God Has Spoken
By
Shelby G. Floyd
January, 2007
Hebrews 1:1-3
God, who at various times and in
various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these
last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His
glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word
of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right
hand of the Majesty on high. NKJV
Today
we are not going to talk about the resurrection of Christ, for this is the most
documented fact of ancient history. The
truly informed person today has no doubt that Jesus Christ lived, died, and was
raised the third day according to the Scripture. (1 Corinthians 15:1-8.) The
evidence is so overwhelming that no one can successfully contradict this great
fact of the Christian faith.
Instead
our lesson has to do with what this resurrected Christ has to say to us and how
that message came to man. You are
encouraged to take a look at the introduction to the first chapter of Hebrews.
Heb 1:1-3
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the
prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has
spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom
he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact
representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After
he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty in heaven.
NIV
This text sums up the whole course of divine
revelation from God to man. And this
policy of divine revelation culminates in Jesus Christ. Christ is therefore the fulfillment of all the
communication of God to man. One of the
best proofs of the inspiration of the divine communication is the brevity of
this statement. This statement is one of
the finest examples of God saying a lot in a short amount of space. This statement is the sum of the policy of
divine revelation from God to man.
GOD SPOKE TO
The
first thing we notice is that God spoke to man in times past. All of us have the ability to communicate
with one another. This ability
distinguishes us from the animals. Since
we can communicate with one another through human language, we would expect
that God would communicate with the other members of the godhead. And in the very beginning God communicated
with the other members of the godhead. (Genesis 1:27.) Since we are the
offspring of God does it not make sense that God would communicate his will and
word to man? So God spoke in times past
and he has spoken to us today. He also
allows us the privilege to speak to him in prayer. Therefore the divine and human communication
is a two-way street. This is a great
blessing to man.
We
notice God spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets at many places,
at many times, and in many different ways.
We note that the text says this communication was done in “times
past.” What does that mean? That means that everything God said to man
before the cross is included in that statement.
"Times past" started with Adam and goes all the way to the
cross of Christ. He spoke to the
fathers. How did he speak? He spoke by the prophets. God spoke at different times, and different
places, and in different methods. Notice
a few examples of the manner, means, and methods God used in speaking to the
fathers in times past.
1. To Adam God spoke "face-to-face" or
"word of mouth." Can you
imagine what it would be like to stand before God Almighty that created the
heavens and earth and hear him speak to you?
That is how God spoke to Adam. An example of this "viva voce"
communication is found in Genesis: "the Lord called unto Adam and said
unto him, where are you?” (Genesis 3:
9.) God asked this question after Adam had sinned and lost his halo of
innocence. Because of guilt and shame
Adam hid himself behind the trees for he did not want to talk to God who he had
disobeyed.
2.
To Abraham the father of the Hebrew race, God spoke face to face, by
angels and by dreams. (Genesis 12-18).
3. To Lot God spoke by angels. (Genesis 19).
4.
And to Jacob God spoke by dreams and visions, as when he dreamed of a ladder
that reached from earth to heaven and the angels of God were ascending and
descending on it. (Genesis 28:10-22; John 1:51). This was a symbol indicating
that divine communication would be possible between God and man.
5. Finally, to Moses God spoke through a burning
bush. When Moses approached a burning
bush that was not consumed God said, Moses,
“take off your shoes, for the ground on which you stand is holy ground.”
(Exodus 3:5).
The idea we observe is that God used
different means and methods in speaking to man in times past. But our text says that he spoke to the
fathers by the prophets. The prophets
then were the principal agents in the divine communications in times past.
(Deuteronomy 18:15-19). We have a record of what God said through the prophets. And what the prophets said to the fathers in
times past has been fulfilled in Christ, the church, and the plan of salvation.
(Acts 3:22-24). So the first part of our lesson has dealt with the fact
that God spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets at many times, at
many places, and in many different ways.
GOD
The
second part of our lesson takes notice that "in these last days God has
spoken to us by his Son.” What period
of time is referred to by the phrase "last days?" We have all been living in "the last
days" since the cross of
When did these last days begin? Isaiah was one of the prophets by which God spoke to the fathers in times past. Isaiah prophesied when, where, and what message would be communicated in the last days:
Isaiah 2:1-3
The word that Isaiah the son
of Amoz saw concerning
Now it shall come to pass in
the latter days
That the mountain of the LORD's house
Shall be established on the
top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the
hills;
And all nations shall flow to
it.
Many people shall come and
say,
"Come, and let us go up
to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of
Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His
paths."
