A Letter for All Saints and All Seasons!

Introduction: The PURPOSE of the Letter

Introduction: The Purpose of the Letter

Hebrews was written to a group of first-century Christians who were in danger of giving up!

Raymond Brown: It is clear from even a casual reading of the letter that the times were hard for Jewish Christians especially. Many of them had been exposed to fierce persecution. They had been physically assaulted, their homes had been plundered; some had been cast into prison on account of their faith, others had been ridiculed in public because of their resolute trust in Jesus (10:32–34).

Hebrews 10:32–34 CSB

Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.

Many of these Jewish Christians had accepted all this adversity joyfully. But others had ‘shrunk back’ from their earlier allegiance to Christ and became apostates. Without going that far, others were in danger of compromise.

The letter appeals to all these severely tested believers to keep their faith firmly anchored to the moorings of truth, to maintain their steady confidence in Christ and to press on to mature Christian stability (2:1; 3:6; 6:1).

Q: How do you encourage people facing severe persecution (as in Afghanistan)?

A: (Hebrews 3:6; 4:11, 14; 6:1, 18)

Hebrews 3:6 CSB

But Christ was faithful as a Son over his household. And we are that household if we hold on to our confidence and the hope in which we boast.

Hebrews 4:11 CSB

Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

Hebrews 4:14 CSB

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession.

Hebrews 6:1 CSB

Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God,

Hebrews 6:18 CSB

so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.

Brown: Yet he can only make such eloquent and necessary pastoral exhortations because he has already done a far more basic thing. First, as a matter of the utmost importance, he has turned their eyes, not to themselves, hoping for sufficient inward strength, nor to their agonizing troubles, nor to their persecuting contemporaries, but to Christ. No believer can cope with adversity unless Christ fills his horizons, sharpens his priorities, and dominates his experience.

This letter’s primary exhortation is an appeal for endurance!

The author does so by appealing to the heroes of these Jewish believers:

ABRAHAM patiently endured because God made a promise to him – (6:13-15)

MOSES was not afraid of Pharaoh because he saw “…him who is invisible” – (11:27)

And the GREATEST example was JESUS HIMSELF – (12:2-3)!

“Abraham, Moses, and Jesus had all experienced fierce temptation and hostile opposition. Under the pressure of these adversities they might well have given up, but they were not deflected from their course. How could these Jewish Christians endure? What would enable them to stand firm in hazardous times? They must look to Christ.”

WHICH IS WHY this letter opens, not with all the difficulties the believers were facing, but with the “uniqueness of Christ!”

As we shall see in detail next week, he presents them first with an exposition of Christ as prophet (1:1–2), priest (1:3b) and king (1:8–14).

Some of their Christian friends had slipped back into Judaism. They had placed their trust not in the work of Christ, but in the works of the law. They had abandoned their faith not only because it was too costly for them to continue, but because they had an inadequate understanding of Christ in the first place. […] Nothing is of greater importance in our own time than a reminder of the immense dimensions of the biblical doctrine of Christ.

The message of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is superior to everythingand everyone!

David Hocking– “It is a book that has many deep truths that are difficult to grasp and that demand diligent and faithful study. There are things here that are beyond understanding apart from complete reliance on God's Spirit and sincere commitment to understand His Word!”

Chuck Swindollwrites, "The letter to the Hebrews is not bedside reading. Profound and deep, it requires mental energy and spiritual motivation to grasp its contents. But this is not to say that Hebrews cannot be under-stood. On the contrary, it is a favorite among many Christians...often quoted and always appreciated."

Before we dive in, there are a few preliminary details that would be helpful to examine:

The AUTHOR of the Letter

Hebrews is an ANONYMOUS letter. Even the title was added later (the title does not appear in a single ancient manuscript)!

There are many good candidates: Paul(though the lack of personal references and literary style is completely different than any of his other letters), Barnabas (believed by Tertullian and Novation), Luke, Clement of Rome, Silvanus(due to the similarities between Hebrews and 1 Peter (cf. 1 Pet. 5:12)).

Martin Luther believed the author was Apollos, described as, “…an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24).

Most commentators stand with one of the great teachers of the early church in the third-century, Origen, who said simply, "No one knows!"

Which is fitting, since the book's purpose is to exalt Christ!

Throughout this series we will refer to the fact that it was written, as was all Scripture, by the Holy Spirit--whom we do know!

The DATE of the Letter

The letter had to have been written after Christ's ascension (about ad 30), and before the destruction of Jerusalem (ad70), because apparently the Temple was still standing.

We know that there were not any apostolic missionaries from Jerusalem until at least seven years after the church there had been founded. Likely it was sometime later that they would have reached this Jewish community, perhaps many miles away.

While the exact location of this group is unknown, it is believed they were somewhere near Greece.

This is possibly indicated in the literary style of the letter itself. Brown –

“Hebrews is certainly one of the most polished Greek writings in the New Testament…” (Brown, p.15).

According to the letter itself, this community of believers had been evangelized by apostles and prophets – (Hebrews 2:3-4).

