Seeing Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-3 July 31, 2022 Pastor Austin Triplett

Thesis When we cannot see or hear God, we are to look to Jesus—the final, sufficient, and perfect word of God—who speaks into every condition of our souls by who he is and what he has accomplished.

Series

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Type

Expository

Tone

pastoraldidacticevangelistic

Method

redemptive-historicalcanonicalapplicatory

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

45 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #32

"The preacher applies the Matthew 28 exposition directly to the doubter in the room. Jesus does not exclude doubters from his mission—he invites them in. The application is abstract (no specific action commanded) but emotionally direct: you are not disqualified by your doubt."

Doctrinal loci· 11 surfaced

Christology · 17 Sanctification · 8 Soteriology · 8 Hamartiology · 4 Theology Proper · 4 Bibliology · 3 Pastoral Theology · 3 Providence / Sovereignty · 3 Anthropology · 2 Ecclesiology · 1 Eschatology · 1

Bible citations· 14

Illustrations· 3

personal story · unit #7 — The preacher shares his own story of a difficult year—sickness, sleepless nights with young children, perpetual catch-up at work. This personal testimony establishes common ground with the congregation and sets up the problem the sermon will address: difficulty in spiritual life is real, even for pastors.
personal story · unit #8 — The preacher deepens the illustration by naming the specific spiritual struggle: time with the Lord feels difficult, academic, apathetic, effortful but fruitless. He invites the congregation into identification ('How many of you...?') and dismantles the false image of the pastor who effortlessly encounters God every morning.
hypothetical · unit #9 — The preacher runs through a pastoral diagnostic checklist—unrepentant sin, lack of time, unforgiveness—and eliminates each as the cause of spiritual dryness. This is a hypothetical pastoral conversation, but it serves to rule out the easy answers and set up the harder truth that will follow.

Theological claims· 14

We do not change by adding more religious activity to our lives but by beholding Jesus. unit #3
We become what we behold—transformation happens by seeing Christ, not by trying harder. unit #4
When God feels distant despite faithful obedience, he may be using that very distance to teach us about ourselves and shore up our faith. unit #10
Faith necessitates doubt because the proper response to God's felt absence is not to run away but to lean into Jesus. unit #11
The preacher poses the sermon's central question four times in escalating urgency: what do we do when we cannot hear God? This rhetorical repetition drives the question into the listener's heart and prepares for the answer Hebrews 1 will provide. unit #12
When we cannot hear God, we often self-medicate with media voices that temporarily distract us but ultimately leave us wanting more. unit #17
When we feel distant from God, we are tempted to seek other voices—whether through mystical experiences or religious ritual—that promise clearer access to God than the gospel provides. unit #18
Jesus is God's final word to us—the anchor for our souls—and when we feel God is not speaking, we are to look to Jesus. unit #19
No matter how pointless your life feels, it is not—because you were created through and for Christ and are part of his eternal inheritance. unit #22
When we doubt, Jesus does not run away—he moves toward us. unit #31
If Jesus is God revealed, then his response to death—drawing near and weeping—reveals that God moves near to his people in suffering. unit #39
God does not answer the problem of suffering philosophically—he answers it by entering the world as the suffering servant, Jesus, who bears our griefs and pays the price for sin. unit #40
The ultimate cause of suffering is sin, and Jesus takes it head-on by paying the price for it. unit #41
God speaks even when we are not hearing him, and all we need is to look to Jesus to see a clear and present word on display. unit #43

Quotations· 2

"We become what we behold." — unnamed theologian (unit #4)

"It's not about us, it's about him, and it's only about us because it's about him." — Sinclair Ferguson (unit #21)

Read it

Full transcript

35,368 characters 45 units ~39 min reading time

0 · The preacher opens with a personal anecdote about his toddler son wanting to preach, paraphrasing Psalm 23 in childlike language before declaring 'God is a dog'—a humorous moment that breaks tension and establishes rapport with the congregation while transitioning authority from a child's voice to the pastor's

All right, well, good morning.

I most Sundays get to church a lot earlier than my family, and so it was just an honor this morning for the 9:00 AM. My son hopped in the car with me and we drove over here together, and we're in the car and he asks me, he says, Daddy, can I read your Bible? I was like, yeah, absolutely, you can read your Bible. You can read my Bible. Hand him my Bible.

And in the morning I had kind of like just prepped him like, hey, we're going to be at a different church this morning. We're going to be at Cross of Grace. And so I showed him a video of the church service from last week. And he saw this video and he's thinking about this and processing this as we drive. And so as he's reading the Bible and he says, Daddy, when we get to church, I'm going to go on their stage.

And I said, oh, okay. Well, I don't know if that's allowed there, but what are you going to— are you going to preach the sermon this morning? And he says, Yes, I'm going to preach the sermon. So he— I just continued to ask. I was like, okay, so what are you going to preach about this morning?

And he says, God and his sheep. I'm like, okay, this is good. This is a profound sermon already. I mean, we're 3 minutes into this car ride and I am already getting preached to by my 2-year-old. And so I just continued asking.

I was like, oh man, so what about God and his sheep? He goes, well, they're going on a walk. They're going to go on a walk to a restaurant. To get ice cream. And I'm like, oh my goodness, this is Psalm 23.

He is paraphrasing Psalm 23. Like, I was like, man, I need to open the Message translation, make sure that's not the— oh no, it's not Eugene Peterson. Okay, this is just Psalm 23 from my son's mouth. And so as we're driving, I'm like, oh man, this is amazing. Like, my son might actually preach the sermon at Cross of Grace this morning.