For out of
And the word
of the LORD from
NKJV
This statement was made 700 years
before Christ. Isaiah said the law would
go forth from
When
did the word of the Lord go forth from
Joel 2:28-31
And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on
all people.
Your sons and daughters will
prophesy,
your
old men will dream dreams,
your
young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men
and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in
those days.
I will show wonders in the heavens
and
on the earth,
blood
and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to
darkness
and
the moon to blood
before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
NIV
Isaiah said the word of the Lord
would go forth from
GOD
Next we notice that God has spoken to us through his Son Jesus Christ. Christ is called "the word," the very expression of the will and word of God. "The word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.” (John 1: 14.) The word became a human being and he spoke God's word unto us. Has God in any way verified that he was speaking to us today through his Son Jesus Christ? Yes and let us notice some examples.
The Baptism of
Christ
When Jesus was about 30 years old he finished up his last carpenters contract and left his home and came down to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist:
Matt 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from
After Christ was baptized God the father identified
him as his beloved Son in whom he was well pleased. And he was further identified when the Holy
Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove.
The dove was a symbol of divine grace and peace. "The law came by Moses but grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:
17.) Therefore, the Father and the Holy Spirit identified that Jesus Christ
was the divine Son of God and that grace, mercy, and truth would come by him.
The Transfiguration
Later
Jesus took Peter, James, and John upon a high mountain where he was transfigured
before them. Moses and Elijah also appeared with him:
Matt 17:1-8
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and
John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There
he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes
became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and
Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us
to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-one for you, one for
Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud
enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I
love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard
this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched
them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid.” When they looked up,
they saw no one except Jesus.
NIV
We
notice that when the bright cloud disappeared there was no one left except
Jesus Christ. Moses represented the law,
Elijah represented the prophets, and Christ represented the gospel. When Moses and Elijah disappeared, the Father
spoke from heaven and said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased,” but then he added these words, "hear you him.” This scene symbolized what our text in
Hebrews teaches. God does not speak to
us today through Moses or through the prophets, but through his Son Jesus
Christ. And we are to "hear
him." The Law of Moses and the
prophets were nailed to the cross.
(Colossians 2: 14.) Today we are in the last days and God has spoken to
us through his Son Jesus Christ. The
message God spoke in times past unto the fathers has value for us today. (Romans 15:1-4; 1 Corinthians 10:10-12), but
we are not amenable to that law. Today
we answer to the law of Christ. The law,
psalms, and the prophets were all fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
(Luke 24:44.) We are to heed and hear
Christ because God "has spoken to us in these last days by his
Son." Notice the following chart:
Chart No 1
God Has Spoken
|
Times Past |
Time |
Last Days |
|
The Fathers |
Recipients |
Us |
|
The Prophets |
Messengers |
His Son |
|
Many Times |
Measure |
Completely |
|
Many Ways |
Manner |
One Way |
This chart is a summary of
what we have said so far. You notice the
contrast between God speaking in times past and in these last days. This will help to fix these concepts in your
heart.
HOW GOD’S MESSAGE CAME TO MAN
In the third part of our lesson we shall notice how God's message today is sent down to man:
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
So from now on we regard no
one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way,
we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to
himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was
reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against
them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are
therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through
us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who
had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God.
NIV
Let us notice another chart which illustrates the chain of divine communication from God to man based on 2 Corinthians 5:16-21.
Chart No 2
How God’s Message Is Sent to Man
|
God |
“All things are of God” |
|
Christ |
“Who hath reconciled us to himself by
Jesus Christ” |
|
Apostles |
“And hath given unto us the ministry of
reconciliation” |
|
Word |
“Hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation” |
|
Man |
“Be ye reconciled to God” |
God
Everything starts with God does it not? “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1: 1.) "God who at sundry times and divers manner spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son.” (Hebrews 1: 1-2.) "In the beginning was the word and word was with God and the word was God.” (John 1: 1.) Everything starts with God, so the policy of divine revelation starts with God. "Now all things are of God.” (2 Corinthians 5: 18.) If all things are of God, then divine revelation begins with God.
Christ
Next, since Hebrews 1: 1 states that in these last days God has spoken unto us by his Son, we would expect that the next link in the connecting chain of divine revelation would be Christ. Notice our text confirms this: "now all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 5: 18.) Therefore, Jesus Christ is the next link in the divine chain of revelation from God to man.
Apostles
Again the text reads, "He has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5: 18-19.) This refers to Paul and the other apostles who had been baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit in order to serve as ambassadors of Christ. The apostles make up the third link in the chain of divine revelation from God to man.
