12.24.17~God’s Final Message Proclaimed

12.24.17 ~ Hebrews 1:1-3, “God’s Final Message Proclaimed!”

Christmas celebrates God’s greatest Gift to the world, but God’s gift (Jesus Christ) was not fully understood or appreciated until He died on the Cross, as payment for our sins, was buried in a tomb and three days later He sovereignly rose from the grave.

About 2700 years ago, two of God’s prophets (Isaiah and Micah) wrote about the future birth of a male child, to a virgin, in Bethlehem, in Judea; this child would be called Immanuel, for He was God in human flesh; He would be given the name Jesus, because He would save us from our sins.
Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me One who will be Ruler over Israel, Whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Isaiah 7:14, “The Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel [God with us].”
Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, the government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 53:4-7, “Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.”
Isaiah 53:11-12 After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied... because He poured out His life unto death... He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors [sinners].”
Read Hebrews 1:1-3... God repeatedly announced to the world the coming of His Son (Hebrews 1:1), “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,” i.e., God used different people, languages, places, events, ceremonies, and covenants to present His plan, purpose and provision through His Son, Jesus, the Christ, Lord and Savior.

Hebrews 1:2a says, “in these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son.” God has fully revealed all we need to know and do, in response to His greatest gift, His Own Son (no more signs, cf. Matthew 12:38-40).

Jesus’ birth happened just as God announced through the prophets, everything being made ready for the advent of God’s Son, at just the right time (Galatians 4:4-5), “when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”

Politically – Rome as the world Ruler, had provided good roads and a time of relative peace, allowing safe travel throughout its territories. The message of Christ could now be taken to the rest of the world.

Culturally – The world's people were more educated and unified then at any other time in history, and Koine Greek (the basic dialect of the Roman Empire) was common in most of the world at that time; it also happened to be the language that the New Testament would be written in.

Spiritually – The world was more accepting of different religious beliefs, philosophies and practices; and the Jews had a renewed interest in the OT Scriptures that pointed to Immanuel, the Savior who would come to us in human flesh.

Israel had long waited for its Messiah; repeatedly God had announced His coming, giving special details about His arrival, and then delivering Him just as He had said it would happen (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2).

Last week, in Luke 2, we read how only a small group of shepherds came to look upon and worship the Savior.

Jesus was raised in obscurity, but Luke 2:52 tells us, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 3:22 records that when Jesus was baptized at he Jordan River by John, God declared from heaven, “You are My Son, whom I love, with You I am well pleased.”

Soon afterwards, Jesus began His mission, and was rejected in His own hometown (see Luke 4:16-22, cf. Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:28-30)

Hebrews 1:2b, says God appointed His Son to be “heir of all things,” and through Him the universe was made, for Jesus, is both Lord and Creator of all. Colossians 1:16, “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.”

In Revelation 5, God is pictured sitting on His throne in heaven, with a scroll in His hand, the deed to the earth, the heavens, and all they contain, but it seems no one has the authority to take the scroll and open it, but then we read:
vv. 5-7, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne... He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” At that point a new song is sung in heaven (v. 9) "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Jesus came (Colossians 1:20), “to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” God’s plan was to provide forgiveness for sins through the shed blood of His Son (cf. Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1).

Hebrews 1:3a... Christ is “the radiance of God’s glory” (lit. “brightness”) meaning Jesus is the Light of God, sent to mankind. “Light” is the revelation that brings “Life from God” to all who are being saved.
1John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”

Revelation 21:22-23 tells us that in the future, the Lamb of God will light the universe, there will be no need for sun or moon or stars, and there will be no more darkness, no more night, nothing offensive to God.
Hebrews 1:3b... Christ is “the exact representation [icon or imprint] of God,” (cf. Colossians 1:15), “He is the image [exact representation] of the invisible

God,” (Colossians 2:9), “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

Jesus is the express image of God [Immanuel-God with us] and without Him we could not be exposed to nor could we recognize God’s light.
John 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” 4-5, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood [overcome or comprehended] it.”

John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Hebrews 1:3c... God’s Son is “sustaining [upholding or maintaining] all things by His powerful word,” by which, He created the heavens and all that is in them, which includes the earth upon which we live, which just happens to be placed the right distance from the moon and the sun (so that we don’t freeze solid or burn up), the earth’s tilt of precisely 23.5 degrees allows its whole surface to receive the suns rays, as the earth rotates at 1,000 mph, making one complete revolution every 24 hours; and at the same time it is traveling 67,000 mph, as it makes a full orbit around the sun every 365 days.

All this happened by coincidence, evolution, or some other random circumstance. Right!

Thank God for the provision of His Son (Colossians 1:17), “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Hebrews 1:3d... “God’s Son provided purification for sins then He sat down at the right hand of the Father.” Wow! Jesus Christ fulfilled His sovereign work by taking the punishment for our sins, upon Himself. He did this (Hebrews 9:12), “once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Jesus was born in a stable and raised in obscurity; He fed and healed the multitudes, was put to death on a cross, and on the third day He rose from the grave, after which He showed Himself to His followers over a period of 40 days, then He ascended back into heaven, to the highest place of honor, having (Hebrews 10:12) “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”

700 years after Isaiah and Micah foretold it, a young woman, named Mary, said to be a virgin, gave birth to a boy in Bethlehem, in Judea, just like Isaiah and Micah had said: the baby was named Jesus (God’s Salvation), and was called Immanuel (God with us); He was the fullness of God in human flesh for the purpose of being the Savior to all who would believe in Him.

The full and final message from God is Jesus, God’s indescribable Gift: Christ is the LORD of Lords, the KING of Kings, Creator, Sustainer, Judge over all, and Savior to everyone who genuinely believes and trusts in Him.

God’s plan was to provide forgiveness for sins through the shed blood of His own Son, to all those who repent of sin and confess Him as Lord, that we might live with Him in heaven, forever to be in the presence of the Lamb of God, the One born for the purpose of dying for our sins, the very Life and Light of God, Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:8, “'I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” 17-18, ”I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
1John 5:11-13, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may
know that you have eternal life.”

If you have believed in and received Jesus as Lord, you are able to celebrate Christmas; if you have never repented of your sins, confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in Him as Savior, why haven’t you? I mean, really? What do you have to lose?

Is there any good reason not to believe in God’s Son for salvation? Why not do that right now? Simply acknowledge that you are a sinner, ask God to forgive your sins. He turns no one away!

The reason for the season is Jesus, please, don’t reject God’s Marvelous Gift!

Christmas is in recognition and worship of God’s magnificent, indescribable, irrevocable, supernatural, and eternal Gift: Jesus Christ, the Lord of all and Savior to everyone who genuinely believes.

It is because of Jesus that we celebrate Christmas! And so, it is my great joy to wish all of you a Merry Christmas!

Pastor Mike <‘(((><