I think pretty much everyone
here this morning knows that we live in a very religious world. The name God is very familiar
to men and women everywhere you go. The name Jesus is a well-known
name and the cross is a very recognized object. You find one
on or in most every church, around folks' necks, hanging on folks'
walls. But sadly, And I do mean sadly. Few in this world really know
anything about God. Few know anything about His Christ
or the cross where the debt of sin for God's elect was paid.
When I say few, I'm speaking in comparison to the number of
people who live on this planet. The scripture refers to God's
chosen and elect people as a remnant. which means only a fragment,
the leftovers of the whole. And I think it's appropriate
that the English dictionary refers to a remnant as a scrap piece. That's what we are by nature,
isn't it? Just scrap pieces. That's certainly how every believer
thinks of themselves. And in the days of Noah, the
description of few was only eight people. Only eight out of the
number of people that lived on earth were saved from the wrath
and the judgment of God. That's definitely a fragment
of a remnant of the hope. The scripture is very clear about
there being only a few that know God and know who Jesus Christ
really is. Only a few know what he did and
why he did it. And the reason is, for many are
called, but few are chosen. You take the Jews as a nation,
they were called, but only a few out of that nation were chosen
of God. And comparatively speaking to
the multitudes in the world today, only a few, only a remnant are
chosen unto salvation. In a day where there are churches
on every corner and every city and every state, denomination
after denomination, not only Baptist, but first Baptist and
second Baptist and third Baptist and general Baptist. And it's
the same with Methodist and Presbyterian. They all have their first, second
and thirds too. There are many who are in religion,
but there are only a few that know God. I'm referring to the
God of this Bible. I'm referring to the God that
this book declares. I'm referring to the Lord Jesus
Christ. One day someone asked the Lord
Jesus this question. They asked, Lord, are there few
that be saved? And the Lord answered this way.
He said, strive to enter in at the straight gate. For many,
I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able
because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth
unto life and few, there be that find. As I walk through this
life, it's very obvious to me that only a few, compared to
the whole, know God. And I use this book called the
Holy Bible, God's Holy Word, to make this judgment. Who does
God declare himself to be? That's the issue, and this book
tells us. Most thank God to be like them.
That's what David said. He quoted God and said, you thought
that I was altogether such a one like yourself. So this morning,
I want to ask you another question for you to seriously consider.
Two weeks ago, my question to you was, do you know why Christ
died? Last week, my question to you
was, did Christ die in vain? And this morning, my question
to you is this, who is Jesus Christ? Now turn with me, if
you would, to Hebrews chapter one. Hebrews chapter one. While you're turning, let me
say that the book of Hebrews brings together the Old Testament
and the New Testament like no other epistle. And what I mean
by that is this, all the prophecies of the Old Testament, all the
promises, all the pictures and the patterns and the types of
the Old Testament are fulfilled in Christ. And in no other epistle
is that revealed more than in the book of Hebrew. Now in our
study in the book of Exodus on Wednesday nights, we've been
looking at the tabernacle We've been looking at the priesthood,
and the book of Hebrews has been a constant reference to us in
that study. Everything about the tabernacle,
its furnishings, along with the study of the high priest, the
garments that the high priest wore, had pictured Christ, and
they are, but Hebrews says, but patterns, pictures, types, and
shadows of good things to come. The book of Hebrews reveals to
us that like no other book does. And I might add, Jesus Christ
is that good thing to come. And he has come. No wonder the
beginning words of the epistle here in Hebrews chapter one,
tell us that Christ, who is the word of God, is the only way
that God communicates with his people today. Now, I know that's
against popular opinion. We've got men standing up and
saying, thus saith the Lord, but that's not how God talks
to his people today. Look at verse one, God, who at
sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past unto the
fathers by the prophets, but hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his son. How did God speak to our fathers