And then he goes, and God is a dog. And I was like, oh well, there we go. That's heresy. And so you're stuck with me today.

1 · The preacher pauses to honor the host pastor, expressing deep gratitude for his pastoral heart and the church's support

which is, man, such an honor.

Um, I just, I did this in the first service, but I get the honor to do it again. Like, I gotta brag on your pastor. Uh, I met your pastor a few years ago for the first time, uh, at the beginning of the pandemic. And we sat, you know, like 10 feet away from each other just to make sure. And we had a great conversation in this building, and I got to see this church and I got to see what God's what you're doing in this church, but most importantly, what I got to hear was the heart of your pastor.

And so I want to take every opportunity I can to do this.

Your pastor loves you dearly. If there was anything I took away from that conversation, it wasn't all the things that this church is doing to make things work, it was how much he loved you. I love you. And that to me, to hear that from a pastor's heart was so encouraging because that's unfortunately not what I often hear when I connect with pastors. And so to be able to be with a pastor who loved his people, who as I spent time with him, I was able to see that he would die for his people, he would bleed for his people because Christ has died for and bled for his people.

Was such an encouraging thing for me. I looked at your pastor and I knew in that moment right there, this is a guy. This is a guy that I want to be connected to for the rest of my ministry here in El Paso. As long as the Lord gives me here, I want to be connected to him. I want to be connected to this church.

And so I just want to say, for a variety of reasons that maybe not many of you know about, thank you. For who you have been to me as a church. You have encouraged me, you have sent, you have prayed for, you have blessed me in so many ways, and I just want to say thank you. I feel like this morning I'm getting an opportunity, if anything, just to say thank you for all that you have done for me, for my family, and for our church, Jesus Chapel.

2 · The preacher introduces himself not by credentials or accomplishments but by identity: disciple, husband, father, member of a covenant community, and young pastor

I am a disciple of Jesus first and foremost. I don't wanna make any claims and daring claims about who I am other than that. That's what I bring is I am a disciple of Jesus. I am just desiring to look more and more like him. I am a husband to my beautiful wife Julie, who is not able to be here at this service because we have two little kids, one of them a 2-year-old, our son Emric, and then our month-old daughter Amora, and I am, as much as I possibly can, trying to just love them and allow that to overflow into the rest of my life.

I'm a member of a covenant community called Jesus Chapel on the west side of this city, and I get the pleasure of serving them as their lead pastor. I'm a young pastor, which means that they are so gracious to put up with all of the mistakes that I will make. and I am just blessed that they have allowed me to serve in that church, and I'm blessed that you all have allowed me the opportunity to preach the word to you this morning.

3 · The preacher establishes the sermon's controlling theological proposition: transformation comes not through increased religious activity but through beholding Jesus

Before we get into the word today, I think it's important that you know a little bit about where I'm coming from. I am pretty convicted about a few things.

The Lord has really built some convictions in my heart over the last few years, and one of them that I have been just deeply convicted by is that we do not change as people or become renewed. We don't see gospel renewal in our city by adding more religious activity to our lives. That's not how we change. That's not how we become more like Christ. It's not by doing more things.

The way that we change, the way that we see gospel renewal in our lives and in our city is by beholding Jesus.

4 · The preacher supports the previous claim with a theological axiom: we become what we behold

A theologian who I can't remember says it, "We become what we behold." What we set our eyes on, what we set our affections on will shape and will form us.

We change and become transformed in the image of Christ by seeing him.

5 · The preacher transitions from establishing the theological foundation to announcing the sermon's method: repeated exposure to Jesus through the gospel

And so today my hope is that we would build off of that theme, that we change, we become renewed by the gospel by exposing ourselves to the gospel over and over again. Multiple exposures to who Jesus is over and over and over and over again, that's how we see gospel renewal in our lives and our city.

6 · The preacher announces the structure: the sermon will be rooted in Hebrews 1:1-3 but will also survey Jesus from a panoramic view

And so what we're gonna do this morning is we are just going to do that. We are gonna see Jesus. What I'm gonna root my text in is Hebrews 1:1-3, and then we're gonna do like a 30,000-foot flyover just to kind of get an idea of Jesus with a bigger picture in mind.

And so this morning, If you have your Bibles, go ahead and get to Hebrews 1.

7 · The preacher shares his own story of a difficult year—sickness, sleepless nights with young children, perpetual catch-up at work

And as you're getting there, this year has been a uniquely challenging year for me. So I have 2 young kids. I started out the beginning of the year— the end of the year, beginning of the year pretty sick. I got knocked out for like 8 to 9 days, just like couldn't get out of bed at the end of last year, beginning of this year.

And when I came back to work, I felt like I was just behind from the moment I got back to the office. And I feel like that's kind of been the perpetual state of my year, is like playing catch-up. And so it's just been one of those like really difficult years. I've got kids that refuse to sleep like John does. They're in my bed at 1:30 every night.

Two nights ago, this has nothing to do with my sermon, but it's funny. Two nights ago, my son has gotten up, he's gone out into the living room, and I walked out. It's Friday night, and so Saturday mornings we eat pancakes and we watch TV. TV, and I walk out and he just goes, "Daddy, it's time to watch a movie." I'm like, "It's 1:30 in the morning. It's not time to watch a movie.

Get in bed." And so, why did I say that? A little insight into my home life. That's the challenging year that I've had, 1:30 AM wake-ups. And so, it's just been one of those years where everything feels a little bit more difficult.

