The Coming of Christ:
The Pre-eminence of Christ

Hebrews 1:1-14

James R. Davis

We have beheld the eminence of kings and queens when television cameras have taken us into their palace courts. Of late many have paid to visit the royal castle in London. We have seen the eminence of royality at royal weddings and royal funerals. Before anyone is allowed into the courts of royality they are instructed on how to act before royality. Most of us will never witness the personal presence of such royality from such earthly monarchs. We are much to common to enjoy the presence of such royality.

Yet, the eminence of this world fades into insignificance when compared to Jesus Christ. For Christ is pre-eminent. The word "pre-eminence" means having paramount rank, dignity, or importance. John proclaims Jesus "King of king and Lord of  lords." (Revelation 17:14) The Bible consistently proclaims Jesus Christ as pre-eminent.

Colossians 1:17-19 He is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Hebrews 1:8 But to the Son He says:  "Your throne,  O God,  is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.

Ephesians 1:18-23
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Jesus Christ is "the image of the invisible God.... For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him"  (Colossians 1:15,19).

Hebrews 1:1-3
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

I. JESUS IS PRE-EMINENT.

A.  We all have heard of reincarnation, but Jesus Christ was the incarnation of deity.  Incarnation is the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form; the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ.  God actualized his presence among mankind in a human body.

Charles Spurgeon wrote,  "This great Prince entered our abode. This little planet  of  ours was made to burn with a  superior light among its sister  stars while the Creator sojourned here in human form.  If  for the first time  you had  heard of  the visit of the Incarnate God to this world,  you would be struck with a wonder  which  would last throughout eternity.  This is the  heart  of   the  Gospel--the  incomparable  fact  of  the incarnation of the Son  of God,  His dwelling  upon the earth, and His presentation of Himself as a  sacrifice unto  God  for the sins of mankind."

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word,  and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,  the  glory as of the only  begotten of  the Father, full of grace and truth.

B. Jesus Christ was God's Son.

1. Christ is the sovereign Lord over the universe it was through him the worlds were made.

Hebrews  1:2 has in these last days spoken to us by  His  Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

2. Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God's nature.

John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him,  Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

C. Jesus Christ is superior.

1. Superior to the prophets.

Hebrews  1:1  God,  who at various times and in  various  ways spoke in time past to  the fathers  by the prophets,  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

The Scriptures  are full of  expressions like "the word of the Lord came unto me,"  and "God spoke all these words."  Someone has counted such phrases and says that they appear  680  times in the Pentateuch,  196 times in its poetical books, 481 times in the historical writings,  and  370  times  in its prophetic portions.  Never did the Lord communicate to us more clearly, however,  than in the person of His Son,  Jesus Christ; for He is the brightness of the Father's glory, "the express image of His person."  One writer has aptly commented,  "Jesus  is  the best photograph God ever had taken."

2. Jesus Christ is superior to the angels.

Hebrews 1:13-14 But to  which of  the angels  has  He ever said:  "Sit at My right hand,  till  I make  Your enemies Your footstool"?  Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

a.  Angels provide the Lord with every conceivable  service we can  imagine.  They  carry His  messages  and perform His will among us --  warning,  protecting,  helping,  and rescuing us. These  supernatural  creatures  do  not provide  the  type  of service rendered from man to man.  Rather,  their  service  is from heaven to earth, originating from the very throne.

There was a time when the thought of angels held a much larger place in the minds of men than they do today. If you visit a gallery where there is a  good  collection of religious art, you will find that the painters of  former days loved to crowd their work with representations of angelic beings. Modern man, however,  has  almost banished  the  thought of them  from his mind.  While  it  is true  that  some  have  believed too much concerning  these  messengers  of  God,   (Hebrews1:14),  our temptation is to consider them too little.

b.  But  as remarkable as these supernatural beings are,  they are dwarfed when placed back-to-back with the Son.

Hebrews  1:4-5  . . . having become so much better than the angels, as He has  by inheritance obtained a more excellent  name than they.  For to which of the angels did He ever say:  "You are My Son,  today I have begotten You"?  And again: "I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son"?

c.  The angels  worship the  Son.  As  soon  as  the  Son  was presented  to the angels,  their spontaneous  response was  to worship him.

Hebrews 1:6 But  when  He again brings the  firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him."

Revelations 5:11-14
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

d.  The angels are not sitting; they are ministering. They are not ruling;  they are serving.  They are not exalted; they are subordinate.

