Jesus: The Express Image of God-Vogel
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Text: Hebrews 1:1–4 (NASB95) God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
We live in a day of great confusion. People are:
Confused about whether they have a right to know how and with what curriculum their children are being educated and whether they can ask about these things at a school board meeting without being put on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list.
Confused about why food, gasoline, electric and other utilities, just about everything — is so expensive and getting more expensive all the time.
So, understandably, they are confused about who to vote for on November 8.
Many are confused about when life begins, whether in the womb or outside of it.
They are confused about what sex they are and believe it can be contrary to their birth sex.
Confused about whether or not the Bible is dependable.
And it seems many people are confused about who Jesus is.
According to a 2022 Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research survey:
There has been a significant increase in supposedly, Bible-believing evangelicals who deny Jesus’ divinity.
Such a belief is contrary to Scripture, which affirms from beginning to end that Jesus is indeed God (John 1:1; 8:58; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:1-4).
When asked to agree or disagree with the statement: Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.
U.S. Evangelical Finding:
2020: 30% agree
2022: 43% agree
People are confused because they are not reading the Bible.
If they read the NT they would know Jesus is so much more than a good teacher.
They would know how Jesus fulfilled over 300 OT prophecies when He came the first time.
They would know He lived a sinless life.
That He died, NOT for His own sins or transgressions, but for ours.
That Jesus didn’t stay in the grave, but rose again on the 3rd day.
40 days later He ascended to the Father’s right-hand where He ever livess to make intercession for us.
People are confused because they don’t really have an experience with Jesus.
If you really know Him how could you doubt He is God.
The passage I just read makes the divinity of Jesus really clear. It tells us:
God is no longer commissioning and speaking through Old Testament prophets, God speaks to us through His Son, Jesus.
That Son is the One who made everything and when everything is said and done it will belong to the Him.
The Son, Jesus, is the “radiance of the Father’s glory.”
He is the exact representation of the Father’s nature.
Like Father, like Son — precisely, perfectly, exactly.
In John 14:8–9 (NASB95) Philip [one of Jesus’ disciples] said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; …
Jesus said in John 10:30 (NASB95) “I and the Father are one.”
Like the Father, Jesus is fully God.
Our Bible passage goes on to say that right now, everything that exists, continues to exist ONLY because Jesus maintains and sustains its existence.
This passage tells us that Jesus has “made purification for our sins.”
In other words: Jesus died for our sins so that we would not have to face the righteous judgment our sin deserve.
Finally, our passage leaves no doubt of the divinity of Jesus when it tells us that Jesus has sat down at the right hand of God.
When Jesus walked on this planet, He expressed the Father completely in speaking forth His excellent wisdom,
Matthew 13:54 (NASB95) [Jesus] came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?
When Jesus walked among people He was the perfect representation of the Father’s will:
John 4:34 (NASB95) Jesus said to [His disciples], “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.
When Jesus was on earth everything He did or said revealed the Father’s exquisite worthiness.
Christ fully expresses the goodness of God’s nature,
He faithfully exhibits the grace of God’s nobility and finally, He explains the glory of God’s name.
So then because of His absolute and abiding likeness, in loveliness there is no difference, and in loving kindness there is no divergence in form (Philippians 2:6).
Thus, Jesus is the visible expression of God’s invisible being.
We get a perfect picture of God when we look at Christ (John 1:18).
In other words, Jesus explains God;
He came to the world and portrayed God to people by his words and actions.
No one can know God apart from Christ because we know God by knowing Christ.
God reveals himself through Jesus
So, have you, as we sang about, trusted in Jesus?
Is He your friend?
If not, before leave here this morning, you can repent of your sins and surrender your life to Him.
The Bible tells us in Ecc that:
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT) … God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, …
There is a God-shaped place in our lives that ONLY God can fill.
That place is shaped exactly like Jesus.
No other piece will fit.
Not money, sex, power, fame, possessions.
Not Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, or any other false religion.
Only Jesus.
Do you have Him in your life?
Think about it as we sing a final song: What a Friend We Have In Jesus.