Back in Hebrews chapter 1, I'd
like you to look again with me at verse 4. This will be our text. The title of our message is A
More Excellent Name, A More Excellent Name. And it says in verse 4,
being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance
obtained a more excellent name than they. The purpose of the
epistle to the Hebrews was to encourage them. It was to encourage
God's people in steadfastness. And the way the writer and the
Holy Spirit intended that encouragement to be realized was by reminding
them of their Savior, by showing forth the glory of that blessed
one, that one in whom they had believed. In other words, if
it's well with the captain of my salvation, it shall be well
with me. the question as to who steers
the vessel, who's at the controls. If that's well, then it shall
be well with all those in the vessel. I saw on the news that
Hurricane Isaac, is that what they've named it, is perhaps
heading toward Alabama. And I thought, well, I'm leaving
town. Not because of that. You know
that. I'm scheduled to be gone anyway. But I thought of this psalmist,
and I think that Brother Bob Coffey preached from Psalm 29
when he was here a few weeks ago. All is well, all is well
with the Lord our God. The reason for this exhortation In verse 1 of chapter 2 is because
of what previously has already been said in chapter 1. Look
at verse 1 of chapter 2 for a moment. It says, Therefore we ought to
give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard,
lest at any time we should let them slip. We ought to give the
more earnest heed to it. Why? Because of who is doing
the talking. That makes all the difference.
It's the Lord. Look again, if you will, at verse
2. Although, as we're told in verse 1, God at one time did
speak by the prophets, we're told that now, in these last
days, he has spoken unto us by his Son. and that's final, whom
he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the worlds. And that makes all the difference.
He has spoken unto us by his Son. God himself pointed the
Son out. He identified the Son and said,
Hear ye him. Several times the Lord God did
that when our Lord was upon earth. The first was at his baptism.
That's recorded in Matthew 3 and the other Gospels. And we're
told there when the Lord came up out of the water, after being
baptized, immersed is what the word means, it says the heavens
departed and a dove descended and landed on him. And at that
same moment, God spoke from heaven and said this. He said this,
he identified him. There were many people around,
many people around. John was baptizing and he was
baptizing at the Jordan because there was much water there and
many came to be baptized. But the God of heaven identifies
one individual with these blessed words. He said, this is my beloved
son. This is he, none other. Now, John the Baptist is the
messenger. He's the forerunner. He himself
said, I'm not the Christ. I'm just the voice of one crying
in the wilderness. But God himself identified his
son when he said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well
pleased. Do you recall God using them
words concerning anybody else? In whom I am well-pleased always,
all the time, well-pleased in everything his son ever did,
ever thought, every action, every word, God said, I am well-pleased
with my son. And the son himself said afterwards,
I do always. Could anybody else make such
a claim? For one, would God identify anyone
else with these words? And the answer is no, he never
did. I'm well pleased in him. And he himself said, I do always
those things that please the Father. Now, remember this. Remember
this. Even when reading a verse such
as that, remember what he was doing that always pleased the
Father and that the Father was pleased with he was doing as
the substitute for his people. He was doing in the room instead
of his people in his life as well as in his death. Oh, of
whom could God have been speaking than any other than his dear
Son? Not of angels as we read in this
chapter in Hebrews 1. Oh, no, he speaks of someone
better, in whom I am well-pleased. Well-pleased by God's standard. It's not hard to meet a man's
standard. It's not hard if we compare ourselves
among ourselves, which the apostle says is not wise, but to meet
the standards that we set for one another. Oh, but God's standard? What is that? That's somewhat
higher, isn't it? That's somewhat more demanding.
