398-1 – WHAT’S NEEDED FOR THE NEW YEAR
January 1, 1978
Henry F. Kulp
Hebrews 1: 1 - 5 God, who in sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by 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 world of his power, when he had be himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
As we start the New Year, what is necessary? What does the New Year hold for you and for me? I am sure it will hold some joy, some pains and disappointment, some discouragement. But I am sure you recognize if you are a child of God that what this year holds for you will depend upon your mental attitude in everyday life. I am sure you remember, Proverbs 23: 7 For as he thinkers in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. Here He tells us, as he thinketh in his heart so is he. What would be good mental hygiene for the coming year? I believe it is presented right here in the first part of the book of Hebrews.
1/ What is the one thing that will help you more than anything else in the coming year? What mental attitude can change your life about? It is your occupation—mental occupation with Jesus Christ.
2/ As you read this early part of Hebrews, you see the superiority of the Son of God and the seven glories of His Person. The author of the book of Hebrews has purposely chosen to remain anonymous so that no man may be seen save Jesus Christ only. He presents Him in a unique way, and he reveals many deep truths relative to the Person of Jesus Christ.
3/ The Epistle begins with the highest and greatest subject in the universe—God, It is The God—so it means the only God.
4/ There are various ways in which He revealed Himself in the Old Testament—through dreams, visions, direct communications and different types of ceremonies. Then it tells us that God spoke unto the fathers by the means of the prophets. All the writers from Moses right on through Malachi. But now He says, He has spoken to us through His Son. God has spoken to us, not just by mere human agencies, but in the Person of His Son. Now, in other words, instead of sending a messenger to man, has made known His will by sending His Son, who is God in the form of man to man.
5/ Now let us look at the first glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1: 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
HEIR OF ALL THINGS. It is AORIST TENSE in the Greek meaning ONCE AND FOR ALL APPOINTED. This, of course, speaks of Him as a man. For it is as a man He will rule the whole universe. Psalms 2: 7, 8 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Here we read, I will declare the decree – that is the appointment – Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the Heaven for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession,
And, of course, these verses will be fulfilled when He sits upon the throne of His Father, David in the city of Jerusalem. How rich will our Lord Be? The blessed Lord when He was upon the cross of Calvary had nothing. Before that, He had not where to lay His head. Even His very garments were taken from Him. He was buried in a grave which belonged not to Him, or to His family. On earth He was poor—none so absolutely poor as He – II Corinthians 8: 9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
But this is only speaking of the program with Israel. Let us go and see the mystery of God’s will. Ephesians 1: 9 - 11 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
This is where all things in Heaven and earth will be gathered together in One, that is, in Jesus Christ.
6/ BLUEPRINTER OF THE AGES – Hebrews 1: 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; —by whom He made the world. He is not referring to the universe or the galaxies about us, but to the dispensations, or the ages designed by God. It is true that Jesus Christ created the universe, and we see that elsewhere in the Bible, but here He is the one who has blueprinted the ages. In other words, He is the Author of history.
7/ There is a purpose for everything that happens. There is a reason for our existence. This is why Romans 8: 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
This verse means so much to us. All things work together for good to those who love God, because God has a purpose, and that purpose is being worked out right now. Man looks at the confusion of things about him, and he cannot make head or tails out of it, but one who is in Jesus Christ knows there is purpose behind everything.
8/ Hebrews 1: 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the world of his power, when he had be himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
The effulgence of God. He is a flood of glory. For the word, brightness, means effulgence, or shining forth. Jesus Christ is the shining forth of God. Notice, Revelation 18: 1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Here we see an angel come down from Heaven having great power and the earth was lightened with his glory. And an angel’s glory cannot be compared with the brightness of glory of Jesus Christ.
9/ Let’s leave Hebrews for a bit and go to Paul. Romans 8: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. We are in Christ, so we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3: 20, 21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
We shall share in that effulgence of glory that Jesus Christ has when we receive our resurrected bodies.
10/ THE REVEALER OF GOD – Hebrews 1: 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 on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
The expressed image of His {God’s} Person. The word, express, in the Greek is literally EXACT. Because He is the exact image of God, He is the revealer of God. What we know about the Father, we know from Christ. God is said to be love, and in the Person of Jesus Christ we have the manifestation of love.
11/ THE SUSTAINER OF THE UNIVERSE – Hebrews 1: 3 …and upholding, sustaining all things by the word of His power.
Omnipotence, here is an amazing thing. Not only is He the revealer of God, but in this same verse, He declares He is the sustainer of the universe. This poses quite a problem. If you know much about the universe, you are aware that numerous galaxies, hundreds of thousands of solar bodies, the planets and stars exist, and you realize there are literally billions of them, spaced millions of light years apart—all moving at a rapid rate of speed. Then you are cognizant of the tremendous traffic problem in space. What keeps them from colliding? What keeps the universe from utter chaos? It is Jesus Christ.
12/ THE REDEEMER OF MANKIND
Hebrews 1: 3 WHEN HE BY HIMSELF PURGED OUR SINS.
Here is the most marvelous and astounding of all seven glories. How is it that the one who created the universe, the one who was the revealer of God, the one who is the sustainer of the universe, this one, would come to earth and take upon Himself the form of inferior man, became a slave to man, and then became our redeemer, because He loved you and me.
13/ THE GLORIFIED HUMANITY OF CHRIST
Hebrews 1: 3 HE SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF MAJESTY ON HIGH.
When Jesus Christ sat down, He was not sitting down as God. It is true that Jesus Christ is God, and that God is omnipresent, therefore always in the presence of the Father, He has eternal fellowship with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. But when He sat down in the throne room, He had just come from earth where He had provided our salvation, and so this speaks of the humanity of Christ, sitting down.
14/ Isaiah 59: 16 And he saw that there was no man, a wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Here the writer says he saw that there was no man, no intercessor. But now the Man, Christ Jesus is there. A Man—in the presence of God.
I Timothy 2: 5. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
15/ Notice, Hebrews 1: 13 But to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
When the Father said, Sit down, to Jesus Christ, He was not speaking to His deity, but to His humanity. Deity is omnipresent and neither sits or stands, as Jesus Christ was told to do. It was the first time in the history of the universe that man was ever told to sit in the presence of the Holy, Just and Righteous God.
Do you see the significance of this dramatic moment? To recognize how important it was that the Father said, Sit thou at my right hand. This is a complete acceptance. He is saying, I am satisfied with this Man.
16/ THE SUPERIORITY OF CHRIST – Hebrews 1: 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Now we start with the superiority of Jesus Christ – The angelic creation is used as the norm, as a standard. For they are the highest of all God’s created beings, God is superior to angels. Man was created vastly inferior, and when Jesus Christ became a man, He was inferior as a man to angels, but through His death, burial and resurrection and ascension, in His glorified body, He is superior to the angels, when the Father said, Sit thou on my right hand.
17/ This makes Ephesians 2: 6 is a glorious Scripture. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
We are seated in Christ Jesus right now. You will notice that Hebrews says nothing about this, because this fact is a Pauline truth.
18/ SUPERIOR IN HIS RELATIONSHIP Hebrews 1: 5 For unto which of the angles said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee?
This is a quotation from Psalm 2: 7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. This took place at the time of the resurrection.
19/ SUPERIOR IN HIS SECOND ADVENT – Hebrews 1: 6 And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, A let all the angels of God worship him.
WHEN HE BRINGETH IN - this refers to the Second Coming of Christ. It is quoting Psalm 97: 7 which refers to Second Coming of Christ, and the Greek word indicates someone brought back into something.
When Christ is brought back into the world at the Second Coming, then the angels will worship Him.
20/ SUPERIOR IN HIS MINISTRY – Hebrews 1: 7, 8 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers of a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.
Angels are the servants of God as indicated by the word, ministers. As servants of God they are also used to administer judgement, but vs. 8 introduces a contrast between Christ as a Sovereign and the angels as servants. Jesus Christ by becoming the servant of Jehovah actually became superior to the servants in the angelic realm. Angels are servants, but Christ has a throne. Then notice, He is addressed as Deity. Jesus Christ is God. Christ will rule forever, while elect angels serve forever.
21/ Angels were created superior to us, but in eternity future, believers in Jesus Christ will be ministers, missionaries to the angels in Heavenly places, and we will show and tell them of the glorious grace of God.
22/ SUPERIOR AS CREATOR Hebrews 1: 10, 11 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning haste laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
All you see, as well as that you can’t see, came into existence by the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Creator, yet those same hands that were nailed to Calvary’s cross are the same hands that brought this world, this universe into being. How could the hands that created the universe be nailed to the cross for me? Again, because He loved us.
23/ Then notice in vs. 11 They shall perish, but Thou remaineth,
After the millennial reign of Christ, the heavens in their present form will be destroyed and so will the earth and all the planets and stars. As clothes wear out, so shall creation, but not so with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 90: 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Thou art from everlasting to everlasting.
So you see that Jesus Christ is Superior in every way.
AMEN
Ref: 01/01/1978 / 398 - 1 - WHAT’S NEEDED FOR THE NEW YEAR / 2020
