Jesus, The Better Lawgiver

Jesus, The Better Lawgiver

(Heb. 1:1-4)

Thesis:    To show why we should follow and be obedient to Jesus.

Introduction:

The book of Hebrews was written to Christians who had developed a problem.

These were individuals who had been faithful to Christ, but now they are in eminent risk of falling away, and they need to be encouraged.

The book of Hebrews provides a logical list of reasons why the new law is better in every way compared to the old law of Moses.

While we may not be facing the exact issue Hebrews was written to address (Judaizing teachers), the reasons provided in Hebrews as to why the new law is better than the old are the exact reasons we need to know in order to understand the one we call Lord.

We are going to see what ways Jesus is not only the better lawgiver but, for us, these are the reasons we know that Jesus is the best lawgiver, and the only lawgiver we must follow.

Jesus is the better lawgiver because…

Discussion

He is God (Hebrews 1:1–4 “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” )

Who being the brightness of His glory…

The brightness of His glory is that which can be clearly seen.

We see God through Christ

And the express image of His person…

If you have seen me, you have seen the Father (John 14:7–11 ““If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” ).

Jesus is the exact copy of the Father; He is God.

There is no difference in what you see when you look at Christ and what would be seen if we looked at the Father; if you know one, you know the other.

Sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high…

He is presently in heaven, sitting beside the Father. 

He is with God once again, seated in a position of power because He has all power.

The One whom we look to for our faith is great because He is equal with God.

He is greater than the angels (Heb. 1:4-12)

He has obtained a more excellent name than they (Hebrews 1:4–7 “having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.”” )

Jesus is not one of the created beings; He was there in the beginning with God, and He has always been with God.

The Angels were created; they were made to minister, or to be servants.

Christ, being the Son of God, has a better name than they as He would carry the name of the Father with Him.

None of the angels were ever considered sons of God.

Thy throne is forever and ever (Hebrews 1:8–12 “But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.”” )

Because the Son is God, His kingdom will endure forever.

The personality of God, the thoughts of God, and the ethics of God are all the same as those of the Son.

It is not possible for God or the Son to be anything but righteous, the angels are able to choose to be wicked.

He became lower than the angels (Heb. 2:5-18)

We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” )

The Son left heaven and came down to this earth in the form of a man; he did not remain in the form of a heavenly being, whether that be of God or of one of the angels. 

He became physical, lower than that of an angel.

For the suffering of death…

In order to take our sins away, there had to be a perfect, blameless, willing, and familiar sacrifice.

The sacrifice for sin must be worth at least the amount lost by the sin, Christ as a perfect man is the only being qualified for this role.

It is by the sacrifice of the perfect Son of God in the form of man that we can have our sins taken away/purged.

Bringing many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10–11 “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,” )

Why would an all-powerful, perfect God give up the glory of heaven, and stoop lower than the angels (A created being) and become a man just so that he could die?

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

We are made perfect through His suffering; it was only by His death on the cross that we could have hope.

It is the Father's will and desire to be able to call us sons.

The Father desires our love and service, and so he made a means of purging our sins.

Once our sins are purged by obeying the Father, we are called His sons, with The Son as our captain.

He is faithful in His house (Hebrews 3:1–6 “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.” )

Jesus was faithful to the Father in all things, like Moses was faithful in his house.

Jesus is counted worthy of higher glory than that of Moses, because Jesus is faithful in a house greater than the house of Moses.

Moses was faithful over a house in a physical sense, while the Son was faithful over a spiritual house.

Every house is built by some man (Hebrews 3:4 “For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.” )

Moses was head over a physical house on this earth; that was the nation of Israel.

Jesus is faithful in His house and worthy of higher honor because the One who created all things, God, made the Son head over His house.

We can become part of the everlasting house of which Christ is the head if we hold fast to our hope, if we remain faithful.

Conclusion: Hebrews 3:7–19 “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

Jesus is the best and only true lawgiver, and He is faithful.

We must be watchful and attentive to ensure that we are not overcome by the doubts that this world throws our way.

It is each of our duties as Christians to be watchful, not only for ourselves but also for our fellow brothers and sisters, to encourage one another while there is still time for encouragement.

Because we are sons and daughters of the Most High God, and we will be part of His Eternal Kingdom if we remain faithful to Him.

Today, will we be those who faithfully follow the one whom we can be certain is God and whom we know loves us and desires to see us in eternity? 

Or will we be as those in Moses’ day, who we know was a faithful ruler over his house, yet his house did not enter into rest because they rebelled not only against Moses but also against God; and who did not enter into the promised land because they were not faithful?

Will we be faithful to God?