Jesus All By Himself

Hebrews 1:1-14

Written to first century Christians  converted from Judaism (AD 68 author unknown) in danger of giving up. Christians were facing fierce persecution. Physical assault, homes plundered, some thrown into prison, public ridicule. The Book is written to people under huge pressure to encourage them to hold fast, go on to maturity, and not go back to Old inferior ways of relating to God.

The letter appeals to all these severely tested believers to look upwards to keep their faith firmly rooted and confident in the superiority of Jesus. A call to be confident in Jesus’ finished work, and the better promises found only in Him. Jesus doesn’t promise to make life better, He promises to be better than life. 

Hebrews starts by holding up the amazing fact that God has shown His care, love for us by speaking, by communicating by revealing Himself. VERSE 1 He spoke before at different times by different means. And it was all pointing to the day when the greatest communicating of God would come. Jesus is the greatest revelation of God. If you want to know what God is like look at Jesus. He is identical. VERSE 3

All the attributes of God became visible in Him, made manifest in Him. God is NOT just an idea to think about, a God we can airbrush. He is a person who has revealed Himself, this is what I am like, a person to be known, loved, listened to and obeyed. 

Drifting begins with ceasing to listen when He speaks. (Sewage in the West-End. Three metre pipes clogged with fat) Starts small and eventually blocks. And with a clogged heart you lose the inner reality and replace it with some religious stuff.

Consequently doubt, loneliness and despair, replaces intimacy. Rules replaced relationship. Listening to Him leads to rest in Him

The writer goes on to say. You can trust this Jesus, he can guide you and keep you during times of testing. He is sufficient for you. He shaped the universe, summoned stars into being. VERSE 2 Christ sustains, up-holds the universe, every meal, every possession, every bit of sun, every nights sleep, every moment of health and safety, everything is a gift from Him who sustains VERSE 3

A God of phenomenal resources, Jesus Christ is bigger than our best thoughts of Him, His authority in heaven and on earth is without rival

Here we pass from who Jesus is to what he has done

Jesus came to solve the greatest problem of mankind the effects of sin. How it fractures our relationship with God, with one another. Sin produces deep Guilt a powerful malevolent force, the enemy within, a sinister tyrant. Guilt is a cruel master, you might be enjoying a day and suddenly guilt will stab, and strike, leaving you grieving

So you confess and repent all over again but still left feeling guilty. The past can rob us of hope, paralyze with shame and haunt us.

If that’s you, you haven’t properly understood the gospel. The great liberator is Jesus, he frees us from slavery to guilt. He gave himself up on the cross Jesus shed His blood once for all at a single point in time to accomplish for us complete salvation. No repeat is necessary. VERSE 3

He sat down to indicate the work was finished, I’m done, I’ve purified the sins, past present and future. You are perfect even as you are being made perfect (finding our souls more and more free as we mature)