2: God Has Spoken! (Heb 1:1-3) - SRI Devotion

Last week we opened up this wonderful letter and discovered that the whole purpose of this writing is to spotlight that Jesus is Better.

1) Jesus is better than the temple rituals, 2) Jesus is better than the Levitical priests, and 3) Jesus is better than the ongoing sacrifices.

Today we open the very first words of this superb sermon written by an author who is anonymous to us, but who does a masterful job of demonstrating that Jesus is Better!

Watch how the spotlight immediately shines on Jesus.

Hebrews 1:1–2 (CSB) Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 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.

Hebrews 1:3 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.

There is SO MUCH in these 3 verses and this is as far as we are going in Hebrews today.

First, the writer reminds reminds his Hebrew audience that God spoke by the Hebrew prophets to communicate to their ancestors, way back for about 2000 years before the time of Jesus - from Abraham to Moses to Isaiah, Jeremiah and the other prophets.

God spoke to them through dreams, visions, and direct communication.

They prophets wrote about historical events, using poetry, & parables, speaking warnings & encouragements, and foretelling future events.

Yes, God does speak TO people THROUGH people, just as He speaks to us in the Biblical writings we have the privilege of reading today.

But, just as mentioned last week, the Old Testament (Covenant) writers used symbolism and shadows to point to the coming Messiah. When you read Old Covenant prophecies regarding the long awaited Messiah, they are sort of...

like a picture puzzle of the Messiah, but without the box top to SHOW you what who the Messiah was when all the pieces were put together.

We see a living example as a Samaritan woman meets a mysterious stranger at the well. She certainly didn’t understand the symbols and shadows of the Old Covenant Scriptures, but she had hope that one day she would, that SOMEONE would put the puzzle together:

John 4:25 (CSB) The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming”. “When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

John 4:26 Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am He.”

Can you imagine being that woman, thinking that someday you would have the answers you seek, the puzzle pieces put together, and the only One who could answer your questions…SAT with you and SPOKE TO YOU!

That’s what happened to her, and that’s what the the writer of Hebrews highlights for his audience. In the past God spoke through prophets...

But now, God has spoken to us by his Son.

As you might have noticed when we first read this passage, God’s Son (Jesus) is not God’s kid, like you and I are someone’s kid.

You and I are created beings who at one point in the not-too-distant past…did NOT exist.

Not so with Jesus. Although He was born as a human, that was not the beginning of His existence.

This becomes clear when the writer of Hebrews claims that God made the universe through Him. Of course this is the same thing that the apostle John writes in John 1:3,

that “all things were created through Him”. So while Jesus is called God’s son, this does not mean He was created - since He is the ETERNAL CREATOR of all things!

But there’s another important part to this.

Jesus, the Son of God, has been “appointed Him heir of all things” just as earthly children will one day inherit what their parents own.

But Jesus isn’t the heir of vehicles, houses, and stuff. He is the heir of ALL THINGS!

This is language from Psalms 2, that was first speaking of King David, but is ultimately fulfilled in God’s Messiah - Jesus.

Psalm 2:7–8 (CSB) I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession.

Paul later quoted from this same passage when he preached to the Hebrews in the synagogue of Pisidia.

Acts 13:32–34 (CSB) And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors. God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm: You are my Son; today I have become your Father. As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, He has spoken in this way, I will give you the holy and sure promises of David.

Jesus fulfills the promise God gave to King David, that a King from his family would sit on the throne of Israel forever (Ps 89:3-4).

David was a great king, but Jesus is BETTER! Jesus is not only a better priest and better sacrifice and a better prophet, but Jesus is a BETTER KING!

After all, the author of Hebrews continues...

Hebrews 1:3a The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word.

I love David Allen’s comment on this, saying “Each word pulsates with deity.” [David L. Allen, Hebrews, The New American Commentary, 116.]

The radiance of God’s glory reminds those who have read the Old Testament of the ‘shekinah’ glory, the light and cloud that represented the Presence, Power, and Purity of God at the Tabernacle (see Ex. 14:20; 40:34–38; Lev. 9:23, 24; Num. 14:10; 16:19, 42) and the Temple (1 Kings 8:10–13; 2 Chr. 5:13, 14; 7:1–3).

Jesus IS the radiance of God’s glory!

Further, Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature.

The Greek term used here for exact representation is charaktēr, a Greek term referring to an engraved character or an image impressed on a seal, like the images of the Emperor on coins.

So Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature.

What a claim! God has revealed Himself, not just through shadowy symbols like the temple, priests, sacrifices, and the words of prophets, but God has spoken to us by His Son - the One who created all things, holds all things together, and inherits all things - the One who is the exact expression of Who God is.

King Dresses as a Peasant

James V was called “the King of Commons” as it was the king’s habit to disguise himself as a peasant and to mingle freely with his subjects, getting to know the people and their needs. He would show up incognito to walk among them, participate in fireside chats, and even join them in singing their songs.

If the common people would have known who was in their midst, how would they have acted differently?

So too, the King of creation disguised Himself and walked among the peasants. But rather than going back to his palace at the end of the day, He LIVED among them for several years.

