Better By Far - 1
The Excellency of Christ in the Book of Hebrews
I trust that our look at the book of Hebrews will be a blessing to you as we study it together. Its when things get tough that we're tempted to give up following Jesus. Hebrews was written to believers who had been converted from the Jewish faith and had become Christians. Because of that they were being persecuted. Things were tough. On top of that the Romans were on the march with the intent of destroying and plundering Jerusalem. This happened in 70 A.D. Hebrews was written about 68 A.D. It was written because the new converts were beginning to falter. They wanted to avoid further unpleasant persecution from the Jews. They felt they should show their solidarity with their fellow Jews against the threat of Rome. So they were considering going back to the worship of God in the Temple and to the old sacrificial system of Judaism. They'd taken their eyes off the Lord Jesus and the glory of His person and work. Hebrews was written to encourage the believers to refocus on Jesus. The writer does this by showing the superiority of Jesus Christ over the people and practice of the old Jewish faith that they once followed. They were at the cross-roads of decision. The answer was a fresh view of Jesus in all His glory and splendour as the incarnate Son of God and the only Saviour of sinners. Drifting away from God always begins when we forget who Jesus is and the marvellous things He has done for us. We must keep close to Christ. We will not drift from Him if we keep the truths of the book of Hebrews in our hearts and minds. Hebrews Chapter 12 Verse 2 summarises the purpose of the book, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith".
There's some debate about who wrote this letter to the Hebrews. Some say Paul wrote it. Others that it was written by Barnabas or Apollos. We can't say for sure. Time will not allow us to look at the various arguments. But the message is more important than the messenger. One thing we can be sure of is that Hebrews is in the Bible because God inspired the writer. We have a revelation from God Himself about His Son Jesus Christ and how important He is. For my part I'm going for Paul as the writer.
In Hebrews Chapter 1 Verse 1 God tells us that He spoke "through the prophets at many times and in various ways". In verse two He says, "but in these last days He has spoken by His Son". Jesus is a very special person. He has more special than the prophets of the Old Testament because God has spoken only partially through them but finally and completely in Jesus. He has also more special because of who He is in relation to God the Father. A Puritan preacher called Thomas Brooks said, "Christ is the most sparkling diamond in the ring of glory". A diamond has many facets from which the light sparkles. Paul gives us six facts of the shining glory of Jesus Christ. Jesus is described at the end of verse two as, "the heir of all things". As God the Son everything belongs to Him by eternal right. We read in Philippians Chapter 2 Verse 8 that He was, "found in appearance as a man" and "He humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death of the cross!". In Verse nine we're told "God exalted Him to the highest place". So becoming the "heir of all things" belongs to His incarnation, humiliation, and exaltation as the incarnate God-Man and all that He purchased with His precious blood. God says this concerning His Son at the end of verse two, "and through whom He made the universe". Sometimes creation is attributed to God the Father. Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 1 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". Sometimes its attributed to Jesus. We read in John Chapter 1 Verse 3, "Through Him all things were made" referring there to Jesus Christ. Who did the creating? Putting the three verses together, creation was the work of God the Father through the instrumentality of His Son. No wonder we're to recognise the superiority of Christ over every person who's ever lived. He's the creator of all life. In verse three we read that Jesus is, "the radiance of God's glory". When God reveals Himself in all His attributes that is Him shining in His glory. All the attributes of God are clearly seen in Jesus Christ. For example, God is a God of grace and a God of truth. We read in John Chapter 1 Verse 14 about Jesus. "We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth". Again in verse three Jesus is described as, "the exact representation of His being". Do you want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus. Study Him in the Bible. All the perfection of God's character is seen in Him. Verse three goes on to say that Jesus is "sustaining all things by his powerful word". Someone once described Christ as "God's cosmic sustainer". Sometimes people ask what Jesus Christ is doing now. One answer is that He's upholding and preserving the universe. The word "sustain" is from the Greek work meaning "to bear and carry". It's used of a ship driven by the wind. Christ is the driving force behind the maintenance of all creation. He gives us our "daily bread". The end of verse three reminds us "He provided purification of our sins". The great creator became our Saviour. He shed His blood on the cross to reconcile believers to God. Have you been forgiven by God? Have you experienced cleansing from your sin? No other sacrifice for sin needs to be offered. Christ "sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven". The work of atoning for sin is done. Jesus cried on the cross in John Chapter 19 Verse 30, "It is finished".
The rest of Hebrews chapter one from verse 4 - 14 shows the superiority of Jesus Christ over the angels. Why didn't Paul begin by showing Jesus greatness over Moses or Aaron first. Because we don't go back far enough with Moses. Nor do we go high enough. The angels are superior to Moses in order of existence and in power. Jesus Christ is superior to them. God says to Christ in Verse 5, "You are my Son ". No angel was ever addressed like that by the Almighty. God commands in verse 6, "Let all God's angels worship Him" that is Jesus. The Son referred to by God the Father as creator in verse 10. He says there of Jesus, "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth". Again God says to Jesus in Verse 13, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for my feet". No angel was ever given that position of privilege.
So Hebrews get off to a marvellous start. We're left in no doubt that when we began to fix our eyes on Jesus we meet with more than a prophet, a good man, or a wise teacher. Christ was all of that. We meet with more. We meet with our Creator, our Sustainer and our Saviour God. Any view of Jesus less than that is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible.