Session 1

Hebrews Session 1

Heb. 1:1-3

Video Content Development

Scheduled video shoots: August 15/16 – Planning to shoot sessions 1-4

Rough Draft of Hebrews 1

1. Introduction

a. Personal Greeting

Thank you for joining us as we dive into what is one of the most theologically rich books in the Bible. It assumes its readers have historical knowledge about the Jewish people and how God spoke to them throughout history.

- Particularly at Mount Sinai when God met with the people of Israel, His glory was put on display, His words carried such power that they shook the earth. The Jews considered this to be the moment when God’s spoken word and forever changed the people of Israel.

It’s because of God’s spoken words throughout history that the book of Hebrews boldly proclaims how everything in the Old Testament that is good, right, sacred, and Holy are a mere shadow of what is to come. The miraculous stories of angels, God giving His law to Moses, the way Moses acted as the mediator between God and the people, the prophets speaking God’s direct words, and God’s priestly order that was designed to usher them into a sacred relationship with the God of all creation.

Each one was a partial representation of the Christ to come and collectively, they are still unable to reveal the fulness of Jesus.

It’s God’s spoken word that reveals everything we need to know about Him. Jesus is the spoken word, He is the final revelation of the fulness of God.

One goal in the book of Hebrews is to take what we think we know about God and challenge us. So often in life we think we have arrived, we think we have understanding. We can all remember a time in our maturing process where we realized we have been living as if we know a lot more than we do.

Hebrews challenges all of us to understand that there is so much more meaningful depth to the gospel. It is by understanding the depth, the fulness of who Jesus is that will drive us to a life of faithful worship before His throne.

2. Segue Questions

Read: Hebrews 1:1-3

Why Does God go to such great lengths to communicate with us?

How do these verses demonstrate the power of His words?

Explanation:

There is absolute power in the word of God. It is by His word that everything is held together. It is through His word that we can receive the purification of sins. When we speak of the power of His word, He is not just making verbal statements about Himself, but is revealing that He is the embodiment of holiness. His word is the finality of all authority.

3. Teaching 1st Point: Is your Jesus Big enough?

a. 3-5 minutes

b. Focus on verses 1-4

When I was growing up, my best friends dad was a smoker and drinker. There were times we would carry him into his room because he would be passed out from drinking. When I was 16, I remember going over to their house and something changed. My friends dad was pale, just white as a ghost. He was unusually quiet and isolated himself. His domineer totally shifted. A few days later, still pale, trying to compose himself, he told me how he had a dream. He said that Jesus was standing before him, reached out His arm and said, “if you don’t turn away from smoking and drinking, I am going to let it kill you.” He knew that this wasn’t just a dream, he spoke of how he had felt the Lord’s power and knew the Lord spoke with him.

Hebrews 1:1 says at “many times and in many ways God spoke”

If you study those “Many Times and in many ways” that God spoke. Speaking directly to Adam and Eve, Abraham and others. We also see His creativity in speaking through a burning bush, through dreams, visions, whirlwinds, whispers, handwriting that just appears on a wall and even through a donkey.

All in all, God has faithfully revealed Himself to His people through His spoken Word.

Have you ever considered how it might change your life?

If you directly, clearly heard the God of all the universe speak?

How might that change your life?

I think we always assume if we had a powerful engagement with God that we would change for the better, with greater commitment to Him.

But what if I told you that isn’t always the case?

You see God has spoken, God has clearly revealed Himself. Yet, we live as if He is marginally important. Our lives functionally play out including Him in what we are doing, but never really changing. Our convictions, our habits, our thought life are influence, but no real change has grabbed hold.

At this point, we have to stop and ask if this is reflective of a deep seeded issue in us. You would think with all the signs and wonders, with all the communication, with all the ways God has continually spoken and revealed Himself that we would get it. That we would turn toward Him. That we would long to rid ourselves of sin.

Instead of people having a momentary encounter that changes the rest of their life, what we see again and again is a drifting away from God. A temporary hunger that started out fast and hot but over time cooled and slowed.

Which raises the question, “Could it be that our habit of drift is reflective of a deeper sin issue that reveals we don’t want God?

Is it possible, that both you and me are unwilling to conform and build a habit of truly seeking Him, because we want control? Because we don’t want to submit to an authority but would rather be the authority?

The author of Hebrews wants us to see the glory, power, and mystery of God Himself. But we often forget to dwell on Jesus. We forget to allow our imagination to consider the implications of His power. Instead, we get distracted by the things of this world. The danger is, it is easy to slip into a place where we only want to talk about what He has done for me. Talking about what someone does, is not the same as knowing them.

It’s easy to talk about what He has done and what He has freely given without ever knowing Him. If we never dwell on the person of Jesus, we will never respect him enough to change anything. We wont fear Him and we wont respond to His word. God has to remain the focal point of each moment that we live. Every person, is either moving towards God or drifting further from Him.

You know, my friends dad is still alive. He has never returned to his old drinking habits. But he also struggled to keep pursuing the Lord. Though he hasn’t been getting drunk, he has continued to drift away.

Really, the question I have been trying to get at is this, “How big is your view Jesus?” Do you really know Him? Is He your everything?

Or are you still interested in only considering what it means to act like a good Christian?

