Jesus Today — Warren Wiersbe

It's a delight to be here, it really is. We're grateful for what God is doing in and through this ministry. I'd like us to turn in the Word of God to the book of Hebrews, the last chapter. We are not going to ignore the previous chapters, but I want to begin with Hebrews chapter 13, verse 8, a verse that is easy to memorize, but oh, it's so profound we could spend the rest of the week meditating on it.

Jesus Christ Is the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever

Hebrews 13, verse 8 says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now, the Christ of yesterday poses no problem to people. You could stop the youngest child from, say, the primary department and say, what did Jesus do yesterday?

Tell me about the Christ of history. And the child would say, well, he was born in Bethlehem, he grew up in Nazareth, he ministered in Galilee and Samaria and Judea, he was arrested, treated brutally, crucified on a cross, arose from the dead on the third day and went back to heaven.

And because of all of that, we have good news. Christ died for our sins. He was buried and he arose again the third day. And if you trust him, you're saved, you go to heaven. That's the Christ of yesterday, the Christ of history.

And most people have no problem with the Christ of forever, the Christ of prophecy. One of these days, our Lord Jesus will return. Robert Murray McShane, that godly Scottish Presbyterian preacher of a century ago, used to go around handing out tracts and he handed one to a rather pompous lady and she looked at him and said, you must not know who I am.

They looked at her very lovingly and said, madam, there's coming a day when you will stand before God and that day it will make no difference who you are. Jesus is coming again. We don't know when, but he's coming again.

That's the Christ of prophecy. Now, we're living between these two events, the Christ of history, the Christ of prophecy. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and forever. But what about today? I know what Jesus did for me yesterday.

He died for me. I know what Jesus is going to do for me in the future. He's going to come for me. I'm going to go by way of either the undertaker or the upper taker. I hope it's the upper taker, but that's all right.

Whichever way I get to see Jesus. But now what about today? Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today. Now turn back in your book of Hebrews to Hebrews chapter three. Hebrews chapter three, because the book of Hebrews is about the Christ of today.

What is Jesus doing for his people today? Hebrews chapter three, verse seven, therefore, as the Holy Spirit says today, verse 13, but exhort one another daily while it is called today. Verse 15, while it is said today.

Chapter four, verse seven. Again, he designates a certain day saying in David, that is the book of Psalms, today. Today. You sort of get the impression that the writer of this book wants us to focus on today.

One of the best ways to quiet down a church meeting is to ask for testimonies. It always quiets things down. Now, it may not be true here. You may all jump up at one time, but I've been in church services where pastors say, let's just bear witness for the Lord.

It gets very quiet. Then someone will stand up and go back 20 years. And somebody else will get up and go back five years. It's always yesterday, yesterday. Or somebody will get up and say, I'm looking forward to Jesus coming back.

Well, I am too, but that's the next thing. Today. I'd like for you to page with me through the book of Hebrews and learn what Jesus is doing for his people today. Some of you are missing this. Some of you are struggling along and saying, oh, if only, if only.

And the book of Hebrews is saying, no, there's no if only. There's no if. He is at work for you today. So where shall we start? Chapter 1, verse 1. Good place to start. 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 world.

Christ Speaks Through the Word

Here's the first ministry Jesus is performing for his people today. He's speaking. God spoke to Abraham. Well, I can believe that because Abraham was a great man of faith. But the same God who spoke to Abraham in times past and to other people in times past is speaking to us.

Jesus Christ today is speaking. I don't know of any famous people who would speak to me. If we call the bank about a problem or to get a question answered, we don't get a person. I read the New York Times.

I get the Sunday edition of the New York Times. And sometimes it doesn't come. And so the number there, if your newspaper doesn't come, punch this number. So I pick up the phone and I punch. Thank you for calling the New York Times.

If you wish to subscribe, punch 1. If you wish to change your subscription, punch 2. If your paper is wet. Now, this is true. If you received a wet paper, punch 3. I'm tempted to do that sometime just to see what would happen.