8 · The preacher deepens the illustration by naming the specific spiritual struggle: time with the Lord feels difficult, academic, apathetic, effortful but fruitless

I'm not sure if you've ever had one of those years.

Let me ask another question. How many of you have ever felt like time with the Lord is difficult, by a show of hands? Come on, yeah. You can raise them up high. Nobody— this is not embarrassing.

That's like getting into the Word becomes challenging and it becomes hard. Being with the Lord is difficult for me this year. Like it's just been difficult. It's been hard. I'm in the Word often and it can feel academic.

At times it can feel apathetic. It's been a difficult, a struggle of a year in that sense.

And so maybe you have a misconception about pastors. Maybe you think that we just wake up and we float out to our Bibles by coffee that's been prepared by angels, but that's just not the case. It's been effort to be there and to be in that space. And as I've made that effort, here's what's happened. What feels like nothing.

There have been times where I have made the effort, you know, with young kids to be in the word. For me, it's waking up at 4:30, and so I'm out there, I've got my coffee, and I'm sitting there and I'm just I'm just exhausted. I feel like I have nothing to give and that I'm not getting anything.

9 · The preacher runs through a pastoral diagnostic checklist—unrepentant sin, lack of time, unforgiveness—and eliminates each as the cause of spiritual dryness

If somebody were to walk in my office and they were to tell me this, I would probably do a pastoral diagnosis. I would say, "All right, is there unrepentant sin in your life?" Man, are there just areas where you are like habitually sinning and you have decided not to give that over to the Lord? You haven't brought that into confession and community. You've just decided that you're okay with that. No, that's not what's going on.

Okay, so that's not what's going on. Am I making time for God? Like, are you actually giving time to God? It's one thing to say that I can't get into the Word, and then it's like, well, you're waking up 5 minutes before you have to go to work. Like, that's probably a really difficult thing to do.

Or you're not, you know, when you're on your media devices and your phone and Netflix until the second you go to bed. Probably going to be really hard to hear what the Lord is saying through his word if you're not actually giving him time. "Ah, no, I'm doing that. I've made the time. I've tried to be in the word every day as much as I can." And then I'd ask, "All right, is there unforgiveness in your heart towards a brother or sister?

Is there anyone in the body of Christ or anyone outside of the body of Christ that you are just harboring resentment towards?" It's like, "Well, no, I'm not that. I try to keep a really short record of wrongs. I try to make sure that I am connecting." with the body regularly. I try to make sure that I am just asking for forgiveness and giving forgiveness as often as I possibly can.

10 · The preacher offers a pastoral diagnosis of his own condition: when the obvious causes of spiritual dryness are ruled out, the reality may be that God is sovereignly using the experience of distance to deepen faith

And so if somebody says no to all of those questions, I have really good news for them and I have really bad news for them.

The really good news is that God is doing something in their life right now that they just can't see. The really bad news is that it may feel like he is distant, and he is using that to teach us something about ourselves, and he is using that to shore up our faith.

11 · The preacher cites Calvin to make a provocative claim: faith requires doubt

One of my favorite theologians, John Calvin, says faith necessitates doubt. Why? Because there are moments in our life where we feel as if God is not there, and the proper response for us is not to run the opposite direction, but to lean into who Jesus is.

This is a hard thing for us, right? Like, we all believe that God still speaks to his people. Like, we believe that he speaks to his people today, maybe not as authoritatively as he does in Scripture, but we believe that God speaks to his people. We believe that he's still speaking today. We believe that he is still active in the world today.

12 · The preacher poses the sermon's central question four times in escalating urgency: what do we do when we cannot hear God? This rhetorical repetition drives the question into the listener's heart and prepares for the answer Hebrews 1 will provide

So what do we do when we feel like God is not there? What do we do when we feel like God is not speaking?

Maybe this is you today, and maybe it's not, and if it's not, that's okay. There will be a day where this might be you.

What do we do in moments when we no longer seem to be hearing from God?

What do we do when we've been posturing ourselves to be with him, when we've been confessing sin, when we've been walking and pursuing unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we still are not feeling, hearing, or seeing him? What do we do?

13 · The preacher reads the primary text in full—Hebrews 1:1-3—and declares it the word of the Lord

Hebrews chapter 1. Starting in verse 1, we'll read through verse 3.

If you have your Bible, I would encourage you to have it in front of you throughout this sermon. Hebrews chapter 1. Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 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. 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. This is the word of the Lord.

14 · A brief prayer asking God to speak through the Son and make the word real by the Spirit

Father, be with us this morning. Speak to us through your Son and make that word real to us through your Spirit. It's in your name we pray. Amen.

15 · The preacher provides historical-critical context for Hebrews: we know little about author, audience, or location, but we know the church was suffering and asking 'Where is God?' This sets up the parallel between the original audience and the contemporary listener

A little bit of context for the book of Hebrews that I think is helpful for us this morning.

The first is this. We know almost nothing about the church that this is written to. We don't know really where they are. We don't know the constitution or the makeup of this church. We don't have an idea of who's pastoring it.

We don't even know who really is writing this letter. In fact, when we come to the letter of Hebrews, here's what we have: a lot of questions. A lot of questions, which I think is intentional. But here's what we do know about that church that we can really grasp: that this is a suffering church. It is a church that is asking the question, where is God?

