October 20, 2002
First Church of the Brethren
H. Kevin Derr
Hebrews 1:1-4
“God has spoken”
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in
various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of
all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and
the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had
provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he
became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
Introduction:
God has spoken to us, to humanity in the past in, as the author of Hebrews says, in many
and various ways. The record of our faith history begins with God walking with humanity in the
Garden of Eden, but then the fall separated us from our God. From that point until the coming
of Jesus the Christ of the Living God, God spoke to us through his prophets. But in these last
days, God spoke to us through a son. If nothing else is should be cause for us to pay attention
to what has happened, to regard the wonder of this revelation that God has given to us.
If we begin to look at the Old Testament we will see that the prophets did communicate
the message of God to the People of God in many different ways. Irenaeus said concerning
them, “The prophets used to prophesy, not by word alone, but in visions also, and in their
manner of life, and in the actions which they performed, according to the suggestions of the
Spirit (2.331)” Today we will be looking at the first four verses of Hebrews chapter one. We
will see the following themes ( ) which will be developed in this text as well as working with
issues of Christology, (who Jesus is).
As we work through the book of Hebrews we will continue to work at some of these very
matters of theology and faith development. I ask you to keep the following ideas in your minds
as God speaks to us through the text of the Book of Hebrews.
Prayer:
I. “In the past God spoke . . .”
A. If you are anything like me, I have a tendency to rush past the first few words of
introductions, so I can get to the heart of the matter, if you will, and yet in doing so, it
is so easy to miss wonderful blessings that God has for us.
1. Here is an example of what incredible things can happen when we pay
attention to the first few words. “In the past God spoke. . . .” It doesn’t sound
complex or difficult, and it may even sound unimportant. But, if you would
look a little closer with me, I think that you will see some vital information.
A. In the past, implies that there is something that has been finished, and
something new is happening now. In the past this happened, but now
this is what is going on...
B. What happened in the past? God spoke. This does not sound like a
tremendous revelation, we knew that God spoke in the past, but what
does it mean that God speaks?
1. It means that God is not passive. From the outset of the Book to
the Hebrews, our God is an active God, God has been active in
the past
2. Perhaps we should be asking now, how is God active?
3. Remember the story of creation? Verses 3, 6, 9, 14, 20 and 24
each begins with “And God said, ‘Let there be... light, etc...’”
A. Things happen when God speaks
B. Powerful things happen when God speaks
C. 1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at
many times and in various ways
1. In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets,
Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, and the many others
that God used to speak to his people.
A. Some spoke the Law like Abraham, others spoke in
parables like Nathan, others in Psalms like David, still
others like Hosea, Micah and whose words are recorded
for us in the books that bear their names.
B. Through them, there was always the promise of
something yet to come, a fuller revelation, a greater
promise yet to come. It is heard in God’s call of
Abraham, in the promise of the son, in the promise of
God to David and at some many points throughout the
Old Testament.
B. In the past God spoke to his people through the prophets, but now, God is speaking in
a different way. The author of Hebrews says, 2but in these last days he has spoken to
us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made
the universe.
1. Now God is not longer speaking through prophets, through those who do not
know the will of God, but through his son.
A. Now if what God spoke through the prophets was important how much
more important is what God speaks through his Son?
1. God’s son is not an intermediary, not a messenger, who knows
no more than the message, this is the Son
2. In the past God spoke to us through prophets, but now he speaks
to us by his Son
B. At this point the Author of Hebrews gives us some specific
information about who this Son is, he is the heir of all things
and the agent of creation.
1. Here in Hebrews 1:2 we find an echo of an coronation
psalm, and if you look at Psalm 2:8 you will see these
words 8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your
inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
2. Psalm 2 is one of the psalms in the coronation of a David
King, Peter and John in Acts 4:25 attribute this psalm to
David, though it says nothing itself as to who wrote it.
3. What is promised to the Davidic king is that the nations
will be his inheritance, and yet here in Hebrews the Son
is not just heir of the nations, but of all things, of the
cosmos itself.
A. The author is working at a that not only is the
Son more than the prophets, he is also more than
the Davidic kings, he supercedes both of these
groupings of people.
B. That God speaks now through his Son is nothing
to be taken lightly, he is both more than the
prophets and the kings of old
4. We are also told that it was through the Son that he made
the universe. Now this probably does not resonate with
modern ears like it did with first century ears.
A. Recall John 1:3 if you will, 3Through him all
things were made; without him nothing was
made that has been made.
B. But, yet who is all this related to Jesus, God’s
Son? In the Wisdom of Solomon, we find a
record of the religious life of the testamental
period. Here is a portion of the Wisdom of
Solomon, 9:1-4 1“O God of my ancestors and Lord
of mercy, who have made all things by your word,
2and by your wisdom have formed humankind to
have dominion over the creatures you have made,
3and rule the world in holiness and righteousness,
and pronounce judgment in uprightness of soul,
4give me the wisdom that sits by your throne, and
do not reject me from among your servants.
1. Here wisdom plays the role of the agent
of creation, the former of humanity, and
here wisdom takes on a personified role.
2. The Author of Hebrews tells us in 1:2
that it is Jesus through whom the Lord
created the universe. Remember John
picks up this same theme in 1:3. Jesus is
identified there with Logos, ruling
reason, the principle of creation and
order, John does this in a very Greek,
almost gnostic sound argument. The
author of Hebrews however, uses
wisdom, a Hebrew idea, with great
support in the inter testamental
period literature.
