Jesus: Universe-Upholder (Hebrews 1:3)

Children's Lesson (click here) 

I. Looks Can Be Deceiving

Try to visualize these measurements: picture a kind of tube that is 120 inches in length and about 28 inches in diameter. That's what... like 10 feet tall by a little over 2 feet around? Good size, but not huge. It's like a kayak that doesn't taper at the ends.

Okay. Before I explain those measurements. Let's think about the battle that lies ahead of us this month. It's actually a battle that every one of us will fight, every single day, every month of the year. But let's couch the conversation in a December context. The battle you will fight every day this month is an attack on the greatness of Jesus. Sure, Jesus will be in the mix someplace. It is Christmastime after all. But here's what I mean: this month one thing after another will attempt to loom large in your heart and mind. One thing after another will attempt to dominate your time and your attention, your mind and your affections. Things like family, or maybe lack of family; gifts you need to buy, or gifts you can't afford, or gifts you hope to get. Work parties. Neighborhood parties. Church parties. Christmas projects (cards, baking, crafts) or maybe it's Christmas travel. People who like the Christmas add-ons (e.g., Santa, trees, lights, fruitcake), and people who are annoyed by the Christmas add-ons, both can get overly distacted by them. Even the familiarity of that original Christmas Story, with that tiny baby in a manger, can tempt us toward mental & spiritual disengagement, leading to distraction from the greatness of Jesus.

But hold on to the image of that tiny baby, as we go back to those measurements I gave you. Those are the measurements of the atomic bomb that was dropped in 1945 on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. From that kayak-sized cylinder came a 14,000º blast that rushed out one mile in every direction, with a mushroom cloud that reached 30,000 feet into the sky in 30 seconds, and 60,000 feet within 10 minutes. That blast, which was equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT, that blast incinerated 70-80,000 people... instantly. Such power in something the size of kayak. And of course, modern nuclear warheads are even smaller, and up to 80 times more powerful.

Now, that illustration doesn't really work all the way around. That's not my point. What it does is remind us that looks can be deceiving. Whether we think of that tiny baby crying and lying in a manger, or the Jewish man who walked and talked, who, like the rest of us, got tired, had zits, and had to use the bathroom; that Jewish teacher who was rejected and ridiculed, who was man-handled, then murdered; who hung for hours in weakness and agony on a cross; which-ever snapshot of Jesus you have in your mind right now, it cannot convey the mind-blowing immensity and power, the staggering greatness, the incomprehensible glory, that Scripture tells us genuinely belongs to Jesus. Brothers and sisters, friends, the goal of the battle that lies ahead of you this month is that Jesus would loom large in your heart and mind; that his great-ness would dominate your time and your attention, your mind and your affections; that you, by grace through faith, would see and savor and celebrate and submit to our incredible Redeemer.

So what resources, what weapons, what allies do we have in this battle? Wonderfully, through the once-for-all victory that Jesus has already accomplished, we are well-supplied for the daily fight. In addition to the gifts of a new heart and a renewed mind, in addition to the Holy Spirit who gives and empowers those gifts, in addition to the prayers and encouragements of our brothers and sisters, in addition to solid teachers present and past, we have that foundational revelation that works powerfully through all of these others means. We have God's word. And that word, Scripture, is our divine guidebook to the greatness of Jesus Christ.

II. The Passage: “By the Word of His Power” (1:3)

One book that does this remarkably well is the book we just started in Our Bible Reading Plan, the book of Hebrews. This month we're going to look at four passages from Hebrews that reveal the mind-blowing greatness of the One who came at Christmas. Our first passage is just one verse, and it's only a few verses into the book. Look with me at 1:3. The writer tells us that...

He [i.e., the “Son”, as we see in verse 2... 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...

And that's just one verse, friends! Did you hear what that verse reveals? It's clear the writer of Hebrews did not believe Jesus was merely a good teacher from Nazareth who, simply because he was loving, left his mark on the world, just like so many other exceptional people both before and after him. No. This writer doesn't simply believe Jesus left his mark on the world. He believes Jesus upholds the world, the entire world, better still, the universe, by the word of his power! And that's not figurative language for the extent of his influence. He literally upholds the universe. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Think with me about four aspects of the mind-blowing greatness to which this verse points us.

First, look at how this verse reveals an exalted person. Jesus, the Son, is described as “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature”. Jesus Christ is the shining out of God's divine glory. No, this isn't like Moses with a glowing face after meeting with God in Exodus 34. Glory here refers to the incomparable perfections of God's nature. And Jesus is the radiance of the incomparable perfections of God's person. The second statement about the Son being “the exact imprint” uses a word that can refer to an engraver's tool, like a stamp or die cut, or to the mark being left. So if you think about these two statements made about this exalted person, you realize they're saying the same thing. The man Jesus is the Son of God, and God the Son, the One who has powerfully and perfectly made visible to us the invisible God.