As a matter of fact, that demands and expects and requires and
will accept nothing less than perfection. And he found that
in his son, this one, we're told in verse 4, that has that more
excellent name. On the Mount of Transfiguration,
recorded in Matthew 17 and in Luke 9, our Lord there, as he
prays, is transfigured before Peter and James and John. And
Peter wakes up. being drowsy with the other two,
James and John, and not knowing what to say, and not realizing
what he said, he said, Lord, let's make three tabernacles,
because he saw the Lord talking with Moses and Elijah, and Peter
just blurted it out. Let's make three tabernacles,
one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah. And God again spoke
from heaven and said, this is my beloved son, hear ye, Him. You don't need three tabernacles. One is sufficient. That word that was made flesh
and dwelt, the word dwelt is tabernacled amongst us. That's all you need. That's all
you need is Him. You're complete in Him. And we're
told when the cloud departed, they lifted up the rise and Jesus
was left alone. without a rival, without Moses,
without Elijah, because Christ was the fulfillment of the law
represented by Moses. He was the message of the prophets
represented by Elijah. Christ is all. The Lord said,
you don't need nothing else. Hear ye him. And in Luke's account
of that same thing, he says Jesus was found alone. He was found
alone. And here in Hebrews 1, verse
4, we find him alone again, meaning there's none else like him. That's
the whole point of the writer here, to show that there is none
like him. He's better than all, no matter
what you compare him to. And look in verse 3. This is
how he's described. In verse 3, he's described by
who he is. And it's no wonder when we come
to verse 4 that we're told he has a more excellent name. Consider
what is said about him in verse 3. This can apply to no other
individual ever. It describes him by who he is,
first of all, and then it identifies him by what he's done. And when
we consider these things, which we'll do, it's no wonder that
we're told in the next verse he has a more excellent name. In history, we can read of men by the name of Augustus Caesar. We can read of men like Alexander
the Great, to name only a few. But when we read God's Word,
where the absolute truth is told about all men, all God's servants,
for example, they're pictured as they really are. They're failures
and they're sins, and they all had them. whether it was David
or Moses or Noah or Peter, they all sin. As a matter of fact,
they can be in that class with all the rest of us, all have
sin. Even that one that God said is
a man after my own heart, he wasn't exempt from sin. All have
sinned and come short of the glory of God. Every man that
ever walked this earth, and notice the ones I mentioned, these were
God's people. They were believers. They were
redeemed. They were chosen. But every one
of them sinned. Every one of them failed. Every
one of them are represented by Paul when he cried out, O wretched
man that I am. That's the confession of every
child of God. Isn't it yours? It is mine. Every one that ever lived but
one. But one. This one. This one with
this most excellent name. Jesus Christ, the God-man. Only of him, Lord, is it said,
he knew no sin. He knew no sin. It also says
he did no sin. That makes him unique. That makes
him that absolutely perfect, spotless sacrifice that God required
to put away sin. He did no sin, he knew no sin,
and in him, we're told, was no sin. Mm. He stands alone, doesn't
he? Oh, what manner of man is this? Only of him. With that name above
every name can it be said he's excellent. That more excellent
name. It's not shared with anyone else. Mm-mm. Not his glory. Not who he is. No, on the contrary. All the rest of the prophets
that God spoke through at one time, they all spoke of him. Every one of them. agree that
there's only one that deserves this title, as the angels did
as well. They all exclaimed. They all
said, as John the Baptist said, our Lord said, they all talk
about me. You remember when he rose from
the dead, we're told in Luke, the last chapter, and also in
his conversation with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus?
We're told that he expounded out of the law, out of Moses,
the first five books of the Bible, out of the prophets, and out
of the Psalms, the things concerning himself. He said, they speak
of me. And every one of them unite.
Every one of them had this message, do they not? Every one of them
echoed, pre-echoed the words of John the Baptist, and every
disciple and writer of the Gospels after that, and every preacher
that's called of God, they say with John, he must increase,
but I must decrease. He has the more excellent name. There's none like him. Him. Oh, if you have and understand
all prophecies, but if you don't know Christ, you've missed it. It's no wonder that the Apostle
said, and the Apostle Paul was not like this man trying to preach
to you now. He had a lot of gray matter,
the Apostle Paul. There was a lot of things he
could sit down and discuss, but when he came to know the Lord,
when he met the king of glory on the Damascus Road that day,
he only had eyes for him, did he not? He would write afterwards,
all that I might know him. that I might know him, that I
might be found in him. Oh, in that day, clothed in his
absolute righteousness. Oh, there is a sufficiency, there
is such a vastness. Look at verse 3 again. Look at
the vastness as it describes his person. Who else could this
be talking about? Who fits this meal, so to speak? Who else could this describe?
