Hebrews 1:1-4 A Better Redemption
- I can remember the first time I got on the internet by myself. 2400 baud modem
- Lightening fast. 2400 bits. Now my house is 1300 mega bits — 2400 to 1.3 billion.
- 40mb song 38 hours, now .2 sec. 1gb movie 42 days, now 6 seconds
- Why would anyone want to go back to those types of speeds? We save so much time!
- This is the point of the book of Hebrews. There’s no reason to go back. You’re better now
- Today we start our study of the Book of Hebrews. No one sure who wrote, Paul prob
- The point of the book of Hebrews is to keep new Jewish believers from going back to OT
- They’ve experienced the truth of the Gospel but lost sight of the purpose and truth of it
- Hebrews says to the Jewish reader- What you have is BETTER than Moses. Don’t go back!
- John 1:14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us
- We start off with a 3 week series on “better” showing a better redemption, righteousness, and rock. Today- we have a better redemption.
- Our Redemption is better because we have the complete story
- READ V1-2 The Bible is the story of the family of God and we have the complete story now
- We are not living in an inbetween time where we don’t know what will happen, maybe not WHEN, but we don’t wonder about the HOW. We know God came in the flesh and coming back
- God is not revealing new redemption beyond Christ His work is finished, and now we await His return. He is the end of the story until he brings us to himself.
- Our redemption is better than the OT bc we KNOW GOD
- Have you ever seen a preview that made you want to see a movie? You don’t go watch it after
- You have the full movie in Christ now- don’t go back to the preview!
- The complete story of God is Revealed by Himself in Creation and History
- Psalm 19:1–2 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.
- Romans 1:20 says creation shows the eternal God and they are without excuse.
- Just this week we saw a beautiful rainbow and it showed the grandeur of God. It’s every where
- When I see a ocean, river, stream, an eagle, a baby, eat some fresh fruit or a steak- Look at God!
- We enjoy the nature and character of God NOW much more than people previously, because we have the complete story. We know who did it and what it means and where we are going
- People who deny the existence of a creator are living in an alternate universe.
- God continued to reveal himself through the patriarchs like Moses and spoke to him
- Numbers 12:6–8 Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord.”
- This part of Hebrews is revolutionary and cautioning to the readers. They revere Moses deeply, and the writer is saying but there’s someone even BETTER. We’ve moved from Moses
- There’s no reason to go back to a man who spoke with God, we have God with us.
- God Revealed Himself through the Law and the Prophets Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
- And those people didn’t have the full picture. They just had a slight image, a glimpse.
- They still worshipped God, they still bowed, how much more should we worship and Bow?
- The complete story came when God gave The Full Revelation in Jesus Christ
- John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Then The Revelation Passed to the Apostles and the Church Eph 3:4–5 By which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets.
- The Revelation Completed in Christ- the story is finished in Christ! No cliffhangers!
- What does it mean to you? Why go back to the preview when you have the whole movie?
- One- Well, now, you should have a lot less questions about your salvation and redemption
- God has made it so clear that you should be able to understand it by reading his word.
- Two– quit looking for fresh revelation, knowledge and insight. Just go with what is known
- The human mind has difficulty comprehending the simplicity of the Gospel and God’s plan
- They want it to be complex- a new Gnosticism. Makes them feel special. Its quite easy
- Three- Don’t go back to your old beliefs. Don’t go back to the preview of your life when now you’re living in the main story. Don’t go back to what you used to believe.
- For you- why would you go back the ways of the world that clouded your standing and future?
- Why not take God at his word, you’ve been redeemed, the old is gone- your Past is GONE
- Why go back to when the world spoke to you instead of God speaking directly to you through Jesus. Why go back to your old life of sin that didn’t bring you any closer to God. DON’T GO
- Four- Don’t shrink back from what you believe. Nothing should scare you from living truth
- The world doesn’t want to hear what you believe and you can’t let them push you back
We saw what Happened to CKirk, whether you agree or not, he refused to back down
2. Our Redemption is better because we know exactly who God is
- 3 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,
- He is the image of God- if you want to know who God is- look at Jesus he is God.
- God gave The Full Revelation in Jesus Christ. He is God in flesh. Its better bc we know God!
- John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son. John 14:9 Jesus said “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Col 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
- We can look at the life of Jesus in the Gospels and say- This is what God is like.
- This is settled orthodoxy within Christianity and anyone who doesn’t believe this is wrong.
- Mormon. Jehovahs witness. Muslims. Do not believe Jesus is God. This is central to belief .
- You want to know what God is like? HE walked among us. God in the flesh no guessing.
- He’s loving and merciful. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- If you want to know who God is- he is merciful loving God. That’s his nature!
