Back in Hebrews chapter 1, we've
all heard this asked, what's in a name? What's in a name? I was reminded here just the
other day that my name doesn't attract too much attention, Larry
Chris. Pretty simple. I've teased my
mom from time to time and asked her, Mom, couldn't you and Dad,
when I was born, come up with something a little more than
that? Larry Chris. I was at the dry
cleaners and was picking up some clothes, and the lady asked me,
what is your last name? That's how we find what you came
for. And I said, Chris. She said,
no, no, no. We go by the last name. I said, that is my last
name. She said, oops. So I had to wait a while for
them to find my clothes. But not so, not so concerning
what we're told in verse 4, is that more excellent name. Excellent. Jesus the Christ. Jesus the Messiah. There's something,
there's something as Bobby just sang, there's something about
that name. There's something about that
name like none other. The key word I know you've are
aware of it, you read through the book of Hebrews, and immediately
you find this word repeated over and over again, the word better,
better. And in every instance, it refers
to the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what you're comparing
him to, the earthly priest, the sacrifices, the tabernacle, the
result of the sacrifice, the redemption of the Lord Jesus
Christ. In every case, it's better. Look here at verse 2 again in
Hebrews chapter 1. We find it right off the bat.
Having these last days, that is God, spoken unto us by his
Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, by whom also he created
the world. Immediately we begin with Christ
and it doesn't get. It doesn't get. It never will
get any better than that. Did you ever, I remember doing
it when I was a kid, but did you ever take a telescope and
look through the wrong end? Take the big end and it does
the very opposite. that the telescope was designed
for. Everything appears to be small. Everything's smaller. Many, many
have a conception, a view of Christ like they're doing that
very thing. I hear them talk about Christ
and it reminds me of when I look through the wrong end of the
telescope because they speak of Christ as trying to do something. or attempting to do something,
or even desiring to do something, but for some reason, for some
reason, he just can't seem to get it done. And they never speak
of him actually accomplishing anything, making anything sure,
making anything certain. As God said in Psalm 50, you
thought that I was altogether like yourself. And when I hear
people talk of Christ as attempting and trying and wanting and not
being able to, I think they're describing themselves. He's no
more than they are. Oh, but when we look, when we
look through the telescope of God's Word, at no time Not even
once. Does it ever? Does it ever represent
Jesus Christ as anything other than our great God and Savior? Not one time. Now I know, I know
this lies right in the teeth of modern day religion. And most
preachers I know, most preachers, not all, thank God, but the majority
of those in our day speak of Christ attempting and wanting
and trying and failing. But God's Word, God's Word never
represents him that way. He's the mighty God. He's the
everlasting Father. He's the Prince of Peace. He's
the King of Kings. John in Revelation said, I saw
him and upon his head were many crowns and he deserves to wear
them all. A crown of glory that fadeth
not away. And our great God said concerning
his son, his righteous servant. Our Lord in responding to the
Father when he came into this world said, Father, In sacrifice
and offering, you've had no pleasure. Therefore, I come in the body
that you prepared me to do thy will, O my God. And God said
700 years before that, 700 years before he sent his son into the
world, he said concerning his righteous servant that he shall
not fail. Now, I like that. I like that. He shall not fail if a surgeon
who was going to operate on you guaranteed you that the surgery
would be successful. I mean, he came into your room
and said, I set your mind at ease. Just rest easy. You're in my
hands. And I'll tell you what, I guarantee
you the surgery will be successful. Of course, they can't do it.
Oh, but our great physician can. Jesus Christ guaranteed he would
do all that he came into this world to do. He guaranteed it
again and again. He never one time said, I'm going
to try. He said, I've come to do thy
will. Oh my God. Turn back, if you
will, to John's Gospel, Chapter 6. I love this passage of scripture. Listen to the words of the great
shepherd of the sheep. Now you look at them, study and
ponder, rejoice in them. and notice how matter-of-factly
he speaks. I mean, he guarantees that he'll
do what he came to do. Here in John 6, now he's speaking
to people who had crossed the sea, whom he had fed, the multitude,
and they crossed the sea to find him. And when they find him,
he says to them in verse 36, But I say unto you that ye also
have seen me, and believe not. Well, will that make God's purpose
void? Will that just ruin everything?
