In a culture obsessed with rankings and lists, from football teams to pizza joints, Americans have developed an addiction to determining what's "the greatest of all time"—or as it's commonly abbreviated, the GOAT. This sermon introduces a series through the book of Hebrews that makes a compelling case: Jesus is the ultimate GOAT, the true and greater fulfillment of everything that came before Him.
The book of Hebrews stands out as unique among New Testament writings. Unlike most biblical books, the author remains anonymous, though various scholars have proposed candidates including Paul, Timothy, Apollos, Barnabas, and even Priscilla. Despite not knowing who wrote it, the early church recognized this book as divinely inspired and essential for understanding who Jesus truly is.
The book defies simple categorization—it reads partly like a letter and partly like a sermon. Written to an educated Jewish audience, it was composed during a remarkably specific timeframe: between 67 and 70 AD, just before Rome destroyed the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. This timing proves significant, as the author references temple rituals as still occurring, using them to demonstrate how Jesus fulfills and surpasses the entire sacrificial system.
Throughout Hebrews, the author employs a ranking system to prove Jesus's supremacy. Rather than creating a simple list, he uses comparison and contrast, showing how Jesus is the "true and greater" version of everything important in Jewish faith and practice. He is the true and greater Moses, the true and greater Abraham, the true and greater Sabbath—the list continues throughout the entire letter.
This pattern begins immediately in the opening verses, contrasting Jesus with the prophets of old.
The opening three verses of Hebrews chapter 1 present a theological masterpiece, packed with reasons why Jesus deserves the title of greatest of all time. These verses read:
"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."
The passage opens by establishing that God didn't create the world and then step back like a distant watchmaker. Instead, He continuously spoke to His people—many times and in many ways. While God spoke through various prophets in the past, giving portions of His message through different messengers, He has now spoken definitively through His Son.
Jesus doesn't merely bring God's word; He embodies it. He is the complete revelation of God, not just fragments delivered through human intermediaries. As the Gospel of John declares, Jesus is the Word made flesh, dwelling among humanity.
The contrast between verses one and two highlights this crucial point. The prophets were important—God used them significantly in revealing Himself to Israel. But the word "but" at the beginning of verse two signals a dramatic shift. Jesus isn't simply another prophet or even the greatest prophet. He stands in an entirely different category as God's Son, making Him infinitely superior to all prophets who came before.
According to Forbes magazine, approximately one-third of the world's billionaires—roughly a thousand people—acquired their wealth through inheritance rather than creating it themselves. While inheriting billions seems impressive, it pales in comparison to what Jesus will inherit: all things.
Everything that exists will ultimately belong to Jesus—humanity, light, air, every creature, every atom. Nothing falls outside His inheritance.
Why does Jesus deserve to inherit everything? Because He created it all in the first place. The phrase "through whom also he created the world" echoes Colossians 1, which declares that all things were created through Jesus and for Jesus. Everything already belongs to Him because He spoke it into existence. At the end of the age, He simply receives back what was always rightfully His.
The middle of verse three reveals that Jesus "upholds the universe by the word of his power"—or more accurately translated, He sustains all things. This teaching parallels Colossians 1:17, which states that "in him all things hold together."
This means Jesus isn't absent or distant. Right now, in this very moment, He holds every atom together. He prevents creation from dissolving into chaos. He actively sustains everything that exists by His powerful word. Without His continuous sustaining power, nothing would continue to exist.
The opening phrase of verse three describes Jesus as "the radiance of the glory of God." This imagery evokes the sun radiating its heat and light across space. But here's the profound question: where does the sun end and its radiance begin? The two cannot be separated—they are intrinsically one.
Similarly, where does God's glory end and its radiance begin? They cannot be separated. Jesus is the radiance of God's glory precisely because He is God. The glory and its radiance are inseparable, just as the Father and the Son are inseparable.
The next phrase describes Jesus as "the exact imprint of his nature"—or in modern vernacular, the "spitting image" of God. The phrase "spitting image" actually derives from "spit and image," an old expression meaning someone is so identical to another that even their DNA (their "spit") would match.
Jesus isn't merely similar to God or a good representation of God. He is the exact imprint, the perfect replica, the precise representation of God's nature. Why? Because He is God. He shares the same essence, the same nature, the same divine being.