- Exodus 34:6–7 The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty… Psalm 103:8, Micah 7:18, John 3:16
- He is holy and righteous- Jesus is God! Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. JESUS SHOWS US GOD PERFECTLY
- And because he is holy and righteous how we interact with him should reflect that!
- Jesus wasn’t just a good moral teacher he is God in the flesh. We should walk as he did.
- 1 Peter 1:15–16 But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
- He spoke God’s truth to people who didn’t want to hear it and didn’t shut up.
- He challenged religious, political and normal people- This is the way of God. Engaged w them
- And people will say- well if I knew who God was and if he had spoke to me I’d follow
- HE HAS REVEALED HIMSELF. WE have the Bible to show us that this is true!
- The writer of Hebrews says- He is the God in the flesh upholding all things by the word of his power. The world runs by the words of Jesus- everything in your life is ran through the hands of Jesus and he is in charge of creation. That should give you a certain level of solace in this world.
- It says-He has removed our sins- that means that the sacrificial system of the OT is no longer the means by which you connect with God, are forgiven of Sin and live in redemption
- How can this not be a better redemption? He sat down at the right hand of the father.
- This is a old time phraseology from antiquity that isn’t a exact picture of God on a throne and Jesus sitting at his side- it just shows the description of the power and authority of Jesus
- And so what can apply to our own lives when it comes to Jesus?
- Well, we know God through the gospels and they show he wants: All of us
- Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other,
- Matthew 10:37–38 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
- above everything else you should be about Jesus. He demands it. More than yourself, your spouse, family, kids, country, job, hobbies, desires, wants, needs, plans, possessions. All of it.
- The walk with Jesus is a solitary walk where there is no competing allegiances.
- Through the gospel its clear he wants Obedience to His Commands
- Luke 6:46 But why do you call Me “Lord, Lord,” and not do the things which I say?
- John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.
- Jesus doesn’t just want us to live an identification existence. He wants us to do what he says
- And I get it- I talk about this often because its often said in scripture. Read your bible. Do it
- But also- we’re a church where people start their walk. They need to hear this.
- Jesus didn’t come just to tell us about God. He came to show us God and to be God with us. Why would you go back to guessing when God Himself has been revealed?
3. Our redemption is better because we can Just believe.
- The writer of Hebrews is making a polemic argument there is nothing more powerful than Jesus
- 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
- A polemic is a strong, intentional argument against an opposing idea, belief, or practice.
- It doesn’t just explain truth it confronts error. Christians must confront errors.
- In theology, a polemic passage is one that pushes back against false teaching or competing beliefs by making a clear, corrective statement. We have absolute truths that must speak
- The writer is deliberately arguing against the exaltation of angels in Jewish thought,
- he’s refuting a worldview that would put angels anywhere near the Son’s level.
- In Antiquity Names were authority and power. To invoke a name is to access their power
- God’s own name was so powerful they wouldn’t fully write it or say it.
- To say “more excellent name” is carrying the supreme authority of God’s own identity.
- Jews in the second temple era revered angels as powerful beings with divine roles.
- Hebrews combats this- There is no angelic power higher than the name of Jesus.
- Jewish tradition often associated angels with powerful names (Michael = “Who is like God?”, Gabriel = “God is my strength”).
- These names carried significance in Jewish piety and even in mystical traditions.
- But Hebrews says: Jesus’ name is “more excellent” than theirs not just another exalted title, but the very name above all names (Philippians 2:9–11). Now you believe you don’t achieve!
- And this name is the name by which we are saved! We believe on Jesus!
- Jesus himself said John 3:18 …he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
- God has always wanted righteousness by faith Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. It was prophesied by Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- Salvation isn’t about what you achieve it’s about who you believe
- Belief in Jesus’ Name Brings Salvation- Faith saves, not performance!
- John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
- Jesus as the Source of Salvation Acts 4:12, 1 tim 2:5, Hebrews 7:25
- Romans 10:13 For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- 1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
So what does it mean to you? - Call on the Lord Jesus for salvation if you haven’t already. Calling on his name is calling on him
- Realize that because you have called on Jesus- you are saved. You are made righteous through your belief in Jesus, not through ongoing acts. You were saved when you called his name
- There’s no reason to play these theological games of wondering if you are saved or not
- The bible is clear and the word is true- Whoever calls upon him will be saved
- Your salvation isn’t dependent on angels, or prophets, or ongoing religious rituals
- Your salvation is dependent upon an ongoing belief in the name above all names
- We have the complete story don’t go back to the preview. We know exactly who God is look at Jesus, that’s God. We’re saved by believing, not achieving His name is enough.
- Church, don’t go back. Not to the old covenant. Not to your old sins. Not to silence in the face of a world that wants you to sit down. We have a better redemption so we stand
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