The Same Jesus, Yesterday, Today, and Forever

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Kevin DeYoung: Thank you, Julius grateful for your leadership here. And I think Dr. Carson is somewhere in grateful for his leadership before as well. My task this afternoon assigned to me is threefold. One, to speak on Hebrews one and two, to speak on the theme of Christ and revelation. And three, to speak first, at the risk of setting a bad precedent for the other speakers, and now that Julius is not right next to me, I’ll let you know I’ve chosen to fulfill only two of those three requests. I am speaking first, which is the least desirable spots in a conference. But hey, then I get to enjoy it with the rest of you after this, and I am speaking on Christ in Revelation, I am not going to make much of an attempt to cover all of Hebrews chapter one and chapter two, I very much look forward to seeing what all the other speakers do with their robust assignments. I will reference several verses in these two chapters and other parts of Hebrews. But I want to focus on the first four verses of chapter one, because these set the theme for the rest of the book, and therefore the rest of this conference. And these four verses, in particular, focus us on this theme of Christ and revelation, that Jesus Christ is the final word. So follow along, wherever you are here in this room, or at home, around the world. As I read Hebrews, chapter one, the first four verses long ago, at many times, and in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the air of all things, through whom also He created the world. 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.

Jesus Christ is the final word. That’s the point of this passage, the point of this first plenary message, and let me state that same truth, with a little more refinement in two statements that will form the two halves of this message. So statement number one, Jesus Christ is the final word by which God has revealed His redemptive purposes in the world, a revelation to which nothing can be added. And then a second statement, Jesus Christ is the final word by which God continues to speak today. If you’re listening to both of those statements, you may have noticed that the first one emphasize the ones for all not to be repeated nature of God’s revelation in Christ, he has spoken. And the second statement emphasizes that with all of that being true, and we’ll see how it’s all true in a moment, that God nevertheless still speaks through His Son. In other words, we might say that God speaks less than you think. And God speaks today more than you think. That is to say, we should not expect to hear from God in dreams or impressions or from prophets as of the days of old. All that he has to say, has been said in the person and the work of his son, at the same time, through His Son, God now speaks a better, clearer, fuller, sure word than what has come before. So these two statements will be the two halves of this message. Statement number one again, Jesus Christ is the final word by which God has revealed His redemptive purposes in the world, a revelation to which nothing can be added. So look at these verses hope you have your Bible turned on or open in front of you. Notice in verse one into verse two, the contrast that the author There are four contrasts, first a contrast of eras. So on the one hand, we have long ago, and that is contrasted with in these last days, not that the end is necessarily coming immediately, tomorrow, but that there is no act of Salvation, no act of redemptive history left before that day arrives, Peter announced at Pentecost, that the last days had been ushered in. So we have this epoch, this new age, this new era that we have entered in not long ago. But in these last days, that’s the first contrast notice the second contrast recipients. So long ago, God spoke to whom our fathers, surely he means fathers and mothers, but he’s thinking of the patriarchs, the prophets of hold their ancestors, God’s people in a prior era, those recipients contrasted with in these last days, he has spoken to whom to us. Now we’ll see how the US also has relevance for those of us here and 2021. But first of all, let’s understand the US refers to the recipients of this letter, which was probably shortly before 70 ad, it seems as if the temple sacrifices are still ongoing, perhaps a second generation Jewish Christian audience somewhere in the Roman world, that’s the US. So there’s a contrast of eras of recipients. The third contrast is of agency. So long ago, God spoke by the prophets. So that is by the named prophets that would be familiar to us, by those who had a prophetic function like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and by extension, we could say all of the prophetic writings, the Old Testament Scriptures, God spoke by the prophets. By contrast, now he has spoken by his son, how has he spoken by his son? Well, he has spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ in that the son both reveals God as fully the God man, the incarnate Lord. And also he reveals God’s plan of salvation, the Gospel, how we can be right with God, how we can live forever. So in these last days, God has spoken by his son in the supreme act of revelatory history. And then there is a fourth contrast so eras, recipients, agency and then ways, verse one long ago at many times, and in many ways, some encouragement for any of you who have ever given a sermon or a message and been prone to alliteration as I am. In this first verse, we have five p words in the Greek, and just two of them here. Polly morose, interpreted in the ESV, or translated as many times could be many pieces, many parts, and then Polly tro posts many ways. So in that age, before God communicated to the prophets, by visions, by dreams, by a burning bush by a pillar of fire by even a donkey or by writing on the wall, many ways Polly tro posts, the contrast implied is that now in this age, he communicates in one way he communicates by his son. So in the past, you have God’s speaking by the prophets, and just the parentheses here, whatever we might make of the congregational prophets in the New Testament, and some think that that sort of prophecy continues something that it has ceased, whatever we make of that, surely we should all agree that the kind of Thus saith, the Lord, authoritative Old Testament prophet, that has ceased. That was long ago, that was a different agency, a different era, a different way. Now, in these last days, God has spoken to us in one way by his son. In this first verse and a half the author of Hebrews is building the case, which will be carried out through all 13 chapters, that the Son is the superior and final agent of God’s redemption and revelation. The sun is God’s superior and final agent of redemption and revelation. In order to prove this point, he immediately goes on to make seven affirmations about the sun drawn chiefly from Psalm two and Psalm 110, in verses two, three and four, so he says, First affirmation of the sun, He is the heir of all things, from Psalm to mission work is in part, to bring back to the Lord Jesus Christ, what is rightfully his, the inheritance of the nations they belong to Him, He is the heir of all things. Number two, the Creator of all things. Iran as the church father said that at creation, God had the Son and the Spirit as his right and left hand as it were at creation. We see in the opening verses of Genesis, the spirit hovering over the chaos, and God creating by his voice, he speaks and creation comes into being the Word and the Spirit. So he’s the creator of all things. Third affirmation, he’s the sustainer of all things, by the Word of His power, everything in this building, and wherever you are watching this, every beam, every proton, electron, every other kind of trans that are beyond my science, knowledge from high school, compounds, gravity, all of it, planets, stars, Galaxy, everything, upheld by the Word of His power in this moment, and every moment. And then fourth affirmation. He is the representation of God, verse three, the radiance of God’s glory, so not merely a reflection, as the moon to the sun, but a radiance, a manifestation of God’s glorious presence, his exact imprint, used in the ancient world of a mark or an impression the sun is the very stamp of God’s nature, the same ontological stuff to put it not technically, God in the flesh, a fifth affirmation he made purification, he took away our sin and guilt, not just as prefigured in the sacrifices, but once for all completed six affirmation. And this one may seem surprising to you, that the author even mentions it after making purification for sins he sat down was so significant that Christ sat down. You may be familiar that theologians talk about the two states of Christ refers to Christ condition under the law. One was the state of humiliation which gave way to the state of exultation and both are essential for understanding the person and work of the Lord Jesus. The state of humiliation is often described in five stages, his incarnation, suffering, death, burial, and then descent into hell. You’ve heard of that before because you probably have heard of the Apostles Creed born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died, buried, descended into hell. There you have his state of humiliation. And then the Creed goes on to describe his state of exaltation. On the third day, he rose again from the dead, He ascended into heaven, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty and high knees coming again to judge the living and the dead. His resurrection ascension, what’s called his session is being seated, and then his return. So what is the significance of Christ’s session? Presbyterians we call the board of elders a session because it is a group of men who sit and do stuff.

They are sitting as under shepherds with Christ’s authority over the church the session. We rarely think about the importance of Christ’s session in his State of exultation but it means that in being seated at the right hand, this is his enthronement Psalm 110, sit in my right hand towel and make my enemies a footstool for your feet. So it speaks of his kingly authority and also also of his priestly accomplishment. When we get to Hebrews 10. We will see the high priest stands daily at his service is offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, but when Christ offered for all time, a single sacrifice, he sat down. When do you sit down? At the end of the day, some of you never we have a bazillion children. And my wife is always busy with homework and errands and running kids to and fro and meals and cleaning and mounds and mounds and mounds of laundry. And we have learned that dessert late at night. All No, you’re not supposed to have dessert late at night. I know. But who cares? It always tastes better when the children are in bed. Whatever you have, you could be having vegetables, they taste better when the children are in bed. And so maybe some time at 1010 3011 o’clock, maybe she will sit down, you have to be careful as a parent not to sit down because you don’t get back up. When does she sit down when the work for that day is done? I’m not doing anything more.

And so Christ session is an indication that his priestly work of atonement has been completed once and for all his priestly work of intercession continues, but that sacrifice on the cross for our sins is completed it is final it is full and he sits down there for and then a seventh affirmation he has become much superior to angels given a superior title. And then verses five through 14 quote from numerous Old Testament passages to show that the Son has been given a superior place and title than angels, which leads into chapter two, verses one through four, comparing the message that was delivered by angels probably having in mind here the giving of the law, in Jewish tradition, attended by angelic proclamation and hosts if that message of the law proved to be reliable, when it was testified by angels, your argument from lesser to greater, how much more is this gospel message, which we heard from the Lord Jesus, was given to us by eyewitnesses, and was then confirmed by signs and wonders and miracles and gifts? How much more certain is this message? All other ways and means of revelation have been superseded in Christ, everything pointing to Christ, everything completed in Christ, so that there can be no further priest to atone for our sins. It’s my hope that we call pastors, elders, priestly work has been completed. We have no other king over the church saved for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we need no other prophet, like Mohammed, or like among the Mormons. When speaking of the person and work of Christ, we must stress the connection between the fullness and the finality of redemption. We get that, with the fullness and finality of Revelation, we cannot have one without the other. If redemption is complete, Revelation must be complete. If one is insufficient, the other is insufficient. Redemption, is always revelatory. Think about Exodus, returning the captives from Babylon supremely. So saving sinners on the cross. All of these are acts of redemptive history, but they don’t just redeem, they also reveal something that reveals something about sin about the character of God. So redemption is always revelatory, and the point of Revelation is ultimately to redeem that when Moses revealed truth or the prophets, or John the Baptist in his preaching or the Apostles in their inspired message. The point was never simply communication of information to transfer from one to another. But that revelation was always with the aim to redeem sinners. Redemption reveals revelation redeems. And the argument of Hebrews is that Christ is both He is God’s full and final act of redemption for sinners, and God’s full and final revelation of Himself. One cannot be complete, without the other also being complete. John frames says nothing can be added to his redemptive work, and nothing can be added to the revelation of that redemptive work. These opening verses ought to implant in us a significant deep theological truth one that should shape our lives and ministries. Do not add to or subtract from the final and full revelatory work we have in Jesus Christ.

You may hear that language, it’s covenant language. It’s in Deuteronomy. And then strikingly, it’s at the very end of Revelation. I think John had a sense that with the completion of his apocalypse, the Canon was coming to an end. And so that covenant language do not add to do not subtract from is given at the end of our Bibles, as we have them is to say this revelation is complete. Perhaps there is a temptation among some theological conservatives to add to, we think, I don’t know if God put enough hedges around the hedges around the hedges of protection here. It might be better, safer, clearer, it might be more theologically precise. And so sometimes there’s a temptation to want the Bible to say more than it says. And if that’s a temptation for theological conservatives, the temptation for theological liberals is to want the Bible to say less, to perhaps find a way to absolve the Bible of its embarrassing stuff, because our experience seems to override it or science seems to say something different. And so if we could only subtract this to make it more palatable to the cultural despisers, do not add to do not subtract from the fullness and the finality of God’s revelation in the sun. You can think of the traditional attributes of Scripture with the acronym scan, Sc, a, in the sufficiency, the clarity, the authority, and the necessity of Scripture. If necessity, is the non Christian problem, they don’t even think that they need a revelation, and clarity we might think of as the Roman Catholic problem, you’re not able to interpret the Bible safely by yourselves. And if authority is the liberal problem, then sufficiency has often been the problem for evangelical believers, doubting whether scripture is really enough, or might we need some other momentous experience of Revelation. But Scripture is enough, because the work of Christ is enough, they stand or fall together, the sons redemption and the sons revelation must both be insufficient, or sufficient. And as such, there is nothing more to be done, and nothing more to be known for our salvation and for our Christian walk than what we see and know about Christ in this book. All of that is under this first heading, that Jesus Christ is the final word by which God has revealed His redemptive purposes in the world, a revelation to which nothing can be added. But there’s a second half. And it’s important because you may be thinking, that sounds good, and I learned some things. But is it all spoke past tense? Can I expect Christ to still speak? Well think about the audience here receiving this message of Hebrews. Surely the author cannot mean that God spoke only in the sons incarnation in the sons physical ministry, in the presence of the sun’s teaching. That is to say, when it says, He spoke by the sun, it cannot be reduced to the 33 years of Christ’s ministry on earth. After all, the writer says that in these last days, God has spoken to us. Speaking of these who lives some maybe 40 years after the ministry of Christ, presumably none of them were there in Jerusalem or Judea, to personally witness these things. And yet, the author can say that God has spoken to them, though they were not in the physical, literal presence of Jesus God has spoken to them by his son. Which leads me to this second big heading. Jesus Christ is the final word by which God continues to speak today.

