SS - Hebrews 1

Recap

Began last week by looking at transfiguration

Takes 3 disciples on the mountain

They see Moses & Elijah

Peter wants to build a tabernacle for them

When disciples rise up

Don’t see moses

Don’t see Elijah

They see Jesus

Hebrews (Chapter 1: God’s Final Word (Hebrews 1:1–2)) A.W. Pink comments: “The glory associated with Moses and Elijah was so eclipsed by the infinitely greater glory connected with Christ, that they faded from view.”

This is a beautiful picture that accurately depicts the theme of Hebrews

“Jesus is Better”

The supremacy of Christ

The sufficiency of his work

The necessity of faith in him for salvation

We noted how this is a sermon

Dont know human author but we do know it was written to Jewish believers experiencing persecution for their faith.

Were tempted to abandon Jesus and go back to what they knew

Hebrews shows them it’s not a discarding of OT faith but fulfillment of it

This week we will look at chapter 1 together.

One of the initial questions our guide asks us is :

Hebrews: Standing Firm in Christ Getting Started

How does your culture tend to downplay the significance or importance of Jesus Christ? What false and/or minimizing narratives about Jesus have you heard lately?

good moral teacher

merely a prophet

one path among many

less than divine

inspirational figure only

Thats exactly why hebrews begins here.

Chapter 1 begins by answering the question “who is Jesus”

Let’s read the chapter together, and as I do, look for all the statements that tell us who Jesus is

What descriptions of Jesus stood out to you

Hebrews begins with a remarkable statement

Why do you think the author begins with this? (kind of question 3)

There is divine authority here

We can be sure that what God says is true

It’s relevant

God does not change, neither does his word

Its unity

Why specifically for the original hearers?

Let’s look in more depth at verses 1-4

Contrast his revelation

When

“long ago” -> “These last days”

Whom

“our fathers” -> “us”

How

“many times and in many ways… “by the prophets” -> “by his son”

NOT OT bad/ NT Good

Promise -> fulfillment

Partial -> Full

Gradual, fragmented, incomplete

Jesus is truth

I am the way the truth the life

The authors point here is not to say that the old covenant and the prophets were illegitimate, but that Christ is superior over all the prophets

Look at verses 2-4

Again, the difficulty and cost of following Jesus at this time

The author, right out of the gate, lays before us the supremacy of Jesus

In verses 2-3 we see 7 statements of his supremacy.

These 7 can fit into three categories that we will see as we continue through Hebrews

Prophet

Priest

King

He is prophet in in that he reveals God to us.

He is priest in offering himself for our sins, cleansing us and interceding for us

He is king, reigning now in heaven and ruling over us as sovereign Lord

What are these 7 statements of supremacy

The first two we see demonstrate he is lord and king

Heir of all things

Purpose in creation was that the son should blessed and glorified in receiving all things

Same in redemption - that he would receive all of those that are his

Creator of the world

He sustains it by the word of his power

Next as final prophet

Radiance of the glory of God

Exact imprint of his nature

We see the glory of God revealed to us through the person and work of Jesus Christ

He is the better revelation

Hebrews Christ as the Final Prophet

“A servant may be able to say everything that is right about his lord and master, he may know him well and intimately, but he can never represent him in the way that the son can. The son is a manifestation of the father by being what he is. Thus our Lord himself, while here on earth, represented and manifested the name of God in a way that is incomparable and greater than all others, because he is the Son of God.

Exact imprint of his nature

The greek word for imprint is χαρακτήρ (character)

Refers to a stamp or imprint made with a die or seal

Ex coin with rulers face

Jesus bears Gods image/imprint

This is why Jesus can say John 14:9 “Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Priest

Jesus is the perfect priest who makes atonement for our sins

after making purification for sins

This theme is prominent throughout hebrews

explain how christ as priest offers the one true sacrifice to take away sins

sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high

Why the language of sit down

There were no seats in the temple. The priests continually offered up sacrifices because there was continual sin and the problem was never solved for good.

Jesus, the true priest, sheds his own blood to make purification for our sins and then sits down because there is no longer any work to be done

The author then goes into angels.

Why do you think he addresses Christ’s superiority over angels?

Jewish spirituality in this time had an excessively high view of angels

There was connection between angels and great events in the OT

The author intends to show that like prophets, were servants of the old covenant. But Jesus Christ is the son who fulfils the old covenant

This is relevant to us today. Maybe not the word “angel” (although absolutely is used) but “spirits”

There is an unknown mysticism that is attractive

Lets look at the ways Jesus is superior over angels

Superior because of a better name - v 4 - Son of God

Servant vs Son

1 Citation Ps 2 & 2nd citation 2 Sam 7

(PROB DONT GO INTO) “today i have Begotten you” (his resurrection - Acts 13:32-33 & Rom 1:4)

Hebrews Superior because of a Better Name

The resurrection of Jesus Christ establishes the doctrine of our Lord’s deity. When he lived upon earth Jesus claimed to be equal with God and that God would raise him from the dead three days after his execution by the Jewish and Roman authorities.… The resurrection is God’s seal on Christ’s claim to divinity. Jesus was “designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” (

The point is, which angel did God say anything like this about

Superior because he is worshiped - V 6

Worship vs worshiped

1st Citation Deut 32:34 & Ps 97:7, 2

The angels themselves are worshiped

Superior because of his divine sovereignty - V 7-9

Ministers vs Reigns

vs 7 citation - Ps 104:4

This is a description of angels as servants of God

This verse shows the magnificence of Angels (we need to be careful we don’t despise angels)

FF Bruce: “Angels are portrayed as executing the divine commands with the swiftness of wind and the strength of fire.”

The point isn’t that there is no glory in the angels but that there glory is inferior to the sons glory

Vs 8-9 citation - Ps 45:6-7

The eternal throne of Christ

We can see how the author of Hebrews is showing us how to read the OT through Christ-colored lenses

The deity of Christ is seen from the very first words of this chapter

We see

Creator of the world - Vs 2

Radiance of glory of God & exact imprint of his nature Vs 3

Upholds the universe by the word of his power vs 3

Angels worship him vs 6

Eternal throne vs 8

In 10-14 we see the climax of the supremacy of Christ in chapter 1

Vs 10

Only God is eternal. Beginning and end

This is a citation from Ps 102:3-9

The psalm is a prayer to God himself - Yahweh

here it is referenced of the son

Vs 13

Citation from Ps 110:1

He is victorious

Applications

Christ is enough

sufficient

Christ reigns now

Even when we cant see it

Christ has finished the work

He sat down

Therefore hold fast