29, 29, which says the secret things belong unto the Lord our
God. But those things which are revealed
belong unto us and our human and our children forever, that
we may do all the words of this law. I accept that the human
author of this letter is secret. But I also know that it is part
of the all scripture which is given by inspiration of God and
is profitable for doctrine, that is, for teaching, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness. The date it
was written, I believe, was before A.D. 70. We don't know for sure. Some have a later date, but it
seems to me that this letter was written after the temple
in Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans. And God had put
an end, God had put an end forever to temple worship according to
that old dispensation and those animal sacrifices. I have an article written by
a Jew many years ago asking this question. Where is the blood? Where is the blood? This man
was born in Palestine and grew up reading the Old Testament
scriptures. And he recognized the importance
of the blood in the scriptures that were given to the nation
of Israel. And he was concerned. He asked,
where's the blood? He asked the Jewish rabbis, where's
the blood? And they came up with this answer.
They said, well, God is angry with our nation, and we cannot
sacrifice today because there's only one place where God fixed
that we should offer sacrifice, and that place is now covered
with a Muslim mosque. Well, he migrated. He went to Constantinople. He
ended up here in the States sometime early in the 20th century. And
the first time he stepped into a Christian mission in San Francisco,
California, the first words that he heard were 1 John 1 and verse
7, the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanseth us from all
sins. His question was finally answered.
His question was finally answered. Where's the blood? We thought
the other night, where's the lamb? When Abraham took Isaac
up on the mountain to offer him as a sacrifice and Abel, Isaac
rather, offered or asked Abraham, where's the lamb? Well, this
man's question was, where's the blood? And you can't read the
book of Leviticus, the book of Exodus, you cannot read. the Old Testament scripture without
recognizing that blood played a very important part in their
worship. And of course, the blood of those
animals was all typical. It's not possible, the writer
of this letter tells us, that the blood of bulls and goats
could take away sin. Some say that the key word to
this letter of Hebrews is the word better, we find it Actually
here in this first chapter that we just finished reading even,
but it is found, uh, counted 13 times, 13 times in the letter
of Hebrews. We see the word better two times. It refers to the new covenant.
The new covenant in Christ's blood is the better covenant. It is a better covenant with
better promises, a better priesthood, a better sacrifice, and a better
hope than that old covenant. As I wrote those down, I thought,
that sounds like a good sermon outline. I may try to preach
that sometime. A better covenant. Better promises,
better priesthood, better sacrifice, better hope. Everything about
this new covenant, this new dispensation is better. This time tonight,
we'll only look at the first verse and part of the second
verse. And the title of my message is
God Hath Spoken. God Has Spoken. First, God has
spoken to the fathers in the prophets. I know it says here,
by, but that word could be translated in. Sometimes it's translated
in, sometimes by, and I prefer tonight to say, God has spoken
to the fathers in the prophets. I want you to keep your places
here, but look back with me to 2 Samuel, if you will. 2 Samuel
chapter 23. 2 Samuel chapter 23, and reading
the first five verses in this chapter. Now, these be the last
words of David. David the son of Jesse said,
and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the
God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel said, the spirit of
the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue. The God
of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake to me, he that ruleth over
men must be just ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be
as the light of the morning when the sun rises, even a morning
without clouds, as a tender grass springing out of the earth by
clear shining after rain. Although my house be not so with
God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered
in all things ensure, for this is all my salvation and all my
desire, although he make it not to grow. You know, we often look
at these verses of Scripture because these are the last words
of David, and normally when we look at them, we're thinking
of the confidence that David had. Now, he was very close to
the end of his life, and the confidence and the assurance
that he had as he faced going out into eternity to face God,
it was all based on an everlasting covenant that God had made with
him. We usually concentrate on that,
but I want you to notice his words in verse two, where he
says, the spirit of the Lord spake by me. He was a prophet. We know that from the book of
Acts. I think it's Simon Peter who
refers to him as a prophet. That's what our text says, that
he spake in times past in the prophets. David was a prophet.
And he tells us here how God spoke in times past. The spirit
of the Lord spake by me, and his word, that is God's word,
was in my tongue. God's word. I'm thankful tonight
and confident that you and I, that we have the inspired Word
of God. All 66 books in our Bible, the
inspired Word of God. God spake in that old dispensation
in the prophets in different ways, sometimes by dream, sometimes
God would speak audibly to the prophets in different times,
in different manners, But it was always God who was speaking.
