This morning we are beginning a new
journey, we are going to spend the next 12 weeks going through the
book of Hebrews. This will not be a deep dive going into verse by
verse like we recently did in James, instead we will be hitting the
key points in each chapter. In the foyer you will find a Hebrews
Initiative reading plan. Please read along throughout the week, it is
only a couple of verses each day. The more you engage into this
series the more you will get out of it.
There is debate on who the author of
the book of Hebrews is. One of the most common assumptions is that it
was written by Paul, but to this day it cannot be confirmed. What we
do know is that it was written by someone who was educated in the Old
Testament Scriptures, someone who was familiar with the Jewish life
style, and someone who knew Timothy. Chances are if it was not
written by Paul it was written by someone within his circle of
friends.
While we may not know for sure who the
author is, we do know there is a lot of meat in Hebrews. It is one of
the most complex and difficult books in the New Testament. Our lack
of knowledge of the Old Testament sacrificial system is probably one
of the reasons people struggle with Hebrews. However, the more you
dig into it the more you will see it is one of the most rewarding
books to study in the Bible. Hence why we will be spending from now
until Christmas going through it.
Hebrews 1:1-4
“1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers
by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these
last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir
of all things and made the universe through Him. 3 The Son is the
radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature,
sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification
for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 So
He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He
inherited is superior to theirs.”
Many stories begin with a phrase such
as, “Once upon a time,” “Once there was a,” or “A long
time ago in a galaxy far, far away...” These opening lines allow us
to separate ourselves from life and realize that the story we are
about to read or watch does not have to meet what the real world
calls 'normal'. In other words we are entering a story world that is
not completely based on reality. It allows us to accept things such
as pumpkins turning into a carriages and people who can control the
Force.
The author of Hebrews begins with the
words “Long ago,” not to make us think that this is just some
pretend story, but to show us the message that follows is not new.
The message of God was prophesied centuries before this letter was
written. The message delivered by Jesus was delivered somewhere
between a handful of years to a couple of decades before. Today, the
same message is told to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. The
message is that Jesus is the son of God, the promised Messiah, and
the fulfillment of countless promises and prophesies found throughout
God's Word. A message that expressed how much God Loves us.
These first few verses of chapter 1 lay
out some very important truths for us to remember.
Hebrews 1:1
“Long ago God spoke to the fathers by
the prophets at different times and in different ways.”
The author is trying to connect with
his audience by reminding them that God has spent hundreds of years
talking to His people through the prophets found in the Old
Testament. It was God's desire to connect with His people and guide
their paths.
2 Chronicles 7:14
“and My people who are called by My
name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their
evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal
their land.”
The prophets and in this case a king,
were God's tools to develop a relationship with His people. God used
the prophets to deliver His message of love, salvation, and their
need to repent and return to Him.
The author is trying to get people to
connect the things he is saying with things that were said and
written in the Scriptures they were familiar with. He is trying to
connect with them and build a solid foundation so they will listen to
the message about love, salvation, and the Son of God.
2 Samuel 7:14-16
“14 I will be a father to him, and he
will be a son to Me. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a
human rod and with blows from others. 15 But My faithful love will
never leave him as I removed it from Saul; I removed him from your
way. 16 Your house and kingdom will endure before Me forever, and
your throne will be established forever.’”
These verses in 2 Samuel do talk about
king Solomon but they also point that king David's line is going to
last forever. This is a direct link to the coming Messiah. There are
over 300 Old Testament prophesies that point to Jesus Christ being
the Son of God and that through Him true salvation will be given. The
prophets, kings, and judges spoke about Jesus Christ.
In Psalms 2 it talks about the
Coronation of the Son.
Psalms 2:7
“I will declare the Lord's decree: He
said to Me, “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.”
This Psalm points to Jesus and how He
will be God's Son and that is the point being made in early in the
book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 1:5
“For to which of the angels did He
ever say, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, or again,
I will be His Father, and He will be My Son?”
We see over and over again that God
used Abraham, Moses, judges, prophets, and kings to remind His people
about that all important message. The message of His un-ending love
for all of us and His desire for us to be saved and spend eternity
with Him. He also knows that we will never be able to achieve
salvation on our own so He used the prophets to pave the way for His
Son.
God spoke through His prophets about
Jesus Christ, and He spoke through His Son.
Hebrews 1:2-3
“2 In these last days, He has spoken
to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made
the universe through Him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory
and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His
powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the
right hand of the Majesty on high.”
The author is now taking it to the next
level. Those early Hebrew Christians would understand what he is
saying but others may question his sanity. He is stating that God
spoke to them through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus is so much more
than a man or rabbi, He is the Son of God. He was brought here to
share the message of God, He died on the cross to cleanse us of our
sins, and He is now sitting right where He belongs at the right hand
of the Father.
Jesus told us He is the Son of God.
John 5:19
19 Then Jesus replied, “I
assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only
what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son
also does these things in the same way. 20 For the Father loves the
Son and shows Him everything He is doing, and He will show Him
greater works than these so that you will be amazed.””
Jesus claimed to be on the same level
as God and made it clear that He had a very close relationship with
God. This message ruffled a lot of feathers, but it was a very
important part of the message He came to share.
John 17:4-5
“4 I have
glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.
5 Now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with that glory I had with
You before the world existed. 6 I have revealed Your name to the men
You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and
they have kept Your word. 7 Now they know that all things You have
given to Me are from You, 8 because the words that You gave Me, I
have given them. They have received them and have known for certain
that I came from You. They have believed that You sent Me.”
Not only did Jesus share God's message
of love and salvation, the same message the prophets shared, He also
lived it out every day of His life. He showed everyone how to live a
life dependent on God.
We also find in scripture that God
speaks through His Holy Spirit.
John 15:25-26
“25 But this
happened so that the statement written in their scripture might be
fulfilled: They hated Me for no reason. 26 “When the Counselor
comes, the One I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of
truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.”
Jesus told His disciples that the Holy
Spirit was going to come and continue to work in people and declare
the truth about the Father and the Son and we see examples of this in
the Book of Acts.
Acts 2:17
“And it will be in the last days,
says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your
sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see
visions, and your old men will dream dreams.”
Acts 4:31
“When they had prayed, the place
where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.”
The Holy Spirit arrived after Jesus
returned to the right hand of God and He is still active in our lives
today.
Revelation 2:7
“Anyone who has
an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will
give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in
God’s paradise.”
The Holy Spirit is alive and well
today. He is actively working in us and those around us. It is the
Holy Spirit that draws us to the Son. It is the Holy Spirit that
convicts us of our sins. The Holy Spirit continues to carry God's
messages of love and salvation.
God has spoken in many ways throughout
history. He spoke through the prophets. He spoke to all of humankind
through His Son Jesus Christ. Today, He still speaks to His people
through the power of the Holy Spirit. The one thing that has never
changed regardless of who the messenger has been is the message
itself.
The prophets spoke of God's love,
salvation, and need to return to God. Jesus Christ not only talked
about God's message of love and salvation, but He lived it out for
all to see. He showed us how to live a life fully dependent on God.
He then sacrificed Himself so that true salvation could be a reality.
Before Jesus returned to heaven, He
gave us a promise. The promise of a counselor, the Holy Spirit, who
would come down to earth and guide us on how we need to live our
lives. This same Spirit continues to tell us that same message that
was true in the days of Adam and Eve.
It is by the Spirit that we can know
God today, as He continues to tell us God's message of His love for
His children and His offer of salvation. It is through God's Spirit
that we are to live our lives as God wants us to, so that others can
see His message through our words and our actions.
