The Anchor of my soul – Hebrews 1:2-3

The superiority of Christ

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey.

1. The fulfillment of promises

   Many times, the prophets of God wrote about the secrets of God while not fully understanding them. In Jesus, the secrets of God are fulfilled and understood.

   For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV)

   Every promise of God resolves itself in Christ. All the promises become “yes” – verified and fulfilled. Jesus Christ is the supreme and the final revelation.

   In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1‭-‬2 NIV)

   “In these last days” (as shared above) – in the Old Testament, the Jews saw the last days as the days when the promises would be fulfilled. “In these days,” the Messiah would come and the Kingdom would come and salvation would come and Israel would no longer be in bondage. The age of Kingdom fulfillment began when Jesus arrived and will end when we enter in the eternal heavens.

   “He has spoken to us by His Son” – Jesus is the final and last revelation of God, in whom all promises are fulfilled. Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.

   Do you see Jesus as the Promise Keeper? Explain.

2. Sevenfold presentation of the excellencies of Jesus Christ
   • His Heirship — Hebrews 1:2a-b
     

     but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, (Hebrews 1:2a-b NIV)

     Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. (Psalms 2:8 NIV)

     And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. (Psalms 89:27 NIV)

     “First born” does not mean that Christ did not exist before He was born in Bethlehem. This is a legal term – especially those of inheritance and authority – not a chronological term.

     For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16 NIV)

     For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36 NIV)

     Remember in Revelation 5:7-14, Jesus, the Lamb, took the scroll out of the right hand of God? Why? Because He, and He alone, had a right to take it – He is the Heir of the earth. In Revelation 11:15, the earth is His.

     As Redeemer, He has also earned a vast inheritance of souls renewed through His atoning work of reconciliation on the cross. We are His inheritance! We are His treasure.

     I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, (Ephesians 1:18 NIV)

     How does this truth impact you?

   • His Creatorship — Hebrews 1:2c
     

     and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:‬2c NIV)

     “Through whom He made the universe” – Christ is the agent through whom God created the universe.

     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1‭-‬3 NIV)

     He created everything material and spiritual. He created time, space, energy and matter.

   • His Radiance — Hebrews 1:3a
     

     The Son is the radiance of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3a NIV)

     While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5 NIV)

     In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4‭-‬5 NIV)

     Without the Son of God, there is only darkness. The great tragedy is that most people do not want to see, much less live in God’s light.

     The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV)

     His light gives us purpose, meaning, joy, peace and fellowship for all eternity.

     Have you experienced darkness and yet have been rescued by the light of Christ? Explain.

   • His Being — Hebrews 1:3b
     

     and the exact representation of his being, (Hebrews 1:3b NIV)

     “The exact representation of God’s being” – He is the express image of God.

     The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15 NIV)

     He is the exact reproduction of God.

     For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, (Colossians 2:9 NIV)

     He is the exact imprint of His nature. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. We know how he thinks; we know how He talks; we know how He relates to people. God, the Father has spoken in His Son.

   • His Administration — Hebrews 1:3c
     

     sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:3c NIV)

     He is sustaining all things by His powerful word – the Greek word for “sustaining” (φέρων) is in the present tense, implying continuous action. How does the universe stay in the kind of fantastically delicate balance? (Example: the distance from the sun to the earth – if it was any closer, the earth would be incinerated; farther away, we would freeze; the tilt of the earth at 23 degrees; the distance of the moon in relation to the ocean tides; the carbon dioxide and oxygen balance, etc.) The answer: Jesus Christ maintains it all. The universe is a cosmos instead of chaos, an ordered and reliable system because Jesus upholds it and sustains it.

     A life, just as the universe, that is not sustained by Jesus Christ is chaos. Remember this wonderful promise:

     being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6 NIV)

     We, as believers, join Jude in his excitement when he proclaimed:

     To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24‭-‬25 NIV)

     Do you believe Jesus sustains you? Explain.

   • His Sacrifice — Hebrews 1:3d
     

     After he had provided purification for sins, (Hebrews 1:3d NIV)

     He provided purification for sins –

     He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:12‭-‬14 NIV)

     But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26b NIV)

     But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 NIV)

     For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18‭-‬19 NIV)

     Neither earthly humans nor heavenly angels could have accomplished this. A greater work than making and upholding the universe is that of purging mankind of sin.

     We are all sinners. We either pay the penalty for our own sins, which is eternal death, or we accept Jesus Christ’s payment for them in sacrificing Himself, for which we have eternal life.

     Jesus dealt with the sin problem once and for all. It had to be done. We could never fellowship with God unless sin was dealt with. So, Christ went to the cross and bore the penalty of sin for all who would accept His sacrifice, believe in Him and receive Him as Lord and Savior. Sin was purged, wiped out.

     What is your response to this?

   • His Exaltation — Hebrews 1:3e
     

     he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3e NIV)

     He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. The Majesty in heaven is God, the Father. Right hand is the power side.

     He “sat down.” He is the perfect High Priest. In the priestly procedure under the Old Covenant, there were no seats in the Tabernacle or the Temple sanctuaries because it was never appropriate for the priest to sit. His responsibility was to sacrifice and sacrifice over and over again. But Jesus offered one sacrifice and said, “It is finished.” It was done.

     Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13 NIV)

3. What does this mean to us?

   God says that His Son is preeminent in all things. So, what does that mean to us? It means everything. To receive Him is to enter into all that He is and has. To reject Him is to be shut out from His presence into an eternal hell. There are no other choices.