Hebrews 1:1-3Long 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 heir 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
Jesus is not just a great historical character or a good teacher. At the start of the book of Hebrews we are told:
- If we want to know what God is like - we need Jesus: People look to all sorts of different places to find out what they think God is like - nature, astrology, religious teachers, drunk friends at the pub, parents, Oprah/Jeremy Kyle/Loose Women (depending on your preference!). The God of the universe is not some vague force that we can only guess about. He has spoken and revealed Himself through Jesus. Jesus radiates God's glory and he is the exact imprint of His nature. Jesus is not just a reflection of God's charcter, he is the exact imprint. To know what God is like, we need to look at Jesus.
- If we want to exist - we need Jesus: Although we like to think of ourselves as independant, we are not. Jesus holds the universe together and that includes us. Our bodies only made it through today without failing because he held them together. "I lie down and sleep, I wake again, because the Lord sustains me" Psalm 3:5
- If we want to be forgiven - we need Jesus: We devise many different methods of dealing with our sin - trying to work it off, making excuses, justifying it, convincing ourselves it doesn't matter becasue there's somebody doing something worse etc. But the only way we can be purified from sin is through Jesus' death and resurrection. Verse 3 says that after making purification for sin, he sat down at the right hand of the Father. the fact that He sat down shows that the work is completed. All your past, present and future sins have been atoned for.