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“Don't Drift Away” • 11.12.17 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro
- The church
that was founded on the day of Pentecost has now grown past her third decade.
By all accounts, she is thriving in the Gentile world.
- In the Jewish
world, especially near the center of Jewish life, the story is much more
complicated. The Temple in Jerusalem has only recently seen it's restoration
completed by Herod.
- There is
renewed zeal among the Jewish nation to return to her roots, to enjoy her
beloved traditions, to once again take part of the full Jewish life.
- I can imagine
many relatives calling out to their cousins to give up this new fad and return
to what they once considered "home."
- This is the
climate that gave birth to this letter to the Hebrews. It addresses all of the
allure that Judaism held by promoting how much greater it is to be in Christ.
- Having a
relationship to God through Christ, serving His interest, is far superior to
any traditional tie that once held them, beginning with the office of the
Prophets themselves. Verse 1.
Text
•
Hebrews 1:1,2 : "God, who at various times and in
various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us
by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made
the worlds;" : For those that are interested in
such things, you'll note that this book begins in an unorthodox way. Most treat
the book of Hebrews as an epistle, but it doesn't act like one.
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There is no greeting, no address to it's recipients and no attempt to
acknowledge authorship. It begins with a bang! Our author jumps right into his
treatise. This is about God!
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There is no argument for His existence, because as the title of the book
reveals, this book is written to Jewish people. Their God's will is the matter
of debate, so here we go!
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The Hebrew God, our God, is One who has spoken. He is the first cause, the
initiator.
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Without His willingness to be revealed, we would know nothing of Him. Thanfully,
He is the One who has revealed Himself and His ways to His people through the
Prophets.
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He has done so at many different times and with many different methods. The
phrase "different times" might better be translated "with
varying portions."
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The way that the author puts this informs us to the distinct advantage that God
maintained over His Old Testament Prophets. He gave them pieces, portions of
the truth about Himself.
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Think about the nature of scriptural revelation and what Abraham knew, which
was later enlarged by what Moses knew, and so forth. These were pieces and
think of the different ways.
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Some gave speeches. Others lived out dramatic scenes. The lives and obedience
of the Prophets are incredible, given their lack of total information!
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At the ministry of John the Baptist, the prophetic voice came to an end, but
God has continued to speak, and in these last days after the Prophets, He has
employed One voice.
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It is His Son! At the time of this writng, which most believe to be the late
60's, the whole world is hearing the message of God through the Son. Listen to
the finality.
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God spoke, past tense, through the prophets. In verse 2, the tense of the verb is present: God is presently speaking to
His people through His Son!
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In contrast to His communication through His Prophets, this is His complete
message and His singular method!
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The Son of God embodies an enduring message to the people of God. He stands for
all time to be the divine and living communication, the Word of God!
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He is not only greater than the Prophet's message. He is superior to the
Prophets in being!
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Jesus Christ is the One that God has appointed heir of all things. The NLT says,
"God promised everything to the Son
as an inheritance." God has ordained it.
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Jesus Christ deserves to have everything that the Father has to give. That is
the "end," the goal. Christ has been given all things as an
inheritance. This refers to His right by humanity.
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When Christ completed His work on the cross, He earned the right to inherit.
However, it was actually all His by virtue of His deity in creating it! Jesus made
the worlds! He is it's creator!
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The apostle John begins his account of Christ's life with a similar statement. John 1:3 declares that all things were
made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made!
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It can be said that the Prophets changed the world. However, it can never be
said of any of them that they made the world! Jesus is superior to the
Prophets!
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You might think this a minor distinction because of all of your knowledge and
training in the things of God. That wasn't so clear to the disciples that were
living in the shadow of Judaism.
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Recognize the built in rebuke to those that held Christ to be a Prophet. At the
time of this writing, Judaism had labeled Jesus a false prophet. Today, Islam
calls Him a true prophet.
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The author makes no bones about it: He is in fact greater than any Prophet! He
continues to investigate the nature of the Son in verse 3.
•
Hebrews 1:3,4 : "who being the brightness of His
glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word
of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than
the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." : Jesus is the radiance of the reality of God. He is the source
of divine light.
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The DBY and the ASV both employ the word "effulgence," which captures
this concept perfectly. It refers to the overwhelming power of the effect of
radiance.
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It is the glory of the sun in all of it's strength striking the vision of the
person who has come out of a movie theater! It's brightness that stops you in
your tracks!
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There is no doubt that the author has heard the stories of the disciples who
witnessed Christ's glory on the mount of transfiguration or Paul's eyewitness
account from Damascus.
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I don't think that it's much of a stretch to believe that the author is
pointing at Christ as the Shekinah Glory that once stood over the Tabernacle
and Temple!
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He is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person!
"Express image" comes from the word "character." They
understood it as an impression made upon a leather surface.
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The ESV has it right when it says that Jesus is the "exact imprint of His nature." Jesus is identical in substance
to the Father! There is no drop off or differentiation.
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The author is still referring to Jesus when he say that Jesus "upholds all
things by the word of His power." He bears upon Himself the sustaining of
the Universe by His command!
