Hebrews 1:1-3a

As we begin this book, you should know that introducing this book is a little more difficult than most of the books in the New Testament.

As some of you may already know.For whatever reason, we are not given the author’s name of this book. God has chosen in his wisdom not to tell us.

So this book is different than

Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Peter, Timothy, Titus and really every other book in the New Testament. .

I those books, we are given an author and normally an audience.

So normally I would spend the first sermon giving you some background information on the author.

But with Hebrews, there isn’t a human author mentioned..

That said, I will not make speculation as to who I think the human author is.

Some people have made arguments for different people, but we really do not have a way of knowing, so I don’t think its that profitable for you to hear me speculate.

But more importantly, we do know the divine author. God Himself.

The Spirit of God inspired someone to write this book.

Now we can give some information and we have pretty good reason to believe we know who the original audience would have been. We ge that in the title.

The title of the book as found in our Bible is Hebrews.

In some of the earliest manuscripts we have of Hebrews, the tile “To the Hebrews” appears, so thats why its titled that way in our Bibles today.

In light of that,that gives us a lot of information as to who would have been the original audience of the letter.

Most scholars agree that the original audience or original recipients of this letter would have been Jewish converts. Jews who had come to believe in Christ. So that helps us.

Specifically, with this book.

Because this book is written to the Jewish converts in order to establish Jesus and the New Covenant as the true and better covenant. Remember, these Jews would have been entrenched in Judaism, so the goal and purpose of the author of Hebrews is to explain how Christ fulfills the Old Covenant and establishes a new and better one.

We don’t know the human author, but we do know the divine author.

We have enough information to know that the audience was probably Jewish converts to Christ.

the goal and purpose of the author of Hebrews is to explain how Christ fulfills the Old Covenant and establishes a new and better one.

Having said all of that, What we do know about this book is more important than what we do not know.

Hebrews is apart God’s Holy Word.

As such, we should read, study, and understand it, so that we can grow as believers in Christ.

Before we jump in to the first verse, and start this new book, I want to remind you of why we do this. Why we go through books of the Bible. I want to remind you of why we have our Bibles open this morning.

I also want to remind you of what to expect

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NASB95

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The reason why we have our Bibles open this morning, is because the Bible is the Word of God. It has been breathed out by God. It is infallible, inerrant, authoritative, and its holy.

Because of that I really do not have anything better to offer than simply opening the Word and preaching verse by verse.

Thats they why.

But what should we expect when coming to the book of Hebrews.

I think there are four things we should expect according to 2 Tim 3:16-17

We should expect to be taught.

We are not just here to sit, Amen, and leave.

We are here to learn.

And I want to clear up something. Often, a distinction is made and I think its a false distinction.

I’ve heard people say before about their preachers or pastors.

“He’s a good teacher, but he’s not a good preacher.”

And I think that mindset flows from a faulty understanding of what preaching is. Preaching by nature is teaching.

On the other hand, Preaching is not yelling. Preaching is not the ranting of the preacher about politics or His pet peeves. Preaching is not waving a hanky around and wiping slobber.

In fact you can do all that, and maybe you prefer that someone do that when they preach, but you should know that someone can do all of that and not preach.

Preaching according to the Bible’s definition is the authoritative declaration of the Word of God to the people of God.

So, to be a preacher is to be a teacher, because when the preacher explains and declares the Word of God, one of the Bible’s main functions is to teach.

We should expect to be taught.

We should expect to be reproved. The word reproved means rebuke.

We should expect to be rebuked, not by the preacher, but by God.

Its not my job to rebuke. Its my job to preach the Word and submit to its rebuke.

Which means I have to preach what the Word says. And thats the case whether I like it or not or whether you like it or not. I don’t mean to sound calloused when I say that, but We do not preach to please men.

The Word is tough on me as well..

We all have submit to the rebuke of the Word because Our God is its ultimate author.

We should expect to be corrected.

This is different than the previous. Reproof is being told where we are wrong.

Correction is being told what is right. We need both.

And Scripture does both.

It tells us where we are wrong. It shows us what is right.

We should expect to be corrected.

We should expected to be trained in righteousness and equipped for every good work.

God’s Word has an unmistakable goal.

To make us like Him and to make us active for Him.

The goal in preaching through Hebrews is that We become more like Christ.

Those are the things we should expect from Scripture.

Now, all that was the introduction.

Now lets begin with our actual passage today.

Look with me in verse 1.

Hebrews 1:1 NASB95

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

The book begins with God.

God is the actor. He is the subject. He is the point, person, and the proclaimer of His Word.

Hebrews begins with God. And its telling us something about God.

Listen to verse 1 again.

Hebrews 1:1 NASB95

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

What is he saying there?

He is telling us that God has been speaking throughout history. He is referring to the Old Testament specifically.

In the Old Testament, God spoke.

He did so through different means and different people.

He spoke by direct voice, by dreams, by signs and wonders, visions, a donkey, and other ways.

Go has been speaking and we have a record, written down and given to us for our benefit. God has been speaking.

And let me make a side point.

God has been faithful to speak in the Old Testament. . We would be wise to listen. This is why we do not throw out the Old Testament. We hear from God there. Its ours to learn from. As Christians, Genesis to Revelation is ours. The Whole of Scripture is Christian Scripture. Even the Old Testament.

But God wasn’t done speaking when the Old Testament was completed. Some may have feared that.

