By Robb Brunansky
One of the most important applications of Scripture is worship that simply rests in adoration of Jesus, that basks in the reality of who He is, and that feels joy because He simply is.
When we read the account of Jesus’ birth in Luke’s Gospel, we find shepherds out in the field watching their sheep. Suddenly, angels appear to them and proclaim the birth of the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of David. Interestingly, the angels don’t give much “practical application.” They simply tell the shepherds where to find the baby. There are no instructions of what to do when they arrive, no prescribed gift to bring, no good works to do in preparation – nothing at all. Just, simply, go find Jesus and see Him and worship Him.
We’re not told much about what happened when the shepherds were in the presence of the baby Christ. All we know is Mary and Joseph were puzzled as to how the shepherds found them. Then, the shepherds related the angelic message to them, and everyone was in awe at God’s work. That’s it. Wonder. Amazement. Awe.
When the shepherds returned home, they continued their worship in praising God for what they heard and seen. They heard the angelic proclamation. They observed the Son of God lying in a manger. These sights and sounds were enough to produce within them pure and true and sincere worship.
This Christmas season, would it not be appropriate to take some time to follow the biblical example of these lowly shepherds? Would it not be helpful to sit in awe and amazement and wonder at Jesus? I wonder how our worship, not just in church, but in all life, might be impacted if we made a habit of simply reflecting on Jesus and sitting in awe of Him.
As such, Hebrews 1:1-4 is a great Christmas passage to remind us of who the Christ is, why shepherds long ago worshiped Him, and why we worship Him today. These verses tell us ten wonderful things about Jesus to bring us to a state of awe and worship.
First, it tells us Jesus is the Son of God. God has spoken to us in His Son. I can’t put my love for my children into words, and I’m a sinful father. Yet, I cannot begin to fathom the love the Father must have for Jesus, who is His Son. Do we say this truth so often that we take it for granted? Can we only imagine God’s heart as He saw Jesus lying in the manger, as He sent the angels to the shepherds, as He put the star in the sky for the magi? Can we imagine the heart of God as He knew that little baby would someday die on a cross at the hands of people who hated Him and would treat Him mercilessly? That God would give His Son for us should move us to wonder. To awe. To amazement.
Jesus is also the heir of all things. The psalmist wrote, ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession’ (Psalm 2:8). Our Savior, who was born into this world in relative obscurity to a poor family, is the one to whom the entire universe belongs by legal right. It is His because His Father has given it to Him.
Third, Jesus is the Creator. He is the one through whom also God made the world. This is such an unfathomable mystery! The Creator entered His creation as a human being in history. Our Creator walked the earth, and the earth recognized His voice. He was the one the wind and the waves obeyed. He commanded diseases and demons. He came to save us from our sins by dying for our sins.
Next, notice that Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory. He is the brightness of God’s glory. A. W. Pink wrote, “We may conceive of the sun in the firmament, yet shining not: were there no rays, we should not see the sun. So, apart from Christ, the brightness of God’s ‘glory’ could not be perceived by us. Without Christ, man is utterly in the dark concerning God.” Let us wonder at Christ because He reveals the true nature of God to us. Were it not for Him, we wouldn’t know God; instead, we would be groping about hopelessly in the darkness of our sin.
Not only this, but Jesus is also the exact image of God’s nature. He perfectly tells us who God is. This is really such an incredible truth about the Christmas story. When God wanted to give us a clear picture and understanding of who He is, He did not send an envoy or a messenger. He sent His Son, who perfectly in every way reflects God’s nature because He is by nature God. When He came into the world, He was God in human flesh. What a miracle that the everlasting God should come to us and reveal Himself to us personally in His Son! How that should cause us to be amazed at the Lord’s love and compassion for us!
We see also that not only did Jesus create all things, but He now sustains all things by His word. His word is so powerful that it keeps the universe in motion. It holds the universe together, and it ensures that the purposes of God from all eternity come to their appointed end. Consider that when you pray in Jesus’ name, you are praying in the name of one who was born as a baby 2000 years ago and today is sustaining and carrying along the entire universe.
All these things collectively are enough to cause us to meditate on Christ’s glories for a long time. Then, we see that not only is He great in all these magnificent ways, but He made purification for sins. He Himself, the Son, the heir, the Creator, the Sustainer, the radiance, the image of God, He died on a cross for sins! He rose from the dead! He conquered sin and death and Satan! And He did it to give grace to us.
Once He had done this, He didn’t stop there. He also sat down at God’s right hand and today is the One seated at the right hand of God the Father. This Jesus who came in humility, who was mocked, beaten, scourged, crucified – this Jesus now sits at God the Father’s right hand and rules as the Lord of heaven and earth. While we want to recognize the miracle of God the Son becoming man and being born as a baby, we never want to leave Him in the manger. He now is the highly exalted one, the one we see next that is superior to all angels. The one who has, lastly, a name more excellent than that of the angels. He has the name above all names, the name that will cause everything in all of creation to bow before Him in worship. Even His enemies will be forced to acknowledge the greatness and power of His name.
Jesus is the Son of God, the heir of all things, the Creator, the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of God’s nature, the sustainer, the redeemer, the exalted Lord, supreme over angels, the one with the name above all names. As we consider who He is, how can we do anything but worship Him? Like the shepherds of old, may we always be rejoicing and glorifying God over what we have seen and heard – not just this Christmas season, but every day for the rest of our lives.
Courtesy of The Cripplegate