Oh, no. No. Look at verse 37. All that
the Father giveth me... Oh, never a man spake like this
man. I mean, listen to how he talks.
He talks not like the scribes and Pharisees. He speaks as having
authority. He speaks as one who knows what
he's talking about. He speaks as God. All that the
Father giveth me might come to me. That's not what it said.
That's not what it said. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven not
to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the will, or this is the Father's will which hath
sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose Nothing. Nothing. Remember what he prayed
that night? John 17, Father, of all those
you've given me, I've lost none. None of them is lost. I often
find comfort in the negative of that blessed truth. That is, who would be more dishonored
if one sheep of Christ should fall away? Who would it reflect
on worse? The one that fell away or the
one who allowed him to fall? The one who said the devil or
no one else can pluck them out of my hand. Who would it reflect
on? Who would be most dishonored? It would be him. And that will
never happen. God said, he shall not fail. He shall not fail. And of all
which he had given me, I should lose nothing. but you raise it
up at the last day, that day when our great high priest gathers
that multitude, a multitude that no man can number. A multitude
that God Almighty before the world was ever created, entrusted
into the hands of his son. He was their surety. And from
that time, so to speak, before time really was, Christ became
responsible for his sheep in that covenant of grace. And he
shall not fail. And in that day, he'll gather
that multitude of redeemed sinners, his people, his bride, his sheep,
his redeemed, and it will be his glorious boast. Father, they're
all here. All you committed to my trust,
I've kept. None of them is lost. None of
them is lost. I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of
him that sent me. that every one which seeth the
Son, seeth with eyes of faith, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life. And I will raise him up. I will. I will raise him up at the last
day. Oh, he speaks with such authority.
No wonder he has a more excellent name. more excellent than angels? Did you notice in the reading
of chapter 1 in Hebrews, in comparison to the angels, the writer asked
several times, unto which of the angels did God say this?
And the answer, of course, is not one of them. Not one of them. He spoke of these things concerning
his son. And he has a name more excellent
than angels, than priests, than sacrifices. If you would look
up the word excellent in the dictionary, you would find this
definition, possessing excellence or superior merit. I don't know what they had in
mind when they wrote that, but that describes our Redeemer.
Excellence, superior merit, extraordinary, superior, Jesus Christ is excellent
in all that he did. Everything he did, he did it
perfectly. Perfectly. I don't really recall
whether it was here, since I've lived here, or whether it was
in Danville, Kentucky. But there was a business. On
the side of their truck, they had this. Call us. We'll fix what your husband attempted
to. We'll fix what your husband broke. Not so with the Lord Jesus Christ. He's excellent in everything
he did. He perfectly obeyed God's holy
law. Our salvation required not only
the laying down of his life and bearing God's wrath for the sins,
but it required God's law being perfectly kept. kept every letter,
every jot and tittle, and Christ said, I came to do that. I didn't
come to destroy the law. A lot of people think because
a man could not be saved by the law that God said, well, this
is what I'll do. They'll never be saved by the
deeds of the law, shall no flesh be justified in my sight, God
says. Therefore, people think, God
set aside the law. The law was a hill too high,
old Bunyan referred to it as being. Therefore, God lowered
his standard. He made it easier. They couldn't
arrive at this, so God made it easier for them to enter glory.
Not so. God never lowered his standard. Jesus Christ perfectly kept God's
law. From that first breath he drew,
when he entered this world through the womb of the virgin, when
he who was the mighty God became likened to his brethren, was
made flesh because they were flesh. From the first breath
he drew in that stable that night, Until that last breath expired
on Calvary's tree, he perfectly obeyed, he accomplished the will
and purpose of God in keeping every aspect of his holy law. In word, in thought, in deed,
he kept God's law. Yes, he's excellent in all that
he did because he's excellent in who he is. Who he is. What did the bride of Solomon's
song say? He's all together, not in part. Now, Louie, if I would get Debbie
and ask her some good qualities concerning you, I'm sure she
would name a few. You're shaking your head, not
one. I'm not going to get into that.