The phrase "after making purification for sins" points to Jesus's role as the ultimate sacrifice. This echoes the Passover story from Exodus, where Israelite families painted lamb's blood on their doorposts so the angel of death would pass over their homes.
John the Baptist identified Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). When someone puts their faith in Jesus, recognizing that He died for their sins and rose from the dead, it's like painting His blood on the doorpost of their heart. Though their body may die, their true self—their soul—will live. The angel of death passes over them, and they escape the slavery of sin to enter the promised land of relationship with God.
Under the Old Testament system, when Jews brought sacrifices to the temple for their sins, they would be cleansed—temporarily. But if they sinned again, they needed another sacrifice. The cycle continued endlessly because animal sacrifices could never permanently remove sin.
Jesus's sacrifice was so powerful and effective that it doesn't merely pay for past sins—it covers future sins as well. This doesn't provide a license to sin freely; rather, it should inspire profound gratitude. When someone gives an expensive, lavish gift, the recipient doesn't destroy it and demand another. They treasure it because they understand its cost.
Understanding that Jesus's blood paid for all sins—past, present, and future—should transform how believers approach God when they fail. Instead of begging "Please forgive me," they can pray "Thank you that I am forgiven," asking God to help them live as the forgiven people they truly are. This doesn't promote taking advantage of grace; it cultivates humility and empowers holy living.
While this may sound like circular reasoning, the final phrase of verse three makes it undeniably true: "he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high."
In ancient royal courts, sitting at the king's right hand represented the position of greatest prominence, power, and authority. It declared that this person represented the king completely, wielding the king's full authority. Jesus occupies this position because He is God.
This echoes Philippians 2:9-11: "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Jesus is the GOAT simply because He is the GOAT—the creator of time who stepped into time to rescue humanity from these evil times. He is amazing, majestic, glorious, and radiant. He is God who took on human flesh to live the only sinless life ever lived, then died in the sinner's place. He is everything. He is the greatest of all time.
Matthew 17 records the Transfiguration, where Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain. Suddenly, Jesus was "transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light" (Matthew 17:2). The veil between earth and heaven parted, allowing the disciples to see Jesus in His true, heavenly splendor.
Moses and Elijah appeared with Him—two of Israel's greatest prophets. Peter, in his typical impulsive manner, started rambling about building three tents: one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus, placing them all on equal footing.
Then God the Father interrupted from a cloud: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him" (Matthew 17:5). The disciples fell on their faces in terror. When Jesus touched them and they finally looked up, "they saw no one but Jesus only" (Matthew 17:8).
This is precisely what the author of Hebrews intends to accomplish. By pulling back the veil and revealing Jesus in all His glory, by contrasting Him with prophets, angels, Moses, and the entire Old Testament system, the author wants readers to see Jesus so clearly that everything else fades into the background.
Throughout this letter, the author will continue demonstrating that Jesus is the true and greater fulfillment of everything in the Jewish faith. He surpasses the prophets, the angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the temple, and the entire covenant system.
The goal isn't merely theological education. The purpose is transformation. When believers truly see Jesus for who He is—when they behold His glory, His power, His love, His sufficiency—many of life's problems begin to fade. Not because the problems disappear, but because Jesus becomes so magnificent that He overshadows them.
This teaching emphasizes that Jesus is actively working in believers' lives right now. He sustains them, purifies them, and reveals Himself through Scripture, prayer, community, and His work around the world. The call is to continually seek His face, to ask Him to pull back the veil so that nothing remains visible but Jesus only.
Jesus Christ deserves the title of GOAT—the Greatest of All Time—not through comparison with human achievements, but because He exists in a category entirely His own. He is the eternal Son of God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, the exact representation of God's nature, the radiance of His glory, the ultimate sacrifice for sin, and the one who sits at the Father's right hand in the position of supreme authority.
The message invites everyone to respond to this Jesus. For those who have never surrendered to Him, the invitation stands to confess sin, acknowledge Him as Lord, and receive the forgiveness He purchased through His death and resurrection. For believers struggling with doubt or difficulty, the encouragement comes to lift their eyes and see Jesus again—to remember His presence, His power, His goodness, and His active work in their lives.
The book of Hebrews will continue unpacking the supremacy of Christ, showing repeatedly that He is the true and greater fulfillment of everything the Old Testament anticipated. The prayer is that through this study, hearts would be captured by the beauty and majesty of Jesus Christ, the greatest of all time.
