Introduction

Good morning once again to everyone.  It is great to be back and while it is always difficult to step away from our service for a week it is comforting knowing that the Lord has provided such incredible men and passionate preaching to care for you all.  May God continue to strengthen us and may it be our prayer that the Lord sees fit to entrust us with more of his precious sheep to shepherd and protect.  

I told you last week that Hebrews may take a bit to get through and I think you will see this week that I am at least being true to that word.  Two weeks ago we covered verses 1 and 2 of the first chapter as we introduced the supremacy of Christ.  This week we are going to be covering verses 2 and 3 as we step back just a little in order to complete an exposition on the 3-fold ministry of Christ.  This morning we expound upon, in these two verses, Christ’s work as Prophet, Priest and King.  

I want us to once again bring back to mind just how difficult it would have been for these Jewish Chrisitians to not only trust Christ to begin with but then to hold tightly to this faith that they had been given.  All their notions about the messiah and certainly the voices that were swirling from unbelieving Jews was that the messiah was supposed to be a king and Jesus was just a poor carpenter from Nazareth.  The messiah was supposed to be a great prophet and we know Jesus’s family, they were no prophets.  Look at what happened to him, he stirred up trouble and was killed in the brutalist way possible, this man is no priest. 

As we mentioned last time, the biblically approved rebuttal is to lean all the more into the person of Christ by showing that he is precisely all those things that he was supposed to be, and much more, but you have to see him on his terms and in his way, not your own.  He is a King, the great prophet and our final high priest and the author of Hebrews is going to spend a lot of time exploring these topics.  

Further, we know that in the high stakes situation the early Jewish Christians found themselves in, the comfort and direction the spirit gave them was by pouring over them the supremacy of Christ and the reality that Christ is better than anything and everything else you could possibly trust in.  For us now, we can have confidence that now matter how high the costs become to stay with Christ, the guidance is still the same.  Christ is better.  He’s better than wealth or fame.  He’s better than earthly rule, or temporary satisfaction.  He’s better than any temptation.  He’s better than your righteousness.  He’s better than any method, any politician, any policy, any authority. Christ is better.  

So where should you turn to in trying or uncertain times? The author of Hebrews contends that we turn to Christ because he is not only better but best.  Lord willing we will explore that more and hopefully how it is that we actually do that.  I supposed it’s one thing to say Christ is better, turn to him, but it’s quite another to show you how.  Again, with the word and our God as our hope and guide, I pray we get there.  

Before we read our text and jump in I want to point out something interesting from these verses that one commentary noted.  It should not be considered a coincidence that in these two verses we are given 7 statements concerning the supremacy of Christ and each of those 7 statements support one of the three offices Christ occupies.  The perfect number supporting the 3-fold office of the triune God.  Again I say, no human could have written this grand work on his own.  We know the bible to be true at least in part because when we read it, we become so overwhelmed with the witness that surely this is a divine book.  

For the sake of time, I will point out each of those 7 statements as we go through them.  Ok, let’s read our text then and look at what the Lord has for us this morning.  

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. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Christ is King

The first two of the seven statements on the supremacy of Christ concern his office as King.  The first of those is that Christ is the heir of all things.  To establish this point let me offer to you a quote by Phillip Hughes, “This is the ultimate purpose of our redemption: His inheritance is the innumerable company of the redeemed and the universe renewed by virtue of his triumphant work of reconciliation.” Jesus Christ is the appointed heir of all things, the king of all things, and the “all things” really includes all things.  As Mr. Hughes noted, Christ’s kingship is the purpose of our redemption. That he may be Lord over a redeemed people and over a renewed universe.  

So we may ask the question, why did God allow sin to enter into the world in the first place.  To that our only biblical answer can be so that God in flesh, Jesus Christ, could be king over a people whom he has saved and redeemed and Lord over a universe which he has fully renewed by his sacrificial work.  How glorious will that day be when our good king returns to claim his throne and all his redeemed along with the whole of universe join the chorus that has never ceased in heaven, “Holy, Holy Holy, is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come.” 

