"It is finished." On the cross, Christ uttered these words just before he died. He had come into the world to "seek and to save" sinners. His entire life was aimed at the cross. For this the Father had sent him into the world. And so, he died for our sins. He paid the price for all of us. And when he had done that for which he had come, he could say, "It is finished," and die. The writer of Hebrews tells us that "After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven." John had pointed to him saying, "behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." It was on the cross that he died for our sins. After that, his work finished, he could sit down.

The word here translated, purification, is "Catharsis." It emphasizes the cleansing power of Christ. We sing, "Are you washed in the blood." The emphasis is on what Christ has done. And we must always remember, he did the work. We sing, "For nothing good have I whereby his grace to claim, I will wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary's Lamb." The work of salvation is complete. Christ died "once for all." Before his death, atonement was "purchased" by repeated offerings. Every day brought new sins and so every day brought new offerings. But now that Christ is our high priest, he does not need to offer those repeated sacrifices. When he sacrificed himself, the work was done. His words, "It is finished," could be understood to refer to the whole sacrificial system. Since his death there has been no need for blood sacrifices.

If Christ has paid it all, then we need to come to him, accepting the gift of salvation. Salvation is by faith, not by our works. It is the gift of God. Paul points out that since it is not our doing, we have nothing to boast about because we are saved. Instead we need to share the good news so that others might come to know the savior. The work of salvation is complete, it need only be received.

When Jesus completed his work, he sat down "at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." In the gospels we read the story of James and John as they came to Jesus with a request. "Master, will you give us what we ask for?" To which Jesus replied, wisely, "What do you want?" He would not commit himself until he knew hat they wanted. "Grant to us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory."(Mk10:37).

These two disciples recognized the places of honor. They wanted to be close to Jesus and share in his glory. They had not worked out which would sit on his right hand but that seat was, in fact, the preferred position. The place at the right hand of the King belonged to the minister of his authority and justice, and the channel of his mercy. The one who sat at the right hand was the mediator between the king and his people. When we say Jesus sits at the right hand of God, we say he is the one who exercises all the authority of the Father.

In Philippians, Paul tells of the humility of Christ, "who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross."

From that humble position, a servant giving himself for others, Christ has been exalted. He has been given the name above every other name. It is at the name of Jesus that every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Where Paul simply says that his "name is above every others name," the author of Hebrews goes on to write at some length of Christ's superiority.

We read of how in the old days God spoke to us through prophets. But now he has spoken to us through his Son. the prophets are messengers. But Jesus is the heir. He is superior to them by his standing in relation to the Father. This is not to devalue the ministry of the prophets. Neither does it mean that the prophetic ministry had ceased. But it does raise up a standard by which all prophetic utterance must be measured. And the standard is Jesus. Any messenger must be true to the one who sends him. And Jesus is the sender. The word is his. As we look at his Word as preserved for us in scripture we have a standard by which to measure any who claim to speak for God.

So also he is "superior to the angels." "When God brings his firstborn into the world he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'" At Christ's birth the angelic hosts sang his praises. The worshipped the Christ. The angels are also his servants. They serve at Christ's bidding. He sits on the throne as the anointed on of God. He formed the earth and he rules it forever.

We live in a world "that's constantly changing." In this world the only thing we can be sure of is change. And the church, along with everything else is changing. We get new hymns, we change the order of worship. The way we did things no longer fits the world we live in and so we, as the church must change or die. And it is good that we change. God wants us to grow and growing means becoming new. But in the midst of all this change we seek a "solid rock." We need a place which stays constant, a place we can rely upon.

One modern group of theologians produced a style called "process theology." Their main point was that God was "Becoming." In their view, God, like all of us was growing and developing. The Bible tells us that "heaven and earth will pass away" to be replaced by a New Heaven and New Earth.

But in this world of change, we can praise God that the bible teaches us that the process theologians are wrong. The bible says to God of all creation, "they will be changed, but thou art the same." Jesus Christ is the same, "yesterday, today and tomorrow." At Pentecost, Peter spoke of Christ sitting at the right hand of God. Later, Stephen as he was martyred saw Christ at the Father's right hand, standing to welcome him. John, in Revelation, as he looked to the end times still saw the Lamb of God at the Throne of God. Jesus is our stable center in a world of change. He is the one who remains though all else changes.

He is Lord. He is Lord forever and ever. There is in him "no shadow of change." We can come to him confidently because we know he Stands firm. He has promised us eternal life. His promises are good because they come from one who remains faithful and true through all the winds of change. He is Lord. He is savior. And he will remain Lord and savior