Introduction

Good morning!  Go ahead and turn with me in your bibles to the book of Hebrews.  We are beginning today with what may prove to be our longest journey yet.  It took us almost 40 weeks to go through the book of 1 Corinthians and I am not sure we can make it through Hebrews any quicker.  I think you will see this as we get into it but every word and every verse has been carefully curated and put down with so many layers that it is next to impossible to find the end to all that is said here.  We will certainly try but I can’t and won’t rush through this.  I pray that the Lord blesses our time through Hebrews and transforms and encourages us through it.  

I want to begin, as any good publisher would begin any work of nonfiction or fiction, by offering up some reviews of the book and support for its content.  As though the bible needs this question answered but why should you spend time reading/studying this book? I will let John Calvin speak to that. 

• “Since the Epistle addressed to the Hebrews contains a full discussion of the eternal divinity of Christ, His supreme government, and only priesthood (which are the main points of heavenly wisdom), and as these things are so explained in it, that the whole power and work of Christ are set forth in the most graphic way, it rightly deserves to have the place and honor of an invaluable treasure in the Church.”

All the words of God are to be considered an invaluable treasure so we must not minimize some or elevate this above any others but nowhere else is the supremacy of Christ so clearly and eloquently articulated.  That is in fact the theme of the whole of the book and if we were a mega church and I put out a bunch of marketing literature about our new sermon series it could be titled nothing other than “The Supremacy of Christ.” 

The declaration, explanation, and teaching of the supremacy of Christ is the reason this book was written.  Why is such a topic so important for us to mine the depth of? To answer that I will defer to Pastor Charles Spurgeon who chose for his first sermon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on March 25, 1861, the passage from Acts 5: 42, “And daily in the temple and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”  To which Spurgeon commented, “It appears that the one subject upon which men preached in the apostolic age was Jesus Christ… I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshipers, shall be the person of Jesus Christ.” This grand topic has both spiritual and practical implications.  

It is believed that this letter was written to Jewish Christians, likely in Rome, initially, and then circulated, for the purpose of encouraging Christians not to fall back from their faith in Christ in the midst of trials, persecution, or cultural pressure.  To make that plea not to back slide the writer of Hebrews eloquently and rhetorically asks, “where else are you going to go?” When faced with trial, temptation, hardship, or doubt the tendency is to look for answers or relief wherever you can find it but if Christ is superior to man, superior to angels, superior to all the prophets, superior to all sacrifices, superior to all priests, the source of all wisdom, the supplier of a better covenant, and the keeper of all promises, where else do you turn?

You can imagine, because we see it even now, these early Jewish Christians feeling like a fish out of water.  Alienated, looked down on, outcast from mainstream society, struggling with having their whole world turned upside down, fighting sin and temptation and feeling the pull to stop fighting and just fit back in.  Just go along with the culture and religion of the masses, it’s easier that way. Certainly it is, but to strengthen God’s children against such temptations the writer does not give us 10 steps to fight against sin or 15 steps to battle culture or 3 ways to stop backsliding, he instead presents to us the beauty, glory, and majesty of Christ to say wherever you are thinking of turning or to whomever you are thinking of following, it will be inferior to the supremacy of Christ.  

Why would you return again to something that didn’t work, something that was and is broken or something that was already fulfilled by something greater? Why would you run to the shadow of a thing when the real substance is in the room with you? This is what I pray, God willing, we will attempt to address. To do that, we will weekly behold the supremacy of Christ.  

The only other thing I might need to address as we begin is who wrote this book.  This is a pretty easy one because we don’t know.  It is suspected that it was Apollos because he was noted as an eloquent speaker and this book is written with an unmatched eloquence but that is only speculation.  Perhaps it was the spirits’ intention to keep the author hidden in a book whose main objective is to declare that Christ is better than everything else.  In that respect, it doesn’t really matter who wrote it because the message is clear, look to Christ and none other.  

So that is more or less where the next year will take us, God willing, so stand with me very briefly as we begin our journey in the revelation of the supremacy of Christ.  

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

God Spoke

I know this is not new information but the struggle against absolutes by our present culture is a real one.  There has been such a violent war against objective truth for varied reasons and motives which we will not get into but this war has progressed such that nothing can really be trusted.  No truth can be found through our reading because things progress so quickly, no truth can be found through our eyes or even in creation or biology because everything is fluid and changing.  

The result is that hope has been sacrificed on the altar of subjective progress.  We have missed the reality that the presence of absolutes is fundamental to our assurance and our hope.  For example, countless studies have shown that the clearest measure of the success and overall health of children is directly proportional to the level of objective stability they have at home.  Stability is grounding, it allows deep roots to grow, it promotes trust and confidence in something outside of ourselves so that when the wind blows we have an anchor.  Fluidity, on the other hand, is by nature shifty, it prevents any roots from growing and promotes skepticism, doubt and fear so that when the wind blows we have nothing to cling to.  This is true in every aspect and in every area of our lives.  

