2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Wednesday in the Word

Second Baptist Church

June 28, 2023

Hebrews 1

1. The Book of Hebrews was written to a community of (1st century Jews) who began to serve Christ, but who returned to the practice of animal sacrifices and other Levitical rituals. Their desire to return to the practice of these rituals was an indication that they did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah and the fulfillment of God’s law. This letter is an appeal to those Hebrews to consider Christ over the Law that only pointed to Christ. The object of the book of Hebrews was to lead them into the wonderful knowledge of God and the fact that God has made it possible for them to come into his presence by no power of their own. The Book of Hebrews paints a glorious picture of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the old covenant and the originator of a “better” covenant. The message of Hebrews can be summed up in three words, "Christ is better." The book seems to un-fold the message in a crescendo of arguments. Christ is better than the angels and the prophets who revealed the first covenant (Hebrews 1:1-2:18). Christ is greater than Abraham who received the promise inheritance of God. Christ has a better inheritance than Abraham has for you and me. Christ is better than Moses who was the mediator of the first covenant (Hebrews 3:1-19) Christ takes us out of a worst Egypt. Christ takes us into a better promise land. Christ was better than Joshua (Hebrews 4:1-13). Christ is better than the old high priest. Christ is a better sacrifice than the goats and lambs that were sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus gives us a better hope.

2. Verses 1-2. The book of Hebrews starts with a sermon and not a greeting like the other letters we have read. The book starts out with the theme that Jesus is superior to all. In this first section, we see the writer conveying the message that Jesus was the first way God spoke and the last way God has spoken. God has spoken through many people and in many ways. He has spoken through people, animals, fire, clouds, and burning bushes. But in the last days, the way God has spoken was through the way he spoke in the beginning, and that is through the Son. The first thing the writer says is that in verse 1 and 2 is that Jesus is God’s last word. God has spoken and his word is Jesus. Prior to Jesus God spoke through angels and prophets. When God spoke to Abraham he used and angel. When God spoke to Jacob he used an Angel. When God wanted to speak to Moses he used a burning bush. He gave Moses the word and Moses gave it to the people. The Old Testament describes God sending his words to his prophets and then in tum they spoke it to the people. If you wanted to hear a word you needed an angel or a person that God spoke to like Moses or a prophet. God wasn’t speaking to everyone. He was only speaking to us through a select group of people at select times in select ways. And when God used those men and those angels they could only pass on the message. The prophets and the angels were not fully able to communicate the word of God. The prophets and angels were not able to communicate the heart of God. The prophets and the angels were not able to communicate the presence of God. The Prophets and the angels were not able to fully disclose all that God had to say. They could not handle the fullness of God. Jesus is able to communicate the fullness of God. Jesus is able to declare the heart of God. Jesus is able to communicate the very presence of God. The prophets and the angles were unable to do such. With Jesus there is the message and the author of the message all in one. Jesus is God speaking to us. He is the very word of God. That is why John wrote in his first chapter verses 1-2, and 14. Jesus is God’s words wrapped in flesh. Jesus is the embodiment of the very word of God. The same word that was spoken at the beginning is Jesus. Jesus is the word of God. God has spoken and his words are Jesus. The writer describes the Son as the one who first, is the one who is heir to all things. (Psalm 2:8, Revelation 4:9-11, 5:9-10) The Son owns it all, and all things were made through the Son, The Son is also the radiance of the glory of God, the exact representation of his essence and it is through his power that all things are held together. At the right time the Son allowed himself to be a sacrifice for sin, but sat back down on the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven.

3. Verse 3. The writer then describes Christ as the very image of his substance. The very unusual word for “radiance" referred to the brightness coming out of a source of light. That brightness illuminates the environment and enables people to see the object. The writer of Hebrews powerfully caught the idea that Jesus was the brightness shining from God himself. It is Jesus who illuminates the glory of God and enables us to see God in his glory. We can think of Jesus as the light of the sun. Now the sun from a scientific perspective is about 150 million km from the earth but we can still see it. That is because the light of the sun is so bright that you can see it from a tremendous distance. The writer is comparing Jesus as that kind of brightness he is like what we are able to see from the sun. He is bright enough to see the glory, but dim enough not to blind us. Even though God is holy and we are sinful. Jesus is able to show us what God looks like in a way that doesn’t destroy us. For if we saw God in all of his glory it would be like standing too close to the sun you would be destroyed, but the writer here is saying that Jesus is the radiance or the light of God that we see. And just like light reveals all things so does Jesus reveal all things. Jesus reveals our need for him by showing us our sinful ways. Jesus reveals our need for his love and his grace. Jesus is the light of God. He is not only the very word of God he is very glory or glow of God. He is the presence of God that shines in our lives. He shines so bright that the writer said Christ is also "the exact representation of God's being." The New Testament often described Jesus as the image of God, but Hebrews goes further and describes Jesus as God's exact representation. The Greek word here referred to the mark left by a stamp. That mark was the exact representation or the exact imprint of the stamp. If we could imagine the very being of God as a rubber stamp, the mark left by that stamp of God's very being was Christ. Jesus was what we were supposed to be. God made us in his image, but we messed up by being sinful. Jesus being the very image of God comes to us to restore us to what God intended us to be. Jesus deals with the very root problem of our condition and that is that we are marred images of God. Jesus comes to restore us to what God created us to be. That is why you have to come to Jesus because no one else can get your image back. The verse also says that Jesus made purification for sins, and then sat down. This Law revealed a code of behavior and morality which, if followed, would result in Divine favor and blessing. The Law covered every single aspect of life, but it was impossible for men to keep it perfectly in all its detail and so they sinned against God's law. Thus, it was that the Law made provision for a man to recognize his failings, and to approach God for forgiveness. This approach to God required the killing of an animal. So, in order for the people to get back in fellowship with God, God requires a regular payment to cover the cost of the sin. The problem was that man continually broke the regulations of the Law and as a result, came under the condemnation of the Law. Over and over again people kept breaking God’s laws and thus breaking fellowship with God over and over again Thus there was a continuing need for sin to be recognized, repented of, sacrifices offered and Divine mercy sought. The first five chapters of the book of Leviticus outline the five offerings that priest had to make for the people so they could have fellowship with God after they sinned and thus enjoy the goodness of God versus the wrath and judgment of God. The offerings were The sin offering—Leviticus 4-5. The guilt offering-Leviticus 5 The burnt offering—Leviticus 1. The fellowship offering or peace offering—Leviticus 3 The grain offering or meal offering—Leviticus 2. there was no blood in this offering. This offering was sweet smelling and as symbol that blood was no longer required. Sin was paid for. What these five offerings showed was that God did not like sin. God hated sin and sin was costly. Sin not only broke fellowship with God it also broke fellowship with other people. Jesus becomes for us the fulfillment of the law in person.

4. Verses 4-14. The writer wants to show the Hebrews/Jews that Jesus must be what the law, prophets, and angels were pointing to. The writer states that because Jesus is divine, he is greater that the angels. The writer quotes 8 scriptures to show that the Lord had been pointing to one who was not like man and greater than the angels all through scripture. The writer quotes Psalms 2:7, 2 Samuel 7:14, 1st Chronicles 17:13, Deuteronomy 32:43, Psalms 104:4, Psalms 45:6-7, Psalms 102:25-27, and Psalms 110:1. By quoting these verses, the writer highlights that God has spoken about the Son in various places, but most likely the people didn’t even realize that God was speaking of the Christ. Some of these seemingly obscure texts were foreshadows of the Lord.

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