The Number One Issue In The World Part 1
What is the number one issue in the world today? Is it abortion, safe sex, homosexuality, or AIDS? Is it terrorism, ISIS or war? I submit the number one issue in the world is what we are going to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped off an aluminum ladder and planted his feet on the lunar surface of the moon. The President of the United States then addressed the nation and said, “The greatest event in human history occurred when man first put his foot on the moon.” I contend, however, that the greatest event in human history was when God put His foot on the earth. He stepped out of heaven, into the womb of a Jewish virgin, and Jesus was born in a manger.
Some have described Jesus as a great humanitarian, the highest form of life, a teacher, a prophet, a lunatic, a myth, and a legend. Someone said that Jesus Christ came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became the Son of Man that we might become sons of God.
He was born contrary to the laws of nature. He lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which He was born, and that was in His childhood. In infancy He startled the king, in boyhood He puzzled the learned doctors, and in manhood He ruled the course of nature. He walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services.
He never wrote a book, yet all the libraries of the world cannot contain the books written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He furnished the theme for more songs than all the song writers put together. He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast as many students as He. He never practiced medicine, yet he has healed more broken hearts and bodies than all the doctors combined. Jesus is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the Lion and Lamb of zoology, the Harmonizer of all discords, and the Healer of all diseases.
Throughout history, great men have come and gone—yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him. Satan could not seduce Him. Death could not destroy Him. And the grave could not hold Him! What does the Bible say about Jesus? There are no greater verses that identify Jesus than those in Hebrews chapter 1:1-4. These verses are all encompassing regarding Jesus. Yes, I believe the
number one issue in the world is Jesus Christ–the number one issue for every person. What will we do with this Man called Jesus?
The Book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians whose faith in Christ was beginning to waver. As they thought of reverting to Judaism, the author of Hebrews comes along writing about the dangers of apostasy. He counters those dangers by showing the superiority of Jesus at the very beginning of his Book. As we stand on the brink of disaster and death in the world– on the verge of outright apostasy–how amazing it is that God’s Word always has a definitive word for difficult times.
I trust you will understand with me how great, how awesome, how mighty, how superior Jesus is. The writer of Hebrews addresses the superiority of Jesus in a three-‐fold dimensional truth about who Jesus is today. The first truth about the identity of Jesus is that Jesus is God communicating.
JESUS IS GOD COMMUNICATING
A) Jesus is the Past Communication – Throughout human history, God has been speaking to the world so we might know who God is and what He expects of us. We read in the beginning of verse one that Jesus is the final, full communication of God. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers by the prophets, in these last days has spoken to us through His Son.” Jesus is both the past and present revelation of God. In the past, God spoke through various methods to His people. The author of Hebrews has in mind the Old Testament books containing visions, parables, types, symbols, narratives, poetry, prophecy, the law, and other ways the prophets used to communicate God’s message to Israel.
A) Jesus is the Present Communication – Not only is Jesus the past revelation, but He is also the present revelation of God. Verse two of our text says the last days are divided into two major periods: world history to the coming of the Messiah, these days; and the age to come, the age of the Messiah. You see, my friend, the transitional period between the two would be the end of these days. The author of Hebrews believed he was standing at the turning point of the ages—the Messiah he says has come.
B) Jesus is the Final Communication – Jesus brings continuity and discontinuity to us. He continues what the Old Testament prophets wrote about Him, but discontinues the Old Testament covenant and inaugurates a new one for us today. One last time, God speaks to mankind. When God said, “Jesus” He said it all. The past prepared the way for the most important communication of all—the revelation of Jesus Christ.
What is a word? It is outward verbal expression of an inward invisible thought. We cannot see a person’s thoughts, but can only know a his thoughts by reading or hearing his thoughts through words. The Bible states that Jesus is “The Word of God.” (John 1:1) Jesus is the outward, verbal expression of the thoughts of an invisible God. God’s final communication to us is through Jesus. Even though no man has ever seen God, they have seen the words and thoughts of God in the life of Jesus. He is the Word. He is the outward expression of the inward thoughts of a Holy Triune God.
C) Jesus is the Full Communicaion -‐ Not only is He the final communication, but He is the full communication of God. In verse three we read, “And He in the radiance of His glory, and the exact representation of His nature.” Jesus is the Radiance of the Glory of God – Radiance here means light that shines from a luminous body. Christ is to the Father what the rays of the sun are to the sun. We can only see the sun’s rays. We cannot directly look at the sun because it would blind us. We cannot look at God, but we have seen Jesus, the Light shining from God. We can see the glory of God only through Jesus Christ. You find this in John 1:14.
Jesus is the Exact Representation of the Nature of God -The term for exact representation was used when an engraver would make an exact imprint of an emperor on a coin. Jesus is the exact reproduction of God. If you have seen Jesus, you have seen God. If you have heard from Jesus, you have heard from God. He is the portrait of God. If you want to know the character of God, then you look at Jesus.
Think with me about light and darkness. We remove darkness from a room by turning on the light. Understand that darkness never overcomes the light—light always overcomes darkness. Light is a phenomenal force and it is never defiled. It can fall on the most disease-‐ridden object and will still be pure and undefiled. Jesus is like the light, and He is sinless. He is perfect and was never defiled.
Not only is light always pure, but light is always constant. It never changes, and Jesus never changes. Light always overcomes the darkness; Jesus always overcomes evil. Satan and his darkened kingdom never overcome Jesus and His holy Kingdom.
Let me tell you something else about light. It travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second— equivalent to seven and one half times around the world in a second. It travels from the moon to the earth in one and a half seconds. Light travels from the sun to the earth in 8.3 minutes. The next time you are outside in the sun, realize that the light you see is 8.3 minutes old.
Albert Einstein discovered the law of relativity. He did not make the law, he only discovered it. He said, and scientists still confirm it to this day, that everything in the universe is changing except light. Therefore, everything is relative to light. Here is the essence of the law of relativity. When two cars pass, both going 50 mph each, the relative speed at the point where they pass is 100 mph. If you are driving 50 mph, and another car passes you going 60 mph, the relative speed between your car and the other car is 10 mph.
However, if you could saddle a beam of light and make your way into the universe, you would be traveling 186,000 miles per second. If you were to meet another light beam coming toward you—let’s say your closest friend was riding one-‐-‐when you meet the speed would not be doubled. It would not be changed at all. What changes at that point is not speed, but time.
You see, if you could go the speed of light, time would stop. If you could enter into the full essence of light, time would be no more.
Jesus is the Light. He is the Light of the Heavenly Jerusalem. One day you and I will enter into that Light and time will stop for us. Time will cease and life will be constant for us. That’s why the Bible is telling us that Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God. We have seen the Light of the Father found in the personhood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you want to know why this world is in darkness? It is because people have refused the light. They cannot tell the difference between right and wrong because they are living in darkness and cannot see. Jesus is the number one issue because Jesus is God communicating with us.
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