Marching to Zion
SUMMARY
Karl Ihfe delivers an Easter sermon based on the book of Hebrews, exploring four key comparisons that demonstrate Jesus' superiority. First, Jesus is greater than the angels, as He is the Son of God who "upholds the universe by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:3). Second, He is greater than Moses, being both fully human and the Creator. Third, Jesus is superior to every priest, offering a perfect, one-time sacrifice for sins. Finally, His sacrifice is greater than any other, covering the sins of the world for all time.
Ihfe emphasizes that Jesus' death and resurrection have profound implications for believers. It frees us from the fear of death, allows us to "approach the throne of grace with boldness" (Hebrews 4:16), provides complete salvation, and covers all our sins and shame. The sermon encourages Christians to persevere in faith, drawing strength from the great cloud of witnesses and fixing their eyes on Jesus, "the pioneer and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2).
TRANSCRIPTION:
Well, if you have your Bible with you, invite you to turn over to Hebrews. Well, we've been journeying together through the book of Hebrews this Lent season. As we come to an end this morning, I wanted us to celebrate, to think together again about all that the Hebrew preacher has been showing and pointing us toward and who Jesus is as we think about what it is that we're celebrating on this Easter Sunday. As he begins his sermon, he begins with this passage, this reminder of who Jesus is. He says, the sun 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.
When he had made 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. Now the preacher begins by reminding them, basically, Jesus is God. He's the image of the invisible God. He is the one who holds everything together by the power and the word of his power. It's interesting, Paul will pick up this same picture when he writes to the church in Colossi.
He says, there the Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created. Things in heaven and on earth, invisible, invisible. Whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him. And for him he is before all things and in him all things hold together.
Right? Jesus is the radiance of God's glory. It's as if God were the sun, then Jesus is the sun rays that shine out. And if you want to know what God is like, simply look at Jesus. When we gather together every week, but especially on this Easter Sunday, we get to celebrate a few things.
If you remember, Hebrews was written to a church that was weary and tired, in need of perseverance and endurance. And so the preacher spends the entire sermon showing them, reminding them not only of who Jesus is and what he has done for them, but how holding on to that faith can make all the difference in the world. In fact, he uses four different comparisons, comparing Jesus with other things at the time that might threaten to take first place in their life. So he responds in chapter one, verse five, for to which, or rather he makes this first comparison, and that comparison is, Jesus is greater than the angels. He says, for the which of the angels did God ever say, you are my son, Today I have become your Father, or again, I will be his father and he will be my son.
To which of the Angels, did God ever say, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? The first comparison that the preacher makes is with between Jesus and the angels, saying, there. There may be these other powers, but Jesus is greater than every one. I mean, to which of them did he ever call His Son? To which of them did he ever say, sit here while I make your enemies your footstool?
You see, Jesus is superior to the angels. He is the One who holds all things together. And so the preacher gives them a quick warning, this reminder to the church. We must pay most careful attention then to what we've heard so that we don't drift away. He says, fix your eyes again on Jesus, the one who holds it all together.
And don't forget what you've heard the living words say. Don't forget that message that you have received. But not only is he greater than the angels, he reminds us early on that he was made fully human, just like you and me. Since the children have flesh and blood, we're told Jesus too, shared in their humanity, so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death, that is the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it's not the angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants.
For this reason, he had to make. He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted. He is able to help those who are being tempted. You see, we celebrate each Easter that Jesus, death and resurrection frees us from the slavery of the fear of death.
Right, Jesus? This was made human just like us, to become this sacrifice that only he could make. And so we celebrate together every Sunday that His resurrection freezes from the slavery to the fear of death. He goes on to make a second comparison. He says, not only is Jesus greater than the angels, he's greater than Moses, one of the greatest leaders in Israel's history.
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, he tells us as chapter three opens, partners in a heavenly calling. Consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. See, Christ is faithful as the Son over God's. House, and we are his house.
If indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. And Moses was faithful to the calling that God put on his life, to be a leader, to lead his people out of slavery and into a new life, a new place, a new hope. Well, Jesus too, was faithful in leading us out of captivity, but he also is the one who creates the whole world. He is the incredible Creator. And so we get this warning, chapter three, not to drift away again.
He warns the church. He says in Psalm 95, so if today you hear his voice, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts. Jesus is the one that we can depend on. Don't respond as the Israelites did when they grumbled all through the wilderness, following Moses around, losing heart and losing faith. Instead, he says, let's respond in a different way.
Since then, we have a great high priest who's passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast to our confession. For we don't have a high priest who's unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. See, not only do we celebrate that Jesus is the One who did for us what we could never do for ourselves, we celebrate that Jesus, death and resurrection allows us to boldly approach God's throne room and ask for grace in our time of need.
To a church that's weary and burdened. He says, don't forget what you've heard and don't drift away. Because Jesus has allowed us, number one, to be freed from our fear of death, and he's allowed us to find grace and mercy in our time of need. The preacher would continue on in his sermon, making a third comparison. This time he says, Jesus is greater than every priest in the days of his flesh.
Verse 7 of chapter 5. Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, you may remember that the priest's job, and early on with the Israelites, his job was to represent God to the people and the people to God and to offer sacrifices on their behalf, not only for their sin, but for his sin also. Every year, over and over, every day, he would offer these sacrifices. What the Hebrew preacher reminds us says, Jesus is the ultimate priest because, number one, he's morally flawless. He never sinned, and therefore he doesn't have to make a sacrifice on his own behalf. He instead made it for us one time, and he's eternally available to intercede on our behalf.