Evidently this church had been founded soon after Christ's ascension. By the time the letter was written, a small congregation of believers already existed there. Unlike many Jews in Palestine, these had never had opportunity to meet Jesus. Anything they may have known about Him was secondhand (cf 2:3-4). There also had to have been a certain amount of time for this community to grow, as reflected in the letter itself – (Hebrews 5:12)!

He says, in other words, "You've had enough time to become mature, but you're not!"

I believe that the date was sometime between ad 60 and ad 69.

The READERS of the Letter

There are no references to Gentiles in the book.

Problems between Gentiles and Jews in the church are not mentioned or reflected here, indicating almost certainly that the congregation being addressed was Jewish.

To these suffering Jewish believer--and some unbelievers--are revealed the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and the New Covenant, in contrast to the Old Covenant, under which they had so long lived!

The critical thing about understanding the book of Hebrews is that there were three basic groups of people in view throughout this epistle.

If one does not keep these groups in mind, the book is very confusing. For example, if it were written only to Christians, as some have said, then severe problems arise in interpreting passages that could hardly apply to believers. At the same time however, since it so frequently addresses believers, it could not have been written primarily to unbelievers either!

So, it must have included BOTH! In fact, three basic groups in this Jewish community are addressed.

Which is critical for understanding chapters 6 and 10.

GROUP 1: HEBREW CHRISTIANS

There was in this Jewish community a congregation of true believers!

They had been raised in Judaism, but they received Jesus Christ as their Lord. The result was tremendous hostility from their own people. They were ostracized from their families, persecuted by their own countrymen, and suffered greatly – (10:32-34; 12:4)

They should have anticipated as much and have been mature enough to deal with it. But they had not, and they were not. They lacked full confidence in the gospel, and consequently in the Lord.

They were in danger of going back into the standards and patterns of Judaism--of confusing the gospel with Jewish ceremony and legalism.

They could not bring themselves to accept the clear-cut distinction between the New Covenant and the forms, ceremonies, patterns, and methods of Judaism.

That is why the Spirit talks to them about the new priesthood, the new Temple, the new sacrifice, and the new sanctuary, all of which are better than the old ones!

They were tempted to hang on to the Jewish habits that had been so much a part of their lives.

When their friends and their countrymen began to persecute them in earnest, the pressure led them to hold even tighter to some of the old Jewish traditions. They felt they had to keep a foothold in their old and familiar relationships. It was hard to make a clean break!

They were in danger of creating a ritualistic, legalistic Christianity!

They had become a congregation of weaker brothers (Romans 14:2) who were still calling unclean what the Lord had sanctified! (Romans 14:14)

The Holy Spirit directed this letter to them to strengthen their faith in the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit was showing them that they did not need the old Temple (which Titus Vespasian would destroy, bringing an end to the Old Covenant!).

They did not need the Levitical priesthood, the day-in, day-out sacrifices, or the ceremonies! They had a new and better covenant with a new and better priesthood, a new and better sanctuary, and a new and better sacrifice!

The pictures and symbols were to give way to the reality!

GROUP 2: HEBREW NON-CHRISTIANS WHO ARE INTELLECTUALLY CONVINCED!

We have all met people who have heard the truth of Jesus Christ and who are intellectually convinced that He is indeed who He claimed to be, and yet are not willing to make a commitment of faith in Him.

It is likely that every church group since Pentecost has had people in it who have been convinced that Jesus is the Christ but who have never committed themselves to Him.

These Hebrew non-Christians, intellectually convinced but spiritually uncommitted, are the object of some of the things that the writer has to say.

They believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but they were not willing to make the sacrifice required. They are exhorted by the Holy Spirit to go all the way to saving faith; to go all the way to commitment to the Lordship of Christ! – (2:1-3a) (6:4-6)

If a man is totally convinced that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be and then refuses to believe, this man is without excuse and without hope! – (10:26-29; 12:15-17)

This is the tragedy of being too late--with no one to blame but ourselves!

These are controversial passages, and we will deal with them in detail at the proper time.

GROUP 3: HEBREW NON-CHRISTIANS WHO WERE NOT CONVINCED!

The main thrust of chapter 9 is that Jesus is Messiah (9:11, 14-15, 27-28), which speaks directly to unbelievers!

The KEY to interpreting any part of Hebrews is to understand which group is being addressed!

In Hebrews there is confidence and assurance for the Christian. There is warning to the intellectually convinced that he must receive Christ, or his knowledge will condemn him. Finally, there is a convincing presentation to the unbelieving Jew who is not even intellectually persuaded that he should believe in Jesus Christ!

The THEME of the Letter

As we have stated, the overall theme is the superiority, or the preeminence, of Christ! He is better than anything that was before!

He is better than any Old Testament person.

He is better than any Old Testament institution.

He is better than any Old Testament ritual.

He is better than any Old Testament sacrifice.

He is better than anyone and everything else!

CONCLUSION

As we embark on this new series, we need to realize that we have much in common with those first-century saints!

Like them, we need to come to grips with the superiority and sufficiency of Christ in our lives!

An old Puritan preacher used to say that there were only two things he needed to know: First, "Does God speak?" and second, "What does God say?"

Those questions may not sound very profound, but their answers give light to those who are suffering for their faith. Hebrews is just the book to speak to both of those needs.