Transcript
We will be studying the book of Hebrews. And I would like to encourage you to read the entire book of Hebrews during the course of this week. In addition to that I would like to urge that you commit to memory a verse which we are going to treat as a favorite verse in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 10:23. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He is faithful who promised.”
So during the course of the week read the book of Hebrews and commit to memory Hebrews 10:23. This morning I invite your attention to the very first chapter of the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 1. And we’ll begin reading at verse 1.
God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Then come down to verse 13.
But to which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool’?
Katarina Yasm Cook was 68 years old when she died just last March in a Philadelphia nursing home. Katarina’s story is a very unusual story indeed. In 1921 the police found her wandering around the streets weeping and in tears. She spoke to them in sounds that were incoherent. They couldn’t understand her. So they took her to a mental hospital. And Katarina was committed to this institution.
For about the first six years of her stay there she continued to speak in these unintelligible sounds. But in 1927 she stopped doing that altogether. And she spent the remainder of her time simply wandering around or staring at the walls. Eventually, after 47 years in the institution, her commitment was reviewed. And some language specialists succeeded in getting her to communicate with them. And they made an amazing discovery.
Those unintelligible sounds that she used to make were not unintelligible at all. They were an actual language. They were the Ukrainian language. And the review committee discovered that Katarina had come to the United States at the age of 15 from the Ukraine in Soviet Russia. She had met a young man over here. And she had had a child. But then both the child and its father had died.
And apparently Katarina had suffered a nervous breakdown. And it was in that condition that the police had found her. Eventually she was released. And she spent the last 13 years of her life in a nursing home under the guardianship of a daughter of one of the workers at the hospital. By this time she was in her seventies. The very best years of her life were behind her. And her experience in America had become a sad tragedy.
Katarina, I think, is an example of a person who gave up. She gave up. Crushed by the loss of loved ones, living in a strange land, unable to communicate even with those who were trying to help her, she stopped talking altogether. And she spent 30 years of her life in silence. She gave up.
And my friends, we live in a world in which there are literally thousands of people who give up every year. Many of them end their life by suicide. Others go through the motions of living but without any real hope or any real joy. And let’s face it. Sometimes even Christians are tempted to give up.
They are tempted to give up on their Christian faith. They are tempted to give up on the Bible. They are tempted to give up on God. And if the time should ever come when you are tempted like that, then one of the most important books of the Bible for you to know and to understand is the book of Hebrews.
For you see, the book of Hebrews was written to Christians who were tempted to give up. Now we really don’t know who wrote the book of Hebrews. Many have thought that the Apostle Paul wrote it. And maybe he did. Or maybe it was written by Barnabas or by somebody else. But whoever wrote the book of Hebrews, it is obvious that he was an inspired man of God.
And in language that often rises to a tremendous level of power and effectiveness, the writer of Hebrews encourages his people to hold fast the confession of their hope without wavering. He urges them not to give up their commitment to Jesus Christ. And not to cast away their confidence in God. And naturally, because he has this in mind from the very moment that he sets pen to paper, he is speaking words that are designed to encourage his readers.
And this morning from the very first paragraph of the book of Hebrews I would like to confront you with some reasons why in the Christian life we should never, never, never give up. And the very first reason is this. God has spoken to us by His Son.
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.”
Does that excite you? Does that thrill you? It should. What could be grander than to have God himself communicate to us in the person of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ?
Some years ago while I was over at the seminary I was on my way to chapel one morning. And it happened to be a day when the seminary board was meeting. And the members of the board were lined up along a narrow hallway that leads back to the entrance to the chapel. And as I started down this hallway I heard someone to my right say to me, “Hello there.” And I turned to see who was talking to me. And who do you suppose it was? It was Tom Landry, the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Now I know that I’m in Los Angeles Rams territory this morning. But I want you to understand that in the city of Dallas there are very few people with greater prestige than Tom Landry. And I was a little flustered. And I managed to get out something like, “Hi there,” or “How are you?” or “Good morning,” or something. But that little incident made my day.
Here’s a man that millions of people had seen on TV with that hat of his and a great stone face pacing up and down the sidelines sending in plays to America’s Team. And I had not only seen him in person but he had spoken to me. Now I guess I’ve made a little bit more out of that incident than I should.
And if the man standing in that hallway had been Elijah or Elisha or Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel, that would have been greater still. Because these men were great prophets of God. They were men through whom God spoke in times past to mankind. But even a privilege like that would have to take second place. It would have to take a distant second place to the amazing reality that God has communicated to me and to you in the person of Jesus Christ.