God has clearly revealed Himself in His word, He has made Himself known to us and we can spend time in His presence whenever we choose.

Do you focus on the person of Jesus, desiring to be with Him? Or have you learned to just focus on what He does for you?

Do you live by and conform to the power of God’s word? Or have you remained unchanged?

4. Group Discussion:

Read Hebrews 1:1-3.

How does it make you feel to know that God is infinite in every way and He made Himself finite to clearly speak to us?

It should make us be humble, terrified, grateful,

How sufficient is your view of Jesus?

How often do we operate as if we have a sufficient view, when it is actually diminished?

Explanation:

Even the most robust theologians only understand a speck of God’s totality.

5. Teaching 2nd Point: He is the truth of the prophets proclaimed, the exact nature of God.

As we consider verses 2-3, we find 7 descriptions of Jesus. Seven is a sacred number. It is most often used to symbolize perfection, fullness, abundance, rest, and completion. The fact that there is seven descriptions tells us that what we are discussing is of utmost importance.

First, we see that Jesus has been “appointed the heir of all things.” He isn’t speaking about leading government or having authority over all the world. Our author is suggesting that Jesus is the heir to all authority over heaven and earth - that His authority is over all the cosmos and beyond.

Which makes sense, considering “He created the world.” The reason we know that Jesus is heir to more than just this world is that we know he is the creator of all things. Its not just that He has authority or governs it, He is the one who designed every detail of it.

Thirdly, we see that Jesus is the “radiance of the glory of God.” God’s Glory can be defined as any expression of His Holiness. Meaning that anytime we get to see God act we see God’s glory. If He calms a storm, it is a sign of His glorious power. If He reveals direction, it is a sign of His glorious knowledge. His very existence radiates glory like the sun because in and of Himself, He is the expression of Holiness.

For Jesus to be the radiance of God’s glory is to proclaim Him as Holy light of life that is now given to the hearts of those who receive Him as Lord.

Not only is Jesus the Radiance of God’s glory, but He is the “exact imprint of His nature.” Meaning that when we consider the person of Jesus we are considering the very person of God. Through these two statements, the author is emphatically trying to illustrate that in every way, Jesus is God in the flesh.

This means that God Himself came to earth. God Himself taught us about who He is, revealed Himself through miracles, even rose from the dead. Jesus proved again and again He is God. All along the way reminding us over and over, He came to save. That He came to provide a way for you and for me to come to Him.

This is the creator of all things, the only one who has any authority, we are talking about the very nature and glory of God walking among us as a man.

Further, we read that “He upholds the universe by the word of His power.” God is so big and so great that He can hold everything in perfect balance, allowing life to continue to exist by a single word. F.F. Bruce says, “He upholds the universe as one who carries all things forward on their appointed course.”Sometimes we just need to take a moment to ponder, to imagine the significance of His power. The claim in this passage could be thought of in this way, that every molecule of life is held together just because God spoke it. That is the power of God’s word.

Do you understand the significance and power of God’s word?

Because it is by His power that we can receive “purification for sins.” By His power we can have a relationship with Him. Jesus overcame what no person has ever been able to imagine…. And He did it to allow us to have a right relationship with Him.

Because of all of this, He is the only one worthy to sit down at the right hand of the Father.

Which is a simple statement that means He is honored above all else. That He is simply in every way above all.

When we consider the person of Jesus, we better have some time to allow our hearts and minds to ponder what type of significance we proclaim when we speak of His name.

6. Group Discussion:

Read Hebrews 1:1-3.

Each depiction of Jesus is worthy of hours of study. It is designed to drive us to awe and reverence as we try to grab hold of all that Jesus is. With that in mind;

How do these verses reveal who Jesus is and what He does?

How should these depictions impact your view of Jesus?

Leader Guide:

In his book, Experiencing the Presence of God, A.W. Tozer argues that many Christians have been challenged in their striving after God because of a lost sense of God’s majesty.

How have you dwelled on God’s infinite majesty?

What are the implications of having a low or lost sense of God’s majesty?

7. Teaching Summary

a. Summarizes the major points and concludes by leaving a challenge or application that is based on the three collective teaching points.

i. Should be direct and clear.

In this opening to the book of Hebrews what we find this idea that in the past God used signs, miracles, visions, and prophets to reveal Himself to us. In fact, He spoke to the prophets and gave them authority as they spoke God’s word over the people. But now, God has come in the flesh, He has directly revealed Himself and taught all about what it means to be a kingdom citizen.

If it was wise of our forefathers follow the authority and teaching of God’s prophets, how much more value is there in responding to God Himself?

Additionally, based on the description of who Jesus is in these opening verses, we probably see a far grander, far more majestic side of Him than we normally consider. How should we move forward knowing that there is nothing outside of His control, that He literally holds us together, that it is entirely because of Him that we can have any relationship with Him. That when we speak about the character and nature of the God the Father, we see His vary radiance and glory in the person of Jesus. Does that affect the way that we aim to worship His name?

8. Close

Thanks for watching this session, I am praying that the Lord powerfully uses it to draw you closer to Himself and that you would be unable to ignore the Majesty of God. May you be constantly reminded to dwell on His all-surpassing power and authority.