Hebrews
1:2a-3
1. Samuel Porter Jones, a 19th
century Methodist evangelist, is credited with being the original author of the
following statement. Over the years,
others have added to and refined the statement.
I can’t think of a better way to begin a study of these verses in
Hebrews than by sharing it. This version
is in John MacArthur’s commentary on Hebrews:
"Christ came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a
woman. He put on humanity that we might
put on divinity. He became Son of Man
that we might become sons of God. He was
born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity,
and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which he was born -- and that
in His childhood. He had no wealth or
influence and had neither training nor education in the world's schools. His relatives were inconspicuous and
uninfluential. In infancy He startled a
king. In boyhood He puzzled learned
doctors. In manhood He ruled the course of
nature. He walked upon the billows and
hushed the sea to sleep. He healed the
multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services. He never wrote a book and yet all the
libraries of the world could not hold the books written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished
the theme for more songs than all songwriters together. He never founded a college, yet all the
schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never practiced medicine and yet He has
healed more broken hearts than all the doctors have healed broken bodies. This Jesus Christ is the star of astronomy,
the rock of geology, the lion and the lamb of zoology, the harmonizer of all
discords, and the healer of all diseases.
Throughout history great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him. Satan could not seduce Him. Death could not destroy Him and the grave could
not hold Him." [MacArthur,
p.9]
2. In this session we are going to focus on one
of the most complete, and yet at same time, most succinct descriptions of Jesus
found in Bible. In our previous session
we saw from Hebrews 1-2a that God has spoken.
--in v.1 saw that "long
ago" God spoke through the prophets...
--in first part of v.2 saw that "in
these last days" God has spoken in His Son...
Beginning in middle of v.2 and
continuing through v.3 writer of Hebrews gives a beautiful description of God's
Son.
3. These statements about Jesus fall into two
broad categories. Some focus on who
Jesus is and some focus on what Jesus has done.
Instead of looking at them in chronological order, we will look at them
under those two broad categories
WHO
JESUS IS
This is the central question of
Christianity and indeed central question of life. If we get this wrong, it doesn't really
matter what else get right because have missed the essence of life in this
world. That's why when Jesus nearing end
of earthly ministry He took disciples up to Caesarea Philippi, a beautiful
place at foot of Mt. Hermon where melting snow of the mountain form the headwaters
of the Jordan River. There, in that
beautiful setting, Jesus tested His disciples understanding of His
identity. I is significant that during
that time of testing did not ask, "How do you interpret Old Testament
or what is most pressing social issue of day or what are you political
leanings?"... Instead, He wanted to know if they understood His true
identity. That's because in contrast to
all other world religions, Christianity is not based primarily on an institution
or code of ethics or list of rules and laws or even a book. Christianity is based on a person, the person
of Jesus Christ. That's why it is
absolutely critical that we have a clear understanding of who Jesus is. These verses tell us four important things
about the identity of Jesus:
Jesus is "…heir of all
things…"
(v.2)
1.
All
of creation, both physical and spiritual, belongs to Jesus. The Father has willed it all to the Son. When think about that, it's rather amazing
statement. As one writer pointed out, "Think
of it ... a Galilean carpenter who was crucified on a hill outside the city of
Jerusalem" has the title to everything that ever was. And even more amazing than that is that we,
through faith in Him, are joint heirs with Him! (Galatians 4:7; Romans 8:17)
2.
In the first century world, an heir had all
the rights and privileges of the owner. And the phrase "heir of all
things" is simply beautiful, poetic way of saying "Jesus
is Lord."
2. While world does not now see it nor does the
world understand it, the day will come when, as Paul put it in Philippians 2:10,
"At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow … and every tongue
confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
3. The earliest confession of the church was, "Jesus
is Lord" and that is still the basic confession God desires from
us today. He is "Heir of all
things."
Jesus is "…the radiance
of His [God's] glory…"
(v.3)
1. The word translated "radiance"
(used only here in the New Testament) means "to send forth light." Jesus is the light of God.