Do you know it’s a wonder that when we pick up our Bibles that our hands do not tremble with awe and reverence? Because in the pages of the New Testament we are recording the words and deeds, the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here in our hands we hold God’s supreme revelation. God has spoken to us by His Son.
Now I don’t know whether out here at the Church of the Open Door you ever sing that little song about the wise man and the foolish man. They’ll probably sing it in Vacation Bible School at Dallas in Victor Street Bible Chapel. However we sing it often. And not just the kiddos. The adults too. And believe it or not the adults make the motions right along with the kids. Some of them had a little trouble getting over feeling self-conscious about it. But after they did that they had fun.
We sort of enjoy building the wise man’s house, you know, up on the rock. And letting the rains come down, the floods come up. And the rains come down, the floods come up. And the house on the rock stands firm. But it’s even more fun to build the foolish man’s house on the sand. And about the rains come down, the floods come up. And the house on the sand goes boom. Everybody likes that.
And of course that very clever little song is drawn directly from the teachings of Jesus Christ. And He is teaching us that His word is like a solid rock. And if we build our life and experience upon the solid rock of His word, then the storms of life will not overthrow our life and experience. But if we build our lives somewhere else we are building upon the sand. And a life like that is destined for storm and destined for collapse.
For the only safe place to build our experience is upon the revelation that God has made in His Son. The writer of Hebrews believes deeply in the firmness of the Word of God. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” And one of the reasons why in the Christian life we must never give up is because we can build our experience on the rock of God’s Word.
The hymn writer got it right when he said, “How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent Word! What more can He say than to you He has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?” In these last days God has spoken to us by His Son.
Now we live in a world that is very celebrity conscious. And I don’t need to tell you that in Southern California, do I? Whenever I come to Los Angeles, walk the streets of your city or ride down Wilshire Boulevard, I keep my eyes open just in case I might see a famous face somewhere. I guess all tourists do that.
And of course advertisers know that one of the best ways to promote a product is to have a celebrity promote it. That’s why Martha Raye talks to all the denture wearers of America. And that’s why Lauren Bacall sings the praises of High Point decaffeinated coffee. And that’s why Robert Ludlum and Tom Ramsey and a host of others tell us never leave home without our American Express card. Celebrities get it done.
And listen. In the person of Jesus Christ we meet true celebrity. We meet true greatness. Here is someone who is someday to possess and rule all things. Here is someone who made all things. Here is someone who perfectly reflects God. And not only that, He sustains all things. God has spoken to us by His Son.
“Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, upholds all things by the word of His power.”
And boy, those are breathtaking words. Those are staggering concepts. Those are immense and awesome claims for the person of Jesus Christ.
Look into the future as far into the future as you can see. And what do you behold? You see Jesus ruling all things. He is the heir of all things. Look into the past as far into the past as you can see. And what do you behold? You see Jesus making everything. Look at the present. What do you see? You see the Son perfectly revealing God and holding up the universe.
Still realize that you and I and everything in the creation is sustained every moment of every day by His mighty power. That, my friends, is true celebrity. Not anywhere right out here in Bel-Air an expensive mansion burned down. It happened to belong to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And I guess I don’t have to tell you that he’s that seven-foot-plus center for the Los Angeles Lakers who is probably one of the greatest players ever to play basketball.
His house burned down. It covered 7,000 square feet and was estimated to be valued at one and a half million dollars. The fire destroyed his extensive collection of expensive oriental rugs. It destroyed 3,000, I kid you not, 3,000 jazz records. And it destroyed a whole bunch of trophies that he had accumulated over a long and illustrious basketball career.
The ball was in Boston with the team at the time it happened. And when he got back his agent was quoted as saying, “He just got back. He’s very upset. He lost everything.” I don’t blame him. I’d be upset too. But here is a celebrity, my friends, who couldn’t even protect his own house from fire. The fire wiped him out.
But listen. The Son of God will never be wiped out. He will never be wiped out. He made everything. He will someday rule over everything. And right here and now He supports everything in the entire creation. And oh, how foolish, how foolish it is for us when the pressures close in around us, when the troubles begin to melt us, how foolish it is for us to despair and to give up hope.
And the writer of Hebrews believes deeply that because of the greatness of Jesus Christ we can come to the throne of grace and obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And one of the reasons why in the Christian life we must never give up is because we can be helped by the maker, the possessor, the sustainer of all things.
