Offering Ps.56:4,5 Prayer of intercession Hy.46 Divine blessing

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1 Liturgy for Sunday, PM Confession of Dependence and Divine Greeting Ps.102:10,11 Profession of faith Hy.7:1,2 Prayer for illumination and blessing Ministry of the Word Reading: Hebrews 1:1-2:4; 1 Peter 1:10-21 Ps.2:3,4 Text: LD 13 Put your faith in Jesus Christ for he is God s Son and our Lord. We ll consider: 1. Christ s supremacy as God s Son. 2. Our security as God s children. Hy.72 Offering Ps.56:4,5 Prayer of intercession Hy.46 Divine blessing Songs for worship taken from the 2010 version of the Book of Praise See for pdf files of Psalms and Hymns Rev. Joe Poppe 1

2 Singing: Ps.102:10,11; Hy.7:1,2; Ps.2:3,4; Hy.72; Ps.56:4,5; Hy.46 Reading: Hebrews 1:1-2:4; 1Peter 1:10-21 Text: LD13 Beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, It is hard for us to understand how difficult it was for those living in the early church to put their faith in Jesus Christ. This was particularly the case for people of Jewish origin, who had not personally known the Lord Jesus. We can imagine the type of arguments the Jews used to bash Jesus. He was just a man, the son of a poor carpenter, from that backwater village in Galilee. The Jewish opponents of the gospel would have pointed to Jesus failure as a Messiah. Instead of leading them to victory over their enemies, he was crucified. This rejection by God proved, in their minds, that Jesus could not be who his disciples claimed he was. For many these were strong arguments not to believe in Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. Thus the apostles and other leaders in the church needed to show who Jesus Christ really was. They needed to provide convincing proofs that countered the arguments about why Jesus could not be the Messiah. It was easy for them to point out that Jesus was not born in Nazareth, but in Bethlehem, the city of David. Yet the church leaders needed to show that Jesus was the Messiah promised of old, and that he came in fulfilment of prophecy. So who really is Jesus Christ? He was much more than a carpenter s son. He is the Son of God. That was an idea that was blasphemous to most Jews. Thus the authors of the New Testament letters spend quite some time proving this from the Old Testament Scriptures. The apostles also needed to explain that Jesus crucifixion lay at the heart of the good news of salvation. That by dying on the cross Jesus has ransomed us with his precious blood, to make us his own possession. If Jesus has truly bought us, then we belong to him. Then we need to recognize him as our Lord, and we are to revere him as such. Our catechism deals with these matters in Lord s Day 13. In the past two Lord s Days we have dealt with two of the Messiah s names. We call him Jesus, because he is our Saviour, who saves us from all our sins. We call him Christ, because he is the Anointed One, appointed by God to serve as our Redeemer. This afternoon we focus on how Jesus Christ is God s only begotten Son, and our Lord. Understanding these truths is very important, also for us. We need to know who Jesus is, to put our trust in him. I preach to you the Word of God under the following theme: Put your faith in Jesus Christ for he is God s Son and our Lord. We ll consider: 3. Christ s supremacy as God s Son. 4. Our security as God s children. We read together from the first part of the letter to the Hebrews. The author of Hebrews wants to prove from the Scriptures that Jesus was God s Son who came as the promised Messiah. He wants to impress on us how important it is to believe in Jesus; that this is more important than anything else in life. It was important for Hebrew Christians living in the first century, who were under pressure from Judaism to reject the Christ. It is just as important for us in the twenty-first century, when many in our society mock and ridicule the claims of Christianity. The author of Hebrews begins his book by stating that God spoke. This is a very important statement in our age where relativism rules, where there are no absolutes in matters of faith or morality. When you reject God and his Word, there is no longer any basis or standard for the truth. Yet for us as Christians this is different. We believe that God speaks to us in his Word, and that the Word has authority because it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. We believe that what God says in his Word provides the basis for what we believe and how we live. The author of Hebrews shows us how God communicated his Word to us. In the old covenant God spoke through the prophets at many times and in various ways. Yet in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. It is in Jesus Christ that God has more fully revealed himself to us. Jesus Christ made known God s grace by not only showing us the way of salvation, Rev. Joe Poppe 2