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We read that same sentiment in Paul's letter to the Colossians, when he wrote that all things subsist in Him, meaning
that Christ holds all of the Universe together! (Colossians 1:7)
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Scientists observe that it takes a tremendous amount of power to hold atomic
material together. They have called that power electromagnetism. "Atomic
glue." Biblicists call Him Jesus!
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Consider this against the record of creation found in Genesis 1, where it reveals that God spoke and things came into
being.
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That same authoritative voice that spoke the creation into existence, also
holds it in place! These are concepts that tax our minds.
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The greatness of Christ is profound and yet, these were not His greatest
accomplishments. The Creator God took on human flesh and suffered in our stead.
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He Himself, without any other help, worked to cleanse us from our sins. It was
then that He sat down at the most privileged place of favor, by the right hand
of the Father.
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The concept of sitting down speaks to belonging, to the comfort that comes from
an established right and a completed task.
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Christ has earned His place of superiority to the Prophets and also the angels,
in the same way as His Name is superior to theirs. You'll note a transition
here, from Prophets to angels.
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The reality of Christ's position implies superiority to both, but then, the
author strengthens their argument by noting that the scriptures affirmed this
as well. Verse 5.
•
Hebrews 1:5-7 : "For to which of the angels did He
ever say: 'You are
My Son, Today I have
begotten You'? And again: 'I will be to Him a Father, And He
shall be to Me a Son'? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
'Let all the angels of God worship Him.' And of the angels He says: 'Who makes
His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of
fire.'" : This scriptural barrage comes from
four Old Testament quotations. There will be seven in all.
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The angels are often designated as "sons of God. But none were ever addressed
specifically as the specially designated Son. Jesus was and repeatedly so!
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He begins with a reference to Psalm 2:7.
The Psalm is about Heaven's response to Earthly rebellion. It is a laughable
matter to the counsel of heaven because it is God's King who will rule.
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"Today, I have begotten you." This doesn't refer to Christ's
incarnation. As you have seen, Christ existed before His incarnation. So, that
can't be what God refers to.
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This must refer to His ascension, when Christ revealed His Kingdom by
physically ascending above any Earthly rival!
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It was only then that God begot an entirely new order of beings: Redeemed and
glorified humanity! Jesus took on flesh to come to earth and He took flesh back
with Him to heaven!
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The second verse comes from II Samuel
7:14 and God's comment regarding David's ultimate Son Jesus.
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This was a point of some controversy when we studied that passage, but this
verse settles it. God was referring to His Son Jesus.
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Solomon, David's literal son, would be a son that God would look at as His own.
He would correct him when he went astray, which we know he did. But Solomon was
the anti-type to Christ.
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Where Solomon went astray from God's Words and ways, Jesus followed them
perfectly, even unto the sacrificing of His own life!
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When Jesus comes again, revealed as God's "firstborn," this will be
made more obvious. By the way, the term "firstborn" has nothing to do
Biblically with the order of birth.
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This is a title of preeminence! Solomon was the firstborn son even though he
was David's 10th son! Judah is Israel's firstborn even though he came in third!
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God looks upon Jesus and demands that His angelic host recognize who He is! He
addresses that beginning with a reference to Deuteronomy 32:43.
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On this particular occasion, you will not likely find the verse unless you are
holding an NLT or ESV Bible. The author is quoting from the Greek translation
of the Old Testament.
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The Septuagint says clearly that the angels were to bow down before the Son and
as Psalm 104:4 asserts, they were
designated by God to serve His needs.
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The superiority of Christ is seen in the greatness of the beings that worship
Him! Angels that are vastly superior to you and I, exist merely to worship and
serve Him!
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Consider that statement: The beings that were being held in high regard, were
actually created to worship the Son! This was their assignment, given to them
by God!
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Now, think about the implications. If God commands the angels to worship
Christ, what does that make Christ? If He is not God, then God the Father is
commanding idolatry!
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There can be no other conclusion. Jesus Christ is God! We've seen what the
Father says about the Son and what He says to the angels. Now, we get a sense
of what He says to the Son.
• Hebrews
1:8-12 : "But to the Son He says: 'Your
throne, O God, is forever and ever; A
scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.' And: 'You, Lord, in the beginning laid the
foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the
work of Your hands. They will perish, but You
remain; And they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are
the same, and Your years will not fail.'" : The Father looks to the Son and says, "Your throne, O God,
is forever and ever!" What a profound statement!
- Today, there are people who
question the deity of Christ. Their opinion might be different, but I hope that
you will recognize that Jesus has the Father's endorsement! I'll go with what
He says!
- The reference here is to Psalm 45:6,7 which is a beautiful Psalm
about the coming King. God acknowledges the deity of the Son.
- Consequently, His throne, His
rule, must endure for all time, literally from age to age. What kind of rule
will He have? It will be a rule of righteousness!
- The scepter was the rod that
royalty held, by which he decreed and dispensed his rule. The rod that Christ
holds is one of pure justice! That is what He loves above all!