Galatians 1:8
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

II. JESUS CHRIST IS OUR HIGH PRIEST.

A.  Back in the sixties Simon Garfunkel.  Wrote a song "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

1. Priest-- bridge builder

A train filled with  passengers  was speeding along  its route that  crossed a number  of rivers.  Looking out the window,  a child saw the treacherous  waters  in  the  distance  and  was afraid  they  could not reach the opposite bank.  But  as they came closer, a bridge appeared and soon the "danger" was behind them.  Each time  this  occurred the youngster was  very  much disturbed until they  had safely  crossed to  the other  side. Finally,  however,  she  leaned back and said with confidence, "Somebody has put up bridges for us all the way!"

2. Jesus Christ is man's "bridge over troubled water." It is through Christ that we have access to God.

Many years ago an elderly gentleman sat outside the main gate to the White House in Washington, DC.  His threadbare clothes were covered with dust, and his eyes were filled with tears.  A young boy stopped and sympathetically asked why he was crying.  The man said that his son was in the Army and was condemned to be shot because he had deserted his post.  "The guards on the White House grounds will not let me see the President," said the distraught man.  "Mr. Lincoln is so kind and generous.  If he heard the full details of my son's desertion, I feel sure that he would pardon him."  "I can take you to the President," said the boy.  "You?" asked the man with surprise.  "Yes, he's my father.  He lets me come in and talk with him anytime I feel like it."  The little fellow took the man into the White House; and after Lincoln heard the story, he did indeed pardon the condemned soldier. In this incident we see a number of striking parallels to the believer's relationship to the Heavenly Father.  But the one that stands out is this:  Through Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, we can freely enter God's presence.

B. God has appeared in various ways in the past. But now God has identified with humanity through his Son.

A man was struggling with despair as he slumped into the chair in a tiny hotel room in New York City.  His world was falling apart,  and he wondered to himself, "Does God really care?" He felt  as  if his faith  was  almost shipwrecked.  As he sat in bewilderment,  wondering  why God would allow him to encounter the problems he was facing,  he thought of his Bible.  Pulling it from his suitcase, he opened it to John 11, and noticed two words:  "Jesus wept" (v. 35).  This two-word sentence awakened his heart.  He said to himself that if this is the Son of God, here at Lazarus'  tomb with  these  two brokenhearted sisters, and He is weeping, then God does care.

Hebrews 2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered,  being  tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Hebrews  4:15  For  we  do  not  have  a  High Priest  who  cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,  but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
 

III. JESUS CAME TO FULFILL THE PURPOSE OF GOD.

A. Jesus' birth was pre-eminent.

Matthew 1:21-23 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

B. Jesus' life was pre-eminent.

Philippians 2:1-11
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1. Jesus' life was full of grace and truth.

John 1:14-17
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

2. Jesus' life was designed to salvage our lives from sin.

Matthew 1:21
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

3. Philip came asking, "Show us the Father."

John 14:8-12
Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

B. Jesus' death was pre-eminent.  The cross of Jesus  Christ was no accident.  Jesus went to the cross in accordance with his own plan. When God skinned the first animal in Eden to make clothes to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness, Jesus stood by realizing what he must do to have the nakedness of  our sin clothed with his righteousness

Acts  2:22-23  "Men of Israel,  hear these words:  Jesus of Nazareth,  a Man attested by God to you by miracles,  wonders, and signs  which  God  did through  Him in your midst,  as you yourselves  also  know--  "Him,  being  delivered  by  the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;

John 3:16-19
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

1. This explains why John the Baptist introduced Jesus Christ as the lamb of God.

John 1:29 The  next day John saw Jesus coming toward him,  and said,  "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 10:15 "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

2. We are clothed with his righteousness.

Romans 3:23-26
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 5:21
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

C. Today all of this is what makes Jesus' voice pre-eminent

1. God proclaimed Jesus as his spokesman at Jesus' baptism.

Matthew 3:13-17
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

2. God proclaimed Jesus as his spokesman at the Mt. of Transfiguration.

Matthew 17:4-6 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

3. Nothing declares the pre-eminence of Christ like the cross. Jesus' death proclaimed his pre-eminence. It was at the cross that God took the vilest sin of man, that is the crucifixion of God the Son, and by his power turned humanities vilest sin into a means of salvation.

Matthew 27:52-54
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

4. After Jesus' resurrection he proclaimed his pre-eminence.

Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

CONCLUSION:

Christ wants to share his pre-eminence with us. He wants to lift us up to reign with him in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:5-7) It is amazing that the God of heaven has chosen to make his pre-eminence known through the weakness of men.

Revelations 1:5-6
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. [Emphasis mine]Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

But we can only share in his pre-eminence when we make Christ pre-eminent in our lives.

Hebrews 12:22-26
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."