And all I want to do is get my paper. But there's nothing to punch. God's not like that. I mean, to the bank, I'm a number, but not to God. Jesus speaks to me. Presidential candidates don't speak to me.

I was just a short distance from here to the piano from Queen Elizabeth one day. And she didn't speak to me. But Jesus speaks to his people. By the way, before you came to God's house today, Did you spend time listening to Jesus speak?

Did you open this book? When you open this book, our Lord opens his mouth. And when I open the book and say, Speak, Lord, for your servants listening. He speaks to me. I don't hear an audible voice. If that happened, I'd be frightened.

I don't hear an audible voice. But the Holy Spirit in my heart who wrote this book, And he wrote this book about Jesus, Talks to me. And encourages me. And gives me promises. And gives me warnings. And teaches me principles by which I can live.

What is Jesus doing for his people today? He's speaking. And this is why the scripture said, Today, while you hear his voice, Don't harden your heart. Open your heart. And receive the message Jesus has for you.

He is speaking. Well, let's continue. Verse three. Who being the brightness of his glory,. Because Jesus is God. And the express image of his person. And upholding all things by the word of his power.

Christ Upholds the Universe and His People

Here's his second ministry. He's upholding. That word upholding in the original text is a marvelous word. Has three meanings. And all three of these meanings weave together. First, it means he's holding everything up so it won't fall down.

Now, we have a hard time doing that. I mean, I have a hard time just hanging a picture. Jesus made the universe. He's holding it up. Made this world. Out of all the stars and planets, He pointed to the earth and he said, That one's mine.

The earth is the Lord's. He's holding it up. We aren't going to blow it up. He's holding it up. And the second meaning of that word is he's holding it together. Near the city of Chicago is the Argonne National Laboratory, Which is a laboratory devoted to nuclear physics.

Now, I didn't flunk physics in high school. I didn't take it. But the tour guide was taking a group of people through and explaining all about the universe and the atom and the quarks and all these things.

And then he says what tour guides always say, Are there any questions? And a man raised his hand and said, Yes, I have a question. You're telling us that nothing is solid. The floor we're standing on is not solid.

It's just a galaxy of electrical particles. What holds it all together? The man said, We don't know. We know. We know. He's holding it up and he's holding it together. So it won't fall apart. You know, if Jesus has the power to hold the universe together to the point where we can send people to the moon, to the point where great mathematicians like Einstein and Newton can write formulas that explain the movements of the stars, the power of gravity.

If he can hold that together so that it is mathematically perfect, can't he hold my life together? Can't he hold our families together? Can't he hold our churches together? I was preaching up in Lansing, Michigan some years ago, and my host pastor said, I want to show you something.

We got in his car and drove across town. He said, Look. And here was a church building with a sign on the front that read, The Original Church of God Number Two. Now, I'm not criticizing anybody. It's just I understand that somewhere in Texas, you drive into a town and the church building, the sign reads, The Harmony Baptist Church.

As you drive out of town, there's a church building with a sign, The New Harmony Baptist Church. Why is it we don't get together? If Jesus can hold the universe together, he can hold marriages together.

He can hold parents and children together. He can hold churches together. What is Jesus doing? He's speaking, and we better listen. And he's upholding. And whatever begins with Jesus, he will hold together.

We must go on. He's speaking. He's upholding. Chapter 1 and verse 3. You say, Are you going to read the whole epistle? No, no. You are not going to miss Thanksgiving. 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.

Christ Sits at the Right Hand of God

Here's the third ministry our Lord is performing. For you, if you know Jesus as your Savior, he's sitting. You say, What kind of ministry is that? Sitting. It all depends on who you are and where you are and what you're sitting on.

There are some people, all they do is sit. We have couch potatoes. All they do is sit. But Jesus, number one, sat down after he finished his work. Now, in the Old Testament tabernacle, there were no chairs because a priest's work was never done.

It's not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. His work was never done. But when Jesus came and went to the cross and offered himself as one sacrifice for sin forever, he cried out, It is finished.

