Hi, Lynn. She's in Florida. I told her I was going to do
that this morning. Tonight, we're going to observe
the Lord's table, and I'm going to be preaching on the 12 sons
of Jacob. I've entitled the message for
this morning, the question that answers all others. What is that question? Who is
Jesus Christ? That answers all other questions. Who is Jesus Christ? Just about everybody believes
that Jesus Christ is a historical figure, a real person who actually
died on a cross, but who is he? Our answer to that question will
determine the answer to every other question. What we believe
is seen in who we see that He is. Who is Jesus Christ? Now let's look back at our text
in Hebrews chapter 1. God. This is the only book in
the Bible that begins like this. God. No attempt to prove His
existence. Creation says, He is. Somebody made all of this, and
nobody made Him. Self-evident. God who at sundry
times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the
fathers by the prophets. Thank God he is the God who speaks. He's not a God of far off. He
is the God who speaks. My words. Unfortunately, may not correspond
with my actions. My actions may make my words
meaningless. Same is true of you. But all he has to do is speak
and it's done. His word is His action. Light be. Light was. The authority, the divine authority
of His Word. I love that verse of scripture
that Andy read in John chapter eight. He that's of God, heareth
God's words. You therefore hear them not because
you are not of God. He that's of God heareth God's
words. Notice it says God who at sundry
times and in diverse manners spake, aren't you thankful he
speaks? In times past unto the fathers
by the prophets, at different times and in different ways,
he spake to our fathers by the prophets. Sometimes in dreams
and visions, he would speak. Sometimes in theophanies, pre-incarnate
appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes through parables,
through the law. Through the sacrifices, through
the ceremonies, through all the paraphernalia of the Old Testament
tabernacle and the temple, he would speak. But the scripture
says, he hath in these last days spoken to us by son. Jesus Christ is the speech of
God. Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He is the mind of God. Listen to this. He is God. Who is Jesus Christ? He's the one that God, in verse
two, hath appointed heir of all things. That means he owns everything. You're sitting in his space. You're breathing his air. You belong to him. Whether you acknowledge it or
not, you belong to Him. He's the heir of all things,
and everything is for His glory. You will glorify Him. Now you
can write that down. This is for sure. You will, I
will glorify Him, either to the praise of the glory of His grace,
or to the praise of the glory of His justice. but you and I
will glorify Him. He's the heir of all things. Verse two, the last phrase, who
is Jesus Christ? By whom also He made the worlds. Jesus Christ is the creator. He's not created. He's eternal. He is the Creator. When God said, let us make man
in our own image, that's Jesus Christ. Us, God the Father, God
the Son, God the Holy Spirit. John chapter one, verse one says,
in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God as
a distinct person, and the Word was God. The second person of
the blessed Trinity, all things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything
made that was made. All things were made by Him,
Paul said in Colossians, one and for Him. And He is before
all things. Whatever it is, He's before it.
And by Him, all things consist, are held together. Now, if our
concept of Jesus Christ begins in a manger and ends on a cross,
we're clueless. Who is Jesus Christ? Look at
verse three. Who? Be. the brightness of his glory,
and the express image of his person. Jesus Christ is the brightness, the character, the shining forth,
the effulgence of God's glory. the express image, the transcript
of his person. Do you know that the only one
we'll ever see of the triune God is Jesus Christ? In heaven,
all we will see is Jesus Christ. He is the shining forth. He's not reflected light. He is glory of God. He is the express image of His
person. I love what Paul said in 1 Timothy
3, 16, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in
the flesh. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. Who is Jesus Christ? He's the
one who, according to verse three, upholds all things. by the Word of His power, the
Word of His omnipotence. You know what that means? Everything
that takes place in space, I'm not just talking about out there
in outer space, I'm talking about space period, everything, everything
that happens in time, He controls. He upholds all things by the
Word of His power. Right now, He is completely sovereign
over everything you're thinking, freely and uncoerced. He's in
control of it. I love saying this. Somebody
says, I don't believe that. He's in control of that too. He's
in control of everything. He upholds all things by the
word of his power. Who is Jesus Christ? Well, look
what it says next in verse three. When he had by himself purged
our sins. He is the one who by himself
purged, made purification for, put away, made not to be our
sins. Now for us to understand that
statement, we need to know who is meant by our. When he had
by himself purged our sins. Who is meant by our? If he meant all men by our, all
to ever live, one of two things are true. Number one, all men
will be saved. There is no hell. If he meant all men had their
sins purged, all men will be saved. And if he meant all men
and there is a hell and some are saved and some are not, that
would mean that his blood was worthless because there are people
in hell suffering for sin where he paid for their sins and purged
them. All that would mean is that his
blood is utterly ineffectual in salvation. His blood does
not save. So who is the hour? I know it's
not all men without exception. The hour sends that the writer
to the Hebrews is referring to is the elect of God. It's the sheep of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. Now, not everybody's a sheep
because he said in that same chapter, you believe not because
you're not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep
hear my voice. Christ loved the church and gave