After the prophet Malachi penned the last Word of His book, there followed a 400 year period of silence.

But God wasn’t done speaking.

He breaks the silence with the highest form of revelation. His Son. The Word became flesh.

He spoke to us in His Son.

The Old Testament anticipated this moment. It prophecies and points forward to the Savior. The New Testament records it.

Look what the author of Hebrews says here.

Hebrews 1:2 NASB95

in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

In these last days.

Now thats key. Jesus’s coming inaugurates the kingdom of God, it brings in the kingdom of God, because the King has finally arrived.

The former days (The Old Covenant) pointed forward to the day when the Messiah would come. The last days the Messiah is revealed.

And a wonderful Messiah he is.

We see already in this next statement one of the main points of the book of Hebrews. That Jesus Christ is better.

He is superior. He is the highest form of God’s revelation to us.

Just look at the difference between verse 1 and verse 2.

Verse 1 tells us he spoke to us “in the prophets.”

Verse 2 tells us he has spoken to us “in His Son.”

An Exposition of Hebrews Chapter 2: The Superiority of Christ over the Prophets (Heb. 1:1–3)

Though the revelation which God gave the prophets is equally inspired and authoritative, yet that through His Son possesses a greater dignity and value, for He has revealed all the secrets of the Father’s heart, the fullness of His counsel, and the riches of His grace.

Jesus is the Son of God. He is not just a prophet, not just a good teacher, or just a good man as many in occults and those in the secular world would have you believe.

This is precisely what the believing and unbelieving Jews would have need to hear. The author of Hebrews is telling them plainly. Jesus is the sum and substance of the Old Testament.

John Macarthur says this.

Jesus is greater than any revelation in the Old Testament, for He is the embodiment of all that truth , and more. God has fully expressed Himself in Christ.

Jesus is the fullness of God revelation to us.

Second, Jesus is heir of all things. “Whom he appointed heir of all things.”

Now lets think through this.

The heir of all things. What does this mean?

It means He has been given EVERYTHING by the Father. All that God possesses is Christ’s , for he is God.

Its all His and its all for Him.

And this isn’t the only place we find this.

Paul affirms this.

Colossians 1:16 NASB95

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

Its for Him. He has been given it all as heir of all things. Nothing has bee withheld. Because he is worthy of it all.

And what is truly baffling to me is the truth of Romans 8:16-17

where we are called heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

Which means, by virtue of of being in Christ, we have it all in Christ.

Sprugeon said this.

“Thou O Christ, art all we want; More than all in Thee we find.”

He is the heir of all things

But look what else.

“Through whom also He made the World.”

The Son is the agent of Creation.

Its through the Son, the second person of the Trinity, that the world is created.

We saw that in Colossians 1.

We also see this in John 1. In the opening verses.

John 1:3 NASB95

All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

All things came into being through Him. .

Thus He is the beginning of all things.

I believe this is what Jesus meant in Revelation 1. when he said

Revelation 1:8 NASB95

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

He is the alpha. The first letter in the Greek Alphabet is alpha.

He is saying I am the beginning. He created it all.

He is also the Omega. That is to say the end. He will judge all things.

Hopefully you see this, The author of Hebrews is giving us a proper theology of Christ.

Christ is God in flesh. The Jews of that day need to hear and you and I do as well.

So far-

He is the pinnacle of all revelation.

He is the heir of all things.

He is the creator of all things.

But thats not it.

Look at verse 3.

Hebrews 1:3 NASB95

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

He is the radiance of His Glory.

There is no greater glory to be found than that which we find in Jesus Christ.

To see Him in His glory is to see the glory of God manifest.

There is nothing missing.

Its says here, He is the exact representation of His nature.

One is essence with God. Of the same substance.

Jesus came to the earth. Fully God and Fully man.

He clothed Himself in humanity but his glory is evident. He is the radiance of the glory of God.

He is the radiance or brightness of His glory.

Lastly, Christ upholds all things by the word of His power.

He sustains all things.

His glory is seen there as well.

The sun, the moon, the stars, the rain, the cold, the heat, the sand, the land, the sea, the animals, you and me all upheld by the Word of His power. By the Power of His Word.

We saw this in his life. Do we not? Jesus calmed the sea. He walks on Water. He summons the fish.

He upholds it all.

The Highest revelation

The Heir of All things

The Agent of Creation

The Radiance of the Glory

And the Sustainer of all.

Christ is all of this and we are His bride. As the bride we experience the joys and confidence in knowing our Savior is all of that to us and more.

We are his bride and he intends to present us without spot or blemish.

What a wonderful Savior.

Believer, These truths are for you.

The book of Hebrews is deep. You have probably already seen that. I want to encourage you.

Don’t settle for bottom shelf.

Grow in the grace of the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

Too many Christians are satisfied to stay shallow in the faith, and it is evident when they go through difficult trials. We must be rooted and grounded in truth.

Knowing these theological truths are what get us through difficult times like we have faced over the past few months and even now.

Hebrews is a difficult book. But its ours. To learn from. to understand.

Deuteronomy 29:29 NASB95

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

The things revealed belong to us.

Believers, this passage this morning tell us that our Savior is

The Highest revelation Study Him

The Heir of All things Rejoice in Him

The Agent of Creation Submit to Him

The Radiance of the Glory Worship Him

And the Sustainer of all. Trust in Him.

Unbelievers- Christ is your only hope.