Confirmation of Christ’s Identity in Hebrews

Background – The author of Hebrews is anonymous: (perhaps Paul, Barnabas, or Apollos?) but chapter 2 confirms that the author knew the apostles. 

The Author’s Assumption – that you have a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament, including these historical facts:

• Abraham was the patriarch of the Israelites (God’s Chosen People)
• The children of Israel were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years
• They escaped to Mt. Sinai where they made a covenant with God 
• They built a tabernacle where priests offered sacrifices to appease God
• They wandered in the desert for 40 years on their way to the Promised Land

10:32-39 – acknowledges the persecution suffered by the author’s audience

Overview —in the book of Hebrews, Jesus is compared to:
(Chapters 1-2) – the angels and the Torah
(Chapters 3-4) – Moses and the Promised Land (Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, while Jesus led all of us out of sin)
(Chapters 5-7) – The Levitical Priesthood – through the line of Melchizedek, (not Aaron)
(Chapters 8-10) – the Temple sacrifices and the Sinai covenant 

Five Goals of this letter

• Confirmation of Christ’s Identity
  • As Son, Heir, Creator and Mediator of the New Covenant
• Elevate Jesus as superior to other, previous indicators of God’s will
  • He is worthy of your trust (1:1-3)
• Jesus is the “radiance” of God’s glory (1:3 like sunlight from the sun)
• He is the exact replica, or “Imprint” of God’s nature
  • (like the impression left by a signet ring in wax)
• To encourage the reader, by many examples, to maintain faith
  • to remain loyal despite persecution

Chapters 1-2

• Deuteronomy 33:2 claims that the Torah, the Law of Moses itself was delivered to Moses by 10,000 angels.  The Author then claims that Jesus and His message are superior to both the angels and the revelation they supplied in the Torah.
• 1st conclusion – if Israel was called to pay attention to the Torah, how much more should we pay attention to the words of Jesus?
• PLUS, Jesus demonstrated God‘s glory and his humility and his love by his willingness to suffer and die on our behalf
• Dramatic evidence of Christ’s identity
  • We will be held accountable for our response to this message of salvation

Chapters 3-4

• Jesus is superior to Moses
• He didn’t just build a tabernacle, but rather He’s the builder of all Creation
• Recall that Israel rebelled against Moses several times
  • A sign of their unbelief
  • All their corpses fell in the desert – a new generation entered the Promised Land
  • How much higher are the stakes if we rebel against Jesus who is spiritually superior to Moses?
  • We too are in a wilderness now, prior to the New Creation, so we should be cautious
• Incredible verse — “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NKJV
  • What does this mean?  That the soul and spirit are so intertwined that only the Word of God, the logos, can perform laser surgery to separate them.  Like conjoined twins, it takes a master surgeon to distinguish one from the other
  • We feel things & we demand explanations, which are cries of our soul
  • Yet, this gospel of the Kingdom is learned by revelation, not intellectual study or by emotion

Chapters 5-7 – the Levitical Priesthood

• Aaron was the first in a line of priests who sacrificed daily for the sins of the people and for their own (being morally flawed)
• This practice acknowledged that man was eternally and irrevocably separated from his Creator
  • Something more was needed
• Jesus displaces and is superior to this priesthood
  • A change in priesthood means a change in Law (7:12)
  • But, he did not come from the line of Aaron. Rather, He came from the line of Melchizedek, who was a mysterious guy 
    • he’s mentioned in Genesis 14
    • he’s connected to Abraham who paid him tithes when they hadn’t even been invented yet!
  • Psalm 110:4 states that the coming king will come through the lineage of Melchizedek and this decree is unimpeachable; “God will not relent”
• So Jesus is morally flawless, eternally available— the ultimate King/priest
  • There’s no need for a “more perfect” covenant, as Jesus was the perfect sacrifice and remains eternally alive
  • This speaks to the unification of church and state into one Kingdom government
  • Men have read this, thinking it means America has a manifest destiny.  How arrogant!  God doesn’t need America or any other country to be the center of His kingdom.  Rather He wants an apostolic discipleship center, where He can trust that His Word will be faithfully taught to disciples, who are then sent to carry His message throughout the world
• Conclusion – to reject Jesus is to reject one’s best chance to be fully reconciled back to God
  • “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”  Hebrews 5:12 NKJV
    • Example — “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:14 NKJV
    • We are to discern good and evil in our SPIRIT, not evaluate right and wrong through our emotions and intellect (SOUL)

Chapters 8-10

• The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is superior to all of the sacrifices of animals in the temple
• Those sacrifices were offered daily and yearly because all they could do was atone for sin and not erase it
• The sacrifice of Jesus was a once-and-for-all format. In addition, it wasn’t just for the children of Israel, but rather for the whole world — past, present and future
• The prophets had foretold that the time would come, ushered in by the Messiah, where all sins would be forgiven
• Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant (promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34)
  • This time the Law won’t be written on stone tablets, but rather written in our mind and heart (8:10)
  • Mercy will triumph over judgment
  • Jesus has entered into the ultimate tabernacle, heaven itself

Chapter 11 – the Hall of Faith

20 examples of faith that produced remarkable results

• Noah
• Abraham
• Sarah
• Isaac
• Moses (mother first, then himself)
• Jesus – the author and finisher of our faith

Chapter 12 – The Value of Sonship

We are sons by faith: Heb 12:5-11

• We are at Mt. Zion, not Mt. Sinai, where you die if you touch it

Conclusion 1:  Our goal is to be prepared to receive discipleship training and to become Ambassadors within God’s Kingdom

• ‘Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” (Hebrews12:28)

Conclusion 2:  GOD has appointed a spiritual father to watch over you, so find that person!

• “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” (Heb13:17)

Conclusion 3: Faith is the operating system of heaven:  “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must:

• believe that he is, (He exists) and
• that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 )

Chapter 13

• Recapitulation of certain moral instructions
• Honor those in authority over you
• Final benediction

Summary 

1-2 — in Jesus we find God’s very word come in the flesh
3-4 – Jesus provides us with hope for the new creation
5-7 — He is our eternal priest
8-10 — He is the ultimate sacrifice
11 -– faith is the currency of heaven
12 – consider the value of spiritual sonship
13 – discipleship guidance

The passages referred to in Hebrews will likely make you uncomfortable, but not to make you afraid.  Rejecting Him is foolish — he’s awesome – a reflection of God’s love and mercy.