I Couldn’t have said it Better Myself!
Hebrews 1:1-3:
(1) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, (2) 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; (3) 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.
The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews starts out with a summary description of the the Lord Jesus that certainly sums up what we who trust Him really believe about Him. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
First of All
God has spoken to us through creation, conscience, dreams, prophets and circumstances. Likely I have missed some ways He has spoken to us. But the most important message we have is the message that was sent to us in the person of Jesus, the Son of God. He is not only the messenger, He is the message. Today we don’t have Him present with us, but we do have the Holy Spirit that guides us into all truth and that reveals Him to us through the written Word of God. That Word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.
Who is the Son?
He is the heir of all things. He is the one to whom this Whole universe has been entrusted. He made the ages. He perfectly expresses the glory of God and the essence of His person. Hie has the first word and the last word. His Word has the power to create and the power to destroy. This worthy One is the one who has purged or cleansed our sins. This cleansing is available to all but is only effective for those who believe or trust in Him as we see in the rest of the book. He is now exalted to God’s right hand which means He is in the seat of authority.
This is the One who died for me and purged my sins. Every Thanksgiving season, I am reminded that I have a lot for which to be thankful because it was just before thanksgiving day many years ago that I realized that the Lord, the One who created all things and upheld them by the word of His power, had declared that His salvation was offered to all if we could or would just trust Him. I didn’t have to wait to be saved because the Lord had already died to save me. I found peace, I found Christ.
But isn’t “Believing” Too Simple?
Trusting or believing isn’t too simple but it is hard because we all have problems taking God at His word. Most of the truths in these first few verses of Hebrews are challenged by those who trust in themselves and their own reasonings. I don’t have time to deal with their objections here but they all lead to one end. They lead to rejection of Christ and His claims and His salvation. However, the alternatives make no sense to me. If people don’t worship “self”, they often worship the things God has made rather than the God who made those things. They worship, the sun and the stars and “the ancients” and so on. Many say there is no God and worship science which basically tells us that nothing made something without a divine creator being involved. I realize that the Bible has been misused and misinterpreted, but when we rightly divide it (or rightly understand it), its explanation of this world and its ages make far more sense than any other explanation that I have heard. Plus, I like the fact that there is a God who has taken a personal interest in me and who knows me by name. I like the fact that when I depend on promises that He has made to me in this life, He has not failed me. I cannot imagine a life without the Lord Jesus. He tells the truth. I believe Him, and I hope you do as well. The children’s hymn sums up the thoughts that I am meditating on today:
Isn’t He Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful
Isn’t Jesus, my Lord, wonderful!
Eyes have seen, ears have heard,
It’s recorded in God’s word.
Isn’t Jesus, my Lord, wonderful!
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of November 5, 2017