He went back to heaven and sat down. His work was done on earth. We have a completed salvation. Jesus did not make the down payment and ask us to keep up the installment. He paid it all. So after he had finished his work on the cross, he was buried.

He arose again. He went back to heaven and now he is seated on the throne sharing the glory of the Father. Now, in America, there's only one building that I know of that legally has a throne in it. If you go to Great Britain, in Windsor Castle, there's a throne.

In Buckingham Palace, there's a throne. You go to Oslo and in the palace there in Oslo, there's a throne. There's only one throne that I know of actually on American soil. It's in Honolulu. And when we took over Hawaii as a state, we took over the throne of Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of Hawaii.

It still sits there, but nobody sits on it. It has no power. It has no authority. When Jesus went back to heaven, he was welcomed by the Father and by the angels, and he sat down on the throne, and he's ruling.

When I was in confirmation class as a young teenager, they taught me that when Jesus was on earth, he was the prophet. Now he's gone back to heaven. He's the priest. One day he's going to come and be the king.

That was not true. He's the king right now. He's seated. Now the next time you get worried about the headlines, you watch the late news so you can't sleep all night, next time there's bad news coming over the car radio, just remember there's a king on the throne of heaven, and you don't have to worry.

He's not pacing the streets of gold. He's not wringing his hands. He's not biting his fingernails. He's sitting. Whenever I get nervous and upset about something, and that happens, I remember three simple statements from the Scriptures, one that God said to Moses, Stand still.

Exodus chapter 14. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Now there are times we shouldn't stand still. We should be busy doing the Lord's work. They were facing the Red Sea in front of them, behind them, the Jewish people saw the Egyptian army.

Where are they going to go? Stand still. The second statement is from the book of Ruth in chapter 3, where Naomi, her mother-in-law, says to her, Sit still. Sit still, my daughter. You see, a man had just promised marriage to Ruth, Boaz.

Boaz said, I'll marry you. And he had to go off and make the arrangements. If I were Ruth, I'd be a little nervous about this. Her mother-in-law said, Look, just sit still. He'll take care of it. God said that to me on more than one occasion.

I've been all ready to rule the world and take everything over, do some good evangelical micromanaging. And God says, Just sit still, will you? Many of the problems in our nation today are caused by people who can't sit still.

The third statement is Psalm 46 and verse 10, where God says to the psalmist, Be still and know that I am God. I need that sometimes. Be still. The Hebrew word means take your hands off. There are mothers and daddies here who want to get their hands on their kids, and God says, Take your hands off.

Grandmas and grandpas, you know, take your hands off. Now, there are times when our children need applied handshaking, but that's not what the psalmist is talking about. He's saying, Look, you're trying to rule the world.

You're trying to change everything at the office. You're trying to do everything in the neighborhood. Take your hands off. Be still and know that I am God. God said to Moses, My name is I am. Your name is I am not.

He's sitting. He's sitting. And when I find my heart getting nervous and my pulse getting rapid and my limbs getting active, God has to say to me, I'm God. You're not. I'm on the throne. Cool it. So he's speaking and he's upholding and he's sitting.

Christ Brings His People to Glory

Chapter two, verse 10 of Hebrews. For it was fitting for him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.

What is he doing? He's bringing. Bringing what? Many sons and daughters to glory. Peter wrote about this. First Peter five, 10. May the God of all grace. Who has called us to his eternal glory. Whatever begins with grace ends with glory.

And so you were saved by grace. You're saved to glory. My Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory. You know, glory doesn't last long in this world. Prophet Isaiah said that the glory of man is like the weeds that grow up or the flowers that grow up.

And for a day or two, it's very beautiful. Then it's gone. If you want to have fun, go into a used bookstore and find the oldest set of encyclopedias you can find and turn the pages and see if you know any of the people they're writing about.

I was doing some research one day at a library in London and had microfilms of old newspapers. And I was reading the obituaries. It's remarkable how people die in alphabetical order. And here were people in the London Times.