Second, knowing who Jesus is, it makes sense that this verse also reveals an exalted power. It's clear that from the start of this book, the human author wants to quickly establish Jesus' relationship to all things; that is, how should we understand Jesus in relation to everything else? Well, stunningly, not only does verse 2 describe him as “the heir of all things” (i.e., all things are for him) and the One “through whom also [God] created the world” (i.e., all things came through him), but our main verse (v. 3) makes it clear that “he upholds the universe by the word of his power”. As I said a moment ago, this is not figurative language. He literally sustains the universe. The word here translated “uphold” usually has the sense of carrying or bringing or bearing something. When we set that idea in the larger context of the book, and the NT, in fact, the whole Bible, we can see Jesus is not like classic images of Atlas bearing the world on his shoulders. No. Jesus, by the word of his power, is carrying the entire universe to its appointed end... an end which will also mark a new beginning. Every crumb and continent, every quark and quasar, every drop of sweat and every ocean depth, every beam of light and every human life is held up and carried forward by Jesus to the end for which God made it. And no, this is not rare language only found in Hebrews. Listen to how this echoes a passage from Paul...

He [Jesus, the Son] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

And in yet another letter from Paul, he speaks about God's appointed end, an end that, “according to his purpose... he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1:9-10) You see...

The writer of Hebrews will go in chapter 1 to first apply all of this to angels, demonstrating that Jesus is far bigger and far better than any angel... for all things were created through him and for him... even angels. Even... you and me. And that brings us to the final two ideas in verse 3.

Third and fourth, look at how the end of verse 3 points to an exalted purification and an exalted position. Imagine this: imagine having a friend in jail because of his outstanding debts and fines. Imagine paying off those debts to secure his release. Now imagine doing that again the next day, because he got into trouble not long after being released. Then imagine doing that the next day, and the next day. Now imagine that you hear from another friend, and then another friend, and then another friend, all in the same predicament, all following the same pernicious pattern. Now imagine carrying out that same costly ransom for every moment of recorded history, for possibly billions of people. When we consider this divine guidebook to his greatness, we see Jesus doing that very thing, but perfectly, once for all, when he suffered and died for indebted sinners. He made purification for sins. Not “a” purification, but the final purification. And we know it was once for all because after his resurrection, he returned to the Father and “sat down” in a place of unparalleled honor. It was done. It was completed. It was finished.

III. He is Bigger and Better

An exalted person with an exalted power, coming for us to accomplish an exalted purification and then assume an exalted position. And He upholds and will carry everything to the mind-blowing end for which God created the universe: his own glory; a glory which Jesus, the Son, has revealed and continues to reveal to us, powerfully and perfectly, even now. But please don't miss the balance of those two sets of exalted descriptors. The first two are about who He is, in glory. The second two are about what He did, in love. Our Jesus may be mind-blowing, but he's also heart-healing. Yes, He is so far above us, but at the same time, he is always at our side.

Whether it's a good thing or a hard thing, some thing is attempting or will attempt to dominate your attention and your affections this month. This thing (or these things) will attempt to eclipse Jesus. Or, again, the familiarity of that Christmas baby will lull us into a kind of spiritual stupor. But please, brother, sister, please remember Jesus is bigger and better than all of it. And because He is, let your mind be blown and your heart healed... daily! Don't settle for smaller, worldly things. Whatever you're facing, know that Jesus Christ can and will sustain you. If he can and is upholding the entire universe, bringing it to God's good and glorious end, than he can certainly reassure you and help you experience his sustaining grace in a very real way.

So He is calling you to faith. In addition to this, our divine guidebook to the greatness of Jesus, remember the resources, the weapons, the allies you have in this battle. Ask yourself now, “How will the greatness of Jesus affect my prayers? How will it affect my priorities this month? What might I have to rethink; or even reject? What is getting in my way?” And please also ask, “How can I encourage others with His greatness? Which brother or sister can I build up in these mind-blowing truths? Who can I share this with outside the church?” In some mysterious way, the infant son of Mary, while laying in a manger, was still the Son of God, upholding even the molecules of the wood that shaped his crib and the straw that served as his bedding. Looks can be deceiving. However things seem right now in your life, remember, Jesus is bigger and better than all of it. And because He is, let us in love and humility, celebrate and submit to the Son.