3 but by loving us so much that he was willing to die for us. The author of Hebrew s point is to show the superiority of the Christian faith to the old covenant religion. The author of Hebrews wastes no time making this point. Hebrews 1 outlines for us the supremacy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 2-3 contain seven statements of Christ s supremacy. This number seems deliberate, because the rest of Hebrews 1 goes on to list seven texts that are ascribed to Christ. Seven is the number for perfection or completion. Thus the author of Hebrews wants to prove Christ s supreme position as God s Son and as our Lord. Let s examine together what the author of Hebrews has to say about who Jesus is. Verse 2 says, in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things. What does it mean that God appointed his Son as the heir of all things? In Israel, it was the firstborn son who had the right of inheritance. Thus the Father s intention was that his Son would be blessed and glorified in receiving all things. Jesus inheritance is the innumerable company of the redeemed, and the world renewed through his salvation work. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say, through whom he made the universe. Jesus Christ, God s Son, is Lord and King because of his role in creating the world. Not only was the world made for him, it was also made by him. There can hardly be a stronger claim for ownership than this. If you make something, it belongs to you. You are its rightful owner. Since the world was made through Christ, he is Lord and Master over it. Christ has a claim on the lives of all people, because they owe him their life and being. Hebrews 1:3 details the third and fourth things the writer of Hebrews uses to illustrate Christ s supreme position as God s Son and our Lord. He says, The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being. As hot and brilliant as the sun is in the sky, we would never see or feel it without the radiating beams that come down to earth. So it is with God and his Son, through whom God s glory is made known to us. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says that we see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The point is that it is only in Jesus Christ that we come to truly know the Father. It is in the person and work of Christ that the Father made known his grace and love to us. John 1:18 explains saying, No one has ever seen God; but the only begotten God, who is at the Father s side, has made him known. It is in the gospel that we learn that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (Joh.3:16). Thus it is through the revelation of God s Son that we come to truly know God as our gracious heavenly Father. The Son is also the exact representation of his (i.e. God s) being. The Son is similar in nature to the Father. The Greek word used refers to an imprint made by a die or a seal. Just as a coin has the imprint of a king s face, so Jesus bears God s image or imprint. Our catechism makes the point that Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God. The Son bears God s nature, because he himself is God. The fifth thing that the writer of Hebrews says about Christ supports the fact that he is God. He says that the Son sustains all things by his powerful word. Note, beloved, that the world came into being through the spoken word of God. God said, Let there be light, and there was light. (Gen.1:3). Psalm 33 testifies, By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. (Psa.33:6,9). The author of Hebrews makes it clear that in the same way Jesus wields divine power as God s Son. He sustains, he upholds, this world and all that is in it by his powerful word. As Lord and King he exercises authority in heaven and on earth. The author of Hebrews completes his explanation of who Jesus is by stating two final things: After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Here we see Christ s purpose in coming to earth. He came to serve as our only High Priest. He offered his body on the cross as the one true sacrifice that could take away our sins. As Rev. Joe Poppe 3