Who being the brightness of his glory. That's talking about God. God's glory. God's essence. God's holiness. Every attribute
of God. Who being the brightness of his
glory. And then it says this unique
individual is the express image of his person. Who else could
that be other than the Lord Jesus Christ? As the Hebrew writer
tells us over and over in this epistle, whether he's comparing
Christ Jesus to the angels, as we read in chapter 1, or to the
priest, or to the sacrifice, in every comparison, as we said
last Sunday night, he says Christ is better. Better. He has that more excellent name. If you were looking the dictionary
under the word excellent, it would have this definition. A part of it would be this. Possessing
excellence or superior merit. Extraordinary. to excel as defined
as this, to surpass others, to transcend, to exceed. Does that sound like anybody
you know? Does that sound like anyone you
know other than the Lord Jesus Christ? Listen to what it says
concerning him. Call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins. Could any other name been placed
there? Would that have been true of
anybody else, any man, any angel, any group of men, all the angels
combined? Could anybody else fill in that
great task? Call his name what? Who can do
that? Who can do that? Jesus. He can do that great and mighty
work of taking away all the sins of all of his people so effectually,
so completely, so everlastingly, the prophet said, in that day,
they'll be searched for and they won't be found. We're told that
they've been buried in the sea of God's forgetfulness. A flood
overflows the mountains and the mountains disappear. And the
blood of Jesus Christ overflows our sins and they're drowned. They've disappeared. They're
gone. That's what it's meant here in
verse 3 by the word purged. Another verse of Scripture. Who
else could this be speaking of? In John chapter 20, we're told,
these things are written that you might believe that Jesus
is the Son of God and that believing you might have life. Life? Eternal life? Spiritual life? Everlasting life? How? Through
His name. That is by His authority and
His power. He gives eternal life. Is that not what He prayed? Father,
You've given me power over all flesh. I have power over all
flesh. Oh, but I give eternal life to
as many as Thou has given me. Who else could say words like
this? The hour is coming that all that are in the graves shall
hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall
come forth. That speaks of all men that have
died. Those shall come forth to the
resurrection of the just but the unjust, but they'll do it
when they hear the voice of the Son of Man. What power! What authority? He can command
the dead to come forth, and they come forth. Turn, if you will,
to Acts chapter 3. Here we have another example
of that which can only apply to the God-man, that one with
the more excellent name. In Acts chapter 3, you're familiar
with the passage. Peter and John are on their way
to the temple. And there's a poor beggar there,
a man that was crippled from birth. And he holds out his hand
to Peter and John. And Peter says, don't have money
for you. Don't have any money. But such
as I have, give I to thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk. And he did. And look at verse 12. The crowd
rushes together because this man sat at that gate of the temple
every day. They all knew who he was. And
now they see this man leaping and walking and praising God. Verse 12, and they all come rushing
together, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he answered
unto the people, ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why
look ye so earnestly on us? You're looking in the wrong direction.
As though by our own power and holiness, we had made this man
whole. Oh no, Peter says, it wasn't
us. That's strange talk for the first
pope to have, isn't it? That church in Rome claims Peter
as their first pope, and people bow down to that poor man. That
poor deluded man, deluded souls bowed down to him and kissed
his ring and Peter said, don't you do it. Don't you do it. Don't
even look at us and marvel at us as though this man was made
whole by something in us, the king of glory, that one with
that most excellent name. He's made this man whole. Look
what he says in verse 16. That is Christ, the Prince of
Life. Through faith in His name, have
made this man strong. Christ has done it because God
has exalted him to be a prince and a savior. And there's no
salvation in any other except him. And his name through faith
in his name have made this man strong whom ye see and know. Yea, the faith which is by him
through Christ has given him this perfect soundness in the
presence of you all. I like that, don't you? When
I read that, I thought of that verse in Jude, unto him that's
able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless,
perfect, perfect, like the grace and power of Christ made this
man perfect. We're told that he shall present
us perfect, faultless, in the presence of God, without fault,
before the throne of God. Peter and John are thrown in
jail, and the next day they're brought out in chapter 4 of Acts,
before the Sanhedrin. And a lot of other people. want
to observe this. The high priest, Caiaphas, John,
Alexander, it's a who's who. But look what Peter says down
in verse 9. Here's Peter and John. Can you
picture this? Ignorant fishermen, they say,
before these elite. And Peter says, if this day we
be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by
what means he is made whole, be it known unto you all, and
to all the house people of Israel rather, that by the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from
the dead, even by him that this man stand before you whole. This is the stone that is Christ,
which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the
head of the corner, whether you liked it or not. And look what
Peter goes on to say in verse 12. Neither is there salvation
in any other, for there is none other name under heaven. None
other name. None other name. not preacher,
not priest, not church, not Catholic, not Baptist, the only name by
which salvation is realized, the only one that has authority.
The only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. There's only one, and it's that
one that the apostle in Hebrews identifies as that one having
that most excellent name. Turn, if you will, to Ephesians
chapter 1. We read this this morning, identifying
that one. in our text, but in Ephesians
chapter 1, verse 21, look what it says concerning him again.
Remember I asked the question, how goes it with the captain
of your salvation? Well, how do these verses tell
us it goes with him? Oh, my soul, when I read these,
I think, it is well with my soul. it must be well with my soul,
because he said that the Father has committed everything into
his hands. And he says, my sheep are in
my hands, the mighty hands of the mighty God. If I'm in his
hand, it is well with my soul, no matter what blows my way.
