Day 2226 – Hebrews –1 The Last Word…Worthy of Worship – Daily Wisdom

Welcome to Day 2226 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Putnam Church Message – 04/16/2023
The Last Word…Worthy of Worship
Last week, on Resurrection Sunday, we focused on The Death of Death because the Resurrection is real and changes everything.

Today, we are beginning an extended series through the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. The theme of the superiority of Christ in His person and work resounds from every chapter of the book of Hebrews. It is the repeated melody with which every subject of the letter resonates in perfect harmony. To develop his anthem of Christ’s superiority, the author conducts his readers through three major movements:

Christ is superior in His person. (1:1–4:16)
Christ is superior as our high priest. (5:1–10:39)
Christ is superior for pressing on. (11:1–13:25)


The first question that may come to your mind is, what is the relevance of Hebrews for us?

Most people reading the book of Hebrews today are not Jewish believers. And even if they are of Hebrew ancestry, none are living in the terrors of first-century Rome under the madness of Nero. However, we all—Jew or Gentile—can sense the heat rising in our increasingly anti-Christian culture and feel pressured to conform to this darkening world's values and priorities. Like the first-century Jewish followers of the Messiah who were tempted to abandon His way, truth, and life for a more comfortable path, we need to come to grips with Christ's sufficiency and absolute superiority over all things. We must pledge our allegiance to the Lord, who bought us with His blood.

The central theme of the book of Hebrews is simple but powerful: Christ is superior in His person and work. Throughout the book, the author develops this theme in vivid detail.

Throughout today’s message, I will read the verses of Hebrews 1 as we come to each section.

 

Drawing on the Hebrew people's great regard for the primary means of revelation in the Old Testament, the prophets and angels, the author of Hebrews compares these celebrated earthly and heavenly beings with God’s Final Word and Messenger, Jesus Christ. As powerful and significant as those holy people and holy angels were, they were inferior to the Son of God. He alone is God’s Final Word, superior in His person to God’s previous messengers and ministers—whether human or angelic. Why? Because Jesus is the Word incarnate (in the flesh)—fully human and fully divine—who occupies a superior place over all things.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,

In the first century, the apostle Peter described the ministry of the Old Testament prophets, noting that in 2 Pet. 1:21, “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” For centuries leading up to Peter’s simple summary of the process of divine inspiration, a long line of prophets spoke and wrote God’s words under the supernatural guidance of the Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” These prophets issued warnings and rebukes, which flew off their lips like arrows from a bow to strike at the hearts of their hearers.

The names of these servants of God endowed with the prophetic gift reads like a roll call from the Bible’s Who’s Who list:...

Welcome to Day 2226 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Putnam Church Message – 04/16/2023
The Last Word…Worthy of Worship
Last week, on Resurrection Sunday, we focused on The Death of Death because the Resurrection is real and changes everything.

Today, we are beginning an extended series through the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. The theme of the superiority of Christ in His person and work resounds from every chapter of the book of Hebrews. It is the repeated melody with which every subject of the letter resonates in perfect harmony. To develop his anthem of Christ’s superiority, the author conducts his readers through three major movements:

Christ is superior in His person. (1:1–4:16)
Christ is superior as our high priest. (5:1–10:39)
Christ is superior for pressing on. (11:1–13:25)


The first question that may come to your mind is, what is the relevance of Hebrews for us?

Most people reading the book of Hebrews today are not Jewish believers. And even if they are of Hebrew ancestry, none are living in the terrors of first-century Rome under the madness of Nero. However, we all—Jew or Gentile—can sense the heat rising in our increasingly anti-Christian culture and feel pressured to conform to this darkening world's values and priorities. Like the first-century Jewish followers of the Messiah who were tempted to abandon His way, truth, and life for a more comfortable path, we need to come to grips with Christ's sufficiency and absolute superiority over all things. We must pledge our allegiance to the Lord, who bought us with His blood.

The central theme of the book of Hebrews is simple but powerful: Christ is superior in His person and work. Throughout the book, the author develops this theme in vivid detail.

Throughout today’s message, I will read the verses of Hebrews 1 as we come to each section.

 

Drawing on the Hebrew people's great regard for the primary means of revelation in the Old Testament, the prophets and angels, the author of Hebrews compares these celebrated earthly and heavenly beings with God’s Final Word and Messenger, Jesus Christ. As powerful and significant as those holy people and holy angels were, they were inferior to the Son of God. He alone is God’s Final Word, superior in His person to God’s previous messengers and ministers—whether human or angelic. Why? Because Jesus is the Word incarnate (in the flesh)—fully human and fully divine—who occupies a superior place over all things.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,

In the first century, the apostle Peter described the ministry of the Old Testament prophets, noting that in 2 Pet. 1:21, “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” For centuries leading up to Peter’s simple summary of the process of divine inspiration, a long line of prophets spoke and wrote God’s words under the supernatural guidance of the Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” These prophets issued warnings and rebukes, which flew off their lips like arrows from a bow to strike at the hearts of their hearers.

The names of these servants of God endowed with the prophetic gift reads like a roll call from the Bible’s Who’s Who list: Elijah and Elisha…Isaiah and Jeremiah…Daniel and Jonah… Malachi, and John the Baptizer. The prophet was God’s representative and spokesperson—saying, doing, and writing down what God wanted to be said, done, and written. At that time, they were the sole bearers of God’s messages to humankind and couldn’t be ignored.

For the sake of emphasis, the author points out the varied manner in which God’s messages were delivered “in the past.” If we flip through the pages of the Old Testament, we see what he meant. God spoke through dreams (Gen. 37:5), visions (Isa. 1:1), angels (Zech. 1:9), voices (1 Sam. 3:4), writing (Dan 5:5), and even Balaam’s donkey (Num. 22:28)!

The messages from God came at different times and ways, not all at once. This mosaic of the Old Testament is why many had difficulty grasping the concept of the Messiah even when Christ was on earth. Though all the messages were accurate, they were also incomplete. /God always has more He can say. This reminds me of my childhood. I got a lot of information from my parents over many years—fragmentary, partial, and incomplete. Sometimes, this information would be in the form of instruction, discipline, or living examples to follow. Yet, those messages came to me continually throughout childhood and into adolescence—all for progressively building me toward mature adulthood. This childhood experience is similar to the ministry of the prophets in the Old Testament. Their messages were accurate and contributed to the growing body of revelation from God to His people.

…but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The 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.

“In the past” versus “these last days”—the contrast between the prophetic anticipation of the Old Testament prophets and the fulfillment of the new covenant in Christ is immediately highlighted in Hebrews 1:1-2. The point is that God’s message of the Old Testament prophets has found its climax and supreme expression through the person and work of the Son (1:2).

In other words, Christ is superior in His person and work. And He is the final and fullest expression of God’s message and word to all humankind. The old means and manner of speaking to His people were not defective or deficient. They were great. But Christ is Greatness. The prophets’ messages from the Lord were perfect. Jesus is Perfection. The seers of old were the instruments. The Son is the Music. He is the One to whom, for whom, through whom, and about whom all the musicians had been playing.

In what follows in the argument of Hebrews, the centrality of Christ in God’s work of revelation depends on the superiority of Christ in His person and work. To underscore this point, the author of Hebrews opens his sermon-like letter with seven strong statements that demonstrate the superiority of the Son as God’s Word to all things on heaven and earth, visible and invisible.

First, by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things (Heb. 1:2). And “all things” means all things. Nothing stands outside that circle./ For instance, God had given a share of the responsibility to rule over this created realm to Adam and Eve as His imagers (Gen. 1:26–28). But when those first humans fell into sin, they forfeited their right to rule as heirs of God’s creation (Gen. 3). However, when the divine Son took on humanity, He became the “last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45)—Jesus Christ. All that Adam lost has been restored to Him.

Second, by his Son through whom also he made the universe (Heb. 1:2). As the perfect human, Jesus is ruler over the created realm; and as the perfect Creator, He is the sovereign ruler over all creation—past, present, and future. Paul also clarifies Christ’s role as Creator in Colossians 1:16, “For through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see, such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.” Similarly, the apostle John opens his Gospel with this same majestic truth in John 1:1-3, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”

Third, the Son is the radiance of God’s glory (Heb. 1:3). The noun “radiance” (apaugasma) refers to “brightness from a source.” As the rays of the sun continually convey light, heat, and energy as long as the flaming orb continues to burn, the Son of God eternally conveys the glory, majesty, and power of God from eternity past to eternity future. No prophet or angelic being, however holy or wise, could claim that. They were merely reflectors/imagers of God’s glorious light. The Son is the light itself.

Fourth, The Son is the exact representation of his being (Heb. 1:3). The four words that make up this Greek phrase are packed with profound theological significance. This clause asserts that the Son shares in everything God is in His divine nature. The word translated as “exact representation” is a figurative use of the noun character, a term used about “an engraved character like the minted impression on coins.” The Son is no cheap knockoff of a deity, no inferior reproduction of a superior original. The term for “his being” is hypostasis, referring to the authentic being of God. The Son is, therefore, “completely the same in his being as the Father,” though Father and Son are distinct persons. The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father, but everything the Father is, the Son is too.

Fifth, The Son is sustaining all things by his powerful word (Heb. 1:3). You may have seen the image of the god Atlas holding the globe on his back and shoulders, straining under the weight, his bulging muscles beading with sweat. Banish that image from your mind! The Son of God upholds this world and the entire universe. He sustains this creation not by physical strength but by His almighty word. The Son Himself has the power to sustain through His very word.

