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Hebrews: Jesus is Better
God Speaks (1:1-4)

Introduction

Good morning again to you. Open your Bible to the book of Hebrews. This morning we are beginning a series of messages that will last the remainder of the calendar year. We are going to be marching through this fantastic book of Hebrews. Why Hebrews? I have been working on a pattern in my preaching that would alternate New Testament books with Old Testament books to give you all a good understanding of the whole council of God. As I approached where to go after Philippians, I decided to stay in the New Testament but to go to Hebrews because it is in some ways a commentary on the Old Testament. It contains many arrows pointing to the Old Testament and helps us connect the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and understand more of this Jesus who the author wants us to follow. Today’s message is a lot of introductory material and Lord willing, will act as a kickstart to our deep dive into the endless treasures available to us in God’s Word. Let’s pray and ask the Lord to help us.

PRAY

Let’s begin by reading chapter 1, verses 1-4.

READ:

Hebrews 1:1–4 ESV
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

One of the enigmatic things about Hebrews is that we do not know who wrote it. We know it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and is part of the Word of God but we don’t know the human author. Scholars have narrowed it down to a list of names. Many have settled on Paul as the author but there are some characteristics that don’t match with his other epistles, namely the absence of him naming himself as in other of his writings and the use of a higher form of Greek than the more common tongue Paul is known for. The author could have been Luke or Apollos along with a variety of other of Paul’s companions. It’s pretty clear they were in his ministry circle. At the end of the day we have to agree with what one of the early church fathers said, “only God knows who wrote Hebrews.”
What we do notice is that this author loves Jesus. He is crazy about Jesus. He thinks Jesus is wonderful, majestic, and better than anything else. The theme of Hebrews can be summed up in the simple phrase: Jesus is better. The book centers itself on this theme, the superiority of Christ over and above anything else that the world has to offer. The author goes to great lengths to break down the ways in which Christ is supreme.
The author also has a deep love for people. He passionately pleas with believers to stand fast in their faith. Hebrews contains warning passages urging them to remain faithful.
Who is this book written to? It’s interesting that this piece of literature which we refer to as a letter is actually structured more like a written theological sermon. It contains no greeting as a letter would but does close like one.
The original intended audience for Hebrews were Jewish Christians to teach them that because of the superior nature of Christ Jesus and His salvation that they had received, they should not give into the temptation to return to their old Jesus ways or sink into apostasy. The author had pastoral intentions in writing what he wrote in the way he wrote it. These Christians were facing persecution for following Christ and it would have been tempting to slide back into the culturally accepted religious ways of their past. And this reason is one of the light bulbs that God set off in my head as I prepared. We are in a place where we are on the cusp of facing persecution for holding to the truth that Jesus is better and serving Him is worth our very lives. When that hard persecution comes and you are called a biggot for standing by the truth of scripture or when you are called hateful for proclaiming that there is One Way to God, through Jesus alone, it might be tempting to just go with the flow of culture to relieve some of that persecution but the author of Hebrews wants them and you to know JESUS IS BETTER.
Now, let’s turn our attention to the first few verses of chapter one that we read a moment ago.

I. God has spoken through Jesus. (v. 1-2)
How profound is this statement. God spoke. The fact we read that God spoke to His people is incredible. We have a God who did not put us here and watch from a distance but has spoken to His people. He gave us His Word. He gave the people prophets in the Old Testament but here says He has spoken to us by Jesus.
Jesus is God's final Word to us. He doesn't need to say anything else because it's already been said in Jesus.
God has spoken through the Son more fully and authoritatively than through the prophets or angels.
Remember, this is a Jewish Christian audience. They would have been well versed in the prophets and probably had a high regard for them. But the Old Testament wasn’t the whole story. God had spoken in fragments through the prophets. The things spoken in the Old Testament found their finality and fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

The question must be asked: If Jesus is how God has spoken to us then, why do we as humans continually look elsewhere? We have become consumers who don’t want to give ourselves over fully to any belief system because we might come across one that we like better or fits our wants better. But Jesus is better.
- He is better than the prophets because God has spoken fully through Him.
- He better because He is the Son of God.
- God has spoken in a grand finale through Jesus. Knowing Jesus is the highest thing we can aspire to. We are put here on Earth to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. And when we leave here through death, if we have believed the gospel and repented of our sins, trusting in Jesus’s death in our place for our sins and that he rose from the dead, then we get to spend eternity with Jesus. It’s heaven because Jesus is there. He’s the end of all this. He’s the best of the best and nothing else in life even comes close.