Look at verse 21 of Ephesians 1. concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ is speaking of him whom God hath raised up far above
all principality and power and might and dominion. And every name, every name, every name that is named, no
matter who it is, no matter what they've done, They must bow to
this one, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come. And it put all things under his
feet. It sounds like, it sounds like
by that description, a name above every name, everything under
his feet, his footstool. It sounds like that he absolutely,
absolutely rules this world. Doesn't that what it sounds like
to you? It sounds like that he's in absolute control. It sounds
like there's no accidents, no perchances, no whatever. Oh, no. He's in absolute control. God Almighty has put the reins
of the universe in one hand, and that's the hand of our mighty
Redeemer. It is well with my soul. And
have put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head. Oh, our glorious head. Over all things of the church,
which is his body. Oh, he'll take care of his body.
The fullness of him that filleth all in all. Again, back in Hebrews, verse
3. It tells us why he has that more excellent name. He deserves
it. In verse 3, he's described by
who he is, his glorious person. And then he's described by what
he's done. We'll be brief concerning both.
His glorious person, who he is. I think most of us are probably
old enough to remember that television program to tell the truth. It
was back in the 60s, I think. But to tell the truth, remember
that? There would be three contestants
to come out and face a panel. And they would all claim to be
the same individual who was known for doing something, being famous
for some reason or other. But they all would claim to be
that person. And contestants would ask them
questions to try to narrow down who was the real person that
did whatever. And at the end of the show, they
were asked, will the real such and such please stand up? Remember that? Remember that?
And the man would be identified when he stood up. Verse 3 distinguishes,
identifies the Lord Jesus Christ by describing his uniqueness. His uniqueness. Jehovah's righteous
servant, the Lord Jesus Christ. The so-called Jehovah's Witnesses
claim that Jesus Christ was no more than a deified man. is how
they use it, and they claim that they will arrive at the same
deification through their efforts and religious works of the flesh. Oh, no. Oh, no. He was not a
deified man. He's identified in this verse
as very God of very God. Look how he's described. Who? Being the brightness of his glory. Notice it doesn't say concerning
him that he was made the brightness of God's glory. That's not what
it says. It says, being the brightness
of God's glory. He already was and always will
be. He was when on earth. Oh yes,
veiled in a robe of flesh, but none else than very God of very
God. He's God in His nature, the same
nature and the same essence of God. He was one with the Father. He's unique. He's distinct. There's not another like him.
He's Christ, the God-man, the glory of God. Think about that. Christ is the glory of God's
glory. Say, man, that's a mouthful.
You got that right. He's the glory of God's glory. In Galatians we're told, in him,
this one with this most excellent name, this one that stands alone
as to who he is, in him dwelleth all the fullness. All the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Now you think about that. Can
you wrap your mind around that? No, you can't. And I can't either. All the fullness of the Godhead? Hmm? and it's all residing in
the Lord Jesus Christ? In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily? Let me ask you, does it not indicate
something of His glory and His fullness and His majesty and
His worth? Because ask yourself the question,
where else would it dwell? Where else could the fullness
of God Almighty Himself dwell other than in the person of the
Lord Jesus Christ? There's not another like Him,
is there? Not another. Asked the Lord that night when
he said, the way you know, if you've seen me, you've seen the
Father. Philip asked him, well, show us the Father and we'll
be satisfied. And our Lord said, Philip, have I been with you
so long and you've not known me? Don't you know yet? Don't
you understand yet that if you've seen me, you've seen the Father? Could words be plainer? Oh, yes,
he was the brightness of his glory. And then look at the second
expression in verse 3 describing as to who he is. The express
image of his person. The express image of his person. We could not know God otherwise. That's exactly right. You could
not know God otherwise except through the revelation of the
God-man himself. Is this not what John said in
John's Gospel, verse 18? No man has seen God at any time. And no man ever could see God
or will see God unless the Son, the only begotten of the Father,
this verse goes on to say, hath declared him. Isn't that what
he said to Philip? If you've seen me, you've seen
the Father. And how did he declare him? Well, that one who was in
the beginning, with God and was God and created all things, that
eternal Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That's how he
declared Him. Philip, have you seen me? Oh,
I can see Him. I can see Him. He's flesh of
my flesh and bone of my bones. Otherwise, God would be invisible. except for the Son, the expressed
image of his person. Now, consider this. After looking
at how he's described, who he is, it gives value and merit
and worth to what he's done. Who was it that offered himself
to God as the sacrifice for his people? He that was the very
express image of God. He who was the brightness of
his glory. Oh my, what value, what efficacy