Sixth, The Son provided purification for sins (Heb. 1:3). The first Adam undid humanity by disobedience, plunging this world into darkness, death, sin, and suffering. But the last Adam, Jesus Christ, through His voluntary suffering and death on the cross, drove out the darkness and banished death, as we learned in last week’s message. What had been poisoned by sin was cured by the blood of Christ—forever, once for all, never to be repeated. As the author of Hebrews will explain throughout, neither earthly humans nor heavenly angels could have accomplished this.

Seventh, The Son sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Heb. 1:3). The book of Revelation 5:13 says, “And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:

‘Blessing and honor and glory and power
belong to the one sitting on the throne
and to the Lamb forever and ever.’”

No exalted prophet, saint, or mighty angel can stand at the Father's right hand to receive praise and glory that is due only to the divine Majesty.

Seated in the most exalted position, Jesus is superior in His person and work over all things. This includes “the angels” (Heb. 1:4)—those spiritual creatures fashioned by God through the Son to be ministers and servants (1:7). When the Son took on human nature, endured death for sin, rose from the dead victorious, and ascended into heaven. He inherited a name no angel had the right to bear (1:4). So he became as much superior to the angels/ as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. What name was this? As a son bears the name of his father, so the Son of God would bear the name of God, the divine name YHWH, often translated kyrios in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Paul also teaches this in Philippians 2:9–11, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We do not have such a sustained, thorough treatment of angels in the Bible as in Hebrews 1–2. Nowhere do we even have a clear account of when they were created! Genesis 1–2 is silent on the creation of angelic beings. However, we know that a divine creature(s) chose to disobey God and tempted Adam and Eve also to disobey. Then God stationed angelic cherubim east of the Garden of Eden to guard the entrance to Paradise (Genesis 3:24). So sometime before Genesis 3, God created what we call the angels, which includes all of the supernatural beings in the unseen realm.

As powerful creations of God, angels conduct various services for the Lord. They carry His messages and perform His will among us—warning, protecting, helping, and rescuing. In addition, these supernatural creatures render service from heaven to earth. Although they make up part of God’s divine council, they are God’s servants who, like us, render worship to Him alone (Rev. 5:13). But as remarkable as angels are, their shining essence dims in the glorious blast of pure radiance that is the Son of God. Therefore, without denigrating the vital role of angels in the service of God, the writer of Hebrews puts them in their place in comparison with the person and the work of the Son.

To establish the superiority of the Son to angels, the author of Hebrews skillfully builds his case from a string of Old Testament passages. Remember that many of his Jewish audience were tempted to surrender their new faith in the Messiah to the old dictates of the synagogue, where the Old Testament Scriptures would have been held in the highest regard. By showing from those same Scriptures that the Messiah was superior to all things on heaven and earth, the author would have moved his audience toward a more substantial commitment to their Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Psalms Cited in Hebrews 1

HEBREWS

 
PSALMS

 

Hebrews 1:5a
Psalm 2:7

Hebrews 1:5b
Psalm 89:27, 1 Chron. 17:13

Hebrews 1:6
Psalm 97:7, Deut 32:43

Hebrews 1:7
Psalm 104:4

Hebrews 1:8–9
Psalm 45:6–7

Hebrews 1:10–12
Psalm 102:25–27

Hebrews 1:13
Psalm 110:1

 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”?

Or again,

“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?

He begins by citing two lines rich with prophetic import—especially related to the coming Messiah, the son of David. Psalm 2 and Psalm 89 were both critical texts for the Old Testament anticipation of the future Davidic king. So the first of these two psalms begins in Psalm 2:1-2:

Why are the nations so angry?
Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
 The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
the rulers plot together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.

The Hebrew word mashiyach and the Greek equivalent christos both mean “anointed one,” which could refer to any person anointed in consecration to a sacred office: a prophet (1 Kgs. 19:16), a priest (Exod. 40:15) or a king (1 Sam. 10:1).

To this Messiah, God decrees, “You are my son; today I have become your father,” (Ps. 2:7), which applies to coming into the royal position of kingship, and the moment of this becoming was the exaltation and enthronement that followed the resurrection and ascension.

With the Messianic title of “Son” as a backdrop, the author of Hebrews rightly points out that at no time did God ever address an angelic being as “My Son,” nor did He ever call himself the father of an angel. Angels are created beings who have been assigned high and holy tasks in the plan and purpose of God. But the Son is Himself the One through whom even the angels were created (Col. 1:16).

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

The author advances his argument further, indicating that the angels must worship the Son because of who He is—the author of their existence and God over all creation.

Thank you for joining me on this leg of our Wisdom-Trek. I hope these verses have inspired you to actively embrace wisdom’s call and make her a daily presence in your journey. As we continue our journey, may we navigate life’s challenges with wisdom and grace.

If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day


I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!