To say that Christ is the heir of all things is to say that he is the king of all things and his throne is as secure and as eternal as any throne could ever be.  There are many reasons for this but for our purposes this morning, his throne and dominion are so sure because he created all things.  That is our second statement about the supremacy of Christ, he is the creator of the world. “The world” here in context to the author of Hebrews point doesn’t just mean this large rock on which we are all standing but rather everything that is both in heaven and on Earth.  All things, everything, was created by Christ.  

So it stands to reason then that these two statements support Christ as King because how

can he not be the heir of all things when he created all things.  A stronger case can not be made that Christ is Lord than the fact that Christ created all things.  Perhaps this is why so many soft evangelicals have gravitated towards theistic evolution arguments saying that God only created the first molecules and everything has evolved from there.  Such a stance supplants Christ as Lord and puts evolution or natural selection in his place.  Such a stance means that Christ has lesser authority and that makes many feel a little more comfortable.  

Because the alternative is that if Jesus Christ knit you together in your mothers womb, and carefully wove together every cell to make you exactly who you are then such a person rightly deserves my worship and to be my king.  If Christ has creational authority over every cell then it can’t be your body, your choice.  You have no rights over even a single cell of creation because Christ has created all things.  They are his, everything is his and has an obligation to worship him as king, to obey him as Lord.  

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1: 16-17

I need to make sure that I am clear here that Christ is not only the king of heaven but the king of the earth and we do him a great disservice when we don’t consider him as king presently over all things, which includes the Earth right now.  We mentioned last time the conversation between Jesus and Pilate and Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews.” Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:33, 36). Richard Phillips asked the question, “Does this mean that while you have to respect earthly rulers, you can afford to ignore Jesus’ kingdom since it is merely spiritual?” James M. Boice answers,

Nothing is farther from the truth, for when we say that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, what we are really saying is that Christ’s kingdom is of heaven and therefore has an even greater claim over us than do the earthly kingdoms we know so well.… Over these is Christ, and we flout His kingship not merely at the peril of our fortune and lives but at the peril of our eternal souls.

Christ is the heir of all things, Christ is the creator of all things.  All things, earthly kingdoms included are by him, for him, and for his glory.  We should delight in confessing along with Abraham Kuyper, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine’!” Christ is King, Christ is Lord of all.  

Christ is Prophet

The next three statements about the supremacy pertain to him in his office as prophet.  The first of those is that Christ is the radiance of the glory of God. That is to say that Christ perfectly reveals to man the glory of God.  What prophet before Christ or what prophet that could ever come after Christ could ever hope to perfectly reflect the glory of God? In Christ we see the brilliant shining of the glory of God and by the revelation of that glory we are able to see everything else.  

I am sure I have used this analogy by C.S. Lewis before so forgive me but he says that he believes in God as he believes in the sun, not only because he can see it but because by it he can see everything else.  This is the perfect representation of Christ as the full and final prophet.  He is the radiance of God’s glory and we know him and we believe in him not only because we can see him but because of the reflecting glory of God in Christ we see everything else.  All of life, all our purpose, all our hope becomes visible when we are enlightened by God’s glory through Christ.  So I ask again, as I mentioned last week, what else do you want? Does one who is standing in the noon day sun seek for a flashlight to light their way? Why does one who is standing in the overwhelming brilliance of God’s glory seek any other? 

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

With a nod to creation Paul says there that the one who gave light to the darkness has shone the same light into our darkened hearts in the face of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the sun and one day there will be no need for a sun because all will be forever illuminated by the brilliance of God’s glory in Christ.  

The text also says that Christ is the “exact imprint of his nature”, that is the fourth statement.  Like a die that stamps a coin, Christ is the perfect representation of God.  He images God like nothing else ever could.  

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. John 1:18

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? John 14:9

To say that Christ is a prophet is a statement that in itself is not sufficient.  Christ is a prophet in the way no other prophet before him ever could be, he is the flawless, visible representation of God.  We don’t need to answer the question, “where did we come from” or “who is God?” These have been answered for us in the person of Christ.  

The fifth statement takes it even one step further by saying, “he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Christ as prophet is not merely revealing God or speaking for God as the prophets before him did but rather Christ is establishing God’s will on earth and in the whole of the universe.  All the prophets spoke of Christ, while Christ himself is speaking words not only about himself but also words that are upholding the universe and establishing the father’s will.  So Christ certainly is a prophet but he is far more than that for what prophet ever kept the entirety of the universe held together? 

