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JESUS – Greater than
God’s Final Word
Hebrews 1:1 to 2:4
Rev’d Chris Johnson - October 3, 2021
This morning we start a new series launching into the epistle to the Hebrews.
The theme of this passage and indeed the whole book can be best summed up in
Chapter 2:1, “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore to what we have
heard, so that we do not drift away.”
The writer of this epistle is concerned that his readers do not drift away.
Although
our context is very different to that of the original readers I would suggest to you the
message is still highly relevant.
To illustrate this I want to share with you some comments made recently in a
discussion in our Church talking about the healing of the blind man and the deaf
man.
You might recall our previous series in Mark's gospel.
This discussion was
about recognising spiritual blindness and deafness in our own lives?
I would like to suggest such a question is very closely related to drifting away.
We
can sometimes become deaf to the word of God and blind to seeing Jesus for all he
is.
When we close our spiritual eyes and ears, this is just another language for
drifting away.
I’ve asked permission to share these comments and I think they're general enough
that no one can be recognised.
The following comments were made,
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When we know the truth, yet turn the other way and do things our own way
anyway.
When I ignore God and try and to do things in my own strength; when I fail to
trust in the Lord’s plan for my future.
Not recognising God’s work in situations; preferring to use my own solutions
to problems, rather than praying about it.
It is sometimes difficult to focus on what is ‘real’ and important; especially
when it comes to Christian things; our society tempts us to become our own
‘god’, to value self above all.
I trust we can all identify with these struggles.
If you do then Hebrews is for you.
There's lots of practical encouragement here to encourage us to resist these
temptations, to keep our spiritual eyes open and ears listening, and to not drift
away.
The Book of Hebrews is written to first century Jewish believers who were also
facing the temptation to drift away from Christ.
And I don’t think it was because the
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Tel Aviv beaches were so alluring on the sabbath.
For them it would have been
social pressures to conform with Jewish cultural expectations.
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It would have been about being told if you want to follow Jesus as Messiah
then leave home.
If you want to follow Jesus then don’t bother coming into work the next day.
It would have been about the local Rabbi arguing Jesus couldn’t possibly be
the Messiah if he died a shameful death on a cross.
How could a story about
Jesus being a sacrifice possibly take the place of visible sacrifices in the
Temple?
How could Jesus as High Priest take the place of a visible
priesthood in the Temple?
There would have been enormous pressures on first century Jews to return
to the Jewish fold.
What do we know about the background to this book of Hebrews?
The answer is
not a lot!
Who wrote it?
We don't know.
Who was it written to?
We don't know.
The title ‘To the Hebrews’ was only given to
it much later because it is obviously written to people with a Jewish background.
Where was it written?
We don't know.
When was it written?
We don't know.
Most commentators agree that it would have
to be before AD70 which is when the Jewish Temple was destroyed by the Romans.
The writer takes it for granted that the temple sacrifices are still being offered.
The letter does give us a great insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the
early Christian community.
These Jewish converts began well with a bold confident
faith but it seems like now they are in danger of falling away,
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maybe through family pressure,
maybe through social pressure or
maybe it was just apathy.
Hebrews 2:1 says, “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we
have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
So what is the writer’s answer to the temptation to drift from the faith?
His answer is Christ,
Consider Christ he is greater, by far, than anything else on offer.
Look at the way the writer describes Jesus Christ in the first chapter.
He is
-v2 the heir of all things - This means everything belongs to him.
Everything on
earth, in heaven, in this age and the age to come.
It all belongs to him.
-v2 the one through whom the universe was made
The whole created universe was made by God through his Son Jesus Christ.
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This assertion is also made in John's Gospel ch 1 and Colossians ch 1.
So when it
says that Jesus is the heir of all things this is only natural if the universe was made
through him.
-v3 the radiance of God’s glory
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