But in spite of your good qualities,
there would be some things not so good. Oh, but not concerning
the God-man. View Him in any aspect you want. View Him as God. View Him as
God. And He's altogether lovely. As
man, and again, He's altogether lovely. as Savior, as Sacrifice,
as Mediator between God and man, and the man Christ Jesus is altogether
lovely. In Him alone can it be said that
righteousness and peace have kissed one another. Only in Him
does mercy and truth come together. Only in Him can God Almighty,
only through Him, can God Almighty be perfectly just in justifying
a sinner. I like what Scott Richardson
used to say. I heard him say it often. He would say, before
God Almighty does anything for you, He must do something for
Himself. If God Almighty forgives a sinner,
He must remain perfectly holy, perfectly just, no lowering of
His standard. He must be just before He can
justify. And when God Almighty justifies
a sinner, He does it upon the most holy, righteous grounds
He could, upon the grounds of satisfied justice. Oh, bless
God! Mercy always comes to the center
on the wings of satisfied justice. God's holy law itself declares,
I find no fault in him concerning our Redeemer. I find no fault
in him. How could it? He rendered perfect
obedience to God's law. Turn, if you will, to Galatians
chapter 4. Galatians chapter 4. And again,
I want you to notice, I'll point this out. how the scriptures
concerning the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ
never speaks of it as anything less than something he accomplished. He got the job done, Lester.
That's why those that believe on Him can go home and lie down
and rest easy knowing that God Almighty is reconciled to them
by the death of His Son. Knowing that in the person of
God's Son, God Himself can demand no more. He's satisfied. Galatians
chapter 4 verse 1. Now I say that the heir, as long
as he is a child, different, nothing from a servant, though
he be Lord of all, but is under tutors, and governors until the
time appointed of the Father. Even so, we, when we were children,
were in bondage under the elements of the world. But, but, something's
going to change all that. What was it? But when the fullness
of the time was come, God sent forth His Son. Behold Him, Jehovah's
righteous servant. Hear God say, He shall not fail. God sent forth his son, made
of a woman, made under the law, verse 5, to redeem them. To redeem them. Not to make redemption
possible. It is not so. Not to make redemption
possible, but to redeem them. Not to offer them redemption,
but to redeem them. Not to put them in a redeemable
state, but to actually redeem them. And he did that at the
cross. What Christ did at the cross
is not dependent for its success, its value, its virtue, upon anything
done after that by the sinner. Oh, no. He then and there came
to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive
the adoption of sons. Well, did he succeed? Did he
get the job done? Oh, yeah. That's why we read
in verse 6, and because you're sons, because you've been redeemed,
God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, showing you that you are redeemed,
crying, Abba, Father. Oh, thank God. And in offering
himself to God, he offered a perfect sacrifice for sin. Hebrews chapter
9. Hebrews chapter 9. A perfect
offering for sin. Because that's what God required.
He couldn't accept anything less. Concerning the offering, he said,
it must be perfect. It must be perfect to be accepted.
Verse 14 of Hebrews 9. How much more shall the blood
of Christ? Oh, precious is the flow. What
does it do? It makes me white as snow. How
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
spirit offered himself without spot to God, perfect? Purge your conscience. Oh, to
have the conscience purged. To be not guilty. To be not condemned
even by your own heart because to have a record in heaven that's
perfectly, perfectly pure. Purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God. Turn the page over to chapter
10. Chapter 10, verse 9. Now this is our Lord, Jehovah's
righteous servant speaking. And in verse 9 it says, Then
said he, Lo, I come, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh
away the first that he may establish the second. By the which will
we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. Once forever. Once was enough. And every priest standeth daily
ministering. Notice that. Every priest standeth. Remember what we read in verse
2 of chapter 1? Our Lord, after he had, or rather
verse 3, our Lord, after he offered one sacrifice for sin, after
he purged our sins, he sat down. And every priest, verse 11, standeth
daily. Why are they standing? Because
their work's never done. It's never done. Ministering
and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take
away sin. Oh, but this man, but this man,
the God-man, After he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
there it is again. He sat down on the right hand
of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. That was God's promise to him.
Sit down here, my son, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified."