in Old Testament times? He spoke to them by the prophets. He spoke to them through Moses
and Elijah. He spoke to them through Samuel
and Jeremiah. He spoke to them through Isaiah
and Malachi. He spoke through all the Old
Testament prophets. And these prophets brought the
message of God. What did these prophets say to
the people? Well, you may be surprised, and
you may not, but you may be surprised at just how singular their message
was. In Acts chapter 10, verse 43,
we're told that to Him, that is to Christ, give all the prophets
witness. That simply means that Jesus
Christ was their message. Everything that Moses preached,
everything that Jeremiah preached, everything that Isaiah preached
along with all the rest of the prophets was Jesus Christ and
what he would do for his people. No wonder Paul said, I'm determined
not to know anything among you other than Jesus Christ and him
crucified. Who Jesus Christ is and what
Jesus Christ did. That's the issue. When the Lord
Jesus came into the world and began at the age of 30 years
old to preach the gospel, the Jews came to him and they said,
we don't want to hear you. We have Moses. And what they
meant was we have the Old Testament scriptures. We've got Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. We've got the law, all which
Moses wrote. That's what they meant. And the
Lord told them, he said, you don't believe Moses. He said,
if you'd believe Moses, you would believe me. Because Moses wrote
of me. I was Moses' message. On another
occasion, the Jews said, you make yourself out to be God.
Abraham is our father. And the Lord Jesus said, you
don't believe Abraham. You didn't believe him. If you
were the sons of Abraham, you would do Abraham's work. For
Abraham saw my day, and he rejoiced, and he was glad to see it. When
our Lord took Peter, James, and John and went to the Mount of
Transfiguration, and Christ was transfigured before their eyes,
and Moses and Elijah appeared with the Lord. Do you know what
they talked about? I told Teresa Friday, I don't
know if I ever knew what they discussed or if I just had forgotten,
but what a blessing it was to me and a revelation it was when
I saw again, or for the first time, whichever it was. Do you
know what they talked about? Do you remember what they discussed?
That day that the God of heaven and earth shined upon the Lord
Jesus, and He was transfigured in all His glory, and God spoke
from heaven, and He said, this is My beloved Son, hear ye Him. You better listen to what He
has to say. Do you know what He said? Do
you know what He and Moses and Elijah discussed? What they talked
about? Luke 9, verse 31 tells us, standing
there with Moses and Elijah, the Lord talked to them about
his decease, his death, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. They talked about his death.
And that's still the issue today. That's why Christ came. Jesus
Christ came into the world to save his people from their sin.
How did he do that? By dying in their room instead.
Wages of sin is death and death is the payment that God requires
for our sin because our death wouldn't pay for the first sin,
not one. And I love how the scriptures
here portray our Lord's death. Did you notice as I read it?
It speaks of our Lord's death as an accomplishment. That just
thrilled my soul when I read that. And it certainly was. It
was an accomplishment. What did the Lord Jesus Christ
accomplish by His death? The salvation of His elect. That's
what all the pictures and all the types and all the prophecies
of the Old Testament pointed to. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And that's our constant message.
And that's the message that the Lord communicates to us today
in, by, and through His Son, who is the Word of God. In John
5, verse 39, our Lord told the religious Jews, He said, you
search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal
life. And they are they which testify
of me. They're all about me, but they
didn't see it. And he said, you will not come
to me that you might have life. That's how I know they didn't
see it. Because if they had seen it, they would have come to you.
Our Lord told his apostles in Luke 24, verse 44, he said, all
things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and in the Psalms. He's talking about the
Old Testament. He said, all those things must
be fulfilled. They're talking about me. They're
concerning me. And then he opened their understanding,
the scripture says, that they might understand the scriptures.
And that's how God speaks to his elect today. He hath in these
last days spoken unto us by, that word his is italicized,
he's spoken to us by son. He speaks to us in the language
of son. That's how God speaks to us.
And we understand only because we see by God's grace who Jesus
Christ really is. Do you desire to understand?
Do you desire to see Christ as he really is? Oh, it's a matter
of eternal life and eternal death. Right here in our text, in two
short verses, the Lord tells us three things that are absolutely
imperative for us to know in order to be saved. First, He
tells us who He is. Secondly, He tells us what He
did. And thirdly, He tells us where
He is now. So, first, who is this man, Christ
Jesus? When men and women looked at
Him, they said things like, is this not the carpenter's son?
When they looked at the Lord Jesus with His family, they said,
is this not His mother called Mary and His brethren, James
and Joseph and Simon and Judas, and His sisters? See them? They're
here with us. How is it that He said that He
came down from heaven? We've known Him since He was
a young boy, working with His dad in the carpenter shop while
He repaired a table for me not long ago. when the Lord Jesus
claimed to be the bread of life that came down from heaven. You
know what they said? They said, is this not Jesus,
the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it
that he then saith, I came down from heaven? You see, they didn't
know who he was. Do you know who Jesus Christ
is? He's much more than just Joseph and Mary's son. He's much
more than just a carpenter or a carpenter's son. He's the beloved
son of God and he's God the beloved son. He's not the son by creation
like angels are. And he's not the son by adoption
like his people are. He's the only begotten. That word means the only born
son of God. He's God's son. Read on, look
at verse two. Whom he hath appointed heir of
all things. Christ is the heir of all that
belongs to God the Father. Why? Because he's the Father's
son. Christ is the heir and his people
are joint heirs. That simply means that all we
have, we have in Christ. Verse two also tells us that
Jesus Christ also made the worlds. I bet you thought God made the
world. He did. Jesus Christ is God. In John
chapter one, we see that. In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God and all things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything
made that was made. Now that's pretty straightforward,
isn't it? He made everything, and it all belongs to Him. But
that's not all. Look at verse three here in Hebrews
1. Who beamed the brightness of
His glory, speaking of God's glory, and the express image
of His, meaning God, His person. The glory of God is revealed
in Christ's person. Philip said, Lord, show us the
Father, and it'll suffice us. And the Lord said, have I been
with you so long? Have I been with you so long,
and yet you still don't know me? Don't know who I am, Philip? I am in the Father, and the Father's
in me. I and my Father are one. And
if you've seen Christ, you've seen the Father. You see Jesus
Christ as God. That's who He is. And according
again to verse three, Christ upholds all things by the word
of his power. Only God can do that. It is in
the Lord Jesus that we live and we move and we have our being. So who is this man? He's the
heir of all things. He's the one who made the worlds.
He's the one who is the exact image of God. And he's the one
who upholds all things by his power. Jesus Christ is God. So secondly, what did Jesus Christ
do? Well, He did what no other man
could. Again, verse 3, He has by Himself
purged our sin. How did He do it? Well, I know
this, He did it by Himself. He didn't do it with anyone's
help. He walked the winepress of God's wrath alone. And even
His Father deserted Him while He was on the cross. He said,
my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? You know why God
forsook him? He had to in order for Christ
to purge our sins and God still remain just. He hath appeared,
manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Of himself and by himself, Christ
purged. That word means cleansed, expiated,
purified our sins. He didn't simply cover them.
He put them away forever. God's word's clear about that.
He cast them behind his back. He cast them in the depths of
the sea. He removed them as far as the east is from the west.
You go as far as you can to the east and keep going and go as
far as the west as you can. The two are never to meet again.
That's how far he's put our sins away from us. He blotted them
out. If he blots them out, they're
gone. God remembers our sins no more. He died the just for
the unjust. Why? To bring us unto God. There
was no collaborative effort between man and God, regardless of what
religion today claims. And that's what they claim. We
must lend God our will and let him have his way. Oh, I get so
tired of hearing it. It's to lie on God's what it
is. When the Scriptures say that salvation is of the Lord, that's
exactly what it means. It's of the Lord. It's of Him
alone. It's of the Lord and no one else. Christ Jesus by Himself purged
our sins. Did you notice the word when
there in verse 3? When He had by Himself purged
our sins. That word when assures us that
it took place. When he did means he did it.