must that give to his sacrifice? What must that be worth? Is it
any wonder that God said in him, I am well pleased? Look what
he's done. Upholding all things by the word
of his power. upholding all things. He created
all things. We're told in Colossians 1, by
him they were created and by him they continue, they exist. They were created by him and
for him and by him all things consist. Our text here says they're
upheld by him. Now think about that. We know
that he created all things. just by his will. Oh, what a mighty God. He willed
it. He created the heavens and the
earth. But the text tells us here, as
well as in Colossians 1, that by Him they consist. We're told
here He upholds all things by the Word of His power. Yes, He
created them, but He also upholds them. They only are upheld by
the same One that created them. If not, they would cease to be. Oh, can we not sing? Can we not
sing? With such a redeemer as that,
whatever my lot? Oh, God, teach me to sing. It is well, it is well. How can
it be otherwise? It is well with my soul. The writer takes us a little
further into this unrivaled excellency of Christ, as though he says,
look, look, here is a greater, grander work than what he mentions
first about him upholding all that he created. He says, when
he had, by himself, purged our sins. Oh, my. He's taking us
higher, isn't He? Oh, yes, let's stand at the threshold
and behold the glory of the Creator in His creation and give Him
praises for it. Oh, but then when we come to
this, when He had by Himself purged
our sins, The words fail me. What a wonder is that? What a
demonstration is that of his uniqueness? Identified by this,
is it any wonder then that he has the more excellent name?
When he had by himself purged our sins, look at that little
word, had. A lot of joy there. That's past tense. That means
it's done. It's accomplished. Purged, that's
in the past tense too. The word means removed, taken
away. No wonder the hymn writer's son.
Oh, the bliss. Is it not bliss? Is it not bliss,
brothers and sisters, this glorious thought? Oh, the bliss of this
glorious thought. My sins, not in part, but the
whole were nailed to his cross and I bear them no more. Praise
the Lord! Praise the Lord! Oh, my soul. What an excellent name. Oh, yes,
it's done. It's finished. It's accomplished. Turn, if you will, back to Romans
chapter 8. It's on the basis of this blessed
truth. of the finished work of our substitute
that Paul asked these questions in Romans chapter 8. I know they're
very familiar to you, but let's look at a couple of them again
in Romans 8. And again, I say, it's on the
basis of what we read in Hebrews 1 and 3 that Paul asked these
questions. Verse 31 of Romans 8. What shall
we then say to these things? in view of the fact that through
Christ we're justified. What shall we say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not
his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? I mean, look what
a price he's already paid. Look what God already freely
gives us. Will he not give us everything
else necessary to our eternal salvation? Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? They can't. There's no grounds
for it. It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? God
doesn't condemn us. It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for us. And that one who bears
that most excellent name, we're told in verse 3, when he had
by himself, by giving of himself, When he
created the heavens and the earth, when he created all that we see,
it required his power, but it didn't require the giving of
himself, did it? It didn't require when he created
the heavens and the earth, when he willed them into existence,
it didn't require that he become flesh of our flesh and bone of
our bones, did it? But redemption did. Redemption
required the giving of himself. He offered himself without spot
to God. Then last of all, last of all,
look what it says in verse 3. After he had by himself purged
our sins, what did he do? I like this. He sat down at the
right hand of the majesty on high. He sat down. That's proof that he's accepted
by God. That's proof that he satisfied
God's holy law and justice forever. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have
sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. And the
writer, contrast the earthly priest to our great heavenly
high priest. They were always standing, weren't
they? Always standing. There wasn't
a chair for them to sit down because their work was never
done. But we're told after he purged
our sins, he sat down. You know why? Because our redemption
was accomplished. By his one offering, he entered
one time into the holy place, and he obtained eternal redemption
for us. He purged our sins, and his entrance
into the presence of God, his entrance into heaven itself,
proves that he purged our sins. He would not have entered glory
and been enthroned at his Father's right hand otherwise. He would
not be seated now in glory had his work on earth not been successful,
had not been finished. And there he is, our God-man
mediator, representing all of his people, all of his people. We read it. We won't turn there,
but we read it again this morning in Ephesians 2. Paul says, we
ascended with God, with Christ rather. We ascended with him,
we rose with him, and we're sitting with him now, Ephesians 2 and
6, in heavenly places. Represented by him. They're represented
as accepted as he is. and one day will be there in
person. Oh, when he had by himself purged
our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on
high. And that's why he has that more
excellent name. And that's why we love to sing
of Christ our King and hail him, blessed Jesus.