Sermon Tone Analysis
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heb 1-1-3
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.
()
The recipients of the letter to the Hebrews were Jews who had either fully trusted in Christ, or had at least been confronted with the truth that Jesus Christ had initiated the New Covenant promised in Ezekiel and Jeremiah.
They recognized that following Jesus required turning away from the Temple and its practices, which at best were just shadows of things to come.
But they found themselves missing what took place on Mount Zion.
The recipients of the letter to the Hebrews were Jews who had either fully trusted in Christ, or had at least been confronted with the truth that Jesus Christ had initiated the New Covenant promised in Ezekiel and Jeremiah.
They recognized that following Jesus required turning away from the Temple and its practices, which at best were just shadows of things to come.
But they found themselves missing what took place on Mount Zion.
The truth was that the Temple and its practices were complex and impressive.
The Temple mount in Jerusalem occupied 35 acres, roughly 1,500 feet by 1,000 feet.
By comparison, the temple to Athena in Athens, Greece – the Parthenon – occupied about 6.5 acres, and the temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece, less than one acre.
It was roughly the same size as the White House grounds in Washington D.C..
It was twice as big as Husker Memorial Stadium and its surroundings.
Within those 35 acres hundreds of priests served.
They offered sacrifices, oversaw liturgies, taught, lectured, and mediated the Law of Moses, and administrated the wealth of Israel.
There were chambers and rooms and halls – the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of 71 men, met at the Temple in a great hall.
And of course, the sanctuary itself was the center of Israel’s life and faith.
Services began at dawn, and continued throughout the day, until after night fall, following complex liturgies.
When a Jew believed in Jesus and was joined to His church, they left all the splendor and magnificence of the Temple, and entered into what seemed to be a much smaller, less impressive, common, plain, unadorned world.
They met in homes, not the Temple.
There was no priesthood or priestly garments or incense.
There was no mediator present, just a man in plain clothes who read the Scriptures and explained them, calling upon those present to continue in faith, grow in sanctification, and persevere in the Lord.
Psalms and hymns were sung, without accompaniment.
They prayed together.
They shared bread and wine in the name of Jesus – the very same bread and wine they ate at each meal.
The gathering of Jesus’ disciples was unimpressive, plain, ordinary, common.
Nothing made anyone ooh or aah.
They met in homes, not the Temple.
There was no priesthood or priestly garments or incense.
There was no mediator present, just a man in plain clothes who read the Scriptures and explained them, calling upon those present to continue in faith, grow in sanctification, and persevere in the Lord.
Psalms and hymns were sung, without accompaniment.
They prayed together.
They shared bread and wine in the name of Jesus – the very same bread and wine they ate at each meal.
The gathering of Jesus’ disciples was unimpressive, plain, ordinary, common.
Nothing made anyone ooh or aah.
For some Jews, the change from splendor to simplicity was hard to take, and they were tempted to turn away from Jesus and back toward the religion into which they had been born.
This was not a minor issue for them; nor is it a minor issue now.
Turning away from genuine faith in Christ for the sake of religion and ritual and tradition is a deadly error.
The book of Hebrews was written to urge us not to fall away, but to persevere in the Lord Jesus.
The first and greatest reason to not fall away, but to press on in Christ, is Christ Himself.
Much of the book of Hebrews is focused on the greatness of Jesus in a variety of ways.
The author gives us a summary of the Lord in these opening verses.
This morning we are going to see the surpassing greatness of Jesus as Lord.
Next week we will continue and see the perfection of Jesus’ saving work.
Then we will finish the first chapter of Hebrews as it declares the supremacy of Jesus as King.
We’ll also take a week and look at what , and the rest of Scripture, tell us about angels.
We begin, then, with the surpassing greatness of Jesus as Lord.
Jesus is the Appointed Heir of All Things
of All Things
The word heir is not a special word.
Many of us have inherited something from our parents: money, jewelry, perhaps a house or land, or some small heirloom.
It is not being an heir that makes Jesus special, but what He is heir to: all things.
The language here is specific; it’s not merely that Jesus inherits everything in a general way, but that each and every specific thing belongs to Him, every single object in Creation.