GOD'S FINAL ANSWER

2168 Belmont Drive, Hood River, OR 97031
541.386.2604

2005 Sermons Archive

2004 Sermons Archive

back to most recent sermon

GOD'S FINAL ANSWER 09.25.05
(Mark 12:30)

Over the years some have considered the book of Hebrews to be one of the most important and practical of the apostles’ writings. And, although we do not know for certain who the author was, we do know to whom this letter was written.
- As is the case even today for those who’ve chosen to believe in God’s Way (Jesus) and God’s ways, the Jewish Christians who received this letter were asking the question I’m sure none of us here today have ever asked:
“What is the PURPOSE, the RELEVANCE of my faith in Jesus?”

The Hebrew recipients, because of persecutions and other pressures had become BLIND to the God’s Big Picture. Because of circumstances, they were losing the contentment, peace and joy that accompanies faith in God through Jesus.

The writer, whoever he or she was, wrote to tell these struggling
believers that “abandoning their FAITH was not the SOLUTION to the problems they faced.” (God’s Final Answer, H E Helms, p.19)
- Their situation was desperate; they were at a crossroads in their spiritual journey.
- And, the writer urged them to take certain actions.

Let me stop and ask: does a teaching like this sound like practical stuff we could maybe apply to our lives today? It does to me!
~~~~~~~

1Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. 3The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven.
Hebrews 1:1-3 NLT

The FIRST ACTION the writer told these struggling Christians to undertake was to pay careful attention to the WORD of GOD.
- Hebrews 2:1 says:

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.

One of the reasons most scholars don’t believe Paul wrote Hebrews is because in everyone of his other letters he began by identifying himself. In fact, of the 27 New Testament books 19 begin with the author’s name.
- Hebrews is the only book that begins with God; God’s Word; God in the revealing Himself to man.

God cannot be discovered, probed and fathomed in any kind of human, scholastic or scientific way. We would never know anything about God had He not first taken the initiative and chosen to reveal Himself to us.
- In 1500 years of speaking “many times and in many ways to [people through] the prophets” via dreams, visions, angels, circumstances, etc., God spoke authoritatively.
- This was a slow process that people were not patient with. Listen to Isaiah 28:10-13…

10”[God] tells us everything over and over again, a line at a time, in very simple words!” (the disobedient people complain)
11Since they refuse to listen, God will speak to them through foreign oppressors who speak an unknown language! 12God’s people could have rest in their own land if they would only obey him, but they will not listen. 13So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, repeating it over and over, a line at a time, in very simple words. Yet they will stumble over this simple, straightforward message. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.

Have you ever gotten IMPATIENT with God; wondering WHY He doesn’t act WHEN we know He should, and HOW we know He should?

But, all of what we now know as the Old Testament was God merely preparing for when He
would ultimately and most definitively reveal Himself through His Son, Jesus. Talk about an authoritative Word! Verse 2 says:

But now in these final (last) days, he has spoken to us through his Son.

- By “final” or “last” regarding the days simply means that there will be no further revelations by God of Himself. In other words…
Jesus was, and still is,
GOD’S FINAL ANSWER!
Helms, p.21

The hymn writer put it well:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?
“How Firm a Foundation”

The SECOND ACTION the Hebrews’ author instructed those Christians to take was to not just listen to God, but most specifically to listen to God’s Word about JESUS.

What does the writer say about Jesus? Plenty! Jesus is:
1. The HEIR of all things;
2. The CREATOR of all things;
3. The very RADIANCE of God;
4. The SUSTAINER of all things;
5. The SAVIOR of mankind.

Skipping down to number three (above list), in verse 3 it says…

The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly.

The word “reflects” might be a bit misleading here.
- If by it you mean like the moon reflects the sun…. that is wrong.
- But, if by it you mean like sunshine radiates from the sun… that is what Jesus does of God.

“If one compares the SUN to God, then [Jesus is the SUNSHINE!]”
Helms, p.23

“An ancient legend tells of a cave that heard the voice of the sun calling it to come out into the light. The cave could not understand
for it had never known anything other than absolute darkness.

When the sun continued to call for the cave to come out it finally emerged from its place in the ground and came to the surface for the first time. The brilliance of the sunlight amazed the cave and it wanted to reciprocate.

So it invited the sun to come down and visit. [But] When the sun entered the cave there was no darkness at all for the sunlight spilled into every single corner.”

“When Jesus Christ came into this world He dispelled all OBSCURITY about the character and compassion of God. He came not only to drive DARKNESS from our lives but to fill us with His PURIFYING light.” ibid.

1 Corinthians 11:7 says…

…man is God’s glory, made in God’s own image….

- The word Paul used here to tell of man being made in God’s “image” is not the same word used to describe Jesus in Hebrews 1:3.
In fact the word in 1 Corinthians is the word from which we derive the word “icon,” and we don’t have to look far in Scripture and in our world to see how people tend to worship images and icons instead of the one, true living God.

Hebrews 1:3 in the ESV (pew Bible) says [Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.
- The word used for man in 1 Corinthians “suggests” God, as our shadow “suggests” us.
- Only Jesus can rightfully say,
… Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! … John 14:9
~~~~~~~
Verse 3 also tells us how Jesus sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command.
- Jesus is the One Who, by His very words, is the glue by which all physical laws of creation remain intact.
…he holds all creation together Colossians 1:17 NLT
- Someone once said that atoms and molecules would fly apart if not for Jesus.
~~~~~~~
But, the greatest thing about Jesus is found in the last part of verse 3:
… he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, [then] sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven.

It wasn’t by the blood of animal sacrifices offered to God by the priests who had to continually keep standing and offering sacrifices for themselves as well as the people; their work never complete.
- It was Jesus --- by His blood offered to God, not on His behalf, but purely for our benefit --- Who made the once and for all completed sacrifice, then sitting down next to God because there was nothing further to do.

He does not need to offer sacrifices every day like the other high priests. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he sacrificed himself on the cross.
Hebrews 7:27 NLT

At the beginning I asked:
“What is the PURPOSE, the RELEVANCE of my faith in Jesus?”

When life blindsides you and blinds you to God’s Big Picture, and you begin to wonder “What’s the use?”…
- Be encouraged as you remember that Jesus is:
- The HEIR of all things; and we with Him!
- The CREATOR of all things; even of us!
- The RADIANCE of God; and God is good!
- The SUSTAINER of all things; we can trust His control!
- The SAVIOR of mankind; we can live with Him now and after now!