--Just as
the rays of the sun shine on the earth providing light and warmth, so Jesus is
the light of God which shines on us.
--And just
as the sun was never without and cannot be separated from its brightness, so
God has never been without or separated from Christ. Never was God apart from Christ nor Christ
apart from God.
2. And we would never be able to see the light
of God if it were not for Jesus, the radiance of God's glory. As the Apostle John put it in John 1:18, "No
man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the
Father, He has explained Him."
3. To a world darkened by sin, injustice,
failure, hurt, separation, sickness, pain, and death God sent His Son. And the Son said, "I am the light
of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life."
4. The OT refers to the "shekinah"
glory of God that dwelt first in the tabernacle and then later in the
temple. Jesus Christ is the "shekinah"
glory of God Who dwells in the lives of those who know Him. He is "the radiance of God's glory."
Jesus is "…the exact
representation of His [God's] nature…" (v.3)
1. This phrase literally overflows with
meaning. The imagery is taken from a
very common practice in the first century.
A die or stamp was often used to make a distinctive mark on a seal. A small amount of wax would be place on the
paper to be sealed, and while wax was still soft and pliable, the die or stamp
would be pushed down into it.
2. The image left in the wax would be whatever
was on the seal. In the wax would be an
exact representation of what was on the seal.
And obviously, when you looked at the image in the wax, would see the
image of the seal.
3. In same way, when you look at Jesus, you see
God. That's why Jesus could make such
statement as, "I and the Father are one" and "If
you have seen Me you have seen the Father..." Jesus is the exact representation of the very
nature or essence of God....
Jesus is “…at the right hand of the Majesty on high…” (v.3)
1.
This
phrase reminds us of the exaltation of Jesus.
“God does not
have a right hand. This is a biblical metaphor of power, authority, and
preeminence.” [1]
2.
The ‘right hand’ of God
speaks of the place of authority which belongs to Jesus by right as God’s Son.
Significantly, he is now there as our high priest, one of the great themes of
this letter. This was red-hot teaching for Jewish Christians, with temple
worship still proceeding; it should be a powerful reminder to us not to go back
to Old Testament ritual. [2]
WHAT
JESUS HAS DONE
Jesus
made the world – “…through whom also He made the world…” (v.2)
1. The translated "world" in that statement is
not normal Greek word which is translated world. That word is "kosmos" and it
generally means physical world. The word
used here, (“aionos”) is much broader
meaning. It carries the idea of the
world of time, space, energy, and matter.
Everything that is and everything that ever will be has been created by
Jesus.
2. That is theme which permeates
New Testament. The early Christians placed
strong emphasis on Jesus being God's agent/instrument in the creative process.
John 1:3 - "All things came into being by/through Him
[Jesus], and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into
being."
I Cor.8:6 - "...there is ... one Lord, Jesus Christ, by
whom are all things, and we exist through Him."
Colossians 1:16 - "For by Him [Jesus]
all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things
have been created by Him and for Him."
3. One of most important
philosophical questions you must answer is the question, "Am I hear by
chance or choice?" Did creation
just happen due to string of unbelievable coincidences or was universe created
on purpose by higher power. The biblical
message is that everything which exists was created by, through, and for Jesus
Christ.
4. Since birth of age of
rationalism in middle-ages there has been an on-going debate between science
and religion concerning the matter of creation.
The debate still rages today. To
my way of thinking it is a misguided debate.
Science and religion have totally different roles in relation to
creation. Science looks at creation and
asks the question "How?" but religion looks at creation and
asks the question "Who?"
And no matter what science may determine about how the world was made,
the biblical message is that behind that process was the person of Jesus
Christ.
5. And understanding that has
tremendous implications for our lives.
It means that we're not just sophisticated piece of primeval slime which
have no dignity, value, and worth. We are
a special creation of God. And because
He made us, He has a creative claim on our lives. We are not free to do as we please, we are
only free to do what pleases Him, Our Creator.
Jesus holds
the world together – “…upholds all things
by the word of His power…” (v.3)
1. Jesus didn't just create the
universe ages ago, set it in motion, and then leave it alone. He is the force, the power which keeps the
universe on track.