And thirdly, where is Christ now? The last part of verse three
tells us assuredly. He is set down on the right hand
of the majesty on high. Now that means something. And
as I've already mentioned, we're studying through the book of
Exodus on Wednesday evening. And for the past several weeks,
we've looked at the tabernacle and its furnishings. And there
are seven pieces of furniture in the tabernacle. There was
the altar, the wash basin, the candlestick, the table of showbread,
the altar of incense, the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy
seat. But you know what wasn't in the tabernacle? No chair. No chair. You know why? Because they never sat down.
Their work was never finished. They never finished their work. Their work was not effectual.
It had to be done again and again and again. But Christ, our great
high priest, by one offering, What did he do with that one
hour? He perfected forever them that are sanctified. And having
completed his work, he sat down. Where did he sit? On the right
hand of the majesty on high. Only God sits there. Christ has
finished the work. He's our one mediator. There's
no other, just one, just one mediator between God and man,
the man, Christ Jesus. And where is he? He's on the
throne of God. Do you know who sits on the throne
of God? Of course you do. God does. Who then is Jesus Christ? Well, he's God in human flesh.
Look at verse four. Being made so much better than
the angels as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name
than they. And it's here that we see further
defining of the majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see the,
declaring of the excellency of His name is far above any angel. The words being made here does
not refer or suggest that the Lord is a created being, but
that He has gloriously appeared and was manifested and that He's
superior to the angels because He's their creator. He created
the angels. Verse five, 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 here in verse five,
the Lord asked a question to the Hebrews based on their knowledge
of the word of God. He says, and ask, is there any
record of God ever saying to any angel, thou art my son, this
day have I begotten thee? No record of it at all because
he's the only begotten son of God. The word begotten is a word
that distinguishes Christ from the angels. You see, when one
begets or is begotten, they are begotten or they are born in
the likeness of the one that beget them. In other words, they
are like the one that gave them birth. For example, a cat cannot
beget a dog. And a dog cannot begat a man.
If Christ is begotten of God, then Jesus Christ is God. Christ is the son of God, the
same as Solomon was the son of David. And this is further proof
that Christ cannot be equated with angels. Angels are nothing
but ministering spirits, nothing but servants of God. And it's
the angels that worship Christ. And that's further proof to who
Christ is. He's God. And it's further proof
that we don't worship angels. Look at verse six, and again,
when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith,
and let all the angels of God worship him. And it's here that
the Lord settles that matter on the worship of angels, it's
just not permitted. Since Christ is to be worshiped
by the angels, then he has to be God. So what have we seen
so far here in this first chapter of Hebrews? We see that Jesus
Christ is and was superior to all the Old Testament prophets.
He's superior to all the Old Testament messengers. He's superior
to the angels. So he must be God, and he is.
Everyone and everything in the Old Testament covenant is subservient
to Christ, our great God and Savior. Verse seven, and of the
angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits and his ministers
flame of fire. What God is saying here in verse
seven is this, the angels are created spirits. They don't die. They're ministers of God. They
attend to his presence and they do his bidding. They are called
flames of fire, I believe, because they are the executioner of God's
wrath and judgment. And it's God who makes them so.