4 the Lamb of God he laid down his life for us, making purification for our sins with his once-forall sacrifice. Then, as the true and final priest, he went up into heaven to present his own blood to God to secure our full, perfect, and final forgiveness. Christ s presence in heaven serves two purposes. At the Father s right hand he intercedes for us. From the heavenly throne he also reigns as eternal king. Thus the writer of Hebrews gives a sevenfold exclamation of praise to Jesus Christ, God s Son and our Lord. He did this to persuade all who read his letter to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Yet he knew that stating these things about Christ was not sufficient to prove his point. Thus he also quoted from seven passages in the Old Testament Scriptures to prove that the Messiah had to be God s Son, and to show that he is our Lord. It would take too much time to quote all these passages, and explain how they each apply to Christ. Yet we will look at a few of them, to make the point clear. In the early church, angels were regarded very highly. Thus the writer of Hebrews shows how Christ is far superior to them, and that he holds a name far greater than theirs. If the writer of Hebrews can show that Christ is exalted above angels, then his audience would have to believe that he was on par with God. The writer of Hebrews asks, For to which of the angels did God ever say, You are my Son; today I have become your Father? Or again, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son? (Heb.1:5). The second quote is from 2 Samuel 7, where God promised that a Son of David s would rule on the throne forever, and that he would be his Father. The first quote is from Psalm 2, where David prophetically links this promise with the coming Messiah. The point these passages make is that the promised Messiah would be God s very own Son. In Hebrews 1:8-9 the writer quotes from Psalm 45. Psalm 45 is a royal wedding psalm that would have been sung at the coronation of Israel s kings. In the first verses of this psalm the king is addressed. He is praised for his royal splendor, his mighty strength, and the dignity of his cause. Yet suddenly in verse 6 the psalm says something that cannot be applied to any earthly king. It says to the king, Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever. Israel s king is addressed as God, and an everlasting kingdom is ascribed to him. Obviously, these words are spoken of the coming Messiah, who would not be just any man, but God himself. What these various quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures make clear is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah sent from God. He was not just a humble carpenter s son, from the backwater of Galilee. He was God s only begotten Son, of one and the same nature as God. Not only was Jesus God s Son, he was God himself. As such we need to learn to recognize him as our Lord and King. So that we give him the honour due to his most holy name. For the Hebrews living in the early church, it was difficult to see Jesus as Lord and King over all. They expected a Messiah who would conquer the Romans, and establish Israel as the dominant world power, as it had been in the days of David and Solomon. Yet Jesus did not look like a king. Trumpets did not herald his coming, and he did not live in a palace of gold. The people of Jesus day did not understand what Jesus meant when he said, My kingdom is not of this world. (Joh.18:36). We too, often fail to see Jesus as God s Son, and as our Lord and King. The reason we do not recognize Christ s supremacy is that at present we do not see everything subject to him. (Heb.2:8). We live in a world where there are many anti-godly powers at work. Many of the rulers of this age do not know Christ, and openly oppose his kingdom. Christians are ridiculed for their faith; in many parts of the world they are oppressed and persecuted. This can cause many questions to arise in our minds; it creates doubts in our hearts. If Christ is God s Son and Lord and King over all, then why does he allow so much sin and brokenness in this life? Why did the Lord allow the Sandy Hook school shootings, in which twenty young students and six staff were murdered? If Christ sustains all things by his powerful word, why do we suffer relationship breakdowns, and family dysfunction? Why does the Lord Rev. Joe Poppe 4

5 allow us to be diagnosed with serious illnesses, and to face the breakdown of our earthly bodies as we grow old? The sorrows and struggles of this life often mask Christ s supreme position as God s Son and our Lord. They make us doubt Christ s power, or else his love for us. You see, beloved, it takes eyes of faith to know that Christ has ascended into heaven and rules from the throne at God s right hand. We have to look beyond what we see in the world around us to recognize who Jesus Christ is. To recognize him as God s only begotten Son, and as our Lord. It is only by faith that we know that even now Christ is crowned with glory and honour, (Heb.2:9) and that God has placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church. (Eph.1:22). It is only by believing the testimony of Scripture that we are assured that someday soon every eye will see him, and every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rev.1:7; Phil.2:9-11). In our first point we ve seen Christ s supremacy as God s Son, and been called to put our faith in him. In our second point we ll consider our security as God s children. The writer of Hebrews draws out the consequences of his teaching about Christ s supreme position as God s Son and our Lord in the first verses of chapter 2. He says, We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. He asks, How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? You see, beloved, the message about Christ s supreme position of being God s Son and our Lord is the message of salvation. We need to believe this in order to be saved; it forms the basis for our hope and our security. Let me explain. We need to recognize who Jesus Christ is, in order to find our identity and our security in him. It was necessary for the Messiah to be God s Son. Our salvation depends on this. For if Jesus is not God s Son, then he cannot be our Saviour. It is because he is the Son of God, because he shares in the divine nature, that Christ was able to save us from our sins. No one who is merely man could do that. For to pay the price for our sins, Jesus had to bear God s terrible wrath. No creature could sustain the burden of God s wrath against sin and deliver others from it. Only Christ could, because he is God. Our catechism emphasizes that our relationship with the Father is dependent on the fact that Christ is God s Son. It says that we are children of God through grace, for Christ s sake. We are adopted as God s children through the work of God s only begotten Son. It is through Christ and his redeeming work that we are restored in our relationship with the Father. Through grace in Christ we re set apart as God s dearly loved children. The Scriptures testify to this wondrous truth. 1 John 3:1 says, How great is the love that the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! Paul explains in Galatians 4 how this is possible. He says, when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Gal.4:4-5). God sent his Son to redeem us, to pay the price for our sins. He did this so that we might be adopted as his sons and daughters. So that we might become part of his family. In our adoption various things happen. We are given a new position. Formerly we were slaves, but now we have been made sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. In our adoption we ve been given a new legal standing. In Christ we are declared not guilty of our sins. God imputes to us the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ. So that we may appear before God undefiled by sin, pure and innocent in his sight. Not because we ve never sinned, or because we ve lived such good and holy lives. But because Christ did that for us, and because God views us through the lenses of the cross. Beloved, so often we fail to appreciate Christ s work of salvation accomplished for us. Let us examine a little more closely what that actually involved. Peter summarizes what Christ did for us in 1 Peter 1: He said, For you know that it was not with perishable things such Rev. Joe Poppe 5

