The Glory of Christ: Salvation Through the Cross

 

Summary

In the epistle to the Hebrews, the author introduces the profound theme of the glory and preeminence of Jesus Christ, emphasizing His unique role as the Savior and the only way to God. This message was particularly directed at Hebrew Christians who were struggling with persecution and doubt, tempted to revert to their old religious ways. The author highlights the singular event of Christ's death on the cross as the pivotal moment in His earthly life, underscoring its significance over His teachings or miracles. This focus on the crucifixion is because it is through His death that Christ was exalted to sit at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and it is the key event that makes salvation possible.

The sermon delves into the strangeness and wonder of the cross, where the paradox of Christ's extreme poverty and weakness contrasts with His divine nature and power. Despite His apparent helplessness, He is the heir of all things, the creator, and sustainer of the universe. The cross is not merely an announcement of God's love but an action where Christ purged our sins, making forgiveness possible. This act was not an afterthought or a mere proclamation; it was a necessary event for the reconciliation of humanity with God.

The completeness of Christ's work on the cross is emphasized, as it was a once-and-for-all action that does not need repetition. Unlike the high priests of the Old Testament, who never sat down because their work was never finished, Christ sat down at the right hand of God, signifying the completion of His redemptive work. This act assures believers of eternal safety and the impossibility of separation from God's love.

The sermon concludes with a call to repentance and faith in Christ, urging listeners to hear God's message from the cross. It is a reminder of the depth of sin and the necessity of Christ's sacrifice as the only means of salvation. The invitation is clear: believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who purged our sins, and be reconciled to God.

Key Takeaways:

- The preeminence of Christ is central to the Christian faith, emphasizing that He is greater than all prophets, angels, and religious figures. His unique role as the Savior is highlighted by His death on the cross, which is the pivotal event in His earthly life. [02:27]

- The cross is a paradox of weakness and divine power, where Christ, in His apparent helplessness, is the creator and sustainer of the universe. This strangeness underscores the profound mystery and significance of His sacrifice. [16:24]

- Christ's death on the cross was not merely an announcement of God's love but an action that purged our sins, making forgiveness possible. This act was necessary for reconciliation with God and was not an afterthought or mere proclamation. [10:26]

- The completeness of Christ's work on the cross is emphasized by His sitting at the right hand of God, signifying the finished nature of His redemptive work. This assures believers of eternal safety and the impossibility of separation from God's love. [32:17]

- The call to repentance and faith in Christ is urgent, as His sacrifice is the only means of salvation. Believers are urged to hear God's message from the cross, recognizing the depth of sin and the necessity of Christ's sacrifice. [44:05]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Introduction to Hebrews
- [01:05] - The Glory of Christ
- [02:27] - Preeminence of Christ
- [04:00] - Focus on the Cross
- [05:19] - Significance of the Cross
- [06:38] - Purpose of Christ's Coming
- [08:18] - Misunderstandings of the Cross
- [10:07] - Action on the Cross
- [12:07] - Strangeness of the Cross
- [16:24] - Paradox of Weakness and Power
- [21:57] - Nature of the Work on the Cross
- [26:17] - Christ's Self-Sacrifice
- [32:17] - Completeness of Christ's Work
- [36:31] - Depth of Sin and Salvation
- [40:02] - Call to Repentance and Faith

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Hebrews 1:1-3

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Observation Questions:

1. What does the author of Hebrews emphasize about Jesus' role and position after His crucifixion? ([01:05])
2. How does the sermon describe the paradox of Christ's apparent weakness on the cross and His divine power? ([16:24])
3. What is the significance of Christ sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high, according to the sermon? ([32:17])
4. How does the sermon explain the necessity of Christ's death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins? ([10:26])

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Interpretation Questions:

1. Why does the sermon focus solely on the crucifixion of Christ as the pivotal event in His earthly life, rather than His teachings or miracles? ([04:00])
2. How does the sermon explain the concept of Christ purging our sins by Himself, and why is this significant? ([26:17])
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the cross is both a demonstration of God's love and a necessary action for salvation? ([10:26])
4. How does the sermon address the completeness of Christ's work on the cross, and what assurance does this provide to believers? ([32:17])

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Application Questions:

1. The sermon calls for repentance and faith in Christ. How can you personally respond to this call in your daily life? ([44:05])
2. Reflect on the paradox of Christ's weakness and divine power on the cross. How does this understanding impact your view of strength and weakness in your own life? ([16:24])
3. The sermon emphasizes the completeness of Christ's work on the cross. How does this assurance of eternal safety influence your relationship with God? ([32:17])
4. Consider the depth of sin as described in the sermon. How does this understanding affect your approach to sin and forgiveness in your life? ([36:31])
5. The sermon highlights the necessity of Christ's sacrifice for reconciliation with God. How can you live out this reconciliation in your interactions with others? ([10:26])
6. How can you actively listen to God's message from the cross in your daily routine, and what changes might this prompt in your life? ([40:49])
7. The sermon urges believers to recognize the preeminence of Christ. How can you prioritize Christ's role in your life above other influences or distractions? ([02:27])

Devotional

Day 1: The Preeminence of Christ in All Things
Christ's preeminence is central to the Christian faith, emphasizing His superiority over all prophets, angels, and religious figures. His unique role as the Savior is highlighted by His death on the cross, which is the pivotal event in His earthly life. This event is not just a historical occurrence but a divine intervention that underscores His supremacy and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. The cross is the ultimate demonstration of His authority and love, calling believers to recognize His unparalleled position in the universe. [02:27]

Hebrews 1:3-4 (ESV): "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs."

Reflection: In what ways can you acknowledge Christ's preeminence in your daily decisions and interactions today?


Day 2: The Paradox of the Cross
The cross presents a profound paradox of weakness and divine power, where Christ, in His apparent helplessness, is the creator and sustainer of the universe. This strangeness underscores the mystery and significance of His sacrifice. Despite His vulnerability, He embodies divine strength and authority, challenging believers to see beyond the surface and understand the deeper spiritual truths. The cross invites us to embrace the paradox of strength in weakness and to trust in God's power even in our own moments of vulnerability. [16:24]

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (ESV): "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

Reflection: How can you find strength in your weaknesses today, trusting in God's power to work through them?


Day 3: The Necessity of Christ's Sacrifice
Christ's death on the cross was not merely an announcement of God's love but an action that purged our sins, making forgiveness possible. This act was necessary for reconciliation with God and was not an afterthought or mere proclamation. It was a deliberate and essential part of God's plan to restore humanity to Himself. The cross is a reminder of the depth of our sin and the lengths to which God went to offer us redemption. It calls us to respond with gratitude and a commitment to live in the light of His sacrifice. [10:26]

Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV): "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

Reflection: What specific sin or burden do you need to bring to the cross today, trusting in Christ's complete forgiveness?


Day 4: The Completeness of Christ's Work
The completeness of Christ's work on the cross is emphasized by His sitting at the right hand of God, signifying the finished nature of His redemptive work. This act assures believers of eternal safety and the impossibility of separation from God's love. Unlike the high priests of the Old Testament, whose work was never finished, Christ's sacrifice was once and for all. This assurance invites believers to rest in the security of His completed work and to live with confidence in His eternal promises. [32:17]

Hebrews 10:12-14 (ESV): "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."

Reflection: How can you live today with the assurance that Christ's work is complete and that you are secure in His love?


Day 5: The Urgency of Repentance and Faith
The call to repentance and faith in Christ is urgent, as His sacrifice is the only means of salvation. Believers are urged to hear God's message from the cross, recognizing the depth of sin and the necessity of Christ's sacrifice. This call is not just a one-time decision but a daily commitment to turn away from sin and to trust in Christ's redemptive work. It is an invitation to experience the fullness of life that comes from being reconciled to God and to share this message of hope with others. [44:05]

Acts 3:19-20 (ESV): "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to repent and turn back to God today, trusting in His promise of refreshment and renewal?

Quotes



The author of this epistle in these three verses is introducing what is to be the great theme of the entire epistle and that is the glory and the preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was writing to Hebrew Christians, people who had been brought up in the Jewish religion but who having heard the Christian Gospel had preached it, had believed it, and had become members of the Christian church. [00:13:56]

He describes IM Muse as the Eternal Son of God in all his glory he describes how he returned to the glory having descended to the Earth and having done certain things how he went back and took his seat at the right hand of God again in the glory from which he had come but I say what strikes us and hits us immediately is that he only mentions one thing of all that happened during the time that our blessed Lord was here on Earth In the Flesh and as a man and that is his death. [00:03:27]

He left the Everlasting glory and took unto him human nature for one great reason it wasn't merely to give us certain ethical teaching it wasn't merely to give us an examp Temple as to how we are to live all that is involved thank God for it but that isn't why he came he left the glory in order to die here it is you see in the very introduction he then puts it again still more clearly perhaps in the second chapter in verse 9 listen we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. [00:06:41]

What was happening on the cross on calvary's Hill was not just an announcement what was happening there was that God in Christ was doing something Christ was doing something which makes forgiveness of sins possible he is not merely announcing that God does forgive sins and forgive everybody now what he's saying is after he had by himself purged our sins there was an action taking place it's not just an announcement not just a proclamation it was an event and a crucial event. [00:10:16]

The strangeness of the work that was accomplished on the cross the strangeness of this work and this man puts it before us in a most extraordinary manner did you notice the contrasts that are involved in his statements what happened on the cross on calvary's Hill is the most extraordinary the most amazing the most astounding thing that has ever happened have you seen The Wonder of the Cross have you seen the Marvel and the amazement of it all. [00:12:30]

He is the one by whom God made the worlds he is the one who is also upholding all things by the word of his power now I do ask you my dear friends look at this cross look at the Paradox look at the amazing contradictions look at the things that meet together the utter weakness the absolute helplessness but he is the one through whom the whole world has been made it was by him that God made the worlds gather together the things out of which the world was to be made and put them in their right order. [00:16:19]

He takes your sins and mine upon himself as the Apostle Peter puts it who his own self bear our sins in his own body body on the tree not by an agent not by a substitute by himself he takes them upon himself God lays them upon him in his own body with his own shed blood he purges our sins himself our sins were laid upon him and he received the punishment that was due to you and to me that is why he groaned in spirit at the grave of Lazarus. [00:28:15]

He is not merely announcing isai that God is love and that he forgive us no no he's making it possible for God's love to forgive he's satisfying the righteousness of God he's making a way of Salvation that is the nature of the strange work that takes place on the cross on calvary's hill but let me go on to emphasize the completeness of the work that he did and this in itself again is a wonderful theme when he had by himself purged our sins. [00:30:23]

The air is tense is a tense which conveys the the notion of something that was done once and forever a completed action an action that never needs to be repeated again and never will be once and forever having purged he's done it he's finished it there is nothing more that ever needs to be done it never needs to be supplemented but not only are we told that by the use of the aist tense we've got this further extraordinary expression when he had by himself purged our sins he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. [00:31:23]

He cried upon the cross it is finished every demand of the law has been satisfied positively and negatively nothing more needs to be done he has obtained Eternal Redemption for us the work he did he did once and for all and forever he never dies again you don't add to it you don't supplement it you don't repeat it he died once and forever having purged it's been done is done the great transactions done there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. [00:34:32]

The depth of the terrible problem of sin sin is such that this had to take place before it could be forgiven sin is not a slight or a superficial problem sin is rebellion against God the wages of sin is death sin is horrible in the sight of God here it is exposed by this act on calvary's hill but secondly isn't it obvious also that this is the only way whereby we ever can be forgiven our Salvation is ever possible. [00:36:37]

God is still speaking have you heard him let us join in singing our closing hymn which is hymn number 176 we are singing the second part of the hymn only hymn number 176 part two begin beginning at verse 7 join all the Glorious names of wisdom love and Power himym number 176. [00:44:36]

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Transcript
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