Gospel Prism

So tonight was the first plenary address by David Wells and what a great start of the conference. We sang some songs of worship that lifted up the glory and supremacy of Jesus. And then John Piper came up to introduce David Wells. I had David Wells as a professor at Gordon and my only wish that I could have gone to seminary now where I think I would appreciate so much more his teaching. Oh well, I cannot undo the sovereignty of God (thank the Lord). So here’s a bit of what Dr. Wells spoke on, his title being, “The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World.� Please note that these were my notes that I took from outline form and turned it to prose. It’s a bit choppy and not as transitional as Dr. Wells spoke it. But my hope is that through it, you get the gist of what he said.

Introduction

He began with his introduction telling us that when William Carey left for India, 98% of Protestants lived in the West. But now that number has been drastically reduced in places such as Europe where Christianity has been relativized to amount to nothing at all. There has been a transformation in where Christian believers are found. Christianity has moved south and west, to Africa and Asia.

He also noted that Islam has a geographical center with a fixed language for its Scripture. Christianity, however, has no privileged culture, and no dominant language, no place, and no race, but the center is in a person. His death is the only ground for our forgiveness. Thus, Jesus Christ is not great, but incomparable. He is unique.

So it is in the book of Hebrews that we see the incomparable Christ displayed. But to understand this, we must begin with the context of this book. Hebrews was a letter to Jewish believers who were tempted to fall away. They treasured all of the history of the OT and a part of their identity. For these Christians, persecution was breaking out and they were inclined to disappear into the safety of Jerusalem, leaving behind their Christianity. But in order to escape this Christianity the writer forces them to deal with the uniqueness of Christ.

In chapter 1 then, we see that God spoke to the OT fathers in the past to different people in small bits. But now God in the flesh, never seen before, contains all wisdom and knowledge that would be necessary. In verse 3, Jesus possesses all the attributes and nature of God. What has He done that shows He is God?

A) Creation - He made the universe;
B) Kingship - He is appointed the heir of all things;
C) Providence (v.3);
D) Salvation (v.4);
E) Resurrection;
F) Ascension

He noted that in chapter 2, there were Jewish believers drifting away. But he wonders along with the Hebrews writer why are they leaving what is unique to what is not unique?

In chapter 11, he notes the pastoral application of Hebrews. What was the problem with OT people of God (3:19)? They were unable to enter the Promised Land because of unbelief. They couldn’t cope with what they there, so they shrank back. They could not see that God was bigger than anything they had faced. Confronted by the Roman world, these Christians were shrinking back from Christ. If they were kicked out of the Temple, how could God sustain them, they thought. What if they were cut off from Judaism, would they also not be cut off from the OT saints? These thoughts deeply concerned them.

Confident fearless persuasion of what was there, that God was there, is the underlying purpose of chapter 11. This is what makes hearts strong in terrible suffering and disappointments and disheartening unfaithfulness and sometimes during very harsh treatment. Verse 35 in other parts of the world describes some of the things that are happening in other parts of the world.

In the West, we are so distracted by so many things that it is hard to stay focused on the supremacy of Christ. We know more, communicate faster, travel more and further, buy of higher quality, freedoms and opportunities, but the costs are hidden and are like shadows which come right behind the benefits. Anxiety stalks life all the time; families are scattered; we move and travel and flit about not rooted in a place. In Africa the most pressing needs are physical needs, such as food, security, and simple medical care.

Our challenge is the psychological pressure of living in the relativistic society of ours, where worldviews and lifestyles of living together can make Christian faith hard to sustain. This is why people come to church with a desire for sermons of how to deal with such things. But sermons that ONLY deal with these matters will be ultimately futile if they do not lift up the supremacy of Christ.

Supremacy of Christ

Dr. Wells then spoke from Hebrews 2:8-9. Behind chapter 2 is Psalm 8, the cultural mandate, to fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion. This mandate has never been rescinded despite the fall. The problem is that creation has been derailed. Instead of dominion over creation, we are often its victims.

We actually experience life as ambiguous. On the one hand, God has written meaning into it. On the other hand because of sin, we experience it as frustrating. (The continual duality of grace and sin – The internet is a tool for the advancement of the Kingdom and yet the Internet is where predators stalk children). But we see Jesus in v. 9, bearing the righteous anger of God. And in Christ, so begins this great work of ‘re-railing’ creation.

Dr. Wells then moved to Hebrews 10:11-13. He contrasted the priest of the OT vs. Christ. The OT priest always had to stand because they always had to do work the atoning sacrifices continually. Christ, however, sits down because the work has finished. Christ is supreme and conqueror as noted in verse 13. In verse 13, there is a citation in Psalm 110. When an enemy was disgraced, the conqueror would put his foot on his neck. Christ has put his foot on the enemy after defeating the enemy. The NT authors led by the Spirit took this text and saw it as the framework as they think of Christ much as Isaiah 40 depicts a picture of God’s sovereignty over all nations. Christ’s priestly work by has secured his sovereignty over all evil. This is the triumphant glorious note we hear from one end of the NT to the other (Eph 1; 1Pe 3:22). Not one move of the enemy will change the outcome of what Christ has won and obtained.

Conclusions

1. Christianity is only about this kind of Christ: Christ reigning supreme and unchallenged over all of life’s enemies

Christ is central, sufficient, and supreme. We do need to help people to come from where they are to think about Christ. In America today, being born again counts for nothing. We are not far from what the author identifies in Hebrew Christians. We are shrinking back from what the author saw in these Hebrews Christians. The only Christ we have to preach is the one the NT gives to us.

2. We live in a period between the already and the not yet. We have been redeemed in full. But we are already not yet fully redeemed. We live between Heb 10:13 and 1 Cor 15:24. We live in a fallen world with jarring brutalities and painful complexities. The sufferings are not worth comparing with the glories that will be revealed to us

3. It is God’s pleasure that His Son should be acknowledged now for who He is. We are simply representing what will happen at the end of time. We who were once His enemies are now reconciled to Him. We are being returned to the purpose to which we were first created.

After a break, we heard from John Piper, Tim Keller, and Mark Driscoll with Justin Taylor emceeing. It was quite interesting, and I am sure Justin Taylor and Tim Challies and DGM will have this available.

I can’t wait for tomorrow’s sessions so stay tuned.