|
Click here for a PDF printable file
Click here to download your PDF reader - FREE
The Ultimate Prophet
By
Rev. Todd W. Allen
Villa Rica 9/25/05
Hebrews 1:1-14
The book of Hebrews sets forth the greatness and the glory of the
Lord Jesus Christ. We are given to understand that the commencement of
the New Testament era is better than the Old Testament era that preceded
it. The reason it is better is because of the coming of Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament dispensation was by the disposition of angels, but the
glory of Christianity and the new dispensation is greater, for Christ is
greater than the angels.
Let me say first that God communicates
with men. One of the ways mankind differs from the lower creation is in
his ability to communicate with words and language. Even the most
primitive tribe has a spoken language that can be learned. Wycliffe
Bible translators go to such tribes and spend years in order to produce
a written language into which the scriptures can be translated and
printed. They then teach the people how to read and write their own
language and thereby understand the Word of God.
It is estimated that
there are 5,500 languages in the world and 3,600 of them still have no
scriptures. But it is anticipated that in this 21st century the
scriptures will be in every language on the face of the earth.
What do you
think of when you think of an angel? Who are the angels? What do we know
about them? The angel Lucifer rebelled against God. He led many
other angels to rebel against God with him. They are called demons in
scripture. However, many other angels did not rebel and were confirmed
in their original state of holiness.
Angels are the highest of all God's
creatures. They are created beings and all of them who did not
participate in Satan's rebellion dwell in heaven.
20
Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His
word, Obeying the voice of His word! Psa. 103:20
When angels have
appeared on earth they have had a shining radiance that inspired awe and
fear. When the guards at the tomb where Jesus was laid saw angels they
were terror-stricken and became like dead men.
When an angel
appeared to Gideon he thought he was going to die.
(Judges 6:22-23 22When
Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Alas, O Lord
GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” 23The
LORD said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.”
By the holy angels
God carries on his government of the world. All throughout the Bible and
especially the book of Revelation we are informed that certain movements
of God commence as angels move and act for God.
In the Hebrews passage we read this
morning we are informed: 14Are they not all ministering
spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will
inherit salvation?
John Calvin
wrote:
The angels are the dispensers and administrators of the divine
beneficence towards us; they regard our safety, undertake our defense,
direct our ways, and exercise a constant solicitude that no evil
befall us.
In the gospel of Luke
he tells about the rich man who had all the luxury money could buy and
the sick beggar Lazarus who lay at his gate full of sores existing from
the garbage of the rich man. He taught that the angels carried Lazarus
to Abraham's bosom but the rich man found himself in hell. This tells us
that angels escort the righteous to heaven. On the other hand, Jesus
taught in the parable of the wheat and the tares that at the end of the
age the angels will come forth and take the wicked from among the
righteous and cast them into a furnace of fire. So angels have an escort
ministry both to the righteous and to the wicked, the righteous they
take to heaven and the wicked they take to the lake of fire.
Rarely do angels
manifest human form. They are invisible to us unless they desire to
manifest themselves to us. They are able to make themselves visible if
there is sufficient need or they have a special mission which calls for
them to reveal themselves.
The Jews certainly
had a high regard for angels. Angels inaugurated the Mosaic economy and
angels were considered higher beings than men. But in the book of
Hebrews we are told that Jesus Christ is better than angels.
The apostle speaks in Hebrews chapter 1
of the Excellency of Christ above the angels. He bases this upon the
scriptures that speak of Christ as having a unique relationship to the
Father, closer than any of the angels. Angels, like men, are created
beings, but the Son is unique. God calls him My Son. He is uncreated and
eternal with the Father.
In a singular and special sense Jesus
alone is the Son of God. We may be sons of God, children of God, adopted
sons and daughters, but there is only one eternally begotten Son.
Verses 1 & 2 of Hebrews 1 declares:
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many
portions and in many ways, 2in these last days has spoken to
us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also
He made the world.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate prophet.
There can be no prophet after him or equal with him. Old testament
prophets were men whom God called to be his spokesmen. They were named
as press secretaries. What they said was precisely what God wanted said.
Their words are authoritative and reliable.