Oh, what a sacrifice. What a redeemer. Not all the
blood of the beast on Jewish altars slain could give the guilty
conscience peace or wash away the stain because it's not possible
that the blood of goats and bullocks should take away sin. But Christ
the heavenly lamb takes all our sins away. Takes all our sins away. All our sins. a sacrifice of
nobler name and richer blood than they. Believing, we rejoice
to see the curse removed. We bless the Lamb with cheerful
voice and sing redeeming love." When Christ offered himself to
God, God says concerning all that Christ redeemed, deliver
their souls. Deliver their souls from going
down to the pit. I've found the ransom. He found
in that ransom payment that's sufficient. Payment that satisfied
Him. Payment that God Himself accepts. Again, I ask you, what's in the
name? What's in the name? Oh, concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ? Oh, in that name we associate
greatness, excellency, power, virtue, merit. Peter said, there's
none other name given among men under heaven whereby we must
be saved all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who compares
to him? Remember what the woman at the
well said, that our Lord deliberately went to Samaria to encounter.
That's one of his sheep. He said, I came to seek him to
save my sheep. So he went there. engaged in
conversation and she asked him, are you greater than our father
Jacob? Are you greater than him? Remember
what our Lord said. She said, are you greater than
our father Jacob? Jacob gave us this well. He gave
us this well to drink from. Are you greater than he is? And
our Lord said, oh yes I am. Yes I am. Because whoever drinks
of this water, this world's religion, this world's riches, whatever
this world can give, whoever drinks of the wells of this world,
they're going to thirst again. Oh yes, I'm greater than Jacob,
because whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him,
he shall never thirst again. Oh yes, he shall be great. In
John chapter 8, the religious leaders asked him, who do you
think you are? Who do you think you are? Have
you seen Abraham? Are you greater than your father
Abraham? Do you know what you just said?
Do you remember how our Lord answered him? Yeah, I'm greater.
Behold, yours are greater than Abraham here. Before Abraham
was, I am. They knew what he meant. I am.
I am God. I am everlastingly God. And in Matthew chapter 12, he
said, Behold, one greater than the temple is here. Mmm, how
they loved their temple. What pride they took in their
temple and the sacrifices and the offerings and the pictures
there, the furniture, everything. And everything in that temple,
everything, as Paul shows in Hebrews, pointed was a picture,
a type of our Lord Jesus Christ who was far better, far superior
than all those things. In that same chapter, he said,
Behold, a greater than Jonah is here. Likewise, he said in
that chapter, Matthew 12, Behold, greater than Solomon is here.
Solomon had an abundance of riches. Oh, but King Jesus, he has an
abundance of grace. In Him, God has deposited all
the riches of His grace. He sits upon the throne of grace
and He saves to the uttermost every sinner that comes to God
by Him. Oh yes, behold, a greater than
Solomon is here, Alexander the Great. Really? Really? What did he do? What did he do
to deserve to be called Alexander the Great? All but concerning
he who has this more excellent name, the angel appeared to Mary
and said, Mary, you're going to have a son. When he's born,
call his name Jesus. He shall be great. He shall be
great. He'll sit on the throne of his
father David, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. After
that, he appeared to Joseph, and he said, Joseph, fear not
to take unto thee Mary to be thy wife, that which is conceived
in hers of the Holy Ghost, and when he's brought forth, call
his name Jesus. For he shall say, I love that
verse of Scripture. For he shall save his people
from their sins. Oh, what a work. A work worthy
of God becoming man. The salvation of his people.
What is any other man or all men combined or angels included
ever did it compared to that? Call his name Jesus. I mentioned
earlier he was given that name for a reason. It means something. Jesus means the salvation of
the Lord, or Jehovah shall save. Jesus shall save, not Gabriel,
not Moses, not Abraham, not preacher, not priest, not Catholic Church
or Baptist Church, but Jesus only. He said, I beheld that
there was none, there was none to uphold. I've trodden the winepress
alone, alone. Oh, glorious substitute, blessed
Savior. He trod the winepress alone,
and of the people there was none with me. And I looked, and there
was none to help. And I wondered if there was none
to uphold. Therefore, my own arm brought salvation unto me,
and my fury it upheld me." Again, in chapter 1 of Hebrews, when
he had by himself, The songwriter had it exactly right when he
said, Jesus paid it all. He did it all by himself, all
to him I owe. It was a single-handed redemption
that he wrought. He entered one time, we read
in Hebrews 9, into the holy place, having obtained, remember? I
said the Scriptures, through the telescope of God's Word,
he's always the mighty God. He's always the successful Redeemer. He's always the glorious Savior. Looking through the telescope
of God's Word, we always find him succeeding in everything
he came to do. Jehovah's righteous servant obtained
eternal redemption for us. Jesus, he shall, underline that
word shall. That's why he was given the name.
And he lived up to it. He lived up to the name. Jehovah
says, if he only makes salvation possible, don't call him Jesus. Give him another name. Don't
call him Jesus. Oh, but he shall say, not attempt
to, Not offer to, not partly save. He shall save his people. Whatever God Almighty requires,
Christ will accomplish. Christ did. That's why the earthly
priest could never sit down. His work was never done, but
Christ can. After he purged our sins, he
sat down. Why? He sat down. on the throne
of sovereign majesty. He sat down. Why? Because he
got the job done. That's why he cried. We read
in John 18, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished,
we read. He's on the cross. And knowing
that all things were now accomplished, he cried, it is finished. It's complete. It's done once
for all. Thank God. And the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. They cried to him
that sits upon the throne, worthy is the Lamb, because he has redeemed
us to God by his own blood. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, shall cleanse us from all sin. Oh, Jesus, how sweet the
name. Jesus, every day the same. Jesus, let all saints proclaim
his worthy praise forever. Jesus was made sin for us. He who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. God said, Awake,
O sword, against the man who is my fellow. Smite the shepherd. Smite the shepherd. But in doing
so, the sheep must go free. Isaiah chapter 53. Look at it
for just a moment. We'll come to a close. Isaiah
chapter 53. What a clear picture of our glorious
substitute. It speaks of what he would endure
and it speaks of what he would accomplish by that suffering. Isaiah chapter 53 verse 4. Surely,
surely, there's no question about this, he, that is Christ, Jehovah's
righteous servant, surely he had borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded
for our transgressions, and he was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray.
We have turned every one to his own way. And the Lord had laid
on him the iniquity of us all." Verse 8. He was taken from prison
and from judgment. And who shall declare his generation?
For he was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression
of my people was he stricken." And all that, God forsaken of
God, all of that for a perhaps, for a maybe, for those who perish,
never, never. And the prophet tells us exactly
that. Look at verse 10. Is the result
of him being smitten of God, afflicted, Yet it pleased the
Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. He'll see his seed. He shall
prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in
his hand. He shall see under the veil of his soul, and he
shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities.
It would be unjust if they weren't justified. Therefore, God says,
I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide
the spoiled with the strong. because he had poured out his
soul into death and he was numbered with the transgressors and he
bared the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. He bared the sin of many and
thank God he bore it all away. Turn with me to John 18, one
more passage. Before we observe the Lord's
Supper, I think this would be a good passage to have in our
memory as we do so. You know the story. The mob has
come to take our Redeemer, led by the traitor Judas. What a
beautiful picture of substitution. What a beautiful picture of our
most excellent substitute. Verse 4 of John 18, Jesus therefore,
knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, took
the initiative, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered
him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he.
And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon
then as he had said unto them, I am, they went backward and
fell to the ground. Who's in control? Then asked
he them again, whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus answered, I have told
you that I am he. If therefore ye seek me, here
I am. Take me. Let these go their way. And that's what the Lord Jesus
Christ said to God's holy justice and law. Here I am. Take me. Take me as the substitute
of my people. Slay me. Slay me. Smite me. Inflict upon me all
that they deserve. Slay me, but in doing so, in
doing so, all of my people must go free. Now when you eat the
bread and drink the wine, don't think about a possibility redemption,
but an accomplished redemption. Verse 10 of Hebrews 2, for it
became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things in
bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through suffering. Jesus, oh, how sweet the name.
Jesus, every day the same. Jesus, let all saints proclaim
His worthy praise forever. God bless you. Thank you for
your attention.