Here’s what we see in Hebrews. It’s a bit of a complicated argument. But it’s there. Once we have eyes to see it, we see that God’s revelation is being brought to completion in the sun and has been brought to completion in the sun. But that completion does not mean that God no longer speaks. In fact, God continues to speak in the present by the once for all completed revelation of the Sun in the past. Okay, so, you know, I have 14 minutes and 21 seconds left, what does that mean for us? Practically? Let me suggest three things. One, it means that God speaks by His Son, through the Old Testament scriptures. Look at several examples in this book. Look at chapter two. Verse 12, actually, verse 11, for he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified, all have one source, that is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers. So who’s speaking of it speaking of Christ, he’s our brother, saying, well, here we have Christ saying something. And then verse 13, again, he says something again, he says something, what we have is Christ saying something that is Psalm 22, and Isaiah eight, we don’t have the familiar formula, which we often have in the gospels, it is written to introduce Old Testament scripture, that’s certainly appropriate. But rather here in Hebrews, the Old Testament, is seen not only as something that is in the past, long ago, he spoke by the prophets, but also as the word that Christ continues to speak in the present. So these Old Testament Scriptures are what Christ is now saying, Look at chapter four, verse three, there’s a series of quotations from Psalm 95, for we who have believed into the rest, as he has said, so there’s a quotation, verse five, again, in this passage, he said, so looking in the past, but then verse seven, again, he appoints a certain day today, saying, through David, so long afterward, in the words already quoted, in other words, God’s voice has spoken, did speak in these Old Testament words, and at the same time, he still speaks through them. God is a God who still speaks to us through the scriptures. So please let us not if you have responsibility for corporate worship in your church, especially if you’re a pastor do not before the sermon, pray, Dear God helped this word to come alive to us, it is alive, you ought to pray that dead people would be brought to life. The problem is with dead people listening not with a dead word that needs to be brought to life. This is the conclusion at the end of chapter four, the word of God is living and active. So when we understand the Christological significance of the Old Testament, we can hear the voice of God speaking by his son, he speaks to us by the Old Testament scriptures. Second, God speaks by His Son through the New Testament scriptures. So again, Jesus was not physically present in front of this audience. The book written some 40 years there abouts after the ascension. Second generation believers, they had not been with Jesus, but the author can still say God has spoken by his son, because the person and the work of the son was made known to them in the authoritative apostolic witness. Keep your finger in Hebrews to turn quickly to John 16, or jot it down in your notes. You