16 · The preacher deepens the exposition of the Hebrews church's suffering—economic, social, and soon physical persecution—and draws a contemporary parallel with a knowing aside ('Which that does not sound familiar at all')

In fact, if we were to read through the book of Hebrews, we would know later on in the book that this church has suffered almost to the point of death, right? They've been suffering, but they have not suffered to the point of shedding their blood is the words that the author to the Hebrews church uses. So this is a suffering church. It's a hurting church. It's becoming really uncomfortable to be a Christian in their society.

Which that does not sound familiar at all.

They have started to realize that the way that they look at the world is different than the way that other people look at the world, and they're starting to feel that. They're starting to feel that economically. They're starting to feel that socially. And soon they will start to feel that physically.

And so, the writer of Hebrews comes to this church that is asking the question, Where is God in all of this? Where is God in our suffering? Where is God in our difficulties? Where is God in our pain? You and I might find ourselves as well in moments like that where we are asking that question, where is God in this?

Where is God in my life right now? Where is he? I can't seem to see him. Everything I see is not him.

17 · The preacher diagnoses the contemporary church's response to God's felt absence: self-medication through media

So what happens when we don't know where God is?

Well, oftentimes we will scramble for solutions. In our day and age of endless media, we will self-medicate with the voices that speak pretty clearly to us. We'll go to our favorite media streams, whether that's our phones or our social media or Netflix or any other type of news media that you prefer. We seem to go to these voices because they give us a reason for living, a thought for life, and we lean into those voices. We self-medicate with them because they draw us in.

We drown out the silence that is our questioning of where God is.

And that self-medication, it works for a time. We can distract ourselves from that question for a time.

We maybe feel a little bit better, maybe even stay busy enough to forget.

But inevitably, those other voices will always leave us wanting more.

18 · The preacher identifies a second false solution: seeking special revelation or spiritual experiences

Maybe you're feeling distant from God and you haven't decided to self-medicate with media, but you've thought, "If I can just have a spiritual experience, like, if I can just have that mountaintop Christianity moment, then, you know, then I would be able to continue in my faith. If I could have one of those moments where the Lord really, you know, meets me with a word, or, you know, maybe somebody just gives me, like, prophecy for the next 5 years of my life and I could know yes or no on various decisions I'm trying to make. If I could just get a special revelation, then I would know I'm secure. Then I would know that God's here. Then I would know that God loves me.

This is what's happening in this church. It is a church that is seeking to answer the question of where is God with other voices. If we were to read through the book, we would notice that even just directly after our passage that they have begun to self-medicate with angel worship because it seems like there's voices there that maybe seem more clear or prevalent for them. Further on down in the book, we would learn that they've moved past the gospel and gone back to some of the Jewish rites and rituals that were required in order for— to be a part of the people of God in the Old Testament. And so they've started maybe leaning too far into circumcision.

They started maybe leaning too far into other belief systems that would discount the gospel because they seemed to be more prevalent, more clear words for them.

19 · The preacher states the thesis of Hebrews: Jesus is God's word to you—the anchor for the drifting soul

And the author writes to this church, helping them to better understand their situation. And their suffering with the essential, the message of Hebrews, which is this: that Jesus is God's word to you. Jesus is God's message to you. Jesus is better than any other possible word. Jesus is the sure and steady anchor for your soul.

Here's what the author of Hebrews assumes when he comes to this situation with these people in this church. He assumes that their soul will naturally drift away from God.

The language that he's using of anchor implies that there is a boat and that that boat will move away from the intended location if it is not tethered by something. And so the author of the book of Hebrews needs them to know that the way that they stay close to God is not is not rowing as hard as they can. It's through an anchor. And that anchor is Jesus.

There is an assumption that we as a people will drift away from God, and the solution that God gives is Jesus. He gives us an anchor in Jesus Christ in the moments when we feel as if God is not speaking.

We look to Jesus.

20 · The preacher signals a shift from the problem (spiritual drift and false solutions) to the solution (seeing Jesus)

So the author in the very beginning of this book reintroduces them to Jesus. He reintroduces his readers to Jesus. Look at verse 1 and 2 for me.

21 · The preacher expounds Hebrews 1:1-2 in two movements: first, the shift from prophetic revelation (which pointed forward to Christ) to final revelation in the Son

Long ago at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. So here's what the author is saying: God used to speak through prophets.

Now, what's happening in the prophets is the prophets are actually prophesying Christ. Like, if we were to read the Old Testament, what the Old Testament is doing is it is proclaiming who Jesus is. It's pointing forward to Jesus. From Genesis all the way through the rest of the Old Testament, that's what it's doing. It's pointing forward to humanity's need for a Savior.

And so what the author here is saying is back then it was hard to see the picture. There were various ways that God spoke through the prophets, but now, now in these last days, he has spoken through his Son. He has spoken through His Son. Now the picture is not unclear anymore. It's clear.

It's Jesus. In these last days, God has spoken through Jesus. So how has God spoken through Jesus? Well, I think there's two ways that we see in this text that God has spoken through Jesus. The first is through His eternal inheritance.

And the second is through his identity and his work. So let's look at that first one, the first, through his eternal inheritance. Read with me the rest of verse 2. He has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world. Okay, so God the Father creates by God the Son.

Everything, literally everything, has been created by God, through God, and for God. I love that we read Colossians 1:15-20 earlier at the service because that right there, those words tell us that all things have been created through God, all things have been created by God, all things have been created for God. God speaks through the Son. Who is the endpoint of all things. This is what this means.

All things, not some things, not only the things that we find in the church, all things find their purpose in Christ. So, when this text says, "He's the heir of all things," the author is telling us that in Jesus we see the point of it all. We see the point of all of it. We see the reason for everything, not just why things were created, but the way in which God is redeeming and reconciling all things to himself. My friends, there are beautiful truths in Scripture about individual and personal salvation.