C. We are being told here that the Christ who
created all things, who sustains all things, is the
Son of God through whom the message of God
is being communicated to humanity.
2. In the past God spoke to his people through the prophets, and God did this in
many and various ways, but now God is speaking to us in a son. In the very son
who was the creator and sustainer of this world.
A. If the message communicated through the prophets was important, if
Moses was important, if David was important, if Elijah and Elisha
were important, if Isaiah was important, if any of them were important,
this message is so much more important, it does not come through
intermediaries, but through the one who creates and sustains the world.
B. These are powerful implications, and demand our attention.
C. But if it sounds as if we should pay attention now, just listen to the next
qualifications we are given for the Son
II. God now speaks through the son, and this is who the Son is. . .
A. Four things to understand about the Son
1. He is the radiance of God’s glory
2. He is the exact representation of his being
3. He sustains all things by his powerful word
4. H provided for purification from sins and then sat down at the right had of the
Majesty in Heaven.
B. The first two statements seem to be saying the same thing, they are intentionally
parallel statements, stressing a point. Again a common point in biblical literature. If
you want to know the Father, know the Son as we see in the Gospel of John, for
example in 14:1-7. Here Jesus says, “If you really knew me, you would know my
Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
1. We see very powerfully the connection between the father and the son, that
they function as one. Our understanding of the Trinity is reinforced here in
passages like this. Jesus is more than a Son, he is the Father’s exact
representation, he is the radiance of God’s glory.
2. We cannot separate them one from the other. The Son is the exact imprint of
God’s being, he is the radiance coming from the Father.
3. We are assured that God is knowable, not fully, but knowable, this is a greater
revelation that what we had experience with the prophets, God’s being is
knowable in the Son.
A. God is no longer shrouded in the mystery and smoke on the Mount
where the Law is given, he is now knowable in the person of the Son,
Jesus, through whom God is speaking to us.
C. Next we are told that the Son sustains all things with his powerful word. William
Lane writes these words about this clause, “The description of the Son in his pre-
existence is followed logically by a clause descriptive of his relationship to the
creation. The new clause ascribes to the Son the providential government of all
created existence, which is the function of God himself. As the pre-creational Wisdom
of God, the Son not only embodies God’s glory but also reveals this to the universe as
he sustains all things and bears them to their appointed end by his omnipotent
word.(Lane WBC Vol. 47a P. 14)
1. The son is not new, but existed before creation, the son was the means of
creation and he continues to sustain the created world.
2. The Son is God, God is the Son.
D. Next, we are told of the Son’s task, which he has completed.
1. What was the task? Listen again to the final portion of Vs. 3 After he had
provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
in heaven
A. The task was purification for sins.
1. The Son’s task was redemptive in nature, to provide for
purification for sins
A. It was not for his sins, but for the sins of humanity
B. This was purpose, now, remember that it has been
finished
2. God now speaks to humanity in the Son, and what is the
message?
A. Purification for sins has been provided
B. It is a completed task
3. To stress he completed nature of this task, the son now sits at
the right hand of God
4. At this point, the author of Hebrews does not go into the
reasons for these things, he understands that his audience is
aware of the reason, or he is mealy telling us what he will be
doing later in this sermon. Perhaps, he is actually doing both,
and I feel that this is a better understanding at this point, he is
writing to believers, and he will talk about why this happens
later in the letter.
III. We will look lastly at vs. 4, and it is an intriguing verse. The author of Hebrews writes, 4So
he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
A. To say that the Son became superior to the angels it implies that Jesus was at one
point not superior to angels. Now if Jesus is the creator and sustainer of the universe,
how can there ever be a point where he is not superior to the angels?
1. At this point we are hearing an echo of the thoughts expressed in Philippians
26-11 were Paul records an early piece of church worship literature. He
recounts for us these words, 6Who, being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself
nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death —even death on a cross! 9Therefore God
exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every
name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
2. Jesus willingly limited his divine nature, rather than taking equality with God,
which was his right, for as it says, he was in very nature God. But he made
himself nothing, and humbled himself to the point of death on the cross.
3. We see here, a Vs. 3b of Hebrews stated in a different, most likely earlier form.
Making purification for sins and then sitting down at the right hand of God,
again exalted to the highest point, after humbling himself to our place and
there bringing the message of God’s redemption to us.
Conclusion
A. God has gone to great lengths to speak to his people
1. In the past he spoke important words through prophets, men who God had
claimed for his purpose and who were attuned to hearing from God.
2. But God has taken action to speak to us today, he has gone to even greater
lengths to make sure that we are able to hear the message of God’s redemption
of humanity
A. He now speaks to us through his son, and who is his son?
1. He is the one who created the universe
2. He is heir of all things
3. He is the radiance of God
4. H is the exact representation of God
5. He sustains all things through his word
6. He has made for purification of sins
7 He is seated at the right had of the Majesty on High
8 He has humbled himself and because like us so that we could
hear from God
A. He is now exalted to the right hand of God
B. The message we heard in the past was important, the
message we have heard through the son is even more
important,
B. But as believers what have we done with this message? Have we paid
great attention to it, or do we treat it lightly?