That's the important thing to say. God has spoken. Turn back
to Exodus chapter four, just a moment. David said, the spirit
of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The
God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake to me. He spoke
to me. Look back here in Exodus chapter
four, and this is when God commissioned Moses to go into Egypt and to
tell Pharaoh, let my people go. And of course, Moses, he did
not, he did not volunteer for the job. He was drafted, as we
would say. God chose him and God ordained
that he would be the man that God would use in bringing Israel
up out of Egypt. And what a beautiful type and
picture that is of salvation through the blood, the Passover
Lamb's blood, through the power of God opening up the Red Sea. But here in Exodus 4, he doesn't
wish to go. Moses doesn't. And he's got a
good reason. It's his tongue. It's his speech. He's got a good reason in his
mind why he shouldn't be the one to do this work. In Exodus
chapter four and verse 10, and Moses said unto the Lord, oh
my Lord, I'm not eloquent. If you look in the margin of
your scripture, what he was saying, I'm not a man of words. I don't
have the words. Well, you don't need the words,
Moses. I'm going to give you the words. It's not your word
anyway. God uses his word, the entrance
of thy word, the scripture says, giveth light. It's not the man's
word, it's God's word. But Moses here said, I'm not
eloquent, neither heretofore, that is in the last few hours
or days since you've been speaking to me, or since thou hast spoken
unto thy servant, but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. He was a southerner. That's what
we're always accused of, as being slow of a speech. Well, we're
in good company with Moses. And the Lord said unto him, who
hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf,
or the sane, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore
go. And I will be with thy mouth
and teach thee what thou shalt say. Do you remember our Lord
told his disciples that when they were taken before councils,
that it would be him speaking in them, that they were to take
no thought. God in times past, the scripture
says, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time
past unto the fathers in the prophets. There were different
ways, as I said, in which God spoke unto the fathers, but it
always was God who was speaking. And it's important that we recognize
the inspiration of the Word of God, as it was originally given. The words which were originally
written down. were inspired. We believe in
the plenary, verbal inspiration of the scripture. In other words,
all the scripture is verbally. God has written. God had men
to write what he wished to be written. The Apostle Peter tells
us that the prophecy that came in old time, and he's talking
about the Old Testament, he said it came this way. Holy men of
God spoke wrote, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Look
at another passage with me, if you will, in Acts chapter 10,
when God sent Peter to the house of
Cornelius in Acts chapter 10, a Gentile, no less. In Acts chapter 10, and beginning
with verse 38, Peter is speaking to this man
and his family and his household. They were all there assembled
to hear what he was to speak, what God had for them. And beginning
in verse 38, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing
all that were oppressed of the devil. For God was with him,
and we are witnesses of all things which he did, both in the land
of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on
a tree. Him God raised up the third day
and showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses
chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with
him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach
unto the people and to testify that it is he which was ordained
of God to be the judge of quick and dead, living and dead. Notice,
to him, to him, to Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, this one who was
hanged on a tree and crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem
and raised up on the third day and showed himself unto these
apostles over a period of 40 days, to him give all the prophets
witness. Now our text tells us that God
spoke in the prophets to the fathers. To him, Peter says,
give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. And don't
you love that word whosoever? Whosoever. Charles Spurgeon,
in one of the messages I remember reading by him, he mentioned
the fact that he was so thankful for that word whosoever. He said,
I'm so thankful it doesn't say Charles H. Spurgeon. He said, knowing myself, I would
soon convince myself it's not talking about me, it's talking
about some other Charles H. Spurgeon. But this whosoever,
whosoever, this is what the word of God tells us, that whosoever
believeth in him, that is in Christ. How do you believe in
him? You lean upon him. You look to
him. You eat his flesh and drink his
blood by faith. That's the way we believe in
him. We rest upon him and his person
and his work. Well look at one other place
now, if you will, 1st Peter chapter 1. God who at sundry times and in
diverse manners spoke in time past unto the fathers and the
prophets. Now notice here in 1st Peter
chapter 1 and verse 10. of which salvation the prophets,
that's who we're talking about, right? The prophets, God spoke
by the prophets. But Peter tells us of which salvation
the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied
of the grace that should come unto you, searching what, or
what manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them,
Spirit, the Holy Spirit was in them, holy men of old. They wrote as they were moved
by the Holy Spirit. But they were, even when they
were speaking and their words which they spoke, they didn't
understand completely. They sure didn't understand the
time and all of the things that were going to take place when
Christ came. They just knew that the one who
was promised was going to come. I think one of the problems they
had was sometimes this one who was promised to come would be
a sufferer, like in Isaiah chapter 53. But then sometimes he would
be a king, reigning and ruling over all. And it was hard, no
doubt, to reconcile how someone could be both a suffering savior
and a reigning monarch. The same person. Peter tells
us they were searching what or what manner of time the Spirit
of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand
the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.