That's not what this text is talking about right here. What this text is talking about right here is God's cosmic reconciliation plan. This is bigger than us. Isn't that so good to know? Like, Sinclair Ferguson says, "It's not about us, it's about him, and it's only about us because it's about him." Like, this text is giving us an insight into what God is doing in all of the world.

But lest we think we're unimportant, we got to keep reading.

22 · The preacher applies the cosmic Christology of Hebrews 1:2 to individual lives: if all things are created through and for Christ, then no life is meaningless

We understand the world rightly when we see God speaking in and through his Son. There is no way to understand the world in any other way outside of through the lenses of Christ. God speaking in and through his Son is how you and I as believers make sense of it all. That's how we make sense of the world. And so, in this idea of Christ being the heir of all things, here's what we're seeing.

What we're seeing in this text is that no matter how pointless or meaningless you think your life is, it's not.

It's not.

If Christ is the heir of all things, if all things are part of his eternal inheritance, then your life culminates in being a part of Christ's inheritance.

Like, your life has meaning and value and purpose because it's caught up in God's story. You carry Christ. Oh, friends, please. Hear me here. You carry Christ as someone who is part of God's story.

You carry Christ as someone who is part of Christ's eternal inheritance.

It was literally through Jesus, through him that you were created, and it is for him that you were created. Your life has meaning and value and purpose because of that fact right there.

So many voices in this world make it seem like you just have no value whatsoever. And this text is confronting those lies with the truth that your life is part of Christ's inheritance, which means that everything you do, there's not a single moment in your life, no matter how pointless or meaningless you think it is, that is pointless or meaningless to God.

Like that, some of us are just stuck because we believe that our life has no value and we just need to combat that lie right here with recognizing it's part of Christ's inheritance. It has value, my friends.

23 · The preacher signals a structural shift in the text itself—from Christ's pre-creation work to his identity and his redemptive work

Then he moves on. He goes on. So far, what he's been doing is he's been talking about Christ's work before creation or who Christ is before creation. And now he's going to continue that idea, and then he's going to shift that idea. So in verse 3, he begins with, he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

24 · The preacher expounds the phrase 'exact imprint of his nature' by contrasting family resemblance with perfect identity

He, he moves from, from Christ's eternal inheritance into who the Son is and what his work is. The first thing we see is that he images God perfectly.

This is not— my dad was in town for the last week— this is not my dad and I just took a picture together and you kind of look at it and you see the resemblance a little bit. You're like, yeah, I can kind of see how that guy is that guy's dad or that guy's that guy's son. Like, that's not what this is talking about. It's not resemblance. It's perfect image.

Exact imprint, exact.

When we see Jesus, we see most clearly God's glory on display and God's image as it was intended to be seen. Here's what this means. The fullness of God's plan for the world And creation is found in the mystery of the incarnation. In Jesus, the Word made flesh, God's wisdom and knowledge is fully revealed. When we look to Jesus, we see the exact representation of God's character, His righteousness, His love, His power, and His justice.

Whatever God has promised, whatever blessing God has promised, whatever God has, whatever God is, all of it wrapped up in Christ, all of it. When we look to Christ as we see Him in Scripture and we hear Him preached, we can know what God is like.

We can know what God is like, and we can begin to understand His heart for us. We can begin to understand who He is. We can begin to understand His love for His people when we look and we see Jesus. Jesus, because He images God perfectly. When we see Jesus, we see God.

25 · The preacher expounds the phrase 'upholds the universe by the word of his power' by asserting that Christ is the active sustainer of all created reality

The text moves on to say that He has been sustaining all things. When we see Jesus, we see the way in which God is sustaining the world. Without the Word of God made most clear to us in Christ, the entire world would crumble and fall apart. And so, as you look out at the universe and you think to yourself, All of this is crumbling and falling apart. Here's what you can take confidence in: as long as Christ is around, it's not.

It all will hold together because Christ holds together, and He sustains the universe by the word of His power.

It is in Him that we live and we move and we have our being.

26 · The preacher signals a major structural pivot in the text—from Christ's eternal being and cosmic work to his redemptive work in history

So, so far we've been talking a lot about who this Son of God is and who he has been since before the Lord of all creation. And then he moves and he shifts his thinking. No longer is he talking about what God the Son has been doing for eternity. He now begins to talk about what God the Son is doing right now, has done right now.

Verse 3.

27 · The preacher expounds the phrase 'after making purification for sins, he sat down' by emphasizing the past tense—the work is finished

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

After making purification for our sin, God speaks to us through the work of the Son in the purification of sins. So let me bring that down to the ground level, maybe make it plain. All of us are in process. Right? Like, nobody walked in here this morning and said to themselves, "I am the holiest one here, therefore I should be preaching this sermon." And if you did, that's just self-righteousness, so you're welcome.

None of us walked in— like, all of us are in process. We're all growing and learning and working and being taught and being shaped and being formed and being molded more and more into the image of Christ. Every single one of us is in process.

And God speaks to that process in the work of Jesus on the cross who takes on the sins of the world. You see, in the cross, Jesus is doing the work of making those of us who are dead alive. In the cross, Jesus is making it possible for God to forgive us of our trespasses. In the cross, Jesus is canceling the record of debt that stands against us. In the cross, he is setting aside your sin by nailing it to the cross.

Here's what this means. You are in process, but notice how this sentence works.