I mean, famous people. I didn't know any of them. Man's glory doesn't last. But we're called to eternal glory, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that never fades away. Everything man has decays and dies.

But Jesus says, you know, I'm giving you my glory. I'm bringing daughters to glory. He prayed one day, John chapter 17, Father, I will that those that you have given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory.

Then he went a step further and said, The glory that you have given me, I have given them. Not I will give to them if they're good. Not I might give to them if they make it. He said, I have already given the glory to them.

You are looking at someone who has the glory. You say, well, you don't look like it. Well, neither do you. But if you know Jesus is your Savior, your body is the temple of the glory of God. What is Jesus doing?

He's speaking and he's upholding and he is sitting on the throne and he is bringing sons and daughters to glory. Are you one of those? We do a good deal of flying and you've known it from your own flight experience that the announcements are pretty routine.

In fact, anybody who believes that the announcements in an airport has great faith, far more faith than I have. But when you're on the plane and they land and the flight attendant comes on and says, we are now in Dallas and the time is such and so and we hope you'll have a good time in Dallas or whatever your final destination may be.

And whenever I hear that I want to jump up and say, my final destination is glory. But I know they'd arrest me if I did that. But isn't that true? Our final destination is glory. And we're going to make it.

Because he is bringing many sons and daughters to glory. Now he had to suffer to do it. He had to die for me. God had no problem getting the animals into the ark. That was simple. He just said, go. And by great perseverance the snails finally made it.

But God had to pay a price to get me to glory. Jesus had to die. He is bringing. Chapter 4. You see, we are moving on, folks. Chapter 4, verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Jesus Our Sympathetic High Priest

Don't be ashamed of it. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.

He is sympathizing. Sympathize. Now the word sympathize means to feel together. A deeper word is empathize, where you enter into the feeling of a person. It's hard to find sympathy today. Some years ago, I'm sure this is not true today, but it was then.

Some years ago, a survey was made answering the question, where do people take their troubles? Now you would have thought number one would be a doctor, number two a clergyman. Number one was a bartender.

People go to the bartender with their problems. I suppose today they would write to an advice columnist or perhaps dial a phone number and talk to an anonymous person. I don't know. But those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and our Savior and He's on the throne, and that throne is a throne of grace, we can come to Him.

See, those of you who don't know Jesus, that throne is not a throne of grace. It's a throne of judgment. And if you don't trust Jesus as your personal Savior, someday you'll stand before His great white throne and it'll be too late.

But those of us who know our Savior know that He is sympathizing. He's on this throne which is a throne of grace. And He's offering grace and mercy. Now there's a difference. They're not the same. God in His mercy does not give me what I deserve.

God in His grace gives me what I don't deserve. And I need both. Jesus sympathizes with our weakness. Now we all have weaknesses. He does not sympathize with our sins. I've met some people who misunderstand the grace of God.

They think they can live any way they please and experience the grace of God. It's a throne of grace, not a committee that votes on you. It's a throne. It's a holy throne. And God's grace is given to those who come to Him humbly and trust Him and ask.

There's all kinds of grace in the Bible. Did you know that? God is the God of all grace. We read that in 1 Peter 5. He's the God of all grace. Many different kinds of grace. There's saving grace. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9.

For by grace are you saved through faith. We sang about that today. In my hand no price I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling. There's saving grace if you experience that. There's serving grace. 1 Corinthians 15.

Paul says, By the grace of God I am what I am. I served more than they all, but not I. The grace of God that was with me. I confess you there are times I say I cannot make one more trip. God says, yes you can, I'll give you grace.

Serving grace. I can't attend one more meeting. Yes you can. Choir people say I can't sing one more song. I'm sure you can. Serving grace. There is suffering grace. Some of you are hurt. Either physically or emotionally and possibly both.