And before He would again sit on the throne, He laid Himself down on the cross.

But that was not the end.

Jesus arose from the grave, appeared to his disciples, and then ascended to heaven. The author of Hebrews says it like this:

Hebrews 1:3b After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

What does it mean that Jesus sat down at the Right Hand?

First, that Jesus sat down is significant because the priests who worked in the Temple never sat (Heb 10:11) as they continued to offer sacrifices. But Jesus has paid the price once and for all saying from the cross, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30).

The right hand is a metaphor for honor, authority, and power in both biblical and non-biblical Greek. So the Son shares the honor, authority, and power of the Father without limitation. [David L. Allen, Hebrews, The New American Commentary, 128.]

Who is better than the temple rituals, the priests, the sacrifices, and the prophets? The writer of Hebrews answers, that...

Jesus is Better and God has spoken!!!

God has spoken through His Son, the Creator of all things, the One who inherits all things, the One who is the living image of God’s glory, the One who paid the ultimate price in dishonor and now sits in the ultimate place of honor.

God has spoken, not just through prophets, dreams, & visions. God has spoken through His Son!!!

This is the message that the Hebrews needed to hear. It is the message they heard from the first followers of Jesus. After the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven - all the occurred inside and just outside of Jerusalem’s walls - JESUS was the message they preached, in Jerusalem and beyond.

Acts 5:42 (CSB) Every day in the temple, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

Those who went out from Jerusalem taught the same thing. God has spoken through His Son, the Messiah!

Acts 8:5 (CSB) Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.

When Philip obeyed God to go talk to a foreigner in a chariot who was reading from Isaiah 53, but didn’t understand who it was talking about...

Acts 8:35 (CSB) Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.

After the powerful conversion of Paul, one of the most feared enemies to the message that Jesus is the Messiah - the Son of God, Paul...

Acts 9:20 (CSB) Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”

God has spoken through His Son and Jesus is Better! Listen to Him!!!! Trust Him! Seek Him! Share Him with others!

3 BIG QUESTIONS

1. How are you LIVING for Jesus? Are you certain that you know Him? What evidence do you have to demonstrate that Jesus is Lord of your life?

2. How are you HEARING about Jesus? Are you listening to what others say about Him OR are you opening the Scriptures to hear from Him for yourself? When’s the last time you opened the Scriptures to hear from HIM?

2 weeks ago I read this post from Facebook:

I have always been, what I consider, a religious person. I was raised in church, asked Jesus to become my Savior at 7 years old, prayed before bed, tried to be a good person, etc. However, I never truly had a relationship with Jesus. I never KNEW Him.

There is this song by Love & the Outcome called If I Don't Have You. There is this one part in there that has always stuck out to me. It says "how can I say I love you to someone I don't know?" Every time I sing that part I cry because I've always wanted to KNOW Jesus but never knew how and it always upset me in that song because how can I truly love Him when I don't even know Him?

I was told by family and my pastors to "read your bible" but I didn't know how to do that! I didn't even know where to begin. I tried devotionals to help me, which were great, but something was still missing. There was always this hole inside of me that never seemed to be filled with the right thing. Not to mention, who has the time to sit and read the Bible? I always had something going on or I was "too tired" or whatever excuse I used to not be able to read/study.

But, on January 7th I decided to try something new. I had been doing a devotional called How to Start Reading the Bible (I truly wanted to learn) and one day it said "just start in Matthew and go from there. One chapter a day." So that's exactly what I did and have been doing ever since. I still don't fully know how to study like I'd like but it's getting better. I am waking up at 5:15 every morning to read/study and spend time with God for a short time. I read my one chapter of Matthew and then I write about what I read. Either something I didn't know and learned, something that I knew but didn't understand before, ask questions that I want to research, or anything that stood out to me while reading.

Yall, in just 3 short weeks, my life has changed drastically. I can't even begin to tell you the blessings that God has poured on me and my family. On top of that, today, while driving home from picking up the kids from school, I felt happy. I felt whole. For the first time in years, I felt at peace. It was God. I know it was. My life is changing and it feels so good. I am trying to not be negative and only be positive (which is really hard), I am trying to watch my mouth and the things that come out of it (Proverbs 18:21). I not only want for when people see me they see Jesus shining through me, but I want to make Him proud. I want Him to look at me and smile and know that I love Him with all of my heart.

I am writing this post because I want to encourage someone. I KNOW that there is someone out there that is also wanting a relationship with God but doesn't know where to start or how to do it. Just start somewhere. Matthew has been great for me, but it may not be where you feel you need to start. Just start somewhere. No time? Make time! He deserves so much more than what I am giving Him and I plan to do better, but make time to spend with Him.

3. Who are you TELLING about Jesus? When’s the last time you shared the good news with another?

This week a Christian brother told me he shared with someone and then his head drooped - the first person he has shared with in quite some time.

I could see he was excited, but was also disappointed, realizing that he had been missing out on sharing that Jesus is Better!

What could God do through us if every person here would

TRUST Jesus with our lives

HEAR from Jesus daily through the Scriptures

TELL others about Jesus?