"After making purification for sins." What is the verb tense there? It's past.

This is not a current process. It's a finished process. Right? After making purification for sins. So what this means is that this is already true of you.

In your process, you can take confidence in the fact that God is speaking to those sins in Christ's purification of them. And it doesn't stop there. It tells us that after making purification, he sat down. This is great. In our sedentary culture, we lose the meaning of this.

We're sitting down most of the time when we're doing our work. What this passage is trying to tell us is something very, very clear in ancient Jewish culture. In ancient Jewish culture, when you sat down, that meant the job's done, the work's finished.

When Jesus sits down, he's saying his work is done. The purification for your sin is finished, which means this, your sanctification, is secure. You are stepping into the process of growing in Christlikeness knowing that the work is done and it is finished and that He will purify you. In your process, you can take confidence, confidence knowing that in Jesus God's most prominent word pronounced over your life is found.

28 · The preacher announces the sermon's final movement—a panoramic reintroduction to Jesus by way of multiple gospel stories

When we don't know where God is, we need to look to Jesus.

And so I know I'm over time, but if you'll stick with me for a moment, I'd like to reintroduce us to Jesus really quickly.

29 · The preacher introduces the first of three pastoral scenarios—doubt—by voicing an imagined listener's objection

Maybe you're in here this morning and you say, "Austin, all of that is great, but I'm kind of doubting right now. I'm just not sure, not sure about this whole Jesus thing. How does Jesus speak to me in my doubt?"

30 · The preacher expounds Matthew 28—the resurrected Jesus standing before disciples who worship and doubt simultaneously

Matthew 28, Jesus has risen from the dead and he comes before his disciples and the text tells us this, the text tells us that they worshiped but some doubted. Now these are the disciples who are literally standing in front, face to face, with the resurrected Christ. Maybe you're thinking, look, Jesus, if you could just come and reveal yourself to me right now, like, in the flesh, then maybe I'd be able to I believe in you.

But that's what Jesus did to these guys. And some of them doubted.

31 · The preacher makes a key theological claim about Jesus' response to doubt: he does not flee from doubters but moves toward them

And this is where— this is what blows our minds here. The text does not tell us that he runs the opposite direction. The text tells us that he moves towards them.

And he moves towards them.

32 · The preacher applies the Matthew 28 exposition directly to the doubter in the room

If this is you today, where you have come in here wondering what to believe, all you've seen from Christianity has left you wanting, you've been through all the motions, you've said all the prayers, and yet you You haven't felt the presence of God. You've been walking in unknown, not seeing Jesus. You've got questions and there is no answer that I could give to you today that would be more important than for you to know that in your doubt, Jesus is not running in the opposite direction. He is moving towards you. He desires to reveal himself to you.

He desires to invite you into his story. Here's what's amazing about that Matthew 28 passage. They worshiped and some doubted, and then he gives the Great Commission. I don't know about you, I'm not trusting my, like, mission for life with somebody who's not sure if they can do it or not, or is not sure if they really trust me as a person. That's not what Jesus does.

He invites them into his story, into his mission, into his life.

That's what Jesus desires to do for you today, my friend.

33 · The preacher introduces the second pastoral scenario—habitual sin—by voicing an imagined listener's struggle

Maybe you're in here this morning and you say, "Austin, I am not doubting. I believe in Jesus. I am confident of who he is, but you need to know that I am struggling to defeat sin in my life. I am just ravaged by sin.

I am constantly dealing with the pain that habitual sin is causing in my life. How does Jesus speak to me?

34 · The preacher expounds John 8—the woman caught in adultery—by narrating the story with attention to Jesus' physical posture (kneeling, writing in the dirt, getting his hands dirty)

Well, I'm so glad you asked. In John chapter 8, we see a story where a woman who is caught in adultery is brought before the Lord. She is caught in adultery. She's brought before Jesus, and there are men, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the high priests, and they are ready to condemn this woman and to stone her to death.

And Jesus kneels down on the ground. He writes into the dirt, gets his hands dirty, and beginning from the oldest to the youngest, everyone drops their stone and walks away.

35 · The preacher continues the John 8 exposition by correcting a false image of Jesus—distant, stoic, formal—and replacing it with the true image: Jesus who kneels, draws near, lifts her face, speaks tenderly, and pronounces no condemnation

And some of us maybe have a stoic view of Jesus. We'd think that Jesus stood off in the corner in His three-piece suit and said, "Woman, get up." But that's not what Jesus does at all. Jesus draws near to her.

He lifts up her face and He looks at her and He says, "Does no one here condemn you?" And neither do I. Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. He stands on behalf of the woman. He delivers her.

The one with the right to condemn her walks in no condemnation for her.

36 · The preacher applies the John 8 narrative directly to the listener trapped in habitual sin

He looks at her and He loves her and invites her into a life of freedom. And if this is you today where your sin has resulted in condemnation being heaped upon you and you are sitting under the sound of my voice wondering if you could ever be forgiven, Jesus looks He looks at you and He loves you. He loves you and He says, "There is no condemnation for you. You do not have to live in that any longer.

You have been offered a way out by the God who stands in between you and condemnation." Look to Jesus and see freedom. Look to Jesus and see the beauty of grace. See a God who is not throwing stones at you but is instead stepping in the way of those stones and taking the punishment for your sins. Your sins. Look to Jesus.

He is not done with you, friend. He delights to restore your dignity and your value and your worth back to you. And then he gives you this invitation: go and sin no more. Not because— not because your sin is only forgiven as long as you get it together, but because Jesus says that sin does not have the final word over your life.