Some are here with broken hearts. Some have broken bodies. And if it were not for physicians we wouldn't be here. Blessed are the pacemakers. The older I get the more artificial I become. And we have little things we carry with us for pills.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Suffering grace. And Jesus today says I'm at the throne of grace. And my word is the word of grace. And the Holy Spirit is the spirit of grace. And God is the God of all grace.

So come to the throne of grace and ask for the grace that you need. Do you hurt? Ask him for suffering grace. Are you lacking in strength? Second Timothy chapter 2. My son be strong in the grace that's in Christ Jesus.

He'll give you strengthening grace. Singing grace. Colossians 3 talks about that. Singing with grace in your heart to the Lord. It takes grace to sing sometimes. It takes grace to listen to some people sing.

Speaking grace. Let your speech always be with grace. Says Colossians 4. There are times when I feel like just cutting people down. But you can't do that. That's not right. You ask for speaking grace.

Sometimes just to keep quiet. All kinds of grace. And Jesus sympathizes not with our sin. But with our weakness. And we come and say I need strengthening grace. I need suffering grace. He says sure I understand.

I suffered. I suffered far more than you'll ever suffer. I know how it feels. I know how it feels to be criticized. Laughed at. Misunderstood. Rejected. What's he doing? He's sympathizing. Chapter 11 and verse 16.

Christ Prepares a Heavenly Home

Talking about the patriarchs. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. For he has prepared a city for them.

You know what he's doing right now? Preparing. I pastored three churches. And it's always fun to watch people prepare. You know, fella and girl become friends. And they start falling in love. And then they come and say pastor we'd like to get married.

And they start preparing for a wedding. And then perhaps a few years later they come and say pastor God's going to give us a child. And they start preparing for a child. It's kind of fun to watch. When Jesus Christ went back to heaven, he said I've come to prepare.

Do you recall what our Lord's vocation was when he was on earth? We say he was a shepherd. No, he wasn't. Spiritually, yes. But not vocationally. He was a carpenter. He was born into a carpenter's home.

And he did a carpenter's work. And when he went into his ministry at the age of 30, he didn't change vocations. He's always been a builder. He built the universe. Did a good job. He's building a church.

He's building a home for us in heaven. When he sat down at the throne, he said to his father, one of these days my bride is going to join me. One of these days that bride, that church that you're giving to me is going to join me.

And I want my bride to have a good home. The father said, son, start building. Some people have the crazy idea that if you've been a carnal Christian on earth, you're going to get a little tar paper shack to live in in heaven.

And if you've been a great Christian, you're going to have a big mansion up in heaven. There's no teaching like that in the Bible. We're all going to have an adequate home in heaven. Because Jesus is preparing.

He's preparing a home. He's preparing the city in which the home will be. And he's preparing a country for the city. Heaven is compared to a country and a city. Oh, it's going to be great. When John was describing heaven in the book of Revelation, the Holy Spirit said, well, now, John, there aren't words in the language to describe it.

So instead of trying to tell what it is, let's tell what it isn't. There'll be no darkness. There'll be no sea separating one from another. There'll be no death. There'll be no cemeteries. There'll be no undertakers.

There'll be no HMOs. There'll be no sickness. There'll be no tears. The only way God can tell us how wonderful heaven is is by saying it's not what you've got now. And Jesus is preparing a home for us.

He's doing it with love. He's doing it with nail-scarred hands. His plans are perfect. His materials are eternal. And we'll behold his glory. He's preparing. Are you one of those for whom he is preparing?

Do you have written on your heart by the Holy Spirit a title deed to an inheritance in heaven? You see, we've been born again to an everlasting inheritance. We've been born again to a living hope, not a dead hope.

The world's full of dead hopes. A living hope by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead to an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, that doesn't fade away, reserved in heaven for you. I have an awful time with reservations.

Betty and I will go into a hotel or motel and we'll say, we're the Wearsby's. Who? Well, there's a reservation here for us. I'm sorry, there isn't. This has happened more than once. When I get to the gates of heaven, I won't have that problem.

