Hebrews 1
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Pay Attention
Pay Attention
Y’all I am very excited this morning because we are in the book of Hebrews, I love this book, and it is quite fitting, if you ever wonder what we are going through on wednesday nights, next semester we are doing 19 weeks in the book of Hebrews in the student ministry, and so these students are in for it. Hebrews has 13 chapters and we are doing 19 weeks so do the math on that, we will be in the weeds. And there is no shortage of weeds here you could spend 52 weeks on the book of hebrews if you really wanted to, there is a lot here in this book, and while it is a dense book with so many powerful points, there is one clear thread throughout the book.
The Author of Hebrews is calling on his audience to PAY ATTENTION. To pay attention to the message of Christ Jesus.
You know we pay attention to a lot of things.
I ordered something from Etsy 3 weeks ago and the package took forever to get here. I paid attention to that tracking link like it was my day job, multiple times a day I would check the status of my package.
We pay attention to the markets, our favorite sports team, social media, pop culture, the news, we pay attention to a lot of things.
We pay attention to the things that are meaningful to us. Things that feel important, or we care about. The author of Hebrews is pleading with us to not have our head to deep in the sand that we miss the ocean.
Would you stand in honor of God’s word.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Let’s Pray….
Hebrews is a fascinating book, we don’t know who the Author of Hebrews is, about 50% of scholars believe its Paul, the other 50% believe it’s someone else, and while we don’t know who exactly wrote it we know some key things about the author.
We know, based on verses in Hebrews, that the Author had a close relationship with the Disciples, writing in line with their apostolic authority, and so we know this book is rooted in the teachings of Jesus.
The author seems to be well acquainted with the audience he is writing to.
We also don’t know who this audience is. We assume it was written to Jews because the author just expects the Audience to have a ton of knowledge about the old testament.
The joke about Hebrews is that it is mostly plagiarism because, as we will see in the first chapter, there is a ton of quotations from the old testament.
These quotations would not have meant much to the non-jewish Christians, furthermore Hebrews follows the main storyline of the Torah, from Abraham to moses, to the wilderness, and promise land, and so we assume it was written to Christian Jews, or Hebrews as the name suggests.
It seems that the letter was written in response to this group coming under persecution, threatened with imprisonment, and this saw many believers leaving the faith, walking away from the truth of Christ.
So what we will see throughout Hebrews is the Author making the case that Christ is the epicenter of everything. Jesus Christ is what everything is all about. And as he makes this argument, he is going to compel the people to stand firm in their faith, keeping their eyes on Christ, their only hope in life and death. In short the author is exhorting his audience to pay attention to christ. Don’t lose focus, pay attention to christ.
Let’s dive in.
Hebrews 1:1–2 (ESV)
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,
So first point we see the author make is that in previous generations, God had spoken to his people through the prophets, we remember this right? Think of Isaiah, Amos, Elijah but NOW God has spoken by his Son. Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:2–4 (ESV)
whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
This jesus is:
Heir of all things
Creator of all things
The radiance of the Glory of God
The exact imprint of his nature
The one who upholds the universe
So this Jesus is a big deal. Here we see the author stressing a point he does not want the audience to miss. Jesus is not just another prophet, Jesus is not just some good dude, Jesus is not simply a really holy man metaphorically referred to as the son of God, Jesus is the creator, Jesus the one who holds the universe together, Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature, Jesus radiates the Glory of God, in simple terms JESUS IS GOD.
Make no mistake. Jesus Christ is God in human flesh.
And the author continues…
Hebrews 1:3–4 (ESV)
After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
This Jesus has made atonement for our sins and now sits next to the Father in glory. Y’all this is amazing, and you will see this referred to several places today, this picture of Jesus sitting at the right hand of the father.
What is the significance of this, The author goes into detail on later in Hebrews saying Jesus is not only our sacrifice, but he is our great high priest. Remember the priest was the mediator between God and man he would make sacrifices to atone for the sins of man, but Jesus is a greater high and the lamb. The sacrifice and the mediator.
So Jesus, God himself took on flesh, to be the lamb of God sent for the sins of the world and now he sits as our great high priest next to the father so when the father looks at us in all our brokeness and sin, Jesus leans over and says look at me the Lamb I have paid their debt in full and the father looks on us with the fullness of love.
Man this is good news.
having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Eternally existing as a member of the trinity. and he is Greater than the angels.
Now we might think, of course Jesus is greater than the angels. That seems obvious to us.
