Sermon Tone Analysis

Recap:

Last week we finished up Ecclesiastes, that depressing and yet wonderful book that God gave us.

The big takeaway is... understanding that there is no meaning to life apart from God.

That satisfaction can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

So do not look to the world to solve your problem, look above the sun.

Introduction:

This morning we are starting our sermon series through the book of Hebrews entitled: Greater.

We will go into why it is titled “Greater” in a little bit.

You are going to notice as we study through this book that it is a lot different then your typical NT epistles and other books.

For one there isn’t a normal greeting the book just kinda starts.

Hebrews also doesn’t start with who is talking and to whom they are talking too, neither at the beginning or the end.

The book actually reads less like a letter and more like a sermon in ancient times it would be called a homily.

I find this verse pretty funny, : Heb 13:22

There are 13 chapters.

That not short, but to each his own.

Author, Audience, Title:

Now the question arises who wrote this book?

This has been a question that has been debated and sought out over the ages.

The author’s identity has mystified many and there are many different opinions on who it might be.

Some think that it is Paul, Barnabas, Luke, Aquila, Priscilla, Silas, Philip, Apollos, or Clement of Rome.

It is so easy for us to assume that it is Paul because we read so much of Paul’s writings, and it is in line with Pauline literature.

However it is very different from Paul’s other epistles.There are actually some really good indicators that the author isn’t Paul.

Paul would sign his letters even when he was dictating them.

He would also address who he was writing too, that doesn’t happen here.

Whenever the author quotes from an OT text they would quote from the Greek translation of the OT called the Septuagint text, which was considered a more modern version, translated down in Alexandria Egypt.

Where as whenever Paul quotes from the OT, he most often quotes from the Hebrew text of the OT.

The style of Hebrews is completely different than the style Paul uses.

What I mean by that is the Greek is a higher form of Greek.

Introduction students to Greek will typically study through John’s epistles (1,2,3 John, Gospel of John).

It is easy to parse and translate.

Paul’s letters on the other hand are a lot more difficult as he uses Greek participles where he hangs thoughts on participles.

When you get to the book of Hebrews it is a higher level still, very polished, very precise.

So who wrote Hebrews?

We don’t know.

Origen in 254 AD gave some good advice on the authorship of Hebrews stating, “Who actually wrote the epistle, only God knows.”

I will give you my opinion in a minute, but know that it is an opinion and not fact.

There are some important facts to note about the author:

The author clearly knew his audience and longed to be reunited with them: Heb 13:19

The author was a friend of Timothy: Heb 13:23.

Notice that it doesn’t say my son in the faith but, “our brother Timothy.”

The author is presumably a male, because he refers to himself using a masculine participle.

They likely wrote this letter from Rome or somewhere else in Italy: Hebrews 13:24

Also the author received the Gospel came, not first-hand but second-hand.

They didn’t hear it directly from the Lord but from someone who had heard it directly from the Lord.

Heb 2:3

If I was forced to give an educated guess on who the author of this book was, and based on the information we have been given.

I would say that it would probably be Apollos as he hits the criteria best.

He would know Timothy, and was from Alexandria where the Septuagint translation originated: Acts 18:24.

He is described as a Greek speaking Jew, born in Alexandria.

An eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures.

This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, be fervent in spirit.

He spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord.

Ultimately though we cannot be dogmatic on who the author is, however we know that the Holy Spirit inspired this text.

Context:

It is actually much easier to date this letter despite not knowing the author.

It was quoted by Clement of Rome in 95 AD.

Knowing that the writer is a second generation Christian, it wouldn’t have been written as early as James or 1 Thessalonians.

There is no mention of the Jewish Wars 66 A.D. that would collimate with the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. Hebrews references the priesthood and the temple both still standing.

That would date this book between 64-67 A.D.

Why is this book titled Hebrews if we do not know the audience, as they are not named.

It is clear that because of the content covered by the author that the audience was of Jewish background.

These Hebrews had heard the gospel preached by the apostles and others during the early days fo the church, and had seen the mighty miracles of the Holy Spirit which confirmed the message.

They had responded to the good news in one of three ways:

Some believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and were genuinely converted.

Some professed to become Christians, were baptized, and took their place in the local assemblies.

However, they had never been born again by the Holy Spirit.

Other flatly rejected the message of salvation.

This Epistle deals with the first two classes- truly saved Hebrews and those who had nothing but an outward veneer of Christianity.

Now when a Jew left the faith of his forefathers, he was looked on as a traitor and an apostate, and was often punished with one or more of the following:

Disinherited by their family

Excommunicated from the synagogue

Loss of employment

Dispossession

Harassment physically and mentally

Public shame

Imprisonment

Martyrdom

There was a way out though, renouncing Jesus and turning back to Judaism, they would be spared from further persecution.

Theme:

Theme for Hebrews can be summed up with:

“Christ is greater than any angel, priest, or old covenant institution; thus each reader, rather than leaving such a great salvation, is summoned to hold on by faith to the true rest found in Christ and encouraged others in the church to persevere.”

Hebrews is the book of the Supreme Revelation of God.

Showing us that Jesus is fully God and Fully man in the first couple chapters, and also revealing that Jesus the Son of God is the agent of creation and sustains all creation.

What the author does is show the supremacy “the better things” of Christ over a religion of ritual and formalism, in particular over judaism.

To stress the point, the writer uses the word better or superior over and over again stating that Christ is greater than all things.

Hebrews will teach us of the High Priesthood of Christ.

Throughout the NT very little is said about the present ministry of Christ in the presence of God. but hIs high priestly office is a major point of Hebrews.

Jesus serves as the eternal high priest.

Able to sympathize with human weakness, and yet who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin.

Hebrews explains the how superior the New Covenant is to the Old.

The old covenant required an animal sacrifice for sin and a high priest to offer the blood of the sacrifice to God.

But as many of you know an animal is not a man, and the high priest is not the ideal and perfect Man whose ideal perfection can cover or stand for man.

Meaning the blood of animals can never take away sins of man.

The same is true of a human priest.

What is needed is the perfect and eternal sacrifice and the perfect and eternal priest.

It’s Jesus folks.

The Old Covenant was only a type, a pattern or picture of the new eternal and perfect covenant that was brought through Jesus the Messiah.

This is a book of exhortation.

He 13:22

The author exhorts the readers to “hold fast,”