Sharp, George: Greenwood Hills Colorama Conference 1993-07 ~ Hebrews 1:1

From her mother, and she wore it on Sunday to church. And when she got home, her mother said, did anybody notice your new dress? And she said, yes. When I walked in, the whole company of people stood up and sang Hardly Knew Ya. They were singing Hallelujah. And some of us men, I'm sure, were hardly known this evening. You ladies always look lovely, so we won't comment on that. Let's read from Hebrews chapter one. Hebrews chapter one. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee, and again I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the son he saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore, God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thine hand. They shall perish, but thou remainest, and they shall all wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture, vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years fail not. But to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstools. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them, for them who shall be heirs of salvation? And God will continue to bless his holy word amongst us and the reading of it. The Epistle to the Hebrews brings before us constantly the excelling glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The purpose that it was written by the Spirit of God is to wean away the heart of the believer from everything else and to declare his, excuse me, his superiority. What does it mean to wean away? Well, we don't use that expression anymore, but when I was a boy, they used to speak of babies that had to be weaned from their mother's breast to something more substantial, ha- uh, solid food and so forth. That's where the Scottish people got their, uh, called their children Waynes because they were weaned ones. And so this, uh, purpose of this letter is to wean our hearts and the hearts of all those to whom it was written to away from everything else and center them on Christ, because God has decreed, and God has anointed our Lord Jesus Christ that he shall have the preeminence. He had that preeminence in a past eternity. He had that preeminence at his birth. The heavens were open at his birth. The angels could look down, and they could see with wonder and amazement, they could see their creator lying in a manger, lying in a stable that was meant for animals. And it must have been a source of wonderment to them that God is found in the fashion as a man. But here in the Hebrew epistle, the heavens are open for us, and we look up with the same wonderment, and we see the opposite. We see a man sitting on the throne of God. It's absolutely amazing. A man sitting on the throne of God. And God has decreed that in all things he shall have the preeminence. And so he had the preeminence at his, in a past eternity. He had the preeminence at his birth. He had the preeminence and in his lifetime. What is preeminence anyway? Well, it's more than prominence, isn't it? We see a picture of three people, and we say, which one is the more prominent of the three? But we see a picture of one and that person is preeminent. And if the Lord Jesus stands absolutely alone, it isn't that he's more prominent than someone else, but he is absolutely preeminent. And of course, he is preeminent in his death as well. God saw to it that he had the preeminence in suffering. He suffered like no man ever suffered. His body was scarred more than any man. His visage was marred more than anyone else ever had suffered. And God saw to it that he gave his beloved son even the preeminence in his suffering. And of course, he is preeminent in his resurrection, is he not? Absolutely alone. And not only alone, but he said, therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my sheep, my life, that I may take it again. That's preeminence. We'll lay down our lives someday if the Lord does not come in the meantime, but we won't take them again. He'll have to give them back to us. He is the resurrection and the life, but in his preeminence, he rises in victory from the grave. And then his ascension and the place that he now occupies. Seated at the Father's own right hand, seated at the very pinnacle of glory. And God, by his Holy Spirit, gives us the excellent glory of our Lord Jesus Christ on, in this particular, uh, letter. He tells us that in the chapters one and two that the Lord Jesus is superior to angels. Angels are ministering spirits, and they minister to him, and they minister to us, and they will minister to us throughout eternity. But he's not only superior to angels, he's superior to men. I remember reading for the first time the, uh, uh, rather noticing it for the first time, uh, chapter three, where it says this man, speaking of Christ, was worthy of more honor than Moses. And I thought, well, that that's not news. I know that. But the Jews didn't know that. Moses was the prime example of leadership and faith and piety and everything else as far as they were concerned. But this man, this man, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, he is worthy of more honor than even Moses. And then he compares him with Joshua. He led them into the land, and he is leading us through the wilderness. He compares him, or rather, uh, I suppose a better word would be he contrasts him with these men, and he contrasts him with Melchizedek. Melchizedek was the man who had no beginning and no end recorded in his lifetime. Well, of course, uh, that makes him a picture of the Lord Jesus. But Melchizedek never died as far as the record is concerned, and he certainly did not resurrect himself. And then he speaks of the priesthood and how gloriously more excellent is our priesthood, the priest of God, the high priest, the great high priest, the Son of God. In this