The Revelation of God in These Last Days
Hebrews Chapter One
Introduction:
1. Does it not make perfect since, that if God took time to created this wonderful world in which we live, and took special care in creating us, his greatest creation, that he would want to communicate with his creation?
2. The Hebrew writer is going to show that God has always revealed his wants and wishes to mankind.
3. In the Last days he does this even better.
a. We understand clearly the concept of one thing being better than another.
In 1715 King Louis XIV of France died after a reign of 72 years. He had called himself "the Great," and was the monarch who made the famous statement, "I am the state!" His court was the most magnificent in Europe, and his funeral was equally spectacular. As his body lay in state in a golden coffin, orders were given that the cathedral should be very dimly lit with only a special candle set above his coffin, to dramatize his greatness. At the memorial, thousands waited in hushed silence. Then Bishop Massilon began to speak; slowly reaching down, he snuffed out the candle and said, "Only God is great."
Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 24.
I. Our Lord’s Power 1:1-2
a. God’s Revelation
i. God has always communicated with his creation.
1. There are three key ideas to the biblical concept of inspiration.
a. The prime mover in Inspiration is God.
2 Peter 1:21
(21) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
b. The means through which God spoke was by the Prophet.
c. The final product of inspiration is a divinely authoritative book.
2 Timothy 3:16
(16) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2. Inspirations Means God breathed.
2 Peter 1:19
(19) We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
ii. God used the prophets in the Old Testament
1. Consider the great cloud of witnesses spoken of in Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 12:1
(1) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2. Men of faith who gave there lives for the gospel.
b. Fullness of Time
i. “Hath in these last days”
1. The New Testament writers shared this view of the last days.
Acts 2:16-17
(16) But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
(17) And it shall come to pass in the last days…………………
James 5:3
(3b) ……………..Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
1 Peter 1:20
(20b) ……………… but was manifest in these last times for you,
1 John 2:18
(18) Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Jude 1:18
(18) How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
The strongest argument for the Gospel of Christ is the personal testimony of someone whose life has been changed by it. Charles Bradlaugh, an avowed infidel, once challenged the Rev. H.P. Hughes to a debate. The preacher, who was head of a rescue mission in London, England, accepted the challenge with the condition that he could bring with him 100 men and women who would tell what had happened in their lives since trusting Christ as their Savior. They would be people who once lived in deep sin, some having come from poverty-stricken homes caused by the vices of their parents. Hughes said they would not only tell of their conversion, but would submit to cross-examination by any who doubted their stories. Furthermore, the minister invited his opponent to bring a group of non-believers who could tell how they were helped by their lack of faith. When the appointed day arrived, the preacher came, accompanied by 100 transformed persons. But Bradlaugh never showed up. The result? The meeting turned into a testimony time and many sinners who had gathered to hear the scheduled debate were converted.
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c. Christ’s Word
i. “Spoken unto us by his Son”
1. The Author here quickly establishes the unique relationship between Jesus and the Father.
ii. “heir of all things”
1. This is a title that boast of Jesus having the greatest place in all the universe.
iii. Eternal Plan
1. Christ was with God during the creation of the world.
2. This shows that Jesus is eternal.
II. Our Lord’s Person 1:3
d. Glory
i. “Brightness of his Glory”
1. The Greek word used here is δόξα (Dox’ah) which in a general since of the word, means dignity, glorious, honor, praise, and worship.
2. It seems that the author of Hebrews is trying to portray the root of this word δεικνύω (deiknuō) which indicates the idea of “showing”.
3. The implication clearly is that God “showed” himself in a glorious fashion, through his son Jesus, which brought him honor, praise, and worship.
ii. Glory in the Old Testament
1. The Glory of God was seen on Mt. Sianai.
Exodus 24:15-18
(15) And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
(16) And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
(17) And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
(18) And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and got him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
2. All of the miracles which God performed in Egypt showed his Glory.
Numbers 14:21-22
(21) But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
(22) Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
3. God referred to Israel as his glory.
Isaiah 46:13
(13) I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
iii. Christ being the Glory of God
1. Christ has glorified God by being “the express image of his person.”
2. A better translation of the word use by the KJV for “person” is “nature”.
a. The Greek word used here is ὑπόστασις (hupostasis) which means essence.