The songwriter was right when he said that He cannot fail, for He is God. He cannot fail. He pledged His Word. He cannot fail. He’ll see you through. He cannot fail. He’ll answer you. Be sure of this. The one who upholds all things will have no trouble upholding you in your time of need.
But if it is inspiring that God has spoken to us by His Son, if it is true that He who sustains all things sustains us, here is something that ought to send chills right down to our shoelaces. And if you’re not wearing shoelaces this morning it ought to send chills right down to the tips of your toes. Are you ready for it? Here it is. Jesus sat down.
Jesus sat down. And I submit to you this morning that that is not only one of the central truths of the book of Hebrews. It is one of the most stupendous realities in the entire universe. For when He by Himself had purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
“Having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”
You see, when Jesus Christ came into this world the first time He came to deal with the problem of our sins. And by His sacrifice on the cross He purged our sins. And He made it possible for us by one simple act of faith and trust to receive eternal salvation, to receive eternal life, to have the forgiveness of sins, to possess the assurance that we will be with God forever.
Let me just pause to say that if there’s anyone in this audience who has never trusted Jesus Christ in that way, your sins have been paid for. He invites you to receive Him as your own personal Savior by a simple act of faith. And because He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, God also has highly exalted Him and has given Him a name that is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
And you see, when the day came for Him to sit down at the right hand of God, God said to Him, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies the footstool of Your feet.” I want you to understand this morning that when Jesus sat down at the right hand of God it was not only the sign that He had taken care of our sins. But it was God’s guarantee that ultimate final victory would be won by Him.
“Sit until I make Your enemies the footstool of Your feet.”
Not far from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where I did most of my growing up, there is a place called Shippensburg. And there’s a State Teachers College at Shippensburg. Last fall they hired John Baron Hext to teach computer science. What they didn’t realize was that on days that he wasn’t teaching at Shippensburg he was over at Millersville teaching economics as Professor Peter H. Pierce.
One day last March as he was on his way to a class at Millersville the police arrested him. Using a search warrant they went through his apartment. And they found 16 boxes filled with bank records and identification papers and credit cards. And they discovered that this man was known by at least 13 different names in places like Britain, Canada, Australia, and the United States.
There were letters in his belongings recommending the academic qualifications of Peter Francis Windbay and David Taylor and Keith Frederick Galvin and Kenneth John Holden and George Spencer Vickers. It wasn’t until later that the police found out his real name was Paul Orville Crofton. That he taught for 27 years at the George Washington University. And because they were puzzled about his real name they registered him and booked him as John Doe.
What’s in a name? Well in this case not a lot. Not a very great deal. But even though the names that men use are often false and deceptive, even though they often hold out promise that they can never fulfill, the name of God’s Son is full of divine reality. It is full of divine truth.
And even though the angels are great majestic beings and their names are to be highly honored, the name of the Son is tall above their names. For now the name of the Son tells with it God’s promise of victory and of dominion over the entire creation. And one of the reasons why in the Christian life we must never give up is because through Jesus Christ we can be victorious.
To Martin Luther coming through the fires of the Reformation with all of its struggle and danger captured this principle perfectly. “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing. Were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He. Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same. And he must win the battle.”
“But to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool’?” He never said it to the angels. But He said it to His Son.
Choral Muffler is a 74-year-old widow who lives in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. She has seen her share of troubles. She’s been beaten and left for dead. She’s been robbed so many times that about the only valuable possession that she has is her monthly Social Security check. Her house has been condemned. And she carries her belongings around in a white pillowcase.
Efforts to help her by friends and relatives and government agencies have been rebuffed because Choral Muffler is a very independent person. “I can take care of myself,” she says. She spends her days cleaning up at the Belvedere laundry, sweeping out and carrying out the trash. And at night, mind you at night, if she has 50 cents she hops a bus and she goes to the Mecklenburg County Jail. And if she doesn’t have money for a bus ride she walks.
And for the last four years she has been sleeping every night at the Mecklenburg County Jail. In her bed is a wooden bench in the jail lobby. Psychiatrists say she’s eccentric but she’s not dangerous. And as long as she’s not dangerous they have to let her do what she wants to do.
The headline that reported this interesting item read like this: “Woman Seeks Refuge at Jail.” And the sub-headline said, “Driven by Attacks, 74-Year-Old Widow Seeks Unusual Haven.” Now that’s a remarkable story about a very independent woman who knows where to go for refuge.
And I’m not