Running To Win

Dave McAllister: Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Lots of people believe in angels. They think angels are heavenly friends sent to work out our earthly problems. But the reality is this: angels exist to do the will of God and to exalt God's Son, as should we. The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ is far above the angels and above all creation. To find out more, stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running To Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Our series is Highlights from Hebrews, and our text is in Hebrews chapter 1.

Pastor Lutzer, what do you make of the concept of better? We see it so many times in Hebrews.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Dave, isn't it wonderful that Jesus Christ is the one to whom the Old Testament pointed, and that even in the Old Testament times, they knew that better times were coming. Messiah was going to come. So Jesus Christ is better, better high priest, better savior, of course, because the blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sin. So the book of Hebrews emphasizes the fact that Jesus Christ is the apex of God's redemption. Well, this is the last week we're making a very special book available for you. It's entitled 1 2 3 Jesus Loves Me. My lovely wife Rebecca wrote the book. She ties a Bible story to every number from 1 to 10, so that your child will not only learn Bible stories, but of course also learn how to count.

It's a wonderful gift to give to a child, perhaps your child, perhaps your grandchild, perhaps some other children, and of course, even as we think about Christmas, what an opportunity to pass our faith on to some child who will hopefully take our place, even as we serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's what you do. Go to RTWoffer.com. By the way, when you go there, you can see a picture of the book. RTWoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. We pick up the text, and of course you know that, if we had time, we'd go to all the Old Testament references here. But God says, "Thou art my son, today have I begotten thee, and again I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, let all the angels of God worship him. keep your finger on verse 6 for a moment. There again, the word firstborn is used. It does not mean that Christ is the firstborn, and then there were other gods who were somehow created, as false cults sometimes teach. That word firstborn itself does not mean first in relation to time, but first in relation to preeminence. For example, in the Old Testament, Esau was older than Jacob, and yet the Bible says that Jacob was the firstborn. So we must bear in mind that the writer is emphasizing that Jesus Christ is God's very special Son, and even when he was brought into the world as a Son, what does he say?

Last part of verse 6, let all the angels of God worship him. You don't worship angels, you worship God, and that's why you can worship the Son. So he says, first of all, the Son has a superior name. He is called a Son. Of course, there are many other names that Jesus Christ had. It's just that he got a new one when he came at Bethlehem and became God's firstborn Son. Secondly, I want you to notice that he is not only superior in name, but superior in position. Verse 8. But of the Son, he says, now listen, God is speaking here in verse 8. Don't let this get by you. But of the Son he says, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.

You know, sometimes I've heard people say, well, nowhere in the Bible does it expressly say that Jesus Christ is God. It implies it because we're to worship him. He had the ability to forgive sins, and only God can do that, but it doesn't say it expressly. Oh yes, it does right here. Remember, the Father is speaking to the Son, and he says, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever." You say, well, how do those friends on the doorstep then handle this verse, since they don't believe in the deity of Jesus Christ? Would you believe that they came out with a new translation of the Bible, and they had to, but one of the things they did is they tried to turn this into a question.

But of the Son he says, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, question, implying, no, no, why no, your throne is not forever and ever. It's amazing the latitude that some people have taken to try to make the Bible fit their heresies. You'll notice that it says, your throne, O God, is forever and ever. One day one of our daughters said, daddy, is it okay to pray to Jesus, or should we pray to God? That's a good question. Children sometimes ask very good questions, especially our children. They asked very good questions. And the answer, of course, is yes, we should pray to God in Jesus' name, but it's okay to pray to Jesus because when you are praying to Jesus, you are praying to God.

And a child who prays to Jesus knows more about theology than all the liberals in our universities who don't recognize Jesus Christ to be God. It's okay to pray to Jesus. Now notice what it goes on to say. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore, God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy companions. Just one quick observation. Do you notice that there is a link between loving righteousness and hating iniquity? And by nature, you know, you and I don't do that, do we? by nature, we tend to love iniquity and feel very uncomfortable with righteousness. But when we're born again, God gives us a new nature so that we should indeed learn to love righteousness and hate iniquity.

You don't have to learn to love iniquity. That just happens automatically, all that you need to be born as a member of the human race. But notice what it says. Because Christ loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, God anointed him with the oil of gladness. And the same can be true of all of his companions, though the oil of gladness that he received was above his companions. Do you realize today that there's a connection between holiness and happiness? We always say to ourselves, well, if you're really going to be holy, you can never be happy. Imagine being holy, so pious that you could never enjoy anything.

You could never make a paper airplane and shoot it out in a stadium. Well, I want you to know today that the more holy we are, the happier we will be, the more joy will be in our hearts. It was true for Christ, and it's true for us. And thou, O Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands. They will perish, but thou remainest, and they all will become old as a garment, and as a mantle thou will roll them up, as a garment they also will be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years will not come to an end. Here we see the eternality of Christ.

The Bible says in 2 Peter that someday the earth and the heavens will melt away in fervent heat, and God is going to create a new heaven and a brand new earth. And all through this, you see, the old heaven and the earth are like a garment that you fold up and it's gone, but Jesus Christ remains. He was here long before creation. He's been here during creation. He will be here after the earth and the heavens are destroyed and there's a new creation, and he will go on forever. Verse 13, but to which of the angels has he ever said, sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies a footstool for thy feet?

Notice that Christ is superior because he has a superior name, he has a superior position, verse 8, namely he is in the heavens in the very throne of God, sitting on the throne, which is not true of angels, and he has a superior destiny, verse 13. God says that he's to sit at his right hand until his enemies be made a footstool. But as for angels, verse 14, are they not all ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? The destiny of angels is to serve. The destiny of the Son is to rule at the right hand of God the Father and to rule over his enemies who will become a footstool for his feet.

What an expression of the superiority of Jesus Christ. And what I'd like to do in conclusion is to draw three implications that are very important for our life and ministry, based on what we have said. First of all, notice Jesus Christ's right to ownership, his right to ownership. When Jesus ascended into heaven after his work was done, there was no mediator there who opened the door for him. He didn't have to check with anybody to get into heaven. Previously, he was there as creator. Now he is there as savior. Previously, he had a natural right as God, but now he had an earned right as the son of man who accomplished the work that the Father gave him to do, and he sits in heaven as owner of all things.

Is there some part of your life that is not under his ownership? Because I want you to know that he owns everything. He even owns the money that the wicked squander. He owns it too. They are not using what he's given them correctly, but he owns all things. Remember that song that we used to sing about the father? It's also true of the son. My father is rich in houses and lands. He holds the wealth of the world in his hands of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold. His coffers are full. He has riches untold. And then it goes on to say, and I'm a child of the king. Here's something to put in your mind that you should never forget that we'll be coming back to in the book of Hebrews.

Notice Jesus is in heaven, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, owning everything, and it says in Romans that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Do you notice that the text said earlier that he is heir of all? Because we are joint heirss, we too are heir of all things. How wealthy could we possibly get? That's the wonder of God's grace. Don't let people tell you that Christianity is this terrible religion because it emphasizes the depravity of man and talks about sin all the time as if we're sinners and then leaves us there. No, it does all those things, but then it takes us from the mud and it says we can walk with Christ on the marble, and we can go from the pit and we can be with him and reign with him forever from the palace.

No religion takes humanity from so low and exalts it so high. Christ has a right to ownership. Obviously, he also has a right to kingship. He has a right to kingship. He has that right to rule, and he rules today in heaven. Now, when we get to chapter 2, we're going to see this more clearly. But in chapter 2, it's going to talk about the present rule of Jesus Christ, where he is there waiting until his enemies be made a footstool. But he is king even when he is waiting, as we shall point out. He has a right to rule because he is God of very God. Doesn't this just demolish this idea that is found in contemporary society where two-thirds of all Americans believe that it doesn't matter which religion you belong to because all religions are just talking about the same God under a different name. doesn't this explode the notion of pluralism that says there are many different ways to God and one religious teacher is just as good as the other?

It most assuredly does because there is none like Christ. He owns everything. He is king over everything. A right to ownership, a right to kingship, and a right to be worshipped as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And someday, of course, all creatures will worship him. we can do so now voluntarily. At that time, they will do so because they will have to do it, but every tongue created by God will give Christ glory. Now, my friends, this is the essence of what Christianity is all about. This is where it's at. These are the issues that are most pressing. If you could ask God one question, just one question, what would it be?

The most important question we could ever ask is, is God, is it really true that you are so satisfied with your son that if we believe in him, you are equally satisfied with us. That's the most important question anyone could ever ask. And by the way, what makes you think that your penance and your good works and all the wonderful things that you do is somehow going to make you pleasing to God, when all that is pleasing to God is his beloved Son in whom he is well pleased? And the Bible does teach that if we trust the Son, we are as pleasing to the Father as the Son is. Give up your dreams of good works and put your faith in Christ, who is heir of all things and the one whom the Father loves.

Come with me to downtown Chicago. Let's take a survey. Let's stop some people at State and Madison and ask them this question. What do you think Christianity stands for? I venture to say, I was going to say I'll bet, but I venture to say that what you would hear is this, Christianity stands for it's pro-life, it's pro-family, it's pro-morality, it's in favor of a balanced budget, and Christians are very concerned about their religious rights in America. That's probably what you'd hear. Do you see how off base we've become? All of these things are important. Most Christians might believe in them, but that's the way in which we are being defined by society because we have such things as Christian coalitions which should be renamed possibly simply conservative coalitions, because how many different things can you hang upon the cross and upon Christ?

How many different agendas? I believe in all those things that should be done through the democratic process and the involvement of Christians as good citizens, but let's not hang Jesus on everything. You know what I do? I look forward to this day, even though I don't know if it'll ever come. Maybe it will come. Maybe we'll live long enough that it'll happen. That if you were to go down to State and Madison and have a tape recorder and ask people who walk by, what do Christians stand for? Oh, do I look forward to the day when they say, well, you know what they believe? They believe that Jesus Christ is the only qualified Savior, and they believe that he is God and that there's no way to get to God except through him.

Now, we think that that's just a bunch of bunk, but that's what they believe. Wouldn't that be a wonderful day if at least the issues were clear? If at least we were going on to talk shows and not debating whether this is right or wrong, but debating the question of whether or not Jesus Christ is a qualified Savior, that's what the people in your office and in your factory and in your bank have to know, is whether or not Christ is believable and whether or not those who receive him are received by God, and apart from him there is no salvation. That's the big issue. And somewhere along the line, we've gotten off track.

You know, of course, that if Shakespeare were to come in today, if he were to come here to the platform having been resurrected, I think we'd all stand. I think we'd even clap for him. If Plato and Aristotle were to come back from the dead, I think we'd stand for them too. I might even stand for Krishna if that meant I got an opportunity to debate him. But I want you to know today that if Jesus Christ came, we would not stand, we would fall on our knees, and we would recognize him to be Lord God. Have you ever thought of this? How many religious leaders have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hymns and songs been written about?

Perhaps one or two songs about one or two leaders. But Jesus has inspired the great hymns and the great songs of the centuries. Unto him be glory and honor and dominion forever and ever.

Guest (Male): Amen.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Christ is number one on God's agenda, and if we claim to be his followers, he should be number one on our agenda too. It is the consuming issue for our souls and our destiny. Heir of all things, sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies a footstool for thy feet. No wonder it says in chapter 2, for this reason we must pay closer attention, lest we drift away from it. The book of Hebrews will help us to stay on track. And if you agree, bow your head in prayer. Our Father, we wish that we could have done a better job at conveying how beautiful your Son is, because our greatest need is always to see Jesus in new light.

Our greatest need is that we might see him as your delight and that he would become ours as well. And we pray that in grace you might take the words that have been spoken, however imperfectly, and brand them upon our hearts. And may we love Jesus Christ anew. We thank you for the opportunity of speaking and singing of him. And now, before I close this prayer, I have to ask you, have you put trust in him? Is your faith in him alone for your eternal destiny? If not, at this moment even, you could pray and say, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and that I can't be saved apart from your grace.

Because you became a son, I can believe and become a child of God. Believe on him even where you are right now. Father, graciously complete the work that you have started. We ask in Jesus' name, amen. And as I frequently emphasize, if you've never received Christ as Savior, if you've never turned from your sin to Him alone, would you do that right now if the Holy Spirit of God is helping you? I trust that the Spirit of God will overcome your excuses. Meanwhile, it is so important for us to make sure that our children understand Jesus. What could be more important than that? I'm holding in my hands a book my wife has written entitled 1 2 3 Jesus Loves Me, beautifully illustrated, hardback, the kind of book that you would want to give as a gift to a child, perhaps a legacy gift as a grandparent or as a friend of the family.

For a gift of any amount, we're making it available for you, and I want to emphasize that this is the second to last day we're making it available. Here's what you do. You go to RTWoffer.com. That's RTWoffer.com. Of course, RTWoffer is all one word. Or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Take advantage of this opportunity. In this way, make sure that your faith is passed along to the next generation. Once again, the title of the book, 1 2 3, Jesus Loves Me. For a gift of any amount, it can be yours. Here's what you do. You go to RTWoffer.com. That's RTWoffer.com.

Dave McAllister: You can write to us at Running To Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Erwin Lutzer has concluded Someone Better Than Angels, the first of six messages in his series Highlights from Hebrews. Next time we'll learn why God sometimes gets angry with his children. Don't miss Living with Missed Opportunities. Running To Win comes to you from the Moody Church in Chicago to help you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running To Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.