Now this morning's message is
going to be brought from Hebrews chapter 1. The title is Christ
is Better. The book of Hebrews sets forth
Christ as better or superior. He's superior to the angels. He's superior to the prophets. He's superior to the old priesthood. He's superior to the sacrifices. Christ is superior in every way. Now let's look at Hebrews chapter
1. It says that God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners,
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. God raised up
men to preach the gospel in the Old Testament. Christ is the
message of the prophets. It says in Acts 10.43, to Him
give all the prophets witness. It's all about Him. They spoke
of Him who was to come and to redeem us from our sins. He spoke
to them in dreams. God did. He spoke to the prophets
in dreams, in visions, in signs. He revealed the gospel to them.
Our Lord said, Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and
was glad. God has never left himself without
a witness or his people without a witness. It says in verse 2,
hath in these last days spoken unto us by or in his son, this
is my beloved son He said, in whom I'm well pleased, hear him.
The days of dreams and visions and signs and prophets telling
the future is over. That era is over. God has given
the final revelation of himself in his Son. Don't look for any
other revelation than what we have in Christ. He is the full
and final revelation of God. The prophets spoke as they were
moved of God. But Christ is God speaking. He is the utterance of God. He
is the Word of God. And God the Father hath appointed
Him heir of all things. As the Mediator, as the Son of
Man, He is heir of all things. The whole universe is His. All
things have been put into His hands. And by Him, it says, that
He made the world. The One who is heir of all things
also made all things. When the Father spoke all things
into existence, He spoke them into existence through His Son,
who is the Word of God. Now it says in verse 3, Who being
the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His
person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when
He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high. Jesus Christ is the brightness
of God's glory. He is the shining of God's glory. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. If you want to see God's glory,
then you must look to Christ, because that is where it shines
brightest. And He's the expressed image
of His person, if you want to know who God is. And what he's
like? Look to Christ. Learn of Christ. Study Christ. He's the express
image. He is the very substance of God. None of God's creatures could
fully express God. But Christ, being God, did. Everything that God is in nature
is fully expressed by the Son. Our Lord said, He that has seen
me has seen the Father. Now it says also in verse 3,
upholding all things by the word of His power. Here is another
glory we see in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the one who is
the very expressed image of God. He upholds all things, right
now, even now, by the word of His power. Everything that exists
is by Him, and everything that moves is guided by the word of
His power. He upholds, He supports, He moves
all things. All things are energized by the
Lord Jesus Christ who is life. Just think how stagnant things
would be if He did not sustain and move all things along by
the word of His power. The government of all things
is on His shoulders and it is not a difficult task for Him.
All that he needs to do is speak. All he needs to do is speak his
word and power, and all nature, devils, and men do his bidding. Now this one who is the brightness
of his glory, and the expressed image of his person, and who
upholds all things by the word of his power, when he, this same
person, had by himself, listen now, purged our sins. The writer of Hebrews is writing
to those who believe the gospel. He's writing to those Hebrews
who have been brought to faith. They believe God. And he's talking
here and saying to them and to all those who believe that when
this one had by himself purged our sins, by himself, he was
given no assistance by us. In fact, we resisted him doing
this. He tread the winepress of God's
wrath alone. This work of redemption is his
chief glory, more so than the making of the whole universe
and everything that's in it. Here is the reason God spoke
in times past unto the fathers by the prophets. Here is the
reason for the Son of God coming into this world and being made
flesh to purge us from our sins. The one who knew no sin was made
to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. His soul was made a sin offering,
that's what it says in Isaiah 53. He suffered at the hands
of justice so that he could purge us from our sins, and he did
it by himself. Jesus Christ is everything needed
to be purged from our sins. He's the high priest, He is the
altar. He is the sacrifice. His blood
is the blood of atonement. His blood cleanses from all sin.
Everything needed to be purged from sin we have in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now this one who purged us from
our sins, listen, sat down. Sat down on the right hand of
the majesty on high. This one who humbled himself
to be made flesh, who was made to be sinned for us, who died
for our sins, is right now seated on the right hand of the majesty
on high. Here is the evidence that he
got the job done. Here it is. He sat down. Here's
the evidence that the Father is pleased and that the Father
has accepted him. He sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high. A place of power, a place of
authority, a place of dominion, and listen, a place of acceptance. The scripture says, He hath made
us accepted in the Beloved. Not acceptable, I mean accepted. That's what the Word of God teaches.