The trillions of galaxies and innumerable stars, every human, every species of bird and every ant are held together by the prophetic word of Christ. 

 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; Acts 17: 24-28

Christ is Priest

The final two statements in our text this morning are concerning Christ as Priest.  The first of which is “after making purification for our sins”. We will see this a little more as we go deeper into Hebrews but I will say this. This is a clear statement about the supremacy of Christ because of the finality of the statement.  Every year the priest had to go through the ceremonial process of the purification of sins but we know that the blood of bulls and goats can not take away sins so such a ceremony was just that.  It was a foreshadowing of a greater purification that would actually take away our sins. 

So Christ is the superior priest because he fulfills the office of priest by offering a sacrifice not once a year but once for all time.  He is the final priest because he presented himself, his perfect blood, as the full and final purification of the sins of his people.  We don’t need a priest to offer forgiveness on our behalf because we have a great high priest who has already done that which no priest ever could.  He has made purification for our sins.  He has forgiven them once for all time, never to be returned again to judge us or condemn us.  This is the kind of priest I wish to follow.  

We know all that to be true because of the seventh and final statement and that is that “he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.” Christ sat down and rested from his work.  It is of course no coincidence that the seventh statement from the text corresponds with the seventh day of creation and that is rest.  Rest symbolizes that the work is done, there is nothing more to do but wait for the day when Christ’s kingdom will be inaugurated.  

This doesn’t mean that Christ is presently passive just sitting there hoping everything turns out ok, not at all.  It does mean though, in context with the previous point that the whole business of forgiving sins is done.  He did the work, completed the purification and has sat down.  This of course speaks to his supremacy because unlike any before him his work is perfect and his work is final.  There is no more work to be done, no more rituals to be completed, no more priest to offer us forgiveness, he has done it, and he has sat down.  All that is required is faith in the one who has already done it all.  Trust and surrender to the better and final King, the better and final prophet, the better and final priest.  

There is no salvation, no truth, no purification in any other but the supreme prophet, priest and King, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  

Conclusion

A few points of application then and we will close.  First, Christ as King must give us confidence in the midst of unjust rulers.  This point has been appropriate through many ages of time but is certainly still true today.  We must not shrink back or be paralyzed with fear over foolish or unjust rulers because Christ is King.  He is sitting on the throne and despite how it may look at times from our perspective Christ is still in full control of all things.  Grasping hold of this truth is an act of faith though.  One commentator notes this. 

Believing on Christ as our king, we must obey him by faith, and we must be comforted amidst our trials in the knowledge that one day soon he will come to manifest his kingdom over all creation, destroying his enemies with the rod of his might (Ps. 2:9), and inviting his faithful servants to enter into the joy of his kingdom (Matt. 25:21). As the writer of Hebrews points out in 2:8–9, quoting from Psalm 8, “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.” This is the cause of our unbelief and fear. But by faith we know that he is even now “crowned with glory and honor,” and someday soon every eye will see him, every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

Secondly, Christ as prophet pushes us to lean solely on his word and none other.  We can confidently refute or ignore all that contradicts the word of God because we can be assured that it is here where God has fully and finally spoken.  The fullness of all prophecy and revelation has been given to us in Christ and completed for us in the holy scriptures.  There is no change in him, nor are there any amendments that are going to be added to his word.  There is great comfort and assurance knowing where God stands with us and where we stand with him.  

Finally, Christ as priest means that our sins have been forgiven, nothing more is needed.  Further we can be assured by this that we have direct access to God in Christ, our high priest who intercedes for us. This great high priest offering unlimited and unconditional intercession for us now also happens to be the final prophet and the high king of heaven and earth.  

A man whose throne sits atop all thrones and whose reign will never end.  A man whose prophetic voice perfectly reveals the glory of God and whose power upholds all things.  A man whose sacrifice has covered all our sins, past present and forevermore.  What a privilege it is to know this man, to be saved by this man, and to be called into the royal family by this man, who is much more than a man.  Far superior to man, he is God in flesh.  Let us serve and worship the Prophet, Priest and King.  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)