The president names a
press secretary who is authorized to be his spokesman. Before the coming
of Christ God spoke in various ways and through chosen men called
prophets. But now our text states that in these later days God has
spoken to us in and by His Son. This carries even greater honor and
dignity because God Himself has appeared to speak to men. When a press
secretary speaks it is one thing but when the president himself speaks
it is without an intermediary. He then is speaking in the first person
to men. And the Son is the Word of God, the Son of God by whom he spoke
into existence the whole universe.
On the
occasion of the commencement of the Lord Jesus' public ministry he came
to John the Baptist to receive baptism. John recognized him and tried to
deter him from being baptized. He said:
(Matthew 3:14-17 “I
have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15But
Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it
at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all
righteousness.” Then he permitted* Him. 16After being
baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the
heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove
and lighting on Him, 17and behold, a voice out of the
heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Then again
on the occasion of his transfiguration when Peter, James and John were
on a high mountain with him the Heavenly Father bore witness to his Son
(Mat 17:5) a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out
of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased;
listen to Him!”
Jesus, the Son of God, is the
ultimate Speaker. He is God in the flesh speaking to men. He does not
read from shorthand notes, or get his words by visions or dreams. He is
Himself the very articulation of God the Father. What Jesus speaks is
the same as the Father speaking, for he is the eternal, perfect and
ultimate revelation of God's Word. He is the very Word made flesh who
dwelt among men and who yet speaks from heaven.
Jesus himself tells of the supreme importance of hearing and heeding the
word he speaks. Turn with me to John 12:44-50:
And Jesus cried out and said, “He who
believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45“He
who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. 46“I have come as
Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not
remain in darkness. 47“If anyone hears My sayings and does
not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the
world, but to save the world. 48“He who rejects Me and does
not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what
will judge him at the last day. 49“For I did not speak on My
own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a
commandment as to what to say and what to speak. 50“I
know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak,
I speak just as the Father has told Me.”
Daniel saw in a vision the Ancient of Days upon a throne of glory,
Dan 7:9-10, 13, 14 “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the
Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white
snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was
ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. 10
“A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him;
Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads
were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened.
13 “I kept looking in
the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son
of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was
presented before Him.
14
“And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom, That all the
peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His
kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
The thousands upon thousands that
stand before the throne are the angels and the men redeemed from the
earth who attend the Ancient of Days. The Son of man who was given
authority, glory and sovereign power so that all peoples, nations and
men of every language worship him.
Why do all angels and peoples worship
him? First, because of who he is. He is the Creator. He is the God man.
He has made all things that have been made. He is the Second Person of
the blessed Trinity who was joined to humanity in the incarnation. When
we worship Jesus Christ we are worshiping the God who made all things.
All angels and men owe him worship as their Creator.
But secondly because
of his mediatorial sufferings and unparalleled obedience to his Father
he has righteously been rewarded supreme dignity and honor.
In making
purification for sins he had no help. No man aided him in his holy
mission. There were those who hated him and betrayed him, who delivered
him up to be scourged and beaten and nailed to the cross and lifted up
for all to see and not one of them had a part in his high priestly work
of redemption. There was no man to help him in this awful mission. (See
Isaiah 63)
In Hebrews God says about the Son:
“Your throne, O God, is
forever and ever,
And the righteous scepter is the
scepter of His kingdom. 9 “You
have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has
anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”
Oh, beloved,
only those who come to him and believe on him will benefit from the
salvation he has wrought. He tells us who will obtain God's mercy and
pardon:
(John 6:40
“For this is the will of My Father, that
everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life,
and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
Have you looked to the Son of God?
Have you believed in him? Do you join the angels in worshiping him? We
are lower than the angels and we are desperately in need of a Savior.
Apart from him there is no way for anyone to be acceptable to God. But
in him there is plenteous mercy and forgiveness of sins.
It is to the glory of
God to be both Creator and Redeemer. Jesus is rightly named the Heir of
all things because he did the works that only God would or could do. His
wisdom and power are displayed in his creative works and in his work of
redemption. Come to Jesus Christ. Bow down before him. Make him Savior
and Lord of your life today.
Back to
the Top
The paper and sermon manuscripts from
Pastor
Todd W. Allen
are made freely available for review and
distribution. We only request that proper
web page attribution be provided if
distributed for any reason. Please be
gracious to forgive typos and errors of
expression. These notes are faithful
approximations of what has been preached.
May God be glorified in the preaching of
His Word. |