I know you all know these things but I need to establish once again the importance of objectivity and more specifically the foundational objectivity of God.  God himself, in his triune nature, is not progressive because he doesn’t progress.  He does not change, has not changed and will not change.  Jesus Christ, of whom we will attempt to exhaust, and of whom Hebrews says is the exact imprint of God also says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  There is no change to Christ in his character, nature, plans, will, or law.  The things that please Christ have always pleased Christ and the things that displease him have always displeased him.  He is more than an immutable foundation, he is the one and only immutable foundation, the source of all life, the receiver of all glory, the supplier of all truth.  

Christ is the full, final and eternal authority on all things for all time.  Even now I hope you find peace and comfort in this reality, that you truly can know this God, and find rest and security in him.  Now, because God is, by his nature wholly other than us, if we are to know this God and receive the benefits of his objective stability he must speak to us.  If we are to know anything about Christ our savior, God is going to have to speak to us.  If all the knowledge we need for faith and salvation is to be known by us, God himself is going to have to give said knowledge to us.  If the command is to trust in and believe the gospel, how can anyone believe in that which they have never heard? 

So it is, that this truth, the very truth that is so vital for our salvation, the very truth according to the eternal nature and will of God, the very truth that is so instrumental to our assurance and hope, the very truth that was fully and finally spoken to us in Christ, God has been speaking to us since the beginning of the world.  “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.” Since the beginning God has been speaking to man in many ways through the prophets and providing to us not only his truth but the hope and assurance we so desperately need.  God speaking then is both the revelation of himself unto salvation and the revelation of his immutable truth that is the foundation of all hope.  Without God speaking there is no salvation and no hope, but God did speak and our first verse makes that clear.  

God has been speaking since the beginning revealing himself in a particular way, and revealing his truth, his plans and our salvation.  This voice of God has been captured for us in 66 books and as we will see in just a second, given a final word in the person and work of Christ.  God speaking then has at least a few implications for us that I want to point out before we continue.  

First, it means that the bible carries with it divine authority because it is nothing less than the voice of God.  The bible is not a collection of suggestions or ideas on living a better life, it is the authoritative voice of God directly to you and you need that even if you don’t know it.  Again, as I began, objective truth and divine authority may not sit well with you at times but without this authority we are lost and hopeless.

Second, because the bible is the voice of an immutable God the words contained within are forever relevant.  If Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, then it stands to reason that his word is the same yesterday, today and forever.  We can not divide it up and parse it out as though only some of it is still relevant for us in 2024.  No, it is the voice of God and therefore timelessly relevant.  

Thirdly, because the whole of the bible is the voice of God, the message contained within is a clear and unified one.  If someone reads the bible and comes away saying that the God of the Old Testament seems like a different God with a different message then this person is reading it wrong.  It’s the same God with the same message 

15  I will put enmity between you and the woman, 

and between your offspring and her offspring; 

  he shall bruise your head, 

and you shall bruise his heel.”  Genesis 3: 15

That is the unified message of the bible, sin has caused enmity between God and man but God in his grace will send an offspring to crush sin and restore paradise.  Everything points to that message and follows that track, it is a clear and unified message.  

God Spoke Fully

If it is true then that the words of God are authoritative and eternally relevant and if it is true that the message of God’s words are all guiding to one central message then it would stand to reason then that God’s words will find their end when the word becomes flesh.  This is what our text is telling us.  “But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son.” Meaning in all of human history before Christ, God spoke about Christ through the prophets but when Christ came, the very word of God in flesh, nothing more needs to be said because the word and work is complete.  It is finished. 

Let me explain further by using the Gospel of Matthew as an example.  Matthew 1, the birth of Christ, verse 22, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.” Matthew 2, the visit from the wise men in the place where Christ was born, verse 5, “The told him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet.” Matthew 2, the flight to Egypt, verse 15, “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, out of Egypt I called me son.”  Matthew 2, Herod Kills the male children, verse 17, “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah.” Matthew 2, the return to Nazareth, verse 23, “so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 3, John the baptist enters, verse 3, “For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah.”

There are many more such examples but the testimony of Scripture is unavoidably clear, God spoke to prophets to foreshadow and prepare us for Christ, then Christ comes to fulfill said words of God and be the final word of God, the word made flesh.  Why would we ever need a better word than the word completely fulfilled and made flesh? What else do we want or expect from God? This is why I find those who call themselves prophets in our day so frustrating and frankly nauseating because God has given us everything we need and has explicitly told us that he has given us everything we need yet we still try to conjure up more.  God has foretold of us Christ since the world began and then he gives him to us and saves us by him, yet we are still looking for something else. God wrote this perfect story and capped it with the dramatic death, resurrection and ascension of Christ fulfilling everything he has previously said and finishing his work of salvation along with promising us he would return again to bring us all home.  It is finished, believe in me and wait on me, I will return.  