6 as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1Pet.1:18-19). The key word Peter uses here is the word redeemed. If we understand that, we ll appreciate who Christ is, and what he has done for us. To redeem something is to buy it back, or to set it free by paying a ransom for it. Sometimes when people are hard up for cash, they take something they own to a pawn shop. They sell it for a certain sum of money, but can get it back within a certain amount of time if they pay back that money. Obviously, the price they get for their goods is often below market value. Because many people never raise the necessary money to redeem or buy back what they sold, they lose it. In the ancient world, people who owed money were often sold into slavery. The money obtained from their sale went to pay off their debts. This was a terrible thing. For in those days slaves had no rights. A slave was not considered a person, but a possession. A slave belonged to his master; he or she became his or her master s property. Many masters did not treat their slaves well. Masters could beat their slaves, or even kill them. Slaves had no recourse; they had no rights. Their purpose and task in life was only to obey their master, to do what he said. Yet in ancient days it was sometimes possible to redeem a slave. If a relative or close friend obtained the money necessary, they could buy back a slave s freedom. Thus such a slave would be set free from a life of servitude. He would again be considered a person, rather than property. He would have some basic rights under the law. Often this meant the difference between life and death. Beloved, what we need to understand is that aside from Christ we are slaves of sin. We are in bondage to Satan and the evil desires of the flesh. We are heading on a pathway that leads to hell. Without God and without hope in this world. That is our natural state. Yet Christ came to rescue us from our sins and misery. He redeemed us, he paid the price to set us free from such an empty way of life. With his precious blood he paid the price for us; he has bought us as his own possession. We need to recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord. Body and soul we belong to him, our faithful Saviour. We are his own possession. Confessing Jesus as Lord involves much more than just saying that this is so. Often it is a struggle for us to live under Christ s lordship. We like to think that we are our own boss, in charge of our own lives. By nature we seek to do what we want, rather than what Christ commands us in God s Word. It is hard for us to submit to the lordship of anyone else. Yet, beloved, the reality of life is that no person is in charge of his own life. Those who think they are, are kidding themselves. There are only two possibilities: either we are slaves of sin, living under Satan s mastery, or we are slaves of righteousness, living under Christ s lordship. Each of us is being ruled by another master. And so the question is: who is in charge of your life? Is Satan your master, or do you live under the lordship of Jesus Christ? Beloved, who is it that determines what we do with our lives? Who is in charge when we make decisions about a life s partner, or what kind of career we d like to follow? Does Christ have any say in how we use our time, and how we spend our money? Who determines what music we listen to, what programs we watch, what internet sites we visit? Do we allow ourselves to be governed by our feelings and desires? Or do we submit ourselves to the lordship of Christ, who loved us so much that he ransomed us with his precious blood? At times we find it hard to submit our lives to Christ. By nature we want freedom; freedom to do our own thing. Yet what we need to recognize is that our so-called freedom is actually slavery to sin. Satan is a cruel master. He promises much, but gives little. His goal is our destruction. In contrast Christ is not a harsh or cruel master. He calls us, saying, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn Rev. Joe Poppe 6

7 from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Mat.11:28-30). We are called, beloved to put our faith in Jesus Christ, God s Son and our Lord. To believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who was sent into this world to pay the price for our sins. To trust that his sacrifice of his body and blood on the cross was sufficient to set us free from our sins and from all the power of the devil. Believing this gives us great comfort and security. We are assured that by grace we ve been adopted into God s family. We belong to our faithful Saviour, who now rules over the entire universe as Lord and King, and who does so for the benefit of his people. He will hold us fast in his gracious care. Amen. Rev. Joe Poppe 7