The Word
The word of God is the fourth link in this divine chain. The text reads, "He has committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:19.) The apostles executed "the ministry of reconciliation" through "the word of reconciliation." God reconciled man unto himself through "the ministry of reconciliation" by "the word of reconciliation." God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit all work through the word to bring about the reconciliation and salvation of man.
Man
Man is the last link in the chain of divine revelation:
2 Cor
That God was reconciling the
world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has
committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's
ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on
Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
NIV
Man's part in this process of
reconciliation is small compared to what God has done for us, but it is still
indispensable. Man must respond in
obedience to the gospel. "Be you reconciled to God."
This brings us to chart No. 3 that illustrates the law of divine causation. The law of physics states that there must be an adequate cause for every effect. The same writer who said that God has spoken unto us by his Son has also said, "Every house is built by some man, but he who made all things is God." (Hebrews 3: 4.) The word of God is here on record. There must be an adequate cause for this result. What causes have produced the word from God to man? Notice these items in the chart:
Chart No. 3
The Law of Divine
Causation
Hebrews 3:4
For
every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.
NIV
|
|
The Primitive Originating Cause |
|
Christ |
The Vicarious Sacrificial Cause |
|
Apostles |
The Proclaiming Cause |
|
Word |
The Instrumental Cause |
|
Man |
The Receptive and Obedient Cause |
The Primitive Originating Cause
This
chart is parallel to our previous chart, but looks at the same process from a
different perspective. It is the law of
divine causation. First, God is the
primitive first cause, originating the plan of sending his message to man.
The Vicarious Sacrificial Cause
Second,
Christ is the sacrificial cause through his vicarious suffering in order to
make reconciliation to God possible.
Christ has communicated this plan to man in these last days.
The Proclaiming Cause
Third,
the apostles who received the ministry of reconciliation and became ambassadors
of Christ were the proclaiming cause of reconciliation and divine revelation.
The Instrumental Cause
Next,
the word they proclaimed, the word of reconciliation was the instrumental cause
that brought about the reconciliation of God and man.
The Receptive and Obedient Cause
Finally,
man himself when he hears, heeds and obeys the divine revelation with its
facts, commands, and promises becomes the receptive and obedient cause in the
chain of divine causation. God has spoken to us in these last days by his Son
and his Son is the author of eternal salvation unto all them who obey him. (Hebrews 1: 1-2; 5: 8-9.)
WHAT KIND OF SPOKESMAN IS CHRIST?
Think about how
wonderful and glorious is the spokesman Jesus Christ through whom God has given
us his last message.
Hebrews 1:1-3
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in
time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us
by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made
the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His
person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by
Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
NKJV
First,
Christ is the heir of all things. He has
inherited all things spoken by the prophets.
Indeed he has inherited heaven and earth. Everything is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Second,
Christ created the material universe.
Christ made the sun, moon, stars, the earth and all its glory. "All things were made by him and
without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1: 1-2.) Our text reads, "By
whom (Christ) also he (God) made the worlds.”
(Hebrews 1: 2.) Christ who is
God’s spokesman to us today is wonderful and powerful for he made the universe
by the power of his word.
Third,
Christ is the radiance of God's glory.
Christ reflects the glory of the father in his own person. (Hebrews
1:3.)
Fourth,
Jesus Christ is the exact representation of the father. Christ said to some people one time, "when you see me you have seen the
father." We can see God by
looking at Christ. We do not know what
Christ looked like outwardly, but we can see the heart and life of Christ in
the gospel record. And what we see is
the “spitting image” of the Father.
Such is the character of Jesus
Christ through whom God has spoken unto us his last message of love, mercy and
grace. What should our attitude be
toward Christ and the gospel message? We
should give the more earnest heed to these truths which we have received. (Hebrews 2:1-3.) And we should also act upon the commands of
the gospel knowing that Christ is the author of eternal salvation unto all them
that obey him. (Hebrews 5:8-9.) My sinner friend, do not delay! Today is the day of salvation! Accept and obey this last message of God to
man. *
* Shelby G.
Floyd delivered this sermon
Acknowledgement: The concepts for this sermon and
charts have been gleaned from a sermon, “God in Revelation,” by Foy E. Wallace Jr., delivered at the
Garfield Heights Church of Christ in the 1970’s and his sermon, “God’s Message
To Man and How It Is Sent,” Number One Gospel Sermons, pp. 56-66. Also I have
gleaned from lessons by James W. Nichols, “God Hath Spoken,” Herald of Truth,