3. ““Nature” speaks of the constituent elements of which anything is made up (e.g., the “nature” of water is H2O – that is, a molecule of water is made up of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen).” (Reese, Gareth, L. Hebrews p.5.)
a. I think the idea points toward God’s perfection shining bright in Jesus.
b. John portrays this thought in his prologue of his gospel.
John 1:14
(14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
4. “the express image of his person”
a. The Greek word for “image” is χαρακτήρ (charakter), and is used for the imprint or image made by a die or an engraving tool.
b. Notice Colossians 1:15, Here Christ has and will always exist in the “image” of God.
Colossians 1:15
(15) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
John 14:9
(9) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
e. Power
i. “upholding all things by the word of his power”
1. The idea here is that Jesus sustains the universe or “holds it together”.
a. He does this by speaking for his word is power.
b. God spoke and there was light.
c. Jesus spoke and the storm was calm.
2. Jesus is still speaking trough his word, are you listening?
ii. “when he had by himself purged our sins”
1. Christ came into the world to deal with the problem of sin.
a. This phrase is an obvious reference to the cross.
2. Only the preist could make purification of sin.
3. Jesus is our high priest, which of course no of the prophets could boast of this title.
f. Praise
i. “sat down”
1. Jesus setting down indicates that his atoning work for sin was finished
2. The priest and their sacrifices were continual, and they were never finished until Christ and his sacrifice
ii. “on the right hand of the Majesty on high”
III. Our Lord’s Preeminence 1:4
When the 1960s ended, San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district reverted to high rent, and many hippies moved down the coast to Santa Cruz. They had children and got married, too, though in no particular sequence. But they didn’t name their children Melissa or Brett. People in the mountains around Santa Cruz grew accustomed to their children playing Frisbee with little Time Warp or Spring Fever. And eventually Moonbeam, Earth, Love and Precious Promise all ended up in public school.
That’s when the kindergarten teachers first met Fruit Stand. Every fall, according to tradition, parents bravely apply name tags to their children, kiss them good-bye and send them off to school on the bus. So it was for Fruit Stand. The teachers thought the boy’s name was odd, but they tried to make the best of it.
"Would you like to play with the blocks, Fruit Stand?" they offered. And later, "Fruit Stand, how about a snack?" He accepted hesitantly. By the end of the day, his name didn’t seem much odder than Heather’s or Sun Ray’s.
At dismissal time, the teachers led the children out to the buses. "Fruit Stand, do you know which one is your bus?"
He didn’t answer. That wasn’t strange. He hadn’t answered them all day. Lots of children are shy on the first day of school. It didn’t matter. The teachers had instructed the parents to write the names of their children’s bus stops on the reverse side of their name tags. The teacher simply turned over the tag. There, neatly printed, was the word "Anthony."
Luanne Oleas in Salinas, Calif., Reader’s Digest.
g. A Name Above All Others
i. “better than the angels”
1. The word better is used 13 times in the book of Hebrews.
a. It is only used 19 times in the entire New Testament.
2. The Angels are superior to Old Testament prophets.
a. Jesus is superior to Angels
ii. The name that Jesus inherited was Son!
1. “he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they”
a. The name Son is better than Angel (messenger).
2. When Jesus was exalted by the Father through crucifixion and resurrection, he became the unique Son.
a. Jesus was unique because he was better.
