The Supremacy of Jesus | Pr Raph | Nov. 2, 25

The Supremacy of Jesus

Video Intro:

The letter to the Hebrews exalts the supremacy of Jesus, revealing Him as God’s final Word—the radiant glory of the Father, the exact imprint of His nature, and the sustainer of all things. He is greater than angels, Moses, the priesthood, and every shadow of the old covenant. He became our perfect Representative and merciful High Priest. The Creator entered His creation.

Through His pierced side, new life would flow to His church. All fullness, joy, and meaning are found in Him alone. He is the one who walked our streets, faced our temptations, and now stands in glory to bring many sons and daughters to the Father.

God calls us back to His grace. To listen only to the voice of the Son.

The gospel is not about what we do but about what Christ has already done. 

His victory is our victory, His acceptance our acceptance, His mercy our confidence. 

In Him we find and access the throne of grace—open, near, and sufficient for every need. 

Salvation is God’s gift, accomplished in the Son and offered to all who believe. 

Do not neglect such a great salvation; receive it by faith and rest in the One who reigns above all—Jesus the eternal High Priest, the fountain of everlasting life and our supreme Savior. 

Message Intro:

The Letter to the Hebrews is anonymous; although suggestions include Paul, Barnabas, or Apollos, the author’s true identity remains uncertain.

The text indicates that the writer received the gospel from eyewitnesses of Jesus; therefore, the message is in apostolic teaching. The destination was for a community of Jewish Christians, which explains the book's traditional title. The writer knows that the readers have a good grasp of the Old Testament, especially the narrative of the Torah—from Abraham’s family becoming Israel, to Moses leading the people out of Egypt to Sinai where they received the Torah and entered the covenant, to the building of the tabernacle with its priestly sacrifices, and to the wilderness journey toward the Promised Land.

This is a church facing persecution and even imprisonment for association with Jesus. That persecution was making some abandon the faith, which clarifies the letter’s purpose and structure.

Hebrews contrasts Jesus with every revered messenger, mediator, and mechanism—angels, Moses, the wilderness rest, the Aaronic priesthood, the covenant, sacrifices, and the tabernacle—to reveal Him as God’s final Word. 

Jesus is the greater Moses; He is the eternal High Priest and once-for-all sacrifice. 

He is everything we need now and forever.

Christ the Fullness and Fountain of Life

God’s final message is in the Son, through Whom creation came to be and by Whom it is sustained; therefore, origin, belonging, and fullness converge in Him.

Hebrews 1:2-3 2 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. 3 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,

Hebrews 1:10 10 And,“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;

God wants to elevate Jesus to the supreme position over every prior revelation. The Son is the radiant outshining of God’s glory—the rays to the sun—and the exact imprint of the Father’s nature—the flawless wax impression of the royal signet. 

All things exist “for” Jesus and “by” Jesus, as He brings many sons and daughters to glory in the Founder.

“For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” (Hebrews 2:10)

Genesis depicts creatures summoned from the created source—fish from the waters and animals from the land.

“And God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures…’” (Genesis 1:20)

“And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds…’” (Genesis 1:24)

Just as creatures originate from water and earth, the church’s life and identity are rooted in the Son and are directed towards Him.

“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life…” (Genesis 2:7)

Belonging to Him is the place of joy and satisfaction—the place of fulfillment and success. Let me explain this as I was climbing the Motaña Siete Colores in Peru. I was 16,522′ above sea level. The problem is I am a see-level guy. And on that height, no matter how athletic I am, I will gasp for air and the strength that I don’t naturally have. How many of us are trying to live outside Jesus, the one from whom we were created and for whom we were created? There is no satisfaction anywhere else.

That belonging aspect also evokes the symbol of Adam and Eve. As Eve was formed from Adam’s side, the church belongs to Christ through the opening of His side in the new creation.

“So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man… and took one of his ribs… And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman and brought her to the man.” (Genesis 2:21–22)

“But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” (John 19:34)

The Son is the personal source of life and abundance; from His fullness, the church receives grace upon grace.

John 7:37-38 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

John 10:10 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

listen to Jesus alone

Remember, the Father’s final message is in the Son.

John 1:16- 17 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

It is time for the church to listen to Him.

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son…” (Hebrews 1:1–2)

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1)

The reason why we are tempted to drift away from the message of by grace through faith is because our usual approach is to think of rules as more important than the message of God's grace. We focus on what we should do rather than on what Christ has already done for us. Initially, this feels easier to handle when we're under stress, but then it turns us into slaves of the fear of death and condemnation.

At the Transfiguration, the Father corrects Peter for any attempt to place Jesus alongside Moses and Elijah on the same level; the command is to listen to the Son.

