From a sermon by Caroline Divine, Lancelot Andrewes … edited and adapted
Hebrews 1:1-3 God, Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the prophets, Has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by 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 on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Here we have a perfect description of Jesus’ nature, His Person, His offices, His work.
In the very beginning Jesus is man, and also God. Jesus is God’s Son, the splendor of His glory, the Character of His substance, the Maker and Upholder of the world.
In his offices, in His proclaiming the Good News, He unfolded the mysteries of God. …. as priest to purge our sins; as King He has ascended to His heavenly Kingdom, in the throne of Majesty where He sits.
In his work, he purges our sins. … In all Jesus spoke and in all that Jesus did, it was for us men and for our salvation.
Jesus’ Divine Nature is expressed in three parts: 1. Son, 2. Brightness, and 3. Character.
As the Son of God Jesus is of one substance with the Father.
As the Son of God, Jesus shows forth the glory or brightness of God.
In his character, Jesus shows us the Father, as he said to Philip… “He that sees Me sees the Father,” Whose express Form I am. As the Brightness of God’s glory Jesus made God’s glory shine more brightly.
Jesus, by means of His Power, is also the Maker and Upholder of the world. … 1. in the creation all things and 2. in the preservation of all things, which is His work to this day, to continue and uphold all that He has made. By His word spoken Jesus created all things. By the word of His power Jesus sustains all things. All had been nothing but for Him; and all would fall to nothing without Him.
As the One who made all things and makes all things to last, Jesus was the most fitting person to make all things new, to restore all that He had made. And in all His splendor and glory, Jesus is mindful of us. He desires to make us joint-heirs, partaking of His inheritance as Son, of His glory, as God’s Brightness, and of the very Divine nature.
To make us joint-heirs with Jesus, we must first be purged of our sins. To sit with Him in His throne Jesus must purge and make clean our nature, that He might exalt us to partake of that which He purchased by His coming, His suffering, His death and resurrection. We cannot enter into the heavenly Jerusalem where the throne is unless we first be purged of our sins. Without the shedding of blood, there is no taking away sin. And not any blood will serve, but it must be lamb's blood, and a Lamb without spot. And not any lamb, but the Lamb of God, or a Lamb that is God. His blood, and nothing else will serve to do this.
Jesus purges our sins … from the first, as washed from the original uncleanness of our nature by Holy Baptism. And then from actual sins by the Cup of New Testament, which we bless in His Name for the remission of sins.
Having cleansed us, Jesus’ purpose is to bring us to glory; to sit on His throne with Him. To purge our sins Jesus has come in his first Advent, the day of His birth; by His holy Nativity He purified and sanctified our human nature. And to have us sit on the throne was His last work, on the last day of His Ascension; He took possession of His throne in our names, as forerunner for us.
It follows that it is our duty: for His excellency to honor Him; for His power to fear Him; for His love showed, to love Him; for His hope promised, truly to serve Him. God would have His Prophets well observed; but however they were regarded by the Fathers, to us God sent His Son, and we will reverence Him. Jesus’ glory, power, and above all His love was for us and for our salvation. As a Prophet, He speaks; as a Priest, purges; as a King, sits. Our duty is to hear Him, to lay up His sayings in our hearts.
Prophets spoke, but they did not purge our sins. In Jesus we are made clean. And the medicine by which he purges our sins is the very Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ. It is by his flesh and blood that we are sanctified. By His Body offered on the cross, by His blood shed for the remission of all our sins. This is God’s remedy and in Jesus’ first Advent they came together, the Word and flesh. And if we seek to be rid of our sins, by this body which was broken for you, and by this blood which was shed for you, we must receive His Person in the sacrament of Holy Communion; for only in His Person, His Body and Blood, has God purged our sins.
That same flesh that cleansed our sins now sits on the throne … for the present Jesus’ flesh has the power to purge us of our sins, for the future a power to exalt us to His heavenly throne.
The Angels at His first Advent adored Him in our flesh. So we too have cause to rejoice in God’s Son, to rejoice in the greatest glory to God, the greatest peace to the earth, and the greatest good-will towards men that ever rose upon the world. Amen.
JSH+