Glory of Christ Fellowship

In Hebrews 1:2-4, the author makes seven claims about Jesus that when taken together greatly exalt his glory. The seventh claim the author makes about the Son is that, having made purification for sins, he now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high. The words “he sat down” set the stage for chapter 7 where we’re taught that Jesus is both Priest and King. Prior to Jesus, no king offered his own sacrifices and no priest sat on the throne of David, for that wouldn’t be right. God had decreed that there should be a separation of powers between the priest and the king, but Jesus, unlike all before him, is worthy and able to fulfill both roles. So, on the one hand, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God after making purification for sins because the sacrifice he offered, namely himself, is sufficient. Other priests were always standing, as we see in chapter 10:11-14, because their work was never done. The blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins, so the priests coul

“I know that God is good, but it doesn’t feel that way right now.” So many Christians throughout history have uttered this cry, or something similar. Job did, Paul did, the Prophets did, the Psalmists did. Each of them experienced real suffering and had reason to cry out to the Lord, and each of them saw and felt the faithfulness of God in the midst of their suffering.  In Psalm 27, David writes, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” In the midst of suffering, it can be easy to forget that God is good right now and we behold his goodness, not only when we see him face to face in eternity, but also in our lives on a daily basis. The goodness of God is not merely something that exists at some future point in time. It is a present reality, one that shapes our very existence. David’s cry “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD” is

In Hebrews 1:2-4, the author makes seven claims about Jesus that when taken together greatly exalt his glory. The sixth claim the author makes about the Son is that he made purification for sins. The Son is the heir of all things, he is the one through whom the Father created all things, he is the radiance of the glory of God, he is the exact imprint of the nature of God, he upholds all things by the word of his power, and oh by the way, he also made purification for sins. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, and the destructive entrance of sin into the human heart and race, one of the main questions hanging over history, and the Bible itself, is this: how can our sins be washed away so that our consciences are cleansed before God, and we are able to enter into deep communion with God? The author’s answer is “nothing but the blood of Jesus.” He’ll go into a lot more detail later in his sermon, but for now he wants us to hear and be blown away by the truth that after several millennia o

In Hebrews 1:2-4, the author makes seven claims about Jesus that when taken together greatly exalt his glory. The fifth claim the author makes about the Son is that he upholds all things by the word of his power. The word “upholds” literally means “to bear up or to carry,” and so the idea here is not just that Jesus is bearing the physical weight of creation but that he is continually exercising his sovereign power over all things at all times, as only God can do, and that he is bearing all things toward their appointed end. Jesus is in ultimate control of the existence and purpose of all things, and he exercises this control by nothing more than the words of his mouth! Now, the ESV translates this phrase, “and he upholds the universe by the word of his power,” but if you have another translation—really, any other major translation—you’ll see that they translate this phrase “and he upholds all things by the word of his power,” or something along those lines. The translators of th

If ever someone had reason to be bitter about their circumstances and the hand they had been dealt in life, it was Joseph. Rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery, and then falsely accused and imprisoned when things were finally starting to go well, he’s one of those characters who can’t seem to get a break. Even once the opportunity for restoration seems to have come, Joseph spends an extra two years in prison waiting because of the chief cupbearer’s forgetfulness. And yet, Joseph’s story is overflowing with forgiveness and grace. Joseph had suffered greatly under the wrong that his brothers had done to him. In chapter 40 he tells the cupbearer and baker, “I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.” Joseph uses the same word to describe his present circumstances that his brothers used to describe their actions against him. He sees and feels the connection between his present suffering and what his bro

In Hebrews 1:2-4, the author makes seven claims about Jesus that when taken together greatly exalt his glory. The fourth claim the author makes is that he is the exact imprint of the nature of God. The word for “exact imprint,” character in Greek, referred to “an engraver or an engraving tool or a stamp” of some sort. It was sometimes used of the image of a ruler that was stamped on the currency of his kingdom, which is what I think the author has in mind here. The idea is that God has put the flawless imprint of his being on the currency of his Kingdom, but in this case the currency is not a medium of exchange like money, but the being of his Son. And this imprint is made up of everything God is, in other words, it’s made up of his very nature. It’s made up of his very being. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, perfectly represents the essence of the being of God, and in this way he perfectly displays the glory of God for all to see. This is why Jesus said to Philip in John 14