“He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.’” (Matthew 17:5)

For the original readers of Hebrews, persecution and social pressure made rule-keeping attractive. But adding law perverts the gospel. Legalism is precisely making law-keeping and rule-following the ground of acceptance with God; the answer is grace alone and faith alone. 

And here is where we must remember that Faith itself arises through the word of Christ.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Faith will not come by hearing the law, the steps of a successful marriage, the do's and don'ts of parenting, or the endless demands of a disciplined life. Faith comes by hearing the gospel message and sharing it. 

Miracles are for those who don’t drift away from the gospel.

Hebrews 2:4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Let’s expect and stay on the word of Christ, and testify to the same “signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts” as Jesus promised.

Our perfect Representative and High Priest

Another aspect of Hebrews 2 is Jesus as our perfect Representative and High Priest.

When I travel, the first question at the border is my passport. Am I presenting as Brazilian or as American? The emblem on the cover announces my representative—my nation—whose treaties, reputation, and authority shape how I am received. Lines, questions, and privileges change because of who diplomatically represents me before that country.

When the representative is accepted, the represented people are accepted. We see this representation in various parts of the Scripture. The victory of David over Goliath was counted as the victory of all Israel over the Philistines (1 Samuel 17); Elijah’s vindication on Carmel was the victory of the faithful remnant over the idolatry of Baal (1 Kings 18); the high priest’s accepted atonement meant the people were clean (Leviticus 16:30; Exodus 28:29). 

Romans 5:12 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

Romans 5:17 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

While Adam’s disobedience brought condemnation to the many, Christ’s obedience brings justification to the many. In Adam, the person approaches God with a passport stamped disobedience; in Christ, the church approaches with the credentials of the beloved Son—His acceptance becomes our acceptance, and His welcome becomes our welcome.

The Founder of our salvation brings many sons and daughters to glory through suffering; His representative work is effective and accepted.

Hebrews 2:9-10 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

He becomes a merciful and faithful High Priest who truly atones. God accepted our Representative, which means God accepts us. Not only that, but Jesus sympathizes with us.

Hebrews 2:17-18 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Christ’s help is not distant analysis; He knows temptation and suffering from within true humanity, without sin. Therefore, he is able to help.

“For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, rather One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Access to timely mercy and grace.

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

His earthly obedience was learned through the experience of suffering, which qualifies His priestly compassion.

Hebrews 5:8-9 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

Jesus entered our condition; He does not minister from a distance.

I recently watched a documentary about Rio de Janeiro’s favelas in which a lawmaker insisted that residents actually preferred living without police presence; his certainty came from reports and briefings, not from setting foot in those neighborhoods.

However, the people making a real difference were the ones who lived there—neighbors who knew the fear, loss. 

Christ is not a distant lawmaker; He entered our streets, shared our weakness, endured real temptation and suffering without sin, and now stands before the Father on our behalf. The representative’s victory is our victory. 

His timely help is trustworthy because He truly knows the world He came to save.

Hebrews 2:17-18 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

The Torah already established the representative pattern: the high priest must be taken “from among” the people and appointed by God. Moses, though a Levite and the Legislator, served as prophet and liberator, but it was Aaron, his brother, and his sons who were divinely set apart for the high-priestly office; Moses did not assume the priesthood. Why? Aaron lived the long bondage in Egypt; Moses never suffered that. 

“Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him… to serve Me as priests.” (Exodus 28:1)

Jesus shared true humanity, suffered, and faced real testing, yet without sin; therefore, His priesthood surpasses Aaron’s—His propitiation is perfect.

In Hebrews, “temptation” occurs chiefly as pressure to abandon the Son’s finished work and retreat into self-reliant religiosity, drifting from the gospel toward the safety of visible rituals and personal effort. The response is not new rules; the response is drawing near to the throne of grace because the Accepted Representative stands there for the church.

 When the heart falters and considers returning to work as ground of acceptance, remember that the price of propitiation has been paid, the tyrant of death has been broken, and the Priest who knows the path of suffering now supplies mercy and help in the exact moment of need.

“For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God… He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness… And no one takes this honor for himself, rather only when called by God, just as Aaron was.” (Hebrews 5:1–2, 4)

Do not neglect such salvation.

Salvation is God’s free gift accomplished by the Son and offered to all, but not all are saved. It is all about receiving it by faith.

Hebrews 2:3 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,

Grace is universally extended because Jesus truly entered death for all, But salvation is not universally effective.

“But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9)

1 John 2:2 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

The way to salvation is by faith, not works. 

Salvation is a gift; To access it is to receive it, not earn it.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)