book, we have exhortations, we have warnings. There's a warning in chapter two about drifting, lest at any time we should let these things slip. It's so easy to drift with the tide. There's also a warning against doubting in chapters three and four. He speaks of certain things that they could not enter into because of unbelief. Do we believe all the promises of God? It's a good thing to know, to appreciate, and to have faith in all of the promises of God. And then there's a warning against being dull of hearing. There are many more things to say, he said to these folk, but he said, I can't say them now because you're dull of hearing. It's easy to get dull of hearing. I get very dull of hearing at times, and I hear two or three people cross conversation, and I don't hear a thing that any of them say. But we have to spiritually be very careful. And then in chapter six, there's a warning against departing, falling away, he warns about. And then in chapter ten, despising. The Israelites despised the law of Moses. They despised the commandments that God had given them, that they had asked for. And then there is the warning against denying. Refuse not him that speaks from the word of God. This is the denial of those things that are written in the word of God. There are several key expressions in this book. One is sat down. There's several references to the Lord Jesus Christ sitting down. How important is that? Well, it's very important because in the Old Testament priesthood, there was no chair in the sanctuary. There was no chair in the holy place and no chair in the most holy place. And so the priest's work was never done. But we read here, did we not, that having made purgation for sin, he sat down. His work is done, and we rest in all that he is and all that he has accomplished. And then there are a number of salads here. Let us, let us fear, let us labor, let us go on, let us consider one another. That's so important, is as we go along, uh, in our routine lives, that we consider one another. The little jingle says, to dwell above with those we love, oh, that will be glory. To dwell below with those we know is quite a different story. It's, uh, an exhortation that we need to consider one another. And then we're exhorted to have grace. We're off- we're exhorted to draw near. And not only exhorted to draw near, but to come boldly. I have read recently a number of the Psalms, and I've been absolutely amazed at the audacity of the writers. One of them calls upon God, he says, bow down your ear to me. Bow down your ear. He's calling upon God, and we can come boldly in all of the value of what Christ is, and we can make our request known with thanksgiving. And then we're told, we're exhorted to hold fast, and then we're exhorted to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us. Does sin beset us? Well, it all depends what you call sin, doesn't it? What is sin? Well, of course, it's murder, it's stealing, it's adultery, it's all kinds of gross things. But the Spirit of God narrows it down to a pinpoint, and he says, that which is not of faith is sin. That kind of frightens me because I sometimes go out in the road and I don't commit the journey to God. I have sinned, I've sinned. And that which is not of faith is sin. So he said, lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us. And then go forth. Go forth. We need to go forth, even as we grow older in the faith, we still need to go forth and serve the Lord Christ. And then we're to offer the sacrifice of praise. My, how God loves to hear our praise, our adoration, our thanksgiving. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, and that's what this book is largely about. It's the exhortation to lay hold of God by faith, and this is how we get to know him, by faith. He gives us in the eleventh chapter some of the examples of faith. He gives us in the eleventh chapter a, an explanation or, uh, an interpretation of faith. Faith is the substance or the substantiation of things hoped for. Can we make heaven real? Can we make the joy of eternal life real, so real in our hearts that we know we have it, and we're enjoying it now. Yes, we can, but only by faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. And so he gives us some of the examples of faith. Those examples, of course, are Moses, Joshua, Melchizedek priesthood, and uh, Cain, uh, Abel rather. By faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Now, if we look at the two sacrifices, we would disagree with that statement, because Cain must have worked real hard to put this beautiful sacrifice in front of God. He may have made shelves on a pyramid, and around the foot of the pyramid he may have done something like putting watermelons and, and pumpkins and those big things around the, the bottom. And then on the next shelf he may have put some of the smaller vegetables, and in the next shelf fruits, and the next shelf flowers. And then he stands back and waits for God to accept it, and nothing happens. And he's angry, and he looks across the way, and there's Abel. Abel, by faith, has slaughtered an animal. He has sprinkled its blood. He has cut it up in pieces and laid them in order upon the altar, the head, the legs, and the inward parts, all speaking of the person of Christ, and he offers it to God, and he stands by and waits for acceptance, and God accepts it. Yes, the by faith he has come in to a personal relationship with God. By faith, Enoch walked with God. We touched on that very other evening, and this is something that we need to pay attention to ourselves. We may not be called upon to make great sac- sacrifices. We may not be called upon to do great deeds for God, but God wants us to walk in fellowship with him from day to day. If there's anything that I long for in my life, it's to