himself for it. The our sins that are purged
refers to all the father gave him. He said, all that the father
giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me, don't
miss this, him that cometh to me, I will in no wise for no
reason whatsoever cast out. You come, you'll be received. For I came down from heaven not
to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And this
is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which He
hath given me. I should lose nothing, but raise
it up again at the last day. The hour whose sins He purged
are His people. Thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. Now, all of
these people have this in common. Listen to me. All of these people
have this in common. They need their sins purged. They are filthy inside and out
and they need their sins purged. They're defiled by sin and they
cannot change that fact. I need my sins purged and there's
absolutely nothing I can do about my sins. I must have him do this
for me. I must have him do something
about my sin because there's nothing that I can do about it. Somebody said, stop sinning. Are you so foolish? Are you so foolish? The only hope you and I have,
and this is what all of God's elect have in common, I need
my sins purged. I will not be saved unless I
have my sins purged and I cannot do anything about this. Thank God he does. When he had
by himself purged our sins. He purged them. What does that
mean? He put them away. He washed me
from my sin. He cleansed me from my sin so
that I do not have sin. If your sins are purged, you
know what? They're no more. You know, when you put something
in the washing machine and it comes out and the dirt's still
there and the spots there, it didn't get purged, did it? But
when you put it in the wash and the stain is gone, that's what
he did with the sins of his people. He made them not to be. They stand without guilt before
God. When he had by himself purged
our sin. Now, The cup that he drank in
Gethsemane's garden, what was in it? The sins of his people. My sins, every sin I've committed
was put in that cup and he drank it in Gethsemane's garden. when he was made to be sin. Now what all that means, I don't
know. But scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5, 21, for he hath made him to
be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. When he bowed his head and cried,
it is finished, all of the sins were purged. Sins I haven't even yet committed,
purged, washed away, made not to be. Colossians 1, 20 through
22 tells us that the blood of the cross made us holy, unblameable,
and unapprovable. in his sight. That pretty much
sounds like sinless to me, doesn't it to you? That is what he did. He by himself purged our sins. And I want us to think of this
phrase by himself. On the cross, he was by himself. Father wasn't helping him. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping
me? Because he was made sin. Now,
don't judge your case by how you feel about yourself. Don't
judge your case by how somebody else looks at you. You judge
your case by what you see on Calvary's tree, when Christ was
forsaken by God. That's what me and you deserve.
You judge your case, not by how much you feel that, or how much
you experience it, but by seeing what Christ suffered on Calvary's
tree. That is what you and I deserve. Believe that, not so much because
you even feel it, but because you see that's what happened
to Christ. when he had by himself purged our sins. He had no help
from his father. He had no angels helping him
at this time, like they were in Gethsemane's garden. He was
by himself. He didn't have his people helping
him. He didn't have his people saying, we love you and we know
you did this for us and we're so thankful. No, they'd all forsaken
him and fled. He was by himself. In the great work of the purging
of our sins, he did this by himself. This great work, which he accomplished,
he did by himself, by himself, not by enabling me or you to
do something that would activate what he did. so that it might
be applied to us. What he did, he did by himself. By himself means, for me and
you, forget doing. Forget doing. Don't think about what you need
to do. It's done. It's finished! If any part of my salvation,
listen real carefully, if any part of my salvation is dependent
upon me doing something, if my salvation, if the purging of
my sins is dependent upon my faith or my repentance, or my
holy living, or my ability to stop committing some particular
sin, I have no hope. I cannot be saved. If any part of my salvation is
dependent upon me doing anything, I will not be saved. And my dear friend, you won't
either. When he had by himself, notice
the when he had by himself. At a point in time, in a particular
place, Golgotha's Hill. He, by himself, without any contribution
from me or you, purged, made purification for. He made it to where I have no
sin. WHEN HE HAD BY HIMSELF PURGED
OUR SINS. Now, let's keep reading in verse
3, Hebrews chapter 1, WHEN, WHO IS JESUS CHRIST? HE IS THE ONE
WHO BY HIMSELF PURGED OUR SINS. And look at this next statement
with regard to the Lord Jesus Christ. HE IS THE ONE WHO SAT
DOWN. HE SAT DOWN. On the right hand
of the majesty on high. The place of favor. The place
of power. Sitting. He's the one who sat
down. His work finished. Sins purged. Sitting. Not pacing back and
forth in frustration, worrying that his will's not going to
be done. Sitting in absolute power. undisturbed by opposition, sitting
in absolute authority at the right hand of God. Now in the tabernacle, in the
Old Testament, that great portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ, you
had the brazen altar, you had the laver to wash in, You had
the candlesticks, Christ our light, the altar of incense,
Christ our intercessor. You had the table of showbread,
Christ our food. You had the veil separating the
holy place and the holy of holies. And you had the Ark of the Covenant
with the mercy seat. One thing that was conspicuously
absent, a chair. There were no chairs. Why? Because
the work of the Old Testament priest was never done. He went through all the ceremonies,
the sacrifices, the next day started them all over again. Millions and millions of animal
sacrifices. The work was never done, why? Because that work never did anything. All it did was represent something.
Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10. I'd like you to look at this
with me, Hebrews chapter 10, verse 11. Hebrews 10, verse 11, and every
priest sitting, no, standeth. He's always standing. He's always
got something to do. He's always moving. Every high
priest standeth, daily ministering, and offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices, which can never take away sins, But this man, after
he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down. He sat down. At the right hand
of the God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool for, by one offering, he, listen to the language, HE
HATH PERFECTED FOREVER. THAT'S WHAT THE PURGING OF SINS
MEANS. HE HATH PERFECTED FOREVER THEM
THAT ARE SANCTIFIED. LOOK BACK AT HEBREWS CHAPTER
9, VERSE 11. BUT CHRIST, BEING COME IN HIGH
PRIESTS OF GOOD THINGS TO COME, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood,
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. That's what he did. He obtained,
and I love the word eternal. That's a redemption that never
had a beginning and will never have an end because He's the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He obtained eternal
redemption for us. Now, let me ask you this question. How satisfied is God with what
His Son did? How satisfied is God with what
Christ did? He is infinitely satisfied with
what his son did. That was demonstrated when he
raised him from the dead. He said, I am completely satisfied
with what he did. I'm not looking for anything
else. How satisfied is Christ with
what he did? How satisfied is Christ? Well,
the scripture says, he shall see the travail of his soul and
be satisfied. Christ is completely satisfied
with what he did. He knew that he did what the
father gave him to do. He said, I've glorified thee
on the earth. I have finished the work thou gavest me to do. He is completely satisfied with
what he did, just as when he rested at the end of his creative
work, because what he did was complete and very good. After
he finished our salvation, he sat down, utterly satisfied with
what he did. He left nothing undone. He left
nothing incomplete that you and I need to make up for. God, the Holy Spirit, is completely
satisfied with what Christ had done. This is what he testifies
of. We're here in Hebrews, look in Hebrews chapter 10, verse
15. Hebrews 10, 15, whereof the Holy
Ghost also is a witness to us, for after that he'd said before,
this is the covenant that I'll make with him after those days,
saith the Lord. I'll put my laws into their hearts, in their minds
will I write them, and their sins and their iniquities I'll
remember no more. Whatever remission of these is,
there's no more offering for sin. Don't try and bring one. There's nothing to be done. Nothing. What am I to do? Hebrews 4 9 says there remaineth
a rest for the people of God For he that's entered into his
rest hath ceased from his own works As God did from his Don't make any resolutions of
how you're going to change and you'll do better from here on
out Don't think there's anything you need to make this work. Cease from your own works. Rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. John 6, 29 says, what must we
do that we might work the works of God? This is the work of God
that you believe on him whom he hath sent. You believe who
he is. You believe the father sent him.
You believe he did what the father sent him to do. And you rest
in him. Get doing out of your brain. Get it out of your heart. It's
done. It's done. Who is Jesus Christ? Well, I don't know a place where
it's declared more clearly. He's the Son of God. He's God
the Son, equal with the Father. He's the one whom God has appointed
heir of all things. He's the one by whom God made
the worlds. He's the creator. He's the brightness
of God's glory, and the express image of his person. All you'll
ever see of God is the man, Christ Jesus. I love it when Philip
said, show us the Father and it sufficeth us. And the Lord
said, Philip, have I been so long with you, and yet has thou
not known me? He that has seen me hath seen
the Father. He's the one who upholds all
things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged
our sins. He sat down. That's who he is. And that answers every other
question that's worth being asked. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
Lord Jesus Christ, who he is. And Lord, he's glorious in our
sight by your grace. And Lord, I ask in Christ's name,
we ask with unified hearts by your spirit in Christ's name
that each person might be given the grace to rest in who he is
and what he did. Honor your word for Christ's
sake. In His name we pray, amen.