IV. Our Lord’s Praise 1:5-14
The Duke of Wellington, the British military leader who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, was not an easy man to serve under. He was brilliant, demanding, and not one to shower his subordinates with compliments. Yet even Wellington realized that his methods left something to be desired. In his old age a young lady asked him what, if anything, he would do differently if he had his life to live over again. Wellington thought for a moment, then replied. "I’d give more praise," he said.
Bits & Pieces, March 31, 1994, p. 24.
A body is not crippled ’til its heart has ceased to praise. Louis Albert Banks tells of an elderly Christian man, a fine singer, who learned that he had cancer of the tongue and that surgery was required. In the hospital after everything was ready for the operation, the man said to the doctor, "Are you sure I will never sing again?" The surgeon found it difficult to answer his question. He simply shook his head no. The patient then asked if he could sit up for a moment. "I’ve had many good times singing the praises of God," he said. "And now you tell me I can never sing again. I have one song that will be my last. It will be of gratitude and praise to God." There in the doctor’s presence the man sang softly the words of Isaac Watts’ hymn, "I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath,/ And when my voice is lost in death,/ Praise shall employ my nobler power;/ My days of praise shall ne’er be past,/ While life, and thought, and being last,/ Or immortality endures."
Our Daily Bread.
h. Christ is God’s Son v. 5
i. Psalm 2 is messianic, and in it God calls the Messiah Son.
Psalms 2:7
(7) I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
ii. 2 Samuel is also messianic.
2 Samuel 7:14
(14) I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
1. This comes in the middle of a promise to David that he would have a son, and that Solomon would be king.
i. Christ is Worshipped v. 6-7
i. “Firstborn”
1. This term sometimes means chief.
Psalms 89:27
(27) Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
2. This shows that the Messiah deserves pre-eminence.
ii. “and let all the angels of God worship him”
1. The Angels are created beings, made as messengers for deity.
2. Jesus is better than the angels because they worship him.
j. Christ is King v. 8-9
Psalms 45:7-8
(7) Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
(8) All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
i. Christ is a king forever
1. Notice that God addresses Jesus as “God”.
2. No Angel has ever been called “God”.
ii. He is a righteous king.
1. “Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness
iii. He is God’s Anointed.
1. God again calls Jesus God.
2. “Oil of Gladness”
a. This was a term used in the orient as a custom of anointing the head at important festivals.
3. No doubt this has reference to Christ coronation after his ascension in which he was placed at the right hand of God.
k. Christ is Creator v. 10
i. It is evident that Jesus was with God when he created the world.
ii. We are reminded of this in the book of Genesis.
Genesis 1:26
(26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
l. Christ is Eternal v. 11-14
i. The universe changes but Christ does not.
1. “They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment.”
2. “They shall be changed: but thou art the same”
3. “Thy years shall not fail.”
ii. Jesus is better than any angel because of where he sits.
1. “Sit at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
iii. Angels are simply servants.
1. Angels are simply “ministering spirits”
2. Thy minister to mankind.
a. They bring the message of Jesus the Christ.
Conclusion:
1. God speaks to us now through Jesus his Son.
i. There is no other Gospel.
2. In this chapter we clearly see Jesus’ superiority.
i. He is better than the prophets.
1. He is the Glory and Image of God
2. He sets at the right hand of God.
3. He has a better name.
ii. He is better than the angels.
1. He is called Son.
2. He is worshipped.
3. He is king.
4. He is creator.
5. He is eternal.
3. Let us continue to place our faith in the superior savior.
The time was the 19th of May, 1780. The place was Hartford, Connecticut. The day has gone down in New England history as a terrible foretaste of Judgment Day. For at noon the skies turned from blue to gray and by mid-afternoon had blackened over so densely that, in that religious age, men fell on their knees and begged a final blessing before the end came. The Connecticut House of Representatives was in session. And as some men fell down and others clamored for an immediate adjournment, the Speaker of the House, one Colonel Davenport, came to his feet. He silenced them and said these words: "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be brought."
Robert P. Dugan, Jr., Winning the New Civil War, p. 183.