can look at it later. This is a key prophecy from Jesus about the coming of the Holy Spirit. He says in John 1612, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth now what is all the truth? It’s not all the truth about who you should marry, what job you should take, where you should live kind of house you should buy not all that truth. I wish I had all that I wish I knew how to change the washer fluid in my car, not that truth, all the truth about Jesus for He will not speak on His own authority. But whatever He hears, He will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come, He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare to you all that the Father has his mind. Therefore a city will take what is mine and declare it to you. How did the apostles go from bumbling stumbling, hardly being able to put anything together. When Jesus was right in front of them to suddenly he leaves goes to heaven and their theological geniuses. The Holy Spirit, the promise, Holy Spirit, lead them into all the revelatory truth about the person and work of the sun. And that revelatory truth has been in Scripture rated and written down for us. The Holy Spirit who comes after Christ is explicitly the Spirit of Christ. His work is to apply the blessings of Christ, glorify the person of Christ, explain all that Christ is and has accomplished. So the theologian Herman bobbing says the Holy Spirit no longer reveals any new doctrines, but takes everything from Christ, John 1614. In Christ, God’s revelation has been completed. So God speaks by His Son, through the New Testament Scriptures. And then the third final point God speaks by His Son, through the one who faithfully proclaims, preaches the son may take just a little bit more explanation. What is the book of Hebrews? One author says Hebrews begins like a treatise proceeds like a sermon and closes like an epistle. It’s hard to know exactly what sorts of book this is. But I want to make a case if many as many others have, that this bears the marks of being a sermon. Now there is an epistolary ending. So I think it was a sermon that was meant to be delivered as a letter and then read aloud perhaps by the pastor or preacher of the congregation, and delivered as a sermonic exercise orally as a sermonic letter. Why do I think that? Well, in chapter 1322, the writer calls this a word of exhortation. That same Greek phrase is used in Acts 1315, for Paul’s sermon in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia. That word for exhortation is also used in First Timothy 413 until I come devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation to teaching. So it’s a word that elsewhere is used for a public preaching. We also see in this book, the conspicuous use of words like we, us, our

we see that the author moves in and out of exhortation. Typically, in a pestles, you have, say Hebrews one through three, here’s the theology here are Ephesians, 123, Ephesians, four through six application, Romans one through 11, all the theology, Romans 12, through 16, all of the application and exhortation, but here we have interwoven from the very beginning, the sort of sermonic, exhortation, exposition application, the language is of speaking, and hearing, rather than writing and reading, all of which makes me think that this was some kind of early sermon. And indeed, they were meant to hear God’s voice in the sermon. Chapter Three, do not harden your hearts today. In other words, to hear this message is to hear the voice of God speaking by his son. I can say, well, that’s a little bit different, because this is inspired scripture, by some sort of apostolic authority. Well, that’s true. And so no sermon today is going to carry this same sort of authority. And yet, surely we are right to conclude that God means to speak to us by his Son, in the means, and through the means of gospel preaching about that son. Just show you one other verse turned to Hebrews chapter 12, verse 24, we have this famous line, that the blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood of Abel, so present, that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus is still speaking, it’s it’s God’s revelation. To us. The revelation is complete in the work of Christ. And yet through that completed word, God speaks to us. Now look at verse 25. See that you do not refuse him Who is speaking? You can read the commentaries. There’s lots of debate who is the him who is speaking? Well, ultimately, I think it is a reference to Christ to God speaking through the sun, that’s the one you ultimately ought not to refuse. But many people I think, rightly, draw a parallel that they would have heard someone speak speaking to them this message do not refuse the one who is giving you this gospel utterance for in so doing if you listen to him, you listen to the voice of God. John Owen says, ultimately, verse 25, is about the voice of Christ, but quote, it may be applied unto all the faithful preachers of the gospel, however, they may be so despised in the world, God speaks by His Son through the faithful preaching about that son. Which means here in closing, several quick points of application, do you like how you thought there were three and now I’m doing the thing preachers aren’t supposed to do, I have just a few more real quick ones. One, seek no new revelation, do not expect it do not receive it, the fullness, and the finality of Christ’s redemption is tied to the fullness and finality of Christ’s revelation do not seek new revelation, second, concluding application, interpret the Bible, Crystal logically. Everything God has said in former days long ago, ought to be read in light of what he has revealed, in these last days interpret the Bible crystal logically, that doesn’t mean a clumsy, redemptive, historical hermeneutic that every message every Bible study sounds exactly the same, you must do it with care. But we must teach the Old Testament we must preach the Old Testament, we must find appropriately. They’re all the sorts of things the writer of Hebrews finds, which is a message of the gospel. Three, study the Scriptures deeply. If we have in the scriptures as I’ve tried to prove the record of the finality of God’s revelation to us, then in here we will find the words of life. In these pages, you will hear the voice of God speaking by his son. We’ve all me chief among them, we’ve all become so accustomed that to the great reality that we can hear from God.