He made us accepted. And notice, He sits because He
finished our redemption. Nothing left to be done. He who
had no place to lay his head now sits on high." Now he turns
to angels here. The writer of Hebrews turns and
compares him to angels. And he says, "...being made so
much better than the angels as he hath by inheritance obtained
a more excellent name than they." Now the writer mentions angels
here. Angels are spoken of quite often in the Old Testament. And
we know that they are far superior to us. But Christ, the Son of
Man, the Son of God, is far superior to the angels. Christ is much
better. Angels, as high as they are,
cannot be compared to the Lord Jesus Christ. They are not to
be worshipped as the Lord Jesus Christ. They are created spirits.
He is the eternal Son of God. It is said of Christ, Thou art
my Son, this day have I begotten Thee. That was never said of
any angel. It is said of Christ, I will
be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. That was never
said of any angel. It is said of Christ, When God
bringeth in the first begotten into the world, let all the angels
of God worship him. That was never said of any angel.
When Jesus Christ came into this world, the angels were commanded
to worship him. Now this worship would not have
been allowed if he were not truly God. Only God is to be worshipped.
Only God. Here's what God says about angels.
And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits, and
his ministers a flame of fire. Angels owe their existence to
God, their creator. In fact, they owe their existence
to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He's their creator.
Their office is to do His bidding, and He equips them for it, but
they are under His authority. But unto the Son, He saith, Thy
throne, O God, is for ever and ever. Here God calls Him as He
is, God. Now if God calls Him God, then
surely He must be God. He declares here also His dignity. He says, Thy throne, Thy throne
and Thy kingdom. He has rule over all. Everything
is going to be put under His feet. He declares its duration. He says it's forever and ever.
Of His reign there shall be no end. He is the sovereign Lord
and Savior. He declares His equity. A scepter
of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom. He obtained it
through righteousness. He administered His government
in righteousness because the righteous Lord loves righteousness.
You want to talk about what God loves and who God loves? Thou
hast loved righteousness, he said, and hated iniquity. Preachers
are always saying that God loves everybody. No, he doesn't. No,
he does not. God loves righteousness and he
loves all those who are made the righteousness of God in Christ
and no one else. In fact, it says he hates the
workers of iniquity. That's the Bible. That's what
the Bible says. Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. None can be compared
to the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ the Mediator loves righteousness,
therefore God has anointed him to be the Messiah. The man Christ
Jesus was anointed above the angels, above the prophets, to
be the Messiah, and he went about fulfilling his office with gladness,
willing to lay his life down. And he says here in verse 10,
And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the
earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hand. He's from
the beginning. He's the eternal Son of God.
And he has ruled over all things. He created all things. But these
things shall perish, he says. Don't put your heart and trust
in them. They were not made to last. They shall perish. But thou remainest,
thou remainest. Christ never changes. He's always
the same yesterday, today, and forever. And like a vesture,
Thou shalt fold them up, like a piece of clothing that gets
old and worn. You fold it up, you put it away,
you buy a new one. But Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ,
He says, Thou art the same. He's unchanging. Years have no
effect on Him. He stays the same in nature,
in person, in offices. He stays the same. He does not
change. He said, I am the Lord. I change
not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob,
you sons of election, are not consumed. Now to which of the
angels said God at any time sit at my right hand. God never said
this to an angel and he never promised it to them. He never
designed to give it to them but to his son Jesus Christ. He said
sit on my right hand till I make your enemies your footstools.
Angels were just made ministering spirits and they are sent forth
to minister, to take care of and to watch over those who are
heirs of salvation. That's all they are. But Christ,
the Lord Jesus Christ He is the one that we worship both now
and forevermore. He's the Redeemer. He's the Savior. He's the one who purges from
our sins, and He's the one we'll worship. And He's the one who's
going to receive all the glory for our salvation. Until next
time, may God bless.