Oh yeah, Wearsby. Yeah, reservation right here. He's preparing. Finally, Hebrews chapter 13, verses 20 and 21. I have often used this benediction at funerals, but it's not a funeral benediction. Or it fits, but it's not the main emphasis.

Christ Equips Believers for Service and Battle

Hebrews 13, 20. Now may the God of peace, who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect, make you complete.

In every good work to do His will, working in you what is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. I want to focus on that little phrase in verse 21, make you complete.

The word that is used in the original text is katartidzo. Say, why are you telling us that? Because right in the middle is the word artist. Katartidzo, artist. The word means to equip, to perfect, to mature.

The fishermen used this word. It meant to mend a net. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew and James and John, they were mending their nets. This is the word. How did their nets get torn? They were working with their nets.

They were catching fish. Sometimes you and I, as God's people, our nets get kind of frazzled and torn, not because of sin, but because we're serving the Lord. It's time for us to step aside for a short time and let Him mend the nets.

This word was used by doctors. It means to set a bone. Sometimes you and I, as we're serving Jesus, we get out of whack. And we start to limp. And we can't do like we used to do, and we need to stop and say, Dear Lord, equip me, set the bones.

This word was used by sailors. It meant to rig a ship for a voyage. In the morning when I open my Bible and I'm talking to the Lord and He's talking to me, sometimes He looks at me and says, Aha, you don't know this, but right down there is a storm.

Your ship is going to go through a storm, and you're not ready for it. So let me equip you for that storm. That's why we never have to be afraid of the future. The future is your friend when Jesus is your Lord.

The soldiers used this word. It meant to outfit an army, to equip an army for a battle. And my Lord looks ahead and He says, Whoa, there's a battle right there, and Worsby is going to be right in the middle of it.

I better equip him for that battle. You know what He's doing for us? He's equipping us. Every child and teenager and college student going off to school every day needs to stop and say, Lord Jesus, equip me for this day.

I don't know what's going to happen. I might get shot at. I don't know, but you do. Equip me and prepare me for this day. That's why every day we pick up the Bible and we say, Speak, Lord, because your servant's listening.

And then we pray and say, Equip, Lord, your servant is available. When you start the day with your heavenly master in control, what a difference it makes. Jesus Christ the same yesterday. My Savior. Forever.

My Lord in Heaven. Today. My Equipper. Oh, how wonderful it is to be a Christian. My heart goes out to people who don't know Jesus. Who takes care of them? Who speaks to them? Who upholds them? Who is sitting on the throne for them and giving them peace in their hearts?

Who's sympathizing with them? Who's bringing them to glory? Who's preparing a glorious home for them? Who is equipping them for the storms and the battles and the work of life? But when you have Jesus, you have all you need.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, forever. Oh, Father, what a wonderful Savior. And we thank you. May there be many here today who will trust him and be saved. And may all of us surrender to him so that he might do his heavenly work in our lives.

Invitation to Receive Jesus Christ

For Jesus' sake we pray. Amen. While listening to this tape, perhaps God's Spirit has been talking to your heart. If you felt the need to draw closer to your Creator, why not start today? God has provided a way for man to enter into a relationship with him forever through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. The Bible says that as many as receive him, to them give he power to become the children of God. You too can receive him right now by asking him to forgive you of your sins and asking him to come into your life and to be Lord and Savior of your life.

If you'd like to receive Jesus Christ into your life today, you can do so through a simple little prayer. Just open up your heart and repeat this prayer with me. Lord Jesus, I admit to you that I am a sinner.

I believe that you died on a cross for my sins. Please forgive me of all of my sins. Please come into my heart and into my life. Please make my life acceptable unto you. Thank you, Lord, for your gift of eternal life.

And I receive you this day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Now if you prayed that prayer with me right now, you are a new person. All your past sins and faults have been forgiven by God. And in his eyes you are a brand new creature.

The Bible says that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away and behold, all things become new. Now as a newborn spiritual infant, you should seek the sincere milk of God's word so that you may grow by it.