Last Sunday, we finished our 6-month preaching series through the book of Hebrews. I closed the sermon highlighting some of the words and phrases used to describe Jesus and His saving work. As I looked out from the pulpit, I saw in many of your eyes and slightly gaped mouth what I perceived to be an overwhelming awe for the One who saved your soul.
Here are words from that section of the sermon:
Before leaving the book of Hebrews, what’s your take-away? What is it God had for you as we made our way through this “book of exhortation” the past six months? Are you different? What has God done inside of you? What is He doing right now?
Perhaps your view of Jesus was enlarged. I hope it was. There was plenty of opportunity for that to happen; for Jesus has been called many things in Hebrews and described in many ways. The following are a few.
He is God’s final word (1:2); He is the heir of all things (1:2); He is the radiance of the glory of God (1:3); He is the image of the invisible God (1:3); He upholds the universe by the word of his power (1:3); He made purification for man’s sins (1:3); He sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high (1:3).
He is greater than the angels (1:4); He is God (1:8); He is Lord (1:10); He is a faithful high priest (2:17); He bore God’s wrath (2:17); He suffered (2:18); He is greater than Moses (3:3); He is the Son of God (4:14); He was tempted as we are but without sin (4:15).
He is the source of eternal salvation (5:9); He is the guarantor of a better covenant (7:22); He continues forever (7:24); He is able to save to the uttermost (7:25); He always makes intercession for us (7:25).
He is holy, innocent, unstained, and exalted above the heavens (7:26); He sacrificed once for all and His sacrifice never need be repeated (7:27); He is our mediator (8:6); He secured our eternal salvation by his own blood (9:12); His death redeemed us from our sins (9:15); He appears in the presence of God on our behalf (9:24).
He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (9:26); He will come again (9:28); He waits for all his enemies to be made a footstool for his feet (10:13); His single offering perfected all of God’s sons and daughters (10:14).
He is the truth (10:26); He is the founder and perfecter of our faith (12:2); He endured the cross for the joy of saving us (12:2).
He endured great hostility from sinners (12:3); He is the same yesterday and today and forever (13:8); and He is the great shepherd of the sheep (13:20).
I certainly missed some. This was just sitting down with my Bible and jotting these down as I did a quick review of the book.
Which ones are new for you? Which ones had you forgotten? Which ones do you need to remember? Which ones would keep you moving forward in the faith? Which ones would encourage you in the face of hardship and difficulty?
All of these statements are true; all of them substantiated by Scripture. In fact, there is no statement I gave you that stands alone in Hebrews. I can pull these same truths elsewhere from other books of the Bible. But what we have in Hebrews is a great collection of them.
Why?
Because that was the great need of the hour for this collection of believers in the first century who were considering leaving Jesus, leaving Christianity, leaving the church, and returning to apostate Judaism.
They needed to be reminded of this list. And so do we!
And now you have. May we never forget.
Pastor Rich Hamlin
July 17, 2014
Thank you… I could not write fast enough during the sermon.