But, the Jews in Jesus time we obsessed with angels. It may have been the thing they argued most about. See in the old testament, the angles often delivered the word of God and so to the Jews Angles are the messengers of God.
It was an angel who appeared to Abraham and Sarah telling them they would have a son, it was an angel who appeared to moses giving him the law, it was the angel Gabriel who apeared before Daniel, it was Angels who warned lot to leave sodom. Angels are a big deal, they bring the message of God.
And so, if Jesus is greater than the angels, if Jesus is superior to the angels the messengers of God, then his message must be greater. He is a greater messenger bringing a greater message, if you are a jew you are thinking what could be a greater message than the law given to moses, the promise given to abraham, and the author of Hebrews wanting to tell us that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel that says God took on human flesh, atoning for our sins as the lamb defeating death and grave is seated now next to the father, forever mediating on our behalf , that is a greater message.
That is a greater message from a greater messenger.
So now the author is going to try and prove that Christ really is this greater messenger with the greatest news. The author does it by using 7 quotations from the old testament.
Mostly these quotations are from the psalms that point to Jesus. It may seem complex but really it’s not, focus on following his argument.
For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
“I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?
Well he has said that to none of the angels. None of the angels are Sons of God
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
So angels are supposed to worship Jesus. Well then he must really be this greater messenger with a greater message.
Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”
But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
But of the son, he rules it all.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
That is sounding different than angels. Now listen to this beauty:
And,
“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
The angles did not make the heavens, but Jesus was the words God spoke in creation
they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment,
like a robe you will roll them up,
like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will have no end.”
The angels were created, but Jesus is creator he was and always will be
And the final nail in the coffin:
And to which of the angels has he ever said,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
None of them.
See the author uses these old testament passages to say look, this messiah come, and he truly has brought the greatest message the world has ever known.
Furthermore:
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
These angels delivered a message that was important, but it was all pointing to the eternal salvation we have in Christ Jesus. In other words, it has always been about Christ. All the previous messages and messengers have been pointing to this one great message that Christ has come and in him is life, and life eternal.
So what?
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
This message is the greatest, most important message, this Jesus is what it is all about, and so we need to pay attention so we don’t drift away.
Hebrews 2:2–3 (ESV)
For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
If the messages of the angels were true, like the message to lot leave sodom and dont look back or you will be turned into salt, if the disobedience led to a just retribution, then we better not neglect the truth of this greater message, or we will face a just retribution. We better not turn from the truth of Jesus Christ.
So the author is very concerned with his people paying attention to this greater message. He doesn’t want them to fall away.
And listen I have no doubt you pay attention to the message of Christ. You are here right now. Notice what the Author of Hebrews says.
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
I don’t care how much you are paying attention to Christ
And you may say well I pay attention to Christ, notice the WE. expound
What is it you pay attention to the news, the markets, our teams, culture, social media.
When we pay attention to something we know that thing past, present, and future. We track that thing over time.
We understand what the market has done in the past, what its doing now, and we guess what it will be in the future.
This is what it means to pay attention to something…
We know our team’s history, the stats for this season, and how we think they will do next year.
The Author of Hebrews is concerned with us paying attention to Christ in this way. It is what the letter of Hebrews is all about, I can prove it to you, he’s still talking about it in Chapter 12
Hebrews 12:1–2 (ESV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Notice how the author describes this paying attention, as past present and future, we look, we pay attention to jesus the founder of our faith, it was Jesus who saved in the past, we run the race before us in the present paying attention to Jesus as we endure today, and we look, we pay attention to Jesus the perfecter of our faith, the one who will sanctify us and finish the work he has begun.
And so here we have this call to pay attention. To not just pay attention to Christ when we gave our life to him, we are called to pay attention to him now and forever
So many of us miss out on the fullness of life God has for us, because we know what we were saved from, but we don’t know what we were saved for and we don’t recognize how God saving us FROM is also a present reality.
Listen it is so important to recognize what we were saved from, SO IMPORTANT, we were saved from death and eternity in hell and that is an amazing thing
AND Christ also want’s to save you from the cost of falling asleep at the wheel, in the present. That is the LEST WE DRIFT AWAY Hebrews 2:1
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
This reality of being saved from is a past, PRESENT, and future reality, hence why we need to pay attention. God doesn't just want to save you from death and eternity in hell, he wants to save you from the present and future consequences of living a life at odds with God’s best for you.
In March, you may remember, a cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. What was wild about the crash is that everyone knew it was coming, They knew almost 120 seconds beforehand that the bridge was very possibly going to be hit.
See a cargo ship is not NIMBLE, nor is it easily controllable. By the time the cargo ship knew there was a problem, there simply was not enough time to prevent the collision.
A lot of us think we are more nimble than we actually are.
See infidelity doesn’t happen overnight, broken families and marriages don’t happen over night, we stop paying attention and then by the time we realize we are off track, we aren’t nimble enough to prevent the collision. Unfortunately in our lives, the damage of this is catastrophic. The damage is our families.
See God has saved you from eternal damnation but he also want’s to save you from the catastrophic collisions of your sin. So pay attention.
And let me remind if you this morning are feeling the weight of the catastrophic collisions of your sin, remember, Christ paid the debt for your sin and he is seated at the right hand of the father mediating on your behalf and nothing is ever too far gone for God to restore it.
And I want to encourage you, nothing you have done, nothing God has saved you from, negates what God has saved you for.
There is such a thing as a healthy fear of what you are being saved from in paying attention to the message of Christ.
At the same time, we want to balance that with a very healthy serving of what we are saved FOR.
You are saved for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control you were saved for a purpose, good works which God has prepared ahead of time, you were saved for a peace that surpasses all understanding, for a relationship with the father that guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, you were saved for a healthy marriage and family, God-honoring children, a legacy of faith, you were saved for the sake of your neighbors and the broken and hurting, you were saved to be a light in a dark and fading world, you were saved for the glory of god and to enjoy him forever.
You were saved from so much, AND you were saved FOR so much. So pay attention or you will miss out.
I know that is a list of what can feel like Christian platitudes but I am pleading with you to believe that what god has saved you for is so much better than the life he saved you from. God made life, he made you and me, and as wade puts it “he knows what leads to human flourishing” and so a life lived in line with what God has saved you for truly is the place where your soul finds its most satisfied position.
It seems these new testament writers knew this, they were completely taken with this person of Jesus Christ. They were mesmerized, the beautiful language we see in Hebrews, Colossians, John was born out of this deep satisfaction with Jesus.
We looked last week at the preminence of Christ, how he is number 1 and should be number 1 in our lives, we get this beautiful and poetic language about Christ in colossians 1
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
Man this is so good, its beautiful.
We see this language reflected in John 1 as well, in this magnificent description of Jesus as the word of God
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Man that’s what we celebrate in two days right. Man that we would be taken this Christmas with the beauty of God taking on human flesh to dwell with his people, the great lion of judah laying his life down as the lamb, who is now seated at the right of the father forever mediating on our behalf. Praise God.
Throughout the new testament we get these captivating descriptions of Christ. What these writers are trying to articulate to these new followers of Christ is LOOK, PAY ATTENTION, LOOK CHRIST HAS COME, PAY ATTENTION
There are trying to captivate us, to pull us in to the beauty that is Christ Jesus.
They are trying to tell us that there is so much more for us if we would pay attention to Jesus.
They had so looked upon christ, they had so paid attention to Christ that Christ became to them the greatest object of their affection.
What we pay attention to becomes what we think about, the decisions we make, the things we do, the words we say, the things we worry about.
And so we talk about in Church this list of things we should do, read our bibles, pray, go to church, yes we should do those things, and really what those things are is paying attention to Christ.
When we read our bibles we are paying attention to the heart of Christ, when we pray we are paying attention to Christ work in our lives, when we go to church we are paying attention to the Body of Christ, spiritual disciples are ways that we pay attention to Christ they remind us what we are saved from and what we are saved for.
So my prayer for myself and for you, for us is that we would be the kind of people who, for the sake of our families, our neighbors and ourselves, PAY ATTENTION to Christ, walking in the fullness of what Jesus saved us from and what he has saved us for for.
So here’s your application point, find some way to pay much more attention to Christ. In your life, in your family, in your community. Set your gaze upon him. Pay Attention.
I promise there is not a greater message in the news, there is not a greater message in the markets, there is not a greater message in your DMs, Jesus is the greatest message.
And so our lives and our families must be centered on this greatest message.
SPIRIT LEAD
I long for my heart and yours to be so consumed with Christ…as I was meditating on this passage this week these lyrics kept coming to mind.
In the morning when I rise, give me jesus, you can have all this world, just give me Jesus.
Just give me Jesus. So I leave you with this..
let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let’s pray.