And he reminds us that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for you and I. And so he warns the church, if we drift away, if we reject this sacrifice, this priest, then there's nothing left. Says it'the best. It's the only way to be reconciled back to God. So don't turn your backs on him now.
It's impossible to come to salvation any other way. Consequently, he writes, Jesus is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. See, every Easter we get to celebrate Jesus death and resurrection is fully sufficient for our salvation. Not only has he freed us, not only does he allow us to approach God's throne of grace with boldness, but his salvation, it's full, it's complete, it's sufficient for all times. The last comparison, the fourth one that he makes, he says, Jesus is greater than any sacrifice.
Again, the priests offered animal sacrifices daily and certainly on the Day of Atonement every year, over and over again, because the blood of an animal could never fully cover the sins of humanity. But Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, offered once and for all, sufficient to cover sins of all the world at all times, this incredibly mysterious and miraculous moment. So the preacher warns the Church not to turn their back on this incredible sacrifice. Says if we turn away from that, there is no other sacrifice that can cover us. Therefore, he writes, my brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.
And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart and full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. So the fourth thing we get to celebrate, certainly there are many more, but the fourth one that we celebrate today through the Hebrew preacher is that Jesus, death and resurrection, it fully covers our sin and our shame. And so, as Kathy read for us just a few moments ago, we now have come to Mount Zion. We're marching to Zion, to the city of the living God, to the assembly of the firstborn, he says, made up of innumerable angels. To the spirits of the righteous who have ve been made righteous.
To the God who's the judge of all. To Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. I don't know about you, but when I come to church, I don't often have that picture in mind. I'm not sure when we gather for worship that we're considering all that has gathered in name of Jesus. Right?
That cloud of witnesses we talked about last week who are cheering us on. Those angels that are in service to the true God. When we gather here every week, there's more happening around us than we realize. And they're all lifting their praise, their honor, their glory and giving it to God. To the one that the Hebrew preacher said is interceding for us all the time.
To the one whose death and resurrection has freed us from the slavery of the fear of death. And what an incredible gift that is that they're praising the one whose death and resurrection has freed us and allowed us to boldly seek God's throne of grace and mercy with confidence, knowing that he is ready to give to us. All we have to do is humble ourselves and ask lifting praise to the one whose death and resurrection is fully sufficient for our salvation. He is all that we need. In fact, it's to the one whose blood covers all of our sins, all of our brokenness, all those things that we wish we could change.
Right as Jeremy reminded us this morning when we're lying in bed in the middle of the night wondering what and how and where and why that the blood of Jesus covers us and he liberates us. That he invites us into a new life. I'm convinced that's why in chapter 12 he opens with these words. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let's throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race Marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Before the joy sett before Him. He endured the cross scorning its shame and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. So church, we're reminded today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your heart. If you're here this morning and you're wondering, is there space?
Is there room for me at the table? Please know absolutely Jesus died for you. He died in such a way that it covers all of your sin. It covers, in fact, the sin of the whole world from beginning to the end. This incredible sacrifice, this incredible priest, high priest.
So today, if we hear his voice, let's not harden our hearts like they did back in the rebellion. And instead, would we submit to the one who knows what it's like to be fully human, the one who knows what it's like to live your life, who's been tempted in every way, who can sympathize, and who can empathize with us in all of our weaknesses because he, too, knows what it's like. But he's also the same one who's interceding every day on our behalf to the Father. He's interceding all the time, lifting us up, longing to lead us into the life that is truly life. That is what Easter Sunday is all about.
The tomb is empty, and we have new life because of Christ. But that promise, the Hebrew preacher reminds that young church that's struggling to endure. He says, hold on, because it's in Christ alone that we find our hope. God, I pray this Easter season would be one filled with joy and hope for our families here at Broadway. I pray that you would use us as instruments of light in the world, that we would carry with us this message of reconciliation, that you're the one who frees us from the fear of death, that we no longer have to try to justify and prove our existence to others, to power up, to take control, to take what's not ours.
Instead, God, we're free to receive from you the blessings that you have to give and then in turn, to use those to be a witness in the world. God, thank you that your death and your resurrection has allowed us to boldly come before your throne. And those moments in our lives, God, where certainly as this young church felt the persecution and the challenge, God, we feel it, too, that some of us are dealing with a diagnosis, with our health. Maybe some of us are facing a relational challenge or a work challenge or a school challenge that just feels overwhelming. God, would you call us to boldly come before you, knowing and trusting that you are with us?
Never will you leave. Never will you forsake us. God, would you give us the strength and the courage to go on? And, God, may we, as your church, gather around and cheer each other on as that great cloud of witnesses does for us. Father, thank you.
That your death and resurrection, Jesus, is fully sufficient to cover our sins and to lead us into salvation. God, there is no other way. Father, would you help us to hear that this morning for those who have maybe never made a decision, and maybe today is their day, to be reminded of all that is available to them. Because Jesus is not just fully human, but he is your son. He's the one who created it all.
He's the one who holds it all together. God, would you give us eyes to see and ears to hear, a world, as Jeremy reminded us, that's still in darkness? And God, would you help shine your light of love and hope and grace and mercy through us into the world this week? May we live differently in light of these incredible promises. God, would you help us to not shrink back, to not give up, but to endure and to persevere to follow that pioneer and perfecter of our faith, that one who first tasted death, that we might live with you both now and into eternity.
Jesus, thank you for being our older brother. Thank you for being the one who led us most perfectly out of darkness and into the light. God, would you help us to live as your children of light? We pray in Jesus name. Amen.