CHRISTMAS DAY – 2020 – Heb. 1:1-6
“THE GLORY OF THE LORD”
Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from Hebrews 1. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Our Scripture readings for this morning make clear Who Jesus is, so that no one should be in the dark about Him. He is the one Who “brings good news, Who publishes peace, Who brings good news of happiness, Who publishes salvation, Who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” He is the Lord baring His arm and in Him all the ends of the earth see the salvation of God!
- This creates great joy within the church, for “the LORD has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem,” just as Isaiah prophesied.
- We get more details about all of this, and especially about Jesus from our other two lessons, our text and also the Gospel reading. And when we know exactly Who the Lord Jesus is, and are able to better grasp “THE GLORY OF THE LORD,” the excitement of Christmas balloons up beyond what anyone might expect!
- So we look at Jesus as He is described in this text, and first:
I. We Must Consider The Glory Of Who Christ Is
A. He Is The Son Of God, The Perfect And Exact Imprint Of God
Text: “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.”
B. He Is Our Creator And Creator Of The Whole Universe
Text: “In these last days God has spoken to us by His Son, Whom He appointed the heir of all things, through Whom also He created the world.”
Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”
C. He Is Our Savior, The Remover Of Our Sin And Guilt
Text: “After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high . . . “
John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.”
D. And He Is Now Above All Things And In Charge Of All Things
Text: “God appointed Him the heir of all things . . . 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.”
Statement: That is a powerful combination – the Almighty God Who “makes purification for our sins.” It is through Him that God created the world, the entire universe, and He is the heir of all things! There simply is no higher power or authority. And He made purification for our sins. Do you think He succeeded? It is guaranteed to be so – by the very Creator of all things.
Application: This “glory of Christ” should provide us with the greatest confidence, comfort, and joy! These are the greatest blessings we can have – first our physical, created existence, and then our forgiveness and salvation and eternal life! Now all of these things are written about extensively in Holy Scripture, and this is one of the means by which God teaches and informs us about Himself. But whereas God used to speak to us through the prophets:
II. Now Jesus Is God’s Self-Revelation To Us
Text: “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.”
A. In Jesus God Reveals His Love To Us, His Redemption
Text: “He made purification for our sins.”
1 John 4:8-10 “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the blood atonement for our sins. . . . God is love.”
B. In Jesus God Creates And Reveals His New Life In Us
Gospel: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . . The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Statement: So, if you want to know God rightly, as He truly is, you must look to Jesus. Then you will grasp how wide and deep and broad and tall God’s love for us truly is! You will see Jesus, the blood atonement for our sins. You will see the Father reconciled to you and at peace with you. You will hear about what He has in store for you in the new age, in new heavens and a new earth.
Application: And this is the principle point of our text and all of Holy Scriptures. It is as John wrote: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name.” [Jn.20:30,31] So the encouragement is for us to simply gaze upon the beauty and the glory of God our Savior, and to do so by looking at Jesus.
We do this Sunday after Sunday as we meditate upon the Scriptures, focusing on Jesus and the great salvation He has provided for us. We see it in the Absolution. We hear it in the Scripture readings and in the hymns we sing. We taste it in the Sacrament of His body and blood, “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” The whole life of the church is centered in and grounded to the Lord Jesus Christ and God’s free gift of salvation.
Conclusion: I’m certain that we will be appreciative of the gifts we receive this Christmas! And I suspect that we will all pay attention to them and admire them! All the more so are we privileged to focus on Jesus and come to know the Father through Him. This is the greatest blessedness of Christ! Thanks and praise be to God, Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.