out in the woods in a waterfall or Triple Shot espresso, it’s in this book. This book is the book of Christ inspired by Christ spirit to us. Now, if you have a Bible that has red letters, that’s fine, just as long as you realize they’re all red letters. Don’t do the silly thing which resurfaces every 10 years pit, the Bible verses Jesus. Well, you’re about the word Lowercase W, we’re about the word capital W. Well, there’s a reason that John says, Christ is the Word made flesh because he has God’s revelation, and He has revealed Himself to us in the sun, and in that work of the Sun spirit to inspire the apostles and their closest associates that they might understand all the truth about Christ and write it down for our salvation. study the Scriptures, for listen to your preacher. If a room mixed with people in full time ministry, and many who aren’t and some preachers and many who aren’t assuming for a moment, you’re at a good church, and you have a faithful man to preach to you. Let’s assume that

would you listen to him? If I can say this without being self serving as a preacher,

you ought to prize his preaching. Above whatever blogs, you’re reading it listen to your preacher. before and I know I know, everyone in TGC agrees with this TGC exists to help come alongside and supports the local church never to undermine it, never to supplant it, never to rival it, never to undermine its centrality and sufficiency, but to help come along and teach and equip. So do not prize blogs and tweets and articles and podcasts as much as you prize, the preaching of your local minister giving to you the good news week after week. God speaks through him. And then a final word of application if I can speak to my brother pastors, and give you some encouragement and what has been an unprecedented year, aren’t you tired of that? I’m ready for some precedented times. Brothers, keep preaching Christ. Don’t just preach about the good news off here to the side. Here’s how it works. Jesus died for sinners. And isn’t that wonderful? preach the good news. Speak directly to them. Call them the sheep will hear His voice. Call them to faith and repentance. Call them to stand on something Sure, preach the whole counsel of God. Have confidence that as you speak this word with authority, that God Himself, however feeble and frail, your words are and believe me every Sunday, I get done and think what was that? My wife will say, Well, you want to believe lies. God works through His word. That’s right, he does. Do you believe that God accomplishes his means through this book through so you’re preaching that the Word of God is sufficient for the work of God. One of the lesser known reformation confessions is the second Helvetic confession. And it says famously in chapter one entitled The preaching of the Word of God is the word of God. Quote, wherefore when this word of God is now preached in the church, by preachers, lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed and received by the faithful, and then neither any other word of God is to be invented, nor is to be expected from heaven. And then now the word itself, which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches for even if he be evil, and a sinner, even if sometime later he be found out to be evil, or a sinner. Nevertheless, the confession says, The Word of God remains still true and good. Pastor, your people need to hear from God. I sometimes wonder if we are losing confidence in the ordinary week by week work of preaching, it is possible that we who are in these sort of TGC networks can believe in doing the right kind of preaching without really believing in the power of preaching. I pray you can ask my elders who pray with me before the service, they can confirm this, I pray almost every Sunday that my congregation would hear a better sermon than the one that I’m about to preach. That they would hear not a man but some point in that message, they would hear the very voice of God preaching to them. Brothers and sisters, we need to hear from God. Get in the Bible. Get in a good church. Pray for ears to hear. Let’s pray. Father in heaven, we give thanks for this majestic book, which will be our theme, our guide our teacher in these few days together. We pray that you would fix our eyes and hearts upon Christ. And we might find in him the completion of our redemption and the completion of your revelation. And that we may still hear his voice through Your Word through the gospel, and we would believe it, we would cherish it, we would obey it and we would worship in Jesus name. Amen.