Hebrews 1:3b
26 May 2024
After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3b).
We are coming to the opening section of the book of Hebrews and already what we can see is that it is so overtly, clearly, deliberately, Christological in everything that has been contained in sentence after sentence in these opening verses. It isn't simply a case of what we have in the opening passage of Hebrews, it is the entire book of Hebrews which is centred upon Jesus Christ and what we see contained in this opening introduction also captures the reality of the very lives and existence that we have here on this earth because our every action, our every attitude, our every hope, our every waking breath is grounded upon the reality and the hope and the joy that we have in Jesus Christ. This is what we are unpacking and unravelling week after week in this series to deepen the knowledge of what we have and know of our Lord and our Savior. Think about this. Even what we considered this morning in hearing testimonies, public testimonies of the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ in the life of broken and needy sinners. This is a saving work that Jesus Christ has done and we have the opportunity here as we work through the book of Hebrews to explore more of who He is, explore more of what He has done, explore more of all the richness, the vastness, the magnitude of all-encompassing Jesus Christ in every aspect and ounce of our existence. And this is what we have seen as we considered verses 1 and 2, the contrast between what God spoke through the prophets long ago and to what now God speaks through His Son in these last days.
Many times and many places now come to focus on one person coming at one time, that is Jesus Christ and we see that He is the Son, verse 2, whom we then go on to read is appointed the heir of all things. So this is something to get into view, aspects of what we are drawing out are dealing with the all-encompassing eternal nature of who Jesus Christ is. But some of the language here, for example, the being appointed heir of all things is the result of the triumph, the victory that Jesus Christ has secured by what He has done here on this earth. We also see that He is the one who has created the world. Jesus Christ is the Creator. He doesn't simply become relevant when we come to the New Testament. When we look at this long ago, many times, many ways, Jesus Christ was there. He was there at the foundation of the world, before the foundation of the world. He is the reason for the world in which we live.
Remember verse 3, He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature. What did this reveal to us as we unpacked this last time? It revealed to us in greater depth already, just in verse 3, that Jesus is truly God and in His divine nature, He came to this earth as a man, a perfect sinless man who is the radiance of God's glory. He isn't simply some sort of distant connection, some sort of afterglow reflection, no, He is God. We can see God truly and fully in Jesus Christ who is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of His nature and we see once more, He upholds the universe, He upholds all things by the word of His power. And if as we're studying the gospels, we see that power over nature, over demons, over sickness, over sin, over death, it is this power that Jesus Christ and Christ alone possesses.
This, brothers and sisters, is who the Son is and we come then, continuing in verse 3, to consider then what the Son does. We've looked at who He is, we then look today to what He does and at the end of the verse, what this results in. What the Son does and what this results in. Now, even in the space of just a few words, they are not only sizable in terms of their significance in its immediate context, we are quite literally dealing with the words of eternal life. We are quite literally dealing with how any one of us can have hope this evening. We are dealing quite literally with how anyone can be saved when we read, after making purification for sins. After making purification for sins. Now, to properly understand and explain what these few words mean, we dare not bypass something important, a foundation that needs to be established because this type of language could be being articulated, could be being used in many supposedly Christian settings. Some even in non-Christian settings may have some similar ritualistic type language regarding purification and sins and so what we must establish to understand clearly what is meant by this declaration is that something, namely sin, namely our sins, needs to be purified. This is such an important thing to dwell on because even when it comes to the realm of talking to people about being sinful or having sins, a lot of people would happily or at least reluctantly admit, yes, we know we're sinners or we know we have sinned. But friends, here this evening, what is meant by that?
What do we mean when we are talking about that we have sinned? Do we see this as a mere inconvenience? A slight bit of wrongdoing that we can quickly rectify? A standard that can be defined on human terms? What do we mean? This is what we must wrestle with to see and understand the weight and the magnitude of therefore the declaration saying that there has been purification for sins. Take what we see at the very beginning of the Bible, something we've gone to again and again and will continue to. We see that there has been a time, which is the time at creation, where God made everything and he saw it was good, including making man. Male and female He made them and He saw that we were good. We were living in a garden in this world. This is the first created man, the first created woman, Adam and Eve. And we see at that time the first covenant being established, which is the covenant of works, where if man obeys God perfectly, he will have that perfect relationship, that perfect intimacy with God and live forever. But something happened. Something changed. And it is at this point that we begin to understand what is meant by sin. What does it mean to be a sinful person? Because when man was given the command of God not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there already existed that threat from the fallen angel named Satan, who came in the form of a serpent, John 8:44. And in Genesis chapter 3, he came and tempted the woman. She saw and she ate. The man then saw and he ate. And what then happened? Was this something that could quickly be turned back and changed? Oh well, we can call that sin, but it's not a big deal. We can make this right. You can still stay in this garden. Absolutely not.
Now understand this, every single one of you, even for those who have been a born-again believer for many decades or any who's sitting in this room who maybe thinks that they are saved or any who are not born-again. This issue right here at the beginning of the word of God is where it started. Throughout the Bible is where it continues. Today, as we see, not just simply around about this building, but in this building, in your very heart, we have the problem. And it is the problem of sin, which is defined as lawlessness. It is defined as disobeying the command of God. It is defying the moral compass that has been given to us by God. It is declaring in our hearts that we are God. That is what you have done. You have rejected your Creator. You have rejected the sovereign Lord God Almighty. And therefore, fall in sin.
This is why we see the picture of Adam and Eve, perfect in the garden, naked and knowing no shame. Suddenly, a chapter later, they know the shame of their nakedness and they cover themselves up. What has changed? Something has died. They are spiritually damned because they have rejected God. They have become corrupted in sin, in their rejection of God. And as a result, they are separated from God. Ephesians 2 begins by declaring that we all once were children of wrath. Now the reason that this is so serious, eternally so, is because God is the righteous judge. God is the moral Lawgiver. Anyone who may dare to say in their corrupted heart, well I don't know God. I don't recognize His law. I may see some laws in this land. I barely respect them. I certainly don't respect the law of God. It changes not one bit the reality that God's authority is absolute. That He is the one who rules over everything and every one of us will stand before this God and give an account and we all stand in the same condition, guilty in our sin. We are guilty in our sins. And it isn't simply because of things that we have done, though every day we do sinful things. It is also because of who we are. We are fallen in sin.
Our very nature is corrupted in sin and it is why even the supposed good works that we do, the good works that we may think are going to sort the problem and maybe be how we can go to heaven. They are described as filthy rags because the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Jeremiah 17:9. For there is no one righteous, no not one. Romans 3:10. This is the foundation that we must be extremely clear about when we come to unpack the words contained halfway through Hebrew chapter 1 verse 3. When it says after making purification for sins, this is what we mean by sins. That we have turned our back on the living God. We have not simply wronged and offended each other, we have wronged, we have offended, we have turned back on, we have effectively spat in the face of Yahweh and the consequence for our sin is the judgment of God which leads to condemnation and the eternal punishment which is under His wrath and judgment in hell.
This is no laughing matter and if anyone is sitting here thinking well I have still got years, decades before I need to think about all this, only the Lord knows how long you have on this earth and it is appointed this very night for you to be here to hear this declaration that the sin which separates you from God, the sin which means you are cut off in a state of rebellion and you are destined for hell for all eternity, there is one way by which this has been dealt with and these words contain how this is with the declaration after making purification for sins. After making purification for sins. Now what does this language mean?
Well just turn briefly to Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 22. Hebrews 9:22 says, Indeed under the law, that is the law that we see in the old covenant, almost everything is purified with blood and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. Now just briefly on this because we will be dealing with it in much more depth as we work our way through Hebrews. In the time of the old covenant, there is a chosen, distinct, set apart people, the people of Israel. What makes them worthy or deserving of such a status? It is the grace of God towards them. They are also absolutely sinful, they are sinful in their nature, they are sinful in their conduct before the one true living God. And so what is needed in the old covenant? Well, we see here in this verse, the shedding of blood. Sacrificed animals need to be sacrificed, their blood shed for there to be this purification. But there is a limitation. If we just look back to Hebrews 9 verse 12, it says of Jesus Christ, the Son, He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. And then Hebrews 10 verse 14, maybe over most of the pages for you, For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Now do we notice some differences here? The differences are constructed in the same way as the first argument in the book of Hebrews, where we have a structure of, long ago, many times, many places, to, in these last days, there is one. And that is a structure that we see again and again in the book of Hebrews.
Here in the time of the old covenant, sacrifices were given, and blood was shed, again and again and again. And what these sacrifices were, what this blood was for, was to atone for Israel's sins. Now what does it mean to atone for Israel's sins? It means that the sins of the people of Israel, the blood of these sacrificed animals, were being transferred to that animal, and by the shedding of blood, by the death of this animal, it was to therefore atone, it was to cover the sins of the people of Israel. But the language of Hebrews 1:3 is saying, purification for sins. There's something more that is taking place than simply what happened in the old covenant. And that something more is because of a work, not done by animal sacrifices, but done by the living sacrifice, Jesus Christ. Not entering the man-made sanctuary, but entering, as we see in Hebrews 9:12, into the holy places. This is what Jesus Christ has done. He has not simply dealt with sin as a means of covering, He has dealt with sin in that He has removed sin. Jesus Christ has removed it. Think how much time we spent addressing the severity of our sin before the Most Holy God. That is your very nature. And as important as these animal sacrifices were in the time of the Old Testament, they would not ultimately be the means of salvation for eternal life for anyone sitting in this room tonight. But Jesus Christ is. He is. Now notice, that it says in Hebrews 1:3, that after making purification for sins, this is something that Jesus Christ the Son has already done. We're not sitting here tonight thinking, okay, so there's a sacrifice that's needed, we need to have the shedding of blood, so this is what we need to do. I'm a sinner before God, I need some animal sacrifices. No, this verse is saying that He has done it. This is a work that has already been done. And it is the work that has been done by only one person, at one time, Jesus Christ.
Our sin before the Most High God is what separates us from the living God. So what are we reading in Hebrews 1.3? We are reading of the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature. This is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly divine. He is eternally God, clothing himself in human flesh, living under the law that He may become, He Himself would become that sacrifice. And this is why the cross of Christ is so central and so crucial, because of what Jesus Christ did on that cross. Isaiah 53:6, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. We've gone astray like sheep, and so what has Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd done? He has gone all the way to Calvary, being nailed on a cruel cross, bearing our sin, the iniquity that is our sin, our wickedness, the wretched condition of who we are. Christ bears it on Calvary. This is how He is becoming an atoning sacrifice because our sin is being transferred to Christ. He is bearing it on that cross. And the righteous anger of the Father is therefore at that point burning against the Son, because of our sin. And it is at this time, in these hours on that cross, as darkness descends upon the land, that our sin is being dealt with, that our sin will be removed. This is the work of purification, a cleansing work by blood which is shed. Not the blood of animal sacrifices, but the blood of the Son, Jesus Christ, shed for sinners like us. It is why the Church is a blood-bought people because we are purchased by Christ's blood. We are redeemed, which means we are bought back. This is what we believe as Christians. And this, for any who is not a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, is the way, the only way to salvation. Jesus Christ, because only He can and does remove sin, purification of sin. This is what He does by being an atoning sacrifice on the cross. And that sacrifice is a sweet-smelling aroma to the Father. It is pleasing in His sight in a way that we never would be. We will never be adequate. We will never come anywhere close for a single second of our lives to be enough, to be adequate, to be suitable, to be pleasing and right in the eyes of the Father. But the Son is perfect. His life is the perfect life. His sacrifice is the perfect sacrifice, and His death, therefore, is the triumph. In what seems like defeat comes victory, because Jesus Christ was not only crucified and died on that cross and therefore buried, but He rose.
Why did Jesus Christ rise? Because there is no claim that death has over the perfect, sinless sacrifice. Death has no claim over Jesus Christ. He rises victorious. He has conquered sin and death. He has crushed the evil one. And this is our hope. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, the one who has made purification for sins. This is what He has done. And then we go on to read what this means. The Son was slain on Calvary. His blood is shed for sinners like us, for the purification of our sins. He's buried. He rises.
And then He ascends to be where? Where is Jesus Christ today? We read at the end of the verse. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. This is where Jesus is today. This is what it means today. The one who has made purification for sins is now seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Now there are several glorious applications; and several glorious meanings of the significance of this. The first one of this declaration, He is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, is that Jesus Christ the Son is now in a position of honour. The Lamb who was slain, who comes roaring as the Lion of Judah, is now the one who is given all the honour, the exaltation for His completed, finished work. The Lamb who was slain, who comes roaring as the Lion of Judah, is now the one who is given all the honour, the exaltation for His completed, finished work. It is an honour that the Father gives to the Son because of the work that He has done; the victory that has been secured. God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This is a picture of worship that everybody will worship who? The one who is seated in this most lofty position. This is where the language of the majesty on high comes in. It is a position of dignity. He is standing in great and incomparable superiority in the most high position because He is the risen and exalted Lord. He is Jesus Christ and in Revelation 5:13 we see them all singing to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever because the honour and the glory is the Son’s, Jesus Christ.
The second application meaning of this declaration that He is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high is that it is a position of power. Now brothers and sisters there are so many applications for us right here in our contemporary wicked abominable context. Who is seated in the most lofty and elevated place? If we believe as we see upon the authority of the word of God that it is Jesus Christ of what then becomes our greatest fears. What then becomes of our greatest enemies on this earth? The most powerful and wicked empires on this earth. What becomes of them? Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is seated. It means it is finished. He is in a position of absolute authority. He has defeated His enemies. He has crushed the enemy, Satan. This is emphatic and it is a secure victory. His enemies cannot touch Him. Satan cannot strike Him. Attempts were made when Christ was on this earth and we've seen what He has accomplished, what is finished. He has made purification for sins. This is why He came. He is victorious. He is triumphant. He is now seated and He is All-powerful. He is the absolute authority. This is why Jesus’ name is the name which is above all other names. It is why every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess. Not the names of any leaders throughout history but the name of Jesus Christ. This is why even for Jesus Christ's people, for His bride, we are safe in His arms, in His warm embrace. Be comforted by this. Even where the enemy may come as a serpent looking ready to bite, no venom that will destroy. Christ has stamped the death blow on the neck of the evil one. Psalm 110:1, the Lord says to my Lord, sit at My right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. This is Christ's power and this language makes it all the clearer of the right hand of the Majesty on high. You may be wondering why this language of the right hand. Exodus 15:6. Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power. Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy. So this use of the language right hand is an anthropomorphism which means a human characteristic that is attributed to God. So it's not that we're dealing with a literal right hand, but it is a picture of power. So when we read “He is seated at the right hand”, it means He is powerful. He is the All-powerful, All-conquering One. This is Whom we worship. This is Whom we stand in fear and awe over this evening and this is why we can go with boldness and conviction in the face of our enemies to know that Christ has conquered our enemies and He reigns and He rules over all as the one who is All-powerful and All-triumphant. For, He is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
The third application is that this means it is a position of rest. One thing that's interesting that you maybe wouldn't have noticed in the old covenant when the high priests were making the atonement for sins using animal sacrifices, there is one thing that is missing for these priests and that is a place for them to sit down. Why is that? Because they will need to do this again and again and again. They will need to keep year after year after year making atonement for sin again and again and again. But what are we seeing here in Hebrews 1:3, Jesus Christ has made purification for sins and therefore He sits down and that's it. He sits down. What an image. Your Lord, your Saviour, your king, He is seated. There is a cessation of such work because the work is complete and He sits down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. That is your Lord and King for all whose faith is in Jesus Christ.
And finally, one more application, one more meaning. Jesus Christ is seated in this position as an intercessor. Romans 8:34, who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the One who died and more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. The sacrificial lamb is slain for sinners like us. The Lion of Judah who roars victorious, triumphant over sin and death is now the one who is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high and He is interceding for you this very day. This is what He is doing. This is such a comfort to behold when we consider how weak and feeble we are, how often we struggle, how often we may recoil back in fear. Brothers and sisters, as I stand here and minister God's word, knowing the battlefield that we are in, knowing the struggles that we face, knowing the mountains that we cannot scale, knowing the valleys we dare not cross, knowing the waters that we would not otherwise enter, we can do it all, we can face it all because Jesus Christ is our Lord, He is seated on the throne and He is interceding for us this very hour. This is our Lord and King and praise be to God that the One who is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high, He will return and He will call His people home. The Church of Jesus Christ is that people. That's us. Unworthy, undeserving, wretched sinners yet saved by the grace of God, by the blood of the Son, shed for our sins, making purification for our sins. We know that He is victorious and triumphant. We know that today He is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Brothers and sisters, we are only at the end of verse three and look what already we have unpacked in this glorious book, the book of Hebrews.