Well, that's it right there, isn't it? Those two things. First,
the suffering. They were searching in to this
one who was to come. And the first thing they thought
about, He's going to be a suffering Savior, but at the same time,
He's going to be glorified. He's going to be exalted. He's
going to reign upon the throne of David forever and forever. So, that's the first thing tonight. God, who at sundry times and
in diverse manners spoke in time past, unto the fathers and the
prophets. But now notice the first few
words of the second verse. God spoke unto us in his son. God hath in these last days spoken
unto us by or in his sons. Now the words these last days
clearly draws a distinction between God's way of speaking in the
prophets and His way of speaking in His Son. The end of the time
period in which God spoke to the fathers in the prophets had
come, that time had passed, it had come to an end, and now a
new period arrived in which God spoke in His Son. God now, with
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, reveals Himself through
His perfect Son and His work. In John 1 in verse 18, John said,
No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten of the Father.
He hath declared Him. One writer commented, By drawing
this distinction between the prophetic era and the last days,
the writer anticipates the grand theme of this whole letter, the
letter of Hebrews, namely the inauguration of a new order,
the covenant in Jesus' blood, the new covenant. And that same
writer also pointed us back to Malachi, if you want to turn
back here in Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, chapter
3 and verse 1. Malachi 3 in verse 1, this is
a prophecy. And remember, there was 400 years
that lapsed between the writing of Malachi, his prophecy, and
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there was no message
from God. God raised up no prophet during
those times. They had the prophecies of the
Old Testament. But in this last prophecy, God
said, behold, I will send my messenger and he shall prepare
the way before me and the Lord whom you see shall suddenly come
to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom you delight
in. Behold, he shall come, saith
the Lord of hosts. In this verse, we see that there
would be two messengers. Two messengers. The first messenger
we know was John the Baptist. John chapter one and verse 23,
he said, I'm the voice. Remember they sent men out from
Jerusalem asking him, who are you? Who are you? He said, I'm
a voice. I'm the voice of one crying in
the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord. So in this
text, behold, I send my messenger and he shall prepare the way
before me, before the Lord. And the Lord whom you seek shall
suddenly come to his temple. Now notice even the messenger
of the covenant. So in this verse, there's two
messengers. The first messenger is John the
Baptist who came before the second messenger, who is the Lord. This is the everlasting covenant
of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the mediator. Remember, there's
one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. He's a mediator of this covenant.
And later in the letter of Hebrews, and we saw this text last Sunday
morning, he's a surety of the better covenant, of this covenant.
But we see also he is the messenger of this everlasting covenant. He's a mediator, the surety,
and the messenger. God spoke to us in His Son by
which the new covenant was inaugurated or ratified by His blood. It was promised and revealed
in the Old Testament, but by His coming, as John Gill said,
exhibited in a more glorious manner by Him under the gospel
dispensation. Everyone, we saw David. saved, trusting in this everlasting
covenant, the same covenant, new covenant. There's only been
one covenant of salvation. And actually there's only another
covenant of works. And these other covenants that
are revealed in the scriptures, they either fall into one category
or the other, covenant of works or the covenant of grace, the
everlasting covenant, the new covenant. And this, remember
what he said, this is my blood of the, what? The new covenant. This is my blood of the New Testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins. It was his
blood that ratified the covenant, sometimes referred to as a testament. And let's look at tonight just
to, a minute in Hebrews chapter 8 at the covenant itself. Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 10 to the end of the
chapter. For this is a covenant that I
will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord.
I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their
hearts. And I will be to them a God,
and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every
man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the
Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the greatest. For
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more. In that he saith a new covenant,
he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth
old, and this is one reason I believe that this was written before
A.D. 70, because I see in the last
part of that verse what took place when the Romans destroyed
Jerusalem. That which decayeth and waxeth
old is ready to vanish away. And it did, it was removed. So let me close with this. Christ
is not only the messenger of the covenant, but he's the message. He's the message of the covenant.
That's what this text is telling us. God who at sundry times and
in diverse manner has spoke in times past unto the prophets
in the unto the fathers rather, and the prophets hath in these
last days spoken unto us in his son, Christ himself. He is the
message. He's the messenger of the covenant,
and he's the message of the covenant. And you know, a person who's
not familiar with the truth, he might read This letter of
Hebrews, and when he reads those verses in verse two, hath in
these last days spoken unto us by his son, he might think, well,
I'm going to read some words of the Lord Jesus Christ here
in this letter of Hebrews, like we find in the gospels, but no.
That's not the case. We find no words of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He's not speaking in that way.
He spoke in the Son. He is the message that God has
for us. Well, I pray the Lord would bless
this. this study this evening, and Lord, use it for His glory. We live in a wonderful time,
don't we, to live in the new covenant dispensation, and how
blessed we are in so many ways. Let's sing a verse or two of
a hymn before we're dismissed.