2. We live in a delicately
balance world. I want to share with you
another quote from John MacArthur’s commentary on Hebrews. "The sun
has a surface temperature of 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. If it were any closer to us we would burn up;
if it were any farther away we would freeze.
Our globe is titled on an exact angle of 23 degrees, providing us with
four seasons. If it were not so tilted,
vapors from the oceans would move north and south and develop into monstrous
continents of ice. If the moon did not
retain its exact distance from the earth the ocean tides would inundate the
land completely twice a day ... If the ocean floors were merely a few feet
deeper than they are, the carbon dioxide and oxygen balance of the earth's
atmosphere would be completely upset, and no animal or plant life could
exist. If the atmosphere did not remain
at its present density, but thinned out even a little, many of the meteors
which now harmlessly burn up when they hit the atmosphere would constantly
bombard us. We would have to live
underground or meteor-proof buildings.
How does the universe stay in this kind of fantastically delicate
balance? Jesus Christ sustains and
monitors all its movements and inter-workings.
Christ, the preeminent Power, maintains all." [MacArthur, p.17]
3. But not only does Jesus hold
the universe together, He is the One who holds our lives together. When we --
--are crushed by some sorrow, He becomes our Comforter...
--are overcome by loneliness, He becomes our Friend...
--are in need, He becomes our Provider...
--are depressed, He becomes our Encourager...
--are confused and disoriented, He becomes our Guide...
--are weak, He becomes our Strength...
--afraid, He becomes our Confidence...
--sad, He becomes our Joy...
And the list could go on and on because Jesus is the One who holds the
world together.
Jesus has redeemed the world – “…He made purification for sins…” (v.3)
1. That prhase is, of course, a
reference to the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. The Bible says that the wages of sin is
death. Because of our disobedience and
rebellion against God, we deserve spiritual death, which is eternal separation
from God.
2. But Jesus intervened on our
behalf, going to the cross, and dying in our place. He took upon Himself the penalty of our
sin. And by accepting His death on our
behalf, He frees us from the penalty of sin and purifies us from the stain of
sin.
3. Because God is a holy and
righteous God, the penalty for our sin must be paid. Either we pay it ourselves and that price is
eternal death/separation from God, or we accept Jesus' payment on our behalf which
results in eternal life.
4. Jesus not only made us physically,
but He has re-made us spiritual. He has both a creative and a redemptive claim
on our lives...
5. When I was small child the
pastor of the church we attended told a story that has stuck with me all these
years. It is about a boy who made a
small sailboat. He spent hours carefully
crafting and painting the little boat.
After a rain he took the boat to a drainage ditch near his home and
watched helplessly as the water swept it away.
Some days later he saw the little boat in the window of a second hand
shop with a for sale sign on it. He
saved his money until he had enough to purchase the boat. When he brought it home he said, “Now it is really mine. I made it and I have purchased it.”
6. And that is exactly
what Jesus did for us has done for us.
He made us and then bought us with His blood.
CONCLUSION
At the very outset on this
letter, the writer eloquently declares the unique relationship between Jesus
and the Father. This is spelled out in seven
descriptive phrases. It is one of the highest Christologies in the NT (cf. John
1:1–18; Phil. 2:6–11; and Col. 1:15–17).
1. the heir of the Father’s creation (v. 2)
2. the
agent of the Father’s creation (v. 2)
3. radiance
of the Father’s glory (v. 3)
4. Exact
image of the Father’s nature (v. 3)
5. the
sustainer of the Father’s creation (v. 3)
6. the
means of forgiveness of the Father’s creation (v. 3)
7. the
royal and priestly Messiah sent by the Father (v. 3)[3]
[1]
Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews.
Study Guide Commentary Series (11). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons
International.
[2]
Hacking, P. H. (2006). Opening up Hebrews.
Opening Up Commentary (14). Leominster: Day One Publications.
[3]
Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 10: The Superiority of the New Covenant: Hebrews.
Study Guide Commentary Series (7–8). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons
International.
