THE SUPREMECY OF CHRIST
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1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
This letter is not a diet for "spiritual babes" who want to be spoon-fed and coddled (5:11-14). In this letter you will find "strong meat" that demands some "spiritual molars" for chewing and enjoying. The emphasis in Hebrews is not on what Christ did on the 'earth (the "milk"), but what He is now doing in heaven (the "meat" of the Word). He is the Great High Priest who enables us by giving us grace (4:14-16). He is also the Great Shepherd of the sheep who equips us to do His will (13:20-21). He is working in us to accomplish His purposes. What a thrill it is for us to be a part of such a marvelous ministry!
There is a difference between listening and hearing. Jesus often cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" This statement suggests that it takes more than physical ears to hear the voice of God. It also requires a receptive heart.
"Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts" (Heb. 3:7-8).
Many people have avoided the Epistle to the Hebrews and, consequently, have robbed themselves of practical spiritual help. Some have avoided this book because they are "afraid of it." The "warnings in Hebrews have made them uneasy. Others have avoided this book because they think it is "too difficult" for the average Bible student. There are some profound truths in Hebrews; no preacher or teacher would dare to claim that he knows them all. But the book’s general message is clear and there is no reason why you and I should not understand and profit from it.
The best way to begin our study is to notice five characteristics of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
1. CHRIST BRINGS EVERLASTING HOPE
It is a book of evaluation -
19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
The word/better/is used 13 times in this book as the writer shows the superiority of Jesus Christ and His salvation over the Hebrew system of religion.
Christ is "better than the angels" (1:4).
He brought in "a better hope" (7:19)
because He is the Mediator of "a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (8:6).
Another word repeated in this book is perfect; in the original Greek, it is used 14 times. It means a perfect standing before God.
The Levitical priesthood could never accomplish this perfection (7:1) or by the Law (7:19), nor could the blood of animal sacrifices achieve it (10:1).
Jesus Christ gave Himself as one offering for sin, and by this, He has "perfected forever them that are sanctified" (10:14).
So, the writer is contrasting the Old Testament law system with the New Testament ministry of grace.
He is making it clear that the Jewish religious system was temporary and that it could not bring in the eternal "better things" that are found in Jesus Christ.
Eternal is a third word that is important to the message Of Hebrews. Christ is the "author of eternal salvation" (HEB 5:9
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Through His death, He "obtained eternal redemption" (HEB 9:12
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
and He shares with believers "the promise of eternal inheritance" (9:15). His throne is forever (1:8) and He is a priest forever (5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21). "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever" (13:8).
When you combine these three essential words, you discover that Jesus Christ and the Christian life He gives us are better because these blessings are eternal and give us a perfect standing before God. The religious system under the Mosaic Law was imperfect because it could not accomplish an eternal once-for-all redemption.
But why did the writer ask his readers to evaluate their faith and what Jesus Christ had to offer them?
Because they were going through difficult times and were being tempted to go back to the Jewish religion.
The temple was still standing when this book was written, and all the priestly ceremonies were still being carried on daily. It would be easy for these Jewish believers to escape persecution by returning to the old Mosaic system they had known before.
These people were "second generation believers,' having been won to Christ by those who had known Jesus Christ during His ministry en earth (2:3). They were true believers (3:1) and not mere professors.
They had been persecuted because of their faith (10:32-34; 12:4; 13:13-14), and yet they had faithfully ministered to the needs of others who had suffered (6:10). But they were being seduced by teachers of false doctrine (13:9). They were in danger of forgetting the true Word that their first leaders, now dead, had taught them (13:7).
The tragic thing about these believers is that they were at a standstill spiritually and in danger of going backward (5:12. Some of them had even forsaken the regular worship services (10:25) and were not making spiritual progress (6:1). In the Christian life, if you do not go forward, you go backward; there is no permanent standing still.
"How can you return to your former religion?" the writer asked them. He is better than anything you ever had under the Law.
The Book of Hebrews exalts the person and the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. When you realize all you have in and through Him, you have no desire for anyone else or anything else!
2. CHRIST BRINGS ENDURING CONSOLATION
It is a book of exhortation -
The admonitions in Hebrews 10:19-25 would be meaningless if addressed to unsaved people.