But here is the proof and the pudding that Jesus Christ is
God. Verse eight, look at it. Oh,
I love this verse. But unto the Son, He, speaking
of God the Father, saith. Now this is God speaking concerning
Christ. He says, thy throne, O God, is
forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of thy kingdom. Here we find God the Father speaking
honorably and worshipfully of His own Son. Here God the Father
Himself declares Jesus Christ to be God. What other proof do
we need? He claims God's throne to be
the Lord Jesus'. Isn't that what He said? Thy
throne, O God? His kingly scepter is a scepter
of righteousness. As the King of kings and the
Lord of lords, his scepter is one of righteousness. God refers
to the heavenly kingdom as Christ's kingdom. And this is the believer's
confidence now. He who has undertaken the salvation
of my soul is none other than God himself. Oh, I can just,
well, that's a bed I can stretch out on. That's a cover of righteousness
that I can just wrap myself up in. Teresa and I love to turn
the airway down and then wrap up in covers. You like that? I do. Oh, I'll tell you, the
righteousness of Christ is just that. We wrap ourselves up in
it. And then we stretch out on that bed, Christ, and wrap ourselves
up in His righteousness. What an amazing thing. His scepter
of righteousness here indicates His acceptance of me and every
believer. It's a scepter of righteousness,
which is the only way that we can be accepted into the presence
of a holy God and an almighty King. It's a scepter of righteousness. This is something that we'll
never fully understand, but I'm telling you, every child of God,
every believer believes it to be true, knows it to be true.
God is in three persons. Now you can't figure that out
with your finite mind, and neither can I. There's God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But each are to the other
God. But unto the Son, the Father,
saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of
righteousness is a scepter of thy kingdom. Then look in verse
nine, we read the words of God, which say, thou, meaning Christ,
has loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even
thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
fellows. God the Father refers to God
the Son as God in verse 8, and then in verse 9, God the Father
declares Himself to be the God of Christ His Son. And who hath
anointed the Son of God with the oil of gladness above all
others? You know who? The answer is God
the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Godhead is
individual, and yet each one collectively is God. Now, I don't
understand that, but I'm gonna tell you, I rejoice in that.
That gives me confidence that the God who saved me did it effectually. So who is Jesus Christ? I believe
we've answered the question. He's God in the flesh. Jesus
Christ is the message and the messenger. He's the sovereign
God, and He's the King of His throne, and He's ruling, and
He's reigning according to His own will and purpose. He still
is. He still is. What did He do? He saved His
people from their sin. Only God could keep God's law. Only God could satisfy God's
holy justice. Christ is anointed above all
His fellows. You know why? Because He's superior
to them all. He's better because He's holy.
He loves righteousness, God said, and He hates iniquity. By nature,
we're just the opposite. We love our iniquity and hate
righteousness, but not Him, not God. No, sir. He's the King and the believer's
Lord and throne above all because He is above all. Where is He
now? Well, He's in heaven's glory.
He's sitting on the throne of God. That's where God sits. He
reigns over all. Why? Because He's God and He's
sovereign. And the gospel, the good news
for sinners is this, by our union with Him, by our oneness with
Him, we're where He is. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus. Right now, we're just like Him. Just like, right now. When we
finally lay down these earthly, fleshly tabernacles, these tents,
earthly dwelling places, these bodies, whatever you want to
call them, that's just what they are. They're temporary dwelling
places. When all believers die, dust
to dust, When we die, the real you, the eternal you, the spirit
and soul within this house, this dwelling, will immediately, as
the dying thief on the cross, be with Christ in paradise. Immediately. Men and women have a lot of ideas
about who God is, but most of them imagine God to be like them. And for that very reason, broad
is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that find it.
Let's just be honest about it. People got the wrong idea about
God. They've listened to men who don't
know God themselves. But to some, God is gracious
and merciful. But to some, God intervenes in
their lives. and He stops them dead in their
tracks on the road to hell, and He puts them on a different path.
He didn't have to. He wasn't obligated to. It simply
pleased Him to do so. It pleased the Lord, child of
God, to make you His people. Boy, you think about that. Pleased
the Lord to make you His. It pleased the Lord by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Sadly, there'll be few
that find that way. Have you found that way? Have
you seen that Jesus Christ is that way? No man, no woman, no
sinner, nobody is saved and redeemed but by Him. That's what He said. I'm the way, the truth, and the
life, and no man cometh to the Father except or but by Me. Oh, may the Lord be pleased to
enable you to see Christ and come to Him who is God. He's
God. Amen.