That's not your identity, my friend. "Go and sin no more," not because Jesus' forgiveness is conditional upon your showing up and performing, but because Jesus' word over your life is one of no condemnation.

And he says that sin is no longer who you are.

Maybe you're in here this morning and you're saying, "Well, I'm a sinner."

37 · The preacher introduces the third pastoral scenario—suffering—by voicing an imagined listener's cry

Hey, Austin, I'm not struggling with habitual sin. I'm not doubting that Jesus existed, but I am suffering.

Where is God in that?

38 · The preacher expounds John 11—the death of Lazarus—by focusing on Jesus' emotional response to Mary's accusation

In John 11, we see a story. Jesus' friend Lazarus has died, and Lazarus' sister Mary comes before Jesus and she says, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died." And many of us get uncomfortable with an accusation like that. We feel like we would need to correct her theology, but that's not what God does. That's not what Jesus does.

Jesus doesn't correct her theology. Instead, the text says that he is deeply moved. In other texts, we are informed that not only was he moved, but he was moved to the point of weeping.

39 · The preacher makes a theological claim grounded in the Christological axiom: if Jesus is the exact imprint of God (Heb 1:3), then his response to death reveals God's response

If Jesus is God revealed to us, then how he responds in the face of death is exactly how God responds. God moves near to his people when they are suffering.

God moves near to you if you are suffering.

40 · The preacher makes a sweeping theological claim: God's goodness is most clearly revealed in suffering because Jesus himself suffers

And while suffering is the place where we find it the most difficult to see the goodness of God, suffering is also the place where God's goodness is most clearly revealed because it's It's in Jesus' suffering that God makes a way for us to have hope forevermore. Jesus is the answer to the question, "Is God good in suffering?" God does not answer our philosophical questions by giving us a philosophical answer. He answers them by getting his hands dirty.

He answers the questions of suffering by entering the world as the suffering servant, the man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief so that we can have a high priest who He pays the ultimate cosmic price for sin.

41 · The preacher identifies the root cause of suffering—sin—and proclaims that Jesus addresses it directly by paying the price

You see, the ultimate cause of evil and suffering in the world is sin, and he pays the price for that. He takes it head-on.

42 · The preacher applies the theology of Jesus' suffering to the listener in pain

And if you're in here this morning and you are in a season of suffering, God speaks to you by his Son who subjected himself to death on a cross so that you might have a Savior who sympathizes with your weaknesses, so that you can know even in this, while the body is dying, while you are feeling the weight of a broken world, death is not defeat for you, my friend, for those of us who die with Him will also be raised with Him. And this light and momentary affliction is producing for us a weight of glory far beyond what we can comprehend.

43 · The preacher reasserts the sermon's thesis: God is speaking—in Jesus—even when we cannot hear him

My friends, God speaks even when we are not hearing Him.

He speaks. All we need is to look to Jesus, to see Jesus, and see a clear and present word on display for us.

44 · The preacher closes with Jesus' own invitation from the Gospels: 'Come to me, all who are weary

And so what does Jesus say to you today?

He says to come, all who are weary and need rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Come. He speaks, and He desires to invite you into His life, into His story. Let's pray.

Where this fits

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Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

In Hebrews 1:1-3, the author contrasts God's old way of speaking through the prophets with his final word in the Son. What does it mean prac…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we behold Jesus as God's final word—the radiance of his glory who sustains all things, draws near in our doubt, and enters our suffering as the God who speaks when we cannot hear.

Prayer

A Prayer to Behold Jesus When God Feels Silent

Father, we come before you in awe of your character—that you are not distant from us, but have drawn near in Jesus, your final and perfect w…

Family table

When God Feels Far Away

This prompt invites your family to name the difference between *feeling* distant from God and *actually* being distant from him—a crucial di…

Couples

Beholding Jesus Together

When you heard that we change by beholding Jesus rather than by trying harder, what conviction or relief did that stir in your own heart?…

Memorize

Hebrews 1:3

This verse is the sermon's theological heart—it presents Jesus as God's final, sufficient, and perfect word to us, answering the central claim that when we cannot see or hear God, we are to look to Jesus. Every dimension of the sermon's argument rests on who Jesus is and what he has accomplished, which this verse declares with crystalline precision.

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

In Hebrews 1:1-3, the author contrasts God's old way of speaking through the prophets with his final word in the Son. What does it mean practically that Jesus is God's 'final' word to us—and what changes in how we listen when we grasp that there is no word more complete or authoritative than Christ himself?

Hebrews 1:1-2

→ When you find yourself searching for God's guidance or comfort this week, what does it look like to return to Jesus as that final word rather than seeking some other voice or experience?
The sermon names a specific temptation we face when God feels distant: we reach for other voices—whether media, mystical experiences, or religious rituals—that promise clearer access to God than the gospel does. What voices are you most tempted to listen to when you cannot sense God's presence, and what are you really seeking from them?
Look at Hebrews 1:3 again: Jesus is described as 'the radiance of God's glory and the exact imprint of his nature.' What does it tell us about God's character that he reveals himself not through a concept or a philosophy, but through a Person who draws near, enters suffering, and moves toward us in our doubt?

John 11

→ How does seeing God's nature revealed in Jesus' response to suffering—as described in passages like John 11 where Jesus weeps at Lazarus' tomb—change the way you understand God in your own pain?
The sermon emphasizes that we become what we behold—that transformation happens by seeing Christ rather than by trying harder through religious activity. Where in your own life have you been tempted to add more discipline, more Bible reading, or more church involvement as the path to change, rather than simply beholding Jesus more deeply?
The passage tells us Jesus 'made purification for our sins' and 'sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.' Given that he has already accomplished full payment for sin and sits in victory, what does the gospel say to the shame or condemnation you might be carrying into this week?