The Epistle to the Hebrews is an evaluation book, proving that Jesus Christ is better than anything the Law of Moses offers. The epistle is also a book of exhortation, urging its readers to hear and heed the Word of God lest they regress spiritually and experience the chastening hand of God.
The writer calls this epistle "the word of exhortation (Heb. 13:22). The Greek word translated “exhortation” simply means "encouragement." It is translated as "comfort" in Romans 15:4 and "consolation" several times in 2 Corinthians (1:5-7; 7:7).
This word is related to the Greek word translated "Comforter" in
John 14:16 (KJV 1900)
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
referring to the Holy Spirit. The Epistle to the Hebrews was not written to frighten people but to encourage people. We are commanded to encourage one another daily"
Hebrews 3:13 (KJV 1900)
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
It reminds us that we have "strong encouragement" in Jesus Christ (
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
At this point, we must answer the usual question:
"But what about those five terrible warnings found in Hebrews?" (See the five Exhortations on the outline, p. 20.)
To begin with, these five passages are not warnings." Three essential words are translated "warn" in the New Testament, and the only one used in Hebrews is translated "admonished" in 8:5 (kJv, where it refers to Moses) and "spake" in 12:25. Only in 11:7 is it translated "warned," where it refers to Noah "being warned of God." I think that the best description of the five so-called warning passages is the one given in Hebrews 13:22-"exhortation" (kjv), or "encouragement" .
This does not minimize the seriousness of these five sections of the book, but it does help us grasp their purpose: to encourage us to trust God and heed His Word.
The Epistle to the Hebrews opens with a necessary declaration: "God . . . has spoken to us in His Son" (1:1-2, NAsB). Near the book’s close, the writer states: "See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking" (HEBREWS 12:25). In other words, the theme of Hebrews seems to be: "God has spoken; we have His Word. What are we doing about it?"
With this truth in mind, we can better understand the significance of those five "problem passages" in Hebrews. Each of these passages encourages us to heed God's Word ("God . . . has spoken") by pointing out the sad spiritual consequences that result if we do not. List these passages and explain their sequence in the Book of Hebrews. You will see how they all hang together and present one message: heed God's word.
Drifting from the Word-2:1-4 (neglect)
Doubting the Word- 3:7-4:13 (stiff heart)
Dullness toward the Word- 5:11-6:20 (sluggishness)
Despising the Word- 10:26-39 (will-fullness)
Defying the Word -12:14-29 (refusing to hear)
If we do not listen to God's Word and hear it, we will start to drift.
Neglect always leads to drifting in things material, physical, and spiritual. As we drift from the Word, we start to doubt the Word; faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). We start to get hard hearts, leading to spiritual sluggishness, which produces dullness toward the Word. We become "dull of hearing"- lazy listeners!
This leads to a despiteful attitude toward the Word to the extent that we willfully disobey God, and this gradually develops into a defiant attitude we almost "dare" God to do anything!
Now, what does God do while this spiritual regression is going on? He keeps speaking to us, encouraging us to return to the Word. if we fail to listen and obey, then He begins to chasten us. This chastening process is the theme of Hebrews 12, the climactic chapter in the epistle. "The Lord shall judge His people"
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
God does not allow His children to become "spoiled brats" by permitting them willfully to defy His Word. He always chastens in love.
These five exhortations are addressed to people who are genuinely born again. They aim to get the readers to pay close attention to God's Word. While there is some stern language in some of these passages, I understand that none of these exhortations "threatens" the reader by suggesting that he may "lose his salvation." If he defies God's Word, he may lose his life ("Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?"- 12:9). The inference is that if we do not submit, we might die. "There is a sin unto death" (1 John 5:16).
But if the Epistle to the Hebrews teaches anything, it teaches the assurance of eternal life in a living High Priest who can never die (Heb. 7:22-28).
Some students try to explain away the "problem" of "losing your salvation" or "apostasy" by claiming that the readers were not truly born again but were only "professors" of the Christian faith. However, the way the writer addresses them would eliminate that approach, for he called them "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling" (3:1). He told them that they had a High Priest in heaven (4:14), which he would not have written if they were lost. They had been "made partakers of the Holy Spirit" (6:4).
3. CHRIST BRINGS ETERNAL STABILITY
It is a book of examination -
A. ESTABLISHED IN THE PRESENT
As you study this book, you will find yourself asking:
"What am I trusting? Am I trusting the Word of God, or am I trusting the things of this world that are shaking and ready to fall away?"
This letter was written to believers at a strategic time in history. The temple was still standing, and the sacrifices were still being offered. But in a few years, both the city and the temple would be destroyed. The Jewish nation would be scattered, including Jewish believers in Jesus Christ. The ages were colliding! God was "shaking" the order of things (12:25-29). He wanted His people to have their feet on a solid foundation of faith; He did not want them to trust in things that would vanish.
I believe that the church today is living in similar circumstances. Everything around us is shaking and changing. People are discovering that they have depended on the “scaffolding” and not the solid foundation. Even God's people have gotten so caught up in this world's system that their confidence is not in the Lord but in money, buildings, programs, and other passing material things. As God continues to "shake" society, the scaffolding will fall away, and God's people will discover that their only confidence must be in the Word of God.
God wants our hearts to be "established with grace" (HEB 13:9
Hebrews 13:9 (KJV 1900)
9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
That word "established" is used, in one form or another, eight times in Hebrews. It means: "to be solidly grounded, to stand firm on your feet."
It carries the idea of strength, reliability, confirmation, and permanence.
I think this is the critical message of Hebrews: "You can be secure while everything around you is falling apart!"
We have a "kingdom which cannot be moved" (HEB 12.28
Hebrews 12:28 (KJV 1900)
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
God's Word is steadfast (HEB 2:2
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
and so is the hope we have in Him (HEB 6:19
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Of course, there is no security for someone who has never trusted Jesus Christ as his Saviour from sin.
Nor is there security to those who have made a "lip profession" but whose lives do not give evidence of true salvation (Titus 1:16; Matt. 7:21-27).
Christ saves "to the uttermost" [i.e.,"eternally"] only those who have come to God through faith in Him (Heb. 7:25
Hebrews 7:25 (KJV 1900)
25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
I like to tell congregations the story about the conductor who got on the train, began to take tickets, and told the first passenger whose ticket he took, "Sir, you're on the wrong train." When he looked at the next ticket, he told that passenger the same thing.
"But the brakeman told me to get on this train," the passenger protested.
"I'll double-check," " said the conductor. He did and discovered that he was on the wrong train!
I fear many people have a false faith who have not heard and heeded God's Word.
Sometimes they are so busy telling everybody else what to do that they fail to examine their own situations. The Epistle to the Hebrews is a book of examination: it helps you discover where your faith is.
ESTABLISHED IN THE FUTURE
The focus in this book is on the future.
The writer informs us that he speaks about "the world to come" (2:5), when believers will reign with Christ. Jesus Christ is "heir of all things" (1:2) and we share the "promise of eternal inheritance" (9:15).
Like the patriarchs lauded in Hebrews 11, we are looking for that future city of God (11:10-16, 26).
Like these great men and women of faith, we today should be "strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (11:13).
This is one reason why God is shaking everything around us. He wants us to turn loose from the things of this world and stop depending on them. He wants us to center our attention on the world to come.
This does not mean we become so heavenly-minded that we're no earthly good. Instead, it means that we "hang loose" as far as this world is concerned and start living for the eternal values of the world to come.
Abraham and Lot, his nephew, illustrate these two different attitudes (Gen. 13-14). Abraham was a wealthy man who could have lived in an expensive house in any location that he chose. But he was first of all God's servant, a pilgrim and a stranger; and this meant living in tents. Lot chose to abandon the pilgrim life and move into the evil city of Sodom. Which of these two men had true security? Lot was safer in the city than Abraham was in his tents on the plain. But Lot became a prisoner of war! And Abraham had to rescue him.
Instead of heeding God's warning, Lot went back into the city; and when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot lost everything (Gen. 19). Lot was a saved man (2 Peter 2:7), but he trusted in the things of this world instead of trusting the Word of God. Lot forfeited the permanent because he depended on and lived for the immediate.
Martyred missionary Jim Elliot said it best: "He is no fool, to give what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.
You and I have been promised a future reward as God’s children. As with Abraham and Moses, today’s decisions will determine tomorrow’s rewards. More than this, our decisions should be motivated by the expectation of receiving rewards.
Abraham obeyed God because "he looked for a city" (Heb. 11:10).
Moses forsook the treasures and the pleasures of Egypt because "he had respect unto the recompense of the reward" (11:26).
These great men and women (11:31, 35) of faith "lived in the future tense" and thus were able to overcome the temptations of the world and the flesh.
In fact, it was this same attitude of faith that carried our Lord Jesus Christ through the agony of the cross:
"Jesus. . . for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame" (HEB 12:2
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The emphasis in the Epistle to the Hebrews is: "Don't live for what the world will promise you today! Live for what God has promised you in the future! Be a stranger and pilgrim on this earth! Walk by faith, not by sight!"
Dr. A. W. Tozer used to remind us, "Every man must choose his world." True believers have "tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world (age] to come" (6:5); this should mean we have no interest in or appetite for the present sinful world system. Abraham chose the right world and became the father of the faithful. Lot chose the wrong world and became the father of the enemies of God's people (Gen. 19:30-38). Abraham became the friend of God
(2 Chron. 20:7), but Lot became the friend of the world -and lost everything. Lot was "saved, yet so as by fire" (1 Cor. 3:15) and lost his reward.
ESTABLISHED IN THE PRINCE OF PEACE
The Epistle to the Hebrews exalts the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first three verses set this high and holy theme which is maintained throughout the entire book. Their immediate purpose is to prove that Jesus Christ is superior to the prophets, men held in the highest esteem by the Jewish people.
In His person, Christ is superior to the prophets. To begin with, He is the very Son of God and not merely a man called by God. The author clarifies that Jesus Christ is God (Heb. 1:3
Hebrews 1:3 (KJV 1900)
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
), for his description could never be applied to mortal man. "Brightness of His glory" refers to the shekinah glory of God that dwelt in the tabernacle and temple. (See Ex. 40:34-38 and 1 Kings 8:10. The word "shekinah" is a transliteration of a Hebrew word that means "to dwell.") Christ is to the Father what the rays of the sun are to the sun:
He is the radiance of God's glory. As it is impossible to separate the rays from the sun, it is also impossible to separate Christ's glory from the nature of God.
"Express image" (Heb. 1:3) carries the idea of "the exact imprint." Our English word character comes from the Greek word translated "image." Jesus Christ is "the exact representation of the very substance of God." (See Col. 2.9.) Only Jesus could honestly say, "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father" John 14:9). When you see Christ, you see the glory of God John 1:14).
In His work, Christ is also superior to the prophets.
To begin with, He is the Creator of the universe; for by Him, God "made the worlds" (Heb. 1:2). Not only did Christ create all things by His Word John 1:1-5), but He also upholds all things by that same powerful Word (Heb. 1:3). "And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist (hold together]" (Col. 1:17).
The word "upholding" (Heb. 1:3) does not mean "holding up," as though the universe is a burden on the back of Jesus. It means "holding and carrying from one place to another." He is the God of Creation and providence who guided this universe to its divinely ordained destiny.
He is also the superior Prophet who declares God's Word. The contrast between Christ, the Prophet, and the other prophets is easy to see:
Christ - The Prophets
God the Son Men called by God
One Son Many prophets
A final and complete message A fragmentary and incomplete message
Of course, both the Old Testament and the Gospel revelation came from God, but Jesus Christ was God's "last word" regarding revelation. Christ is the source, center, and end of everything God says.
But Jesus Christ has a ministry as a Priest, and this reveals His greatness. By Himself He purged our sins" (1:3). This aspect of His ministry will be explained in detail in chapters 7 through 10.
Finally, Jesus Christ reigns as King (1:3). He has sat down, for His work is finished, and He has sat down "on the right hand of the Majesty on high," the place of honor. This proves that He is equal with God the Father, for no mere created being could ever sit at God's right hand.
Creator, Prophet, Priest, and King -Jesus Christ is superior to all of the prophets and servants of God who have ever appeared on the sacred pages of the Scriptures. It is no wonder that the Father said, at Christ's transfiguration, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him" (Matt. 17:5).
Two of the greatest prophets were there with Jesus-Moses and Elijah; but Christ is superior to them.
As we study Hebrews together, we must remember that our purpose is not to get lost in curious doctrinal details. Nor is our purpose to attack or defend some pet doctrine. Our purpose is to hear God speak in Jesus Christ, and to heed that Word. We want to echo the prayer of the Greeks: "Sir, we would see Jesus" (John 12:21).
If our purpose is to know Christ better and exalt Him more, then whatever differences we may have in our understanding of the book will be forgotten in our worship of Him.