This is how the story ends and we have it all to trust in and cling to yet we foolishly still want to add to it.  Like a second rate author who picks up on someone else’s finished story and spends a lifetime writing fan fiction, modern day “prophets” and their tales are nothing more than cheap, lousy, fan fiction.  It’s garbage, church, don’t buy it, don’t listen to it, don’t have anything to do with it.  We say that God’s word is sufficient for us don’t we? Then God’s final word, the word become flesh, must be sufficient for us, and it is.  

To this point Calvin says, “It was not a part of the Word that Christ brought, but the last closing Word.” The same is echoed by Luther, “If the word of the prophets is accepted, how much more ought we to seize the gospel of Christ, since it is not a prophet speaking to us but the Lord of the prophets, not a servant but a son, not an angel but God.”

If in Christ and through Christ we have God speaking directly to us fully and finally and through the word’s work we now have access to communicate directly to God in prayer what in the world would we ever need a prophet for today? The Lord of the prophets has spoken, listen to him, read his words, trust in him, wait on him.  We don’t need, nor should we desire anything else.  

God Spoke Truth

So we have seen that God spoke and we have also seen that in Christ God fully spoke.  Now we will see that in Christ, God fully spoke truth.  Jesus Christ is the ultimate and final truth, the one who is appointed the heir of all things, the same one who is the creator of all things.  Jesus himself says in John 14: 6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Christ reins through the word, because this word is Christ, and this word is the truth which revealed himself and the Father. 

If objective truth is what establishes hope and objective truth can be found nowhere else but in Christ and through his word then this word, the complete words of God are necessarily the sole source of all hope.  This is a fact that we struggle with so mightily isn’t it? The struggle is thousands of years old. John 18:38, Christ before Pilate,

37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

The denial of truth and that truth is knowable, while literally looking truth in the face is shocking but should not be surprising.  But who is it that listens to the voice of Christ? Those who are of the truth.  Christ seemingly reverses the order of what we may expect there.  We would think he should say, “Everyone who listens to my voice is of the truth” but that’s not what he said, he said, “Everyone who is of the truth, listens to my voice.” Meaning that when we approach the word of God we don’t judge it as though we are determining whether to listen to it or not, rather when we approach the truth we are judged by it.  We don’t judge the word, the truth judges us and if we are of God, and of the truth, we will receive it and listen to it.  

Such authority is repulsive to those not of the truth so the reply is always the same, “What is truth?” But Christians we know what truth is because we know who truth is.  We believe in truth because we believe in Christ and Christ has revealed himself to us through his work and word.   When we accept and believe his truth, God’s great work will be fulfilled in us.  Consider all the preparation we just went through in the whole of Genesis, that was the “at many times and in many ways” all leading to the full and final word of God, the full and final truth of God given to us when the word became flesh.  

Conclusion

So our points of application then as we close are as follows. First, we must submit to the word as the authority of God.  This collecting of words called the Scriptures, is not something we get to fiddle with.  We don’t get to hold under it these fine mesh strainers called culture, relevance, and science and only believe what comes out on the other side.  The word of God is the sieve through which all else must pass and anything that doesn’t make it through the whole thing is not true.  

That doesn’t make us biblicists as though we believe that the bible is the only source of knowledge, that general revelation has no value or that we should be intellectually shallow only reading and studying the bible.  Not at all, but it does mean that we consider the bible to be the final and ultimate authority on all things and to use a John Piper analogy, the bible should be the window through which we see everything else.  That is what it means that the bible is authoritative and sufficient for us.  

Secondly, we must accept the word as the final words of God to man.  The next time God speaks to man it will be after the trumpets have sounded and Christ has returned in glory.  His revelation is complete, the last days are here, the call is to repent and believe in Christ for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  

Lifted up was He to die,

“It is finished!” was His cry;

Now in heaven exalted high;

  Hallelujah! what a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,

To His kingdom us to bring,

Then anew this song we’ll sing

  Hallelujah! what a Savior!

Finally, we must accept the word as the source of all truth.  I will close with a quote from Richard Phillips in his commentary on Hebrews as I could never say it this well. 

“If you look to Jesus Christ, and if in him you see and believe the very Truth of God, then God’s redemptive work of the ages will be fulfilled in you. “At many times and in many ways,” God began preparing the world through the prophets for the coming of his Son. Why? So that in these last days—these days of God’s redemptive fulfillment in Jesus Christ—we might enter into the fullness of salvation. This is what Jesus said to the disciples as they struggled to know the truth on the night of his arrest. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” he told them (John 14:6). And so he is for us. When we receive Jesus as the Truth, then he becomes the Way for us to enter into Life everlasting. This is why Jesus is God’s final Word, and why even if all else in this world is lost we must hold fast to him in faith.” 

Amen. 

Bibliography

Phillips, Richard D. 2006. Hebrews. Edited by Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani. Reformed Expository Commentary. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016)