- Consequently, He hates
lawlessness, unrighteousness, anything that attempts to rob from what is right.
It's because Christ has embodied these virtues that God has annointed Him.
- If you were to consider the
Kingdom of Christ, you'd understand from these verses that He is the King of
Righteousness and joy! There isn't another King that can compare with Him!
- God has poured out His
endorsement upon Christ above any other King!
- The author continues by pointing
his reader's attention to Psalm
102:25-27. In the case of this Psalm, virtually half of it is dedicated to
the life that Christ lived here on earth.
- It's a life marked by anxiety
and insult. Then the tide turns in verse 12
and there is a change in tone. It begins to speak of the victory that has been
achieved by the Lord.
- It culminates in what we see
here. The Creator Messiah laid the foundations for the world to stand upon. And
while they grow old, He remains unchanged! He is the same from age to age!
- This is the attribute of God
known as "immutability." Only God has this attribute. Verse 13.
• Hebrews
1:13,14 : "But to which of the angels
has He ever said: 'Sit at My right hand, till
I make Your enemies Your footstool'?' Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister
for those who will inherit salvation?" : The
angels were never told to assume a place at the right hand of God. Jesus was
told exactly that!
- Psalm
110 is the author's seventh referernce andi it figures quite prominently in
this book. Jesus is pictured as sitting until something takes place.
- He is waiting patiently, comfortably for the
Lord to make an end of the enemies of Christ. The idea of making Christ's
enemies a footstool speaks of His final victory and their final humiliation.
- There is a time that is coming when the King
will have final and complete victory over every single enemy. That is a promise
from scripture and what the Hebrews were waiting to see.
- The angels have no such place. They are simply
ministering spirits. They are employed in godly service to those that will
inherit salvation.
- The author is saying that the angels that
might have taken some place of prominence in the minds of God's people, are
actually beings committed to serving those exact people!
- We are the beneficiaries of their service!
They are not to be worshipped. Our author begins to draw a conclusion to his
intended point. Chapter 2.
• Hebrews
2:1 : "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have
heard, lest we drift away." : "Therefore."
This is why he has been writing. Because Christ is exalted above the prophets
and the angels. Because He is the inheritor of all things.
- Because there is a plan that will lead to His
final victory, we must act accordingly.
- It begins with a more urgent need to listen
carefully to what has been transmitted.
- The life of a Christian is not measured in the
accumulation of new infomation, but in their faithfulness to hold fast to the
old revelation! That was the need then and it is certainly so now!
- With Biblical illiteracy at an all time high,
God's church needs a more firm commitment in the realm of truth intake! Why? "Lest
we drift away." What a perfect picture!
- How many have embraced Christ, only to return
to old ways of relating to God?
- This is the only place that this word is used
and it means to "slip past" or to "glide by" an intended
destination. He explains further in verse 2.
• Hebrews
2:2-4 : "For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and
every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect
so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and
was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with
signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit,
according to His own will?" : What is
the "word spoken through angels?" Stephen in Acts 7:53 and Paul in Galatians
3:19 identify it as the law of God, which proved to be firm.
- Consequently, in the history of God's people,
sin was punished. Every transgression. Every disobedience. Remember the end of II Kings?
- If that was true, how will it be possible for
the the Jewish audience listening to this to escape if they neglect so great a
salvation? Listen to those words. "How shall they escape?"
- Where can they flee? How will they run? There
will be no place that they can hide from the hand of God if they are negligent
in this opportunity for salvation!
- Think of the language that is being used? How
can we escape from the hand of God if we ignore such a vast opportunity for
salvation? Let's not drift past it!
- This is the salvation that was endorsed by
Jesus Himself, and was confirmed by His disciples who were His eyewitnesses!
- The Father Himself proved this gospel message
to be authentic with the signs, wonders and miracles that we have been
witnessing in our study of the book of
Acts.
- And certainly, last but not least, consider
the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You may want to mark it yet again: Right here we
have the three persons of the Trinity named separately, but together!
- The Holy Spirit's gifts never came through
the law, but by believing in Christ! There was the actual arrival of the Holy
Spirit when He came upon the church at Pentecost.
- Then, as the church organized, His gifts, His
work through the personalities of the redeemed, began to show forth. God built
the house on the foundation of Christ and the Holy Spirit decorates it!
- He gives the gifts as He wills, out of His
desire. He sees what's missing and He begins to facilitate His vision it by
drawing people toward a congregation and unveiling His work through them!
- They have no excuse to miss this. If they do,
they are truly lost forever!
Conclusion
- Jesus is the greatest being, who has done the greatest work. He calls us to trust Him.
- Jesus is the greatest being, who has done the greatest work. He calls us to trust Him.
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He is the subject that the Prophets spoke of. He is the object of the Angel's
worship. He is the King that God proposes that we follow.
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For those that believe and hold onto their faith in Him, there is a great
reward that awaits. For those that drift past, who decide not to settle upon
Christ, there can only be certain dread.
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I know most of you have, but for those that have not, I pray you will settle
upon Jesus Christ. He is worthy of His Name and worthy of your life!
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