know experientially the fellowship of walking with God. And then he speaks of others, of... or rather the principle that Cain and Abel express is found in First Corinthians chapter fifteen verse forty six. There the apostle says, how be it? That which is first is not spiritual, but afterwards that which is spiritual. Cain was the first born. He was not spiritual. Abel was the spiritual one. In Ishmael and Isaac, we have another example. Ishmael was born of the flesh, so to speak. Isaac was born by faith. And then there was Esau and Jacob. Jacob, although we may not agree with his early life, he was still the spiritual man. And then there was Saul and David. Saul was the first king, and he was the man of the flesh. And then there was David, the man of the spirit. By faith, we know God more fully. We come to know him as Savior the moment we trust him and commit ourselves to him and are washed in the blood. But by faith we know God and apprehend him more fully, because there is saving faith, there is practical faith, the day by day experience of running your home and running your business. This is practical faith. But sometimes I wonder and I worry as to whether or not I'm exercising secondhand faith. What is secondhand faith? Well, I was born into a home that up until about a year before I was born, it was just a home. Father never knew what it was to give thanks for food, and he didn't know God as his savior, and he trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll never forget what one of my older sisters said. The first time he gave thanks at the table, she said it was as though all the lights were turned on at once in a dark house. And she said, when I looked up, there wasn't a dry eye at the table. It meant a great deal. But I keep questioning my own self. Am I riding on his coattails? Or do I know God as real as he did? It's a good question. Then... we have the continuance of things in chapter twelve. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Job said, if I have made gold my hope, or have said to fine gold, thou art my confidence, I should have denied the God above. In other words, he wanted to live by faith, regardless of his riches. He was very rich. He was one of the greatest men of the East. Sometimes we have to just confess to God that we're, we're content with the things that we have, and we're going to just step out in faith, because that he is able to supply every need. I don't know how it was with some of you, but when I came home from my honeymoon, and I bought somebody lunch who had picked me up, or picked us up at the, uh, airport. We had ten cents left. And I look back, and I say with Penny B- Crosby, all the way my Savior leads me. What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy, who through life has been my guide? And God has blessed, and God has never failed. If I had made gold my hope, or have said to fine gold, thou art my confidence, I would have denied the God above. Yes, without faith, it is impossible to please God. Noah built an ark by faith. There was no rain on the earth until that time, and on dry land up in a mountain, he built an ark by faith. Abraham went out not knowing where he went. It was the unknown, and he achieved it by faith. Sarah, and in Sarah's case, we have to think of the grace of God. Her faith was pretty small, wasn't it? She overheard inside the tent flat, she overheard the Lord speaking to Abraham, and he told Abraham that at a certain time of the year, Sarah would have a son, and she laughed. She laughed. It was the impossible, but by faith she did lay hold on God. It must have been weak faith, but God honored it. And he'll honor our weak faith as well as our strong faith. In Abraham's case, he offered up Isaac. It was a tragedy as far as human relations were concerned, but by faith he acknowledged that God was able to raise him from the dead. Jacob, why, they thought he was addlepated. They thought he was all mixed up when he crossed his hands and blessed his grandsons, but by faith he did it. Joseph gave instructions when he died that his bones should not be left in Egypt. They were to be taken into the land of promise. By faith he gave those instructions, and it was a long, long time before it happened, but God honored his faith. Moses, by faith, he chose the affliction of God's people rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and God honored him. As we said the other evening, his life was divided in three sections. For forty years, he learned to be somebody. For forty years in the wilderness, he learned to be nobody. And for forty years, or rather forty years in Egypt, he learned to be somebody. In forty years in, uh, Pharaoh's palace, he learned to be nobody. And then finally God showed him what he could do with a nobody and turned him into a somebody. Then there was Jericho and Rahab and Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, and all of these people had failures, but all of these people lived by faith. We read these words that these all died in faith. They didn't enter into the promises, God having preserved some better thing for them, that they without us should not be blessed. And God has prepared a better thing for us. Indeed, we are to be the bride of Christ. Let us enter into it with all of the faith that we can muster as we rest in all that Christ is, not only to God, but to us. And may our hearts be sensitive to the things of God and his word. Shall we pray? We thank thee, our God, for thy word again. We thank thee for the excellent glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee for thy desire that in all things he might have the preeminence. Enable us to give it to him in our lives. We pray these things for our good and for thy glory in his own most precious and wor- worthy name. Amen. Amen.