Jesus is the most complete and fullest revelation of the Father because He shares the divine nature of the Father as the second member of the Trinity. Doing business with the Son is the same as doing business with the Father. The only way to know the Father is through the Son.
John 14:6–7 ESV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

II. Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God. (v. 3)

This idea of radiance hearkens back to the shekinah glory in the Old Testament. This was a bright, shining glory that visibly demonstrated the majesty of God. This was seen in the exodus and at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. But for us, the way we most fully see the glory of God is looking at Christ. He is the exact expression of God’s nature. If you want to see what God is like, look to Jesus Christ. He is the exact representation of God’s nature to us.
For mere humans, our sons are not an exact representation of us. There are similarities and relation to be sure, however, our sons are not exact representations. Jesus is the exact representation of the Father because they are of the same divine essence.
Now at this point there seems to be a hard transition to talking about how Jesus made purification for sins.
III. Jesus made purification for sins. (v. 3)

- Superior because of His important role.

- Old Testament - Purification was in relation to cleanness and uncleanness.

- the physical and ceremonial contexts to each

- They point to a moral state of the worshipper and a siritual relationship between God and His people. We all have sin and are quite unclean (dirty). The stain of sin.. The wages of that sin is death. There had to be some kind of purification made for our sin.

Later in Hebrews, the author will go deeper into the purification of sins and this is a tip of the hat to where he’s going.

- Jesus enters the scene and fulfills all of the requirements of the law and becomes a "one for all time" sacrifice.

- > Regeneration and Faith: Even OT believers recognized that an internal change had to accompany the sacrifices in order to bring about true cleanness. Thus David invited God to “create in me a clean heart” (Ps 51:10), noting that ceremonial sacrifice is no substitute for real repentance (Ps 51:16, 17). Jesus showed his disciples the connection between cleansing and regeneration: “You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you” (Jn 15:3). The apostle Paul described regeneration as a “washing” (Ti 3:5) effected by the Holy Spirit applying the cleansing Word (Eph 5:26). The apostle Peter likewise used the language of cleansing to describe the Word’s regenerating action in connection with faith (1 Pt 1:22).

Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). [Cleanness and Uncleanness, Regulations Concerning](https://ref.ly/logosres/bkrencbib;ref=biblio.at$3DCleanness$2520and$2520Uncleanness,$2520Regulations$2520Concerning$7Cpg$3D478$E2$80$93481$7Cvo$3D1;off=16448;ctx=neration_and_Faith._~Even_OT_believers_re). In *Baker encyclopedia of the Bible* (Vol. 1, p. 481). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

- God is a gracious and loving God. He is a holy and just God. He could not let sin stand unpunished. He therefore provide a purification for our sins, a way for us to be washed clean: JESUS. The Son of God, greater than anyone every to live, perfect, sinless, came and gave his life as the only acceptable sacrifice to wash away our uncleanness before God. To forgive our sins and impute to us His very righteousness.

IV. Jesus is superior to the angels. (v. 4)

- He's better than the angels because:
- He's the Son
- The dignity, role, and authoity of the son show that He is better than the angels.
- He has authority.
- He is unchanging.

V. Application

What should they do based on this?

This is the Jesus that those of us who are Christians serve.

- Look to the Old Testament prophets for genuine insights into God.
- Look to Jesus as God’s final word to human beings.
- Look to Jesus for all the information God wants us to have. No more is coming. We must use what Jesus has given.
- Worship Jesus because he is righteous and kingly; love, adore, and serve him.

Illustration about the ever changing Illinois weather.

We have a savior who is far superior to anything or anyone else and we can cling to Him in changing times.

How do you describe Jesus to other Christians? to unbelievers?How do you show Jesus that you believe He is the Son of God, Savior, King, Redeemer, superior to all created beings?List specific acts of obedience you will take to demonstrate your awe and wonder at the majesty of who Jesus is.
- - John 14:6–7HCSB

I. God has spoken through Jesus. (v. 1-2)

II. Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God. (v. 3)

III. Jesus made purification for sins. (v. 3)

IV. Jesus is superior to the angels. (v. 4)

John 14:6–7HCSB