Hebrews 1:3

→ If Jesus has truly removed the barrier between you and God, how might that reality reshape the way you approach prayer or confession this week?
The sermon suggests that when God feels distant despite our faithful obedience, he may be using that distance to teach us about ourselves and deepen our faith. Reflect on a time when you have felt spiritually distant from God—was there anything God was teaching you in that season that you might have missed if the distance had never happened?

Psalm 23

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

This week we behold Jesus as God's final word—the radiance of his glory who sustains all things, draws near in our doubt, and enters our suffering as the God who speaks when we cannot hear.

Monday Colossians 1:15-20

Paul's declaration that Christ is 'the image of the invisible God' echoes Hebrews' claim that Jesus is the radiance of God's glory. When we feel God is distant or silent, we are not abandoned to mystery—we have a visible, tangible revelation of who God is in the person of Jesus. To see him is to see the Father; to know him is to know God's heart toward us.

Tuesday John 11

In Jesus' response to Lazarus's death, he weeps with Martha and Mary—not from a distance, but face-to-face with their pain and questions. This is the God who refuses to remain aloof when we suffer. His tears reveal that God's answer to suffering is not a philosophy but a Person who draws near, who sees our tears, and who ultimately holds power even over death.

Wednesday John 8

The Pharisees demanded a sign, a voice from heaven, some dramatic proof of Jesus' authority. But Jesus pointed them to himself—to his words and his person. We too are prone to seek louder voices, more sensational experiences, or endless spiritual practices. Yet Jesus calls us back to the simplicity of his presence: he is the word we need, and his voice is sufficient.

Thursday Matthew 28

In the resurrection, Christ appears as the definitively vindicated word of God—death could not silence him, and nothing can diminish his authority. When our circumstances feel chaotic or God's direction unclear, we return to this unchanging reality: Jesus reigns, his word stands forever, and his finished work secures our future. In him, we have the final and sufficient word we need.

Friday Psalm 23

The psalmist's confidence that God shepherds him through the valley of the shadow of death flows from knowing he belongs to the Lord. In Christ, we are not orphaned or purposeless wanderers; we are redeemed children of God, sustained by his hand, and destined for his eternal presence. When meaninglessness whispers, we remember: we are loved, guided, and held by the God who sees us and calls us his own.

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

A Prayer to Behold Jesus When God Feels Silent

Father, we come before you in awe of your character—that you are not distant from us, but have drawn near in Jesus, your final and perfect word to us. We confess that when you feel far away, we grow restless. We reach for other voices—the constant hum of media, the false comfort of religious activity, the desperate search for mystical experiences—anything to fill the silence and feel your presence again. We admit that we do not naturally turn our eyes to Jesus; instead, we turn inward, wondering if we have failed you or if you have abandoned us.

Yet the gospel compels us to look again at who Jesus is and what he has accomplished. He is the radiance of your glory and the exact imprint of your nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). When we cannot hear you, Jesus is your clearest speech. When we doubt, he does not run from us—he moves toward us. When we suffer, he enters our sorrow as the man of sorrows himself, bearing our griefs and paying the price for our sin. In him we have been purified, and in him we are secure.

Grant us the grace, we pray, to behold Jesus repeatedly—not as a religious duty but as the deepest need of our souls. Teach us that we are transformed not by doing more but by seeing more of Christ. When we are tempted to seek other voices, turn our attention back to the gospel. When doubt arises, help us lean into Jesus rather than away from him. When our lives feel pointless, remind us that we were created through Christ and for Christ, and that we are part of his eternal inheritance. Make us a people who, in every season—in suffering, in silence, in joy—look to Jesus and find him sufficient.

To you, Father, through your Son and by your Spirit, be all glory and praise forever.

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

When God Feels Far Away

For the parent

This prompt invites your family to name the difference between *feeling* distant from God and *actually* being distant from him—a crucial distinction for kids who wrestle with doubt. Listen for whether they naturally turn to Jesus or to other comforts when they feel alone.

Pastor Austin said that when God feels far away—even when we're doing everything right—we don't need to do more. We need to look at Jesus. Can you think of a time when you felt like God wasn't listening, even though you knew he was real? What did you do? What would it look like to look at Jesus instead?

Works for ages 8+; younger children can listen and share with parental help

Draft · pending review

Couples · three questions over coffee

Beholding Jesus Together

When you heard that we change by beholding Jesus rather than by trying harder, what conviction or relief did that stir in your own heart?
In our marriage, where might we be tempted to add more religious activity or seek other voices instead of simply looking to Jesus together—and how could we turn toward him as a couple this week?
What is one struggle or doubt your spouse is carrying right now that you could commit to pray through, asking Jesus to draw near to them in it?

Draft · pending review

Memory verse this week

Hebrews 1:3

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.

Why this verse: This verse is the sermon's theological heart—it presents Jesus as God's final, sufficient, and perfect word to us, answering the central claim that when we cannot see or hear God, we are to look to Jesus. Every dimension of the sermon's argument rests on who Jesus is and what he has accomplished, which this verse declares with crystalline precision.

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Cross of Grace Church

About us · What we believe

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# Cross of Grace Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [Seeing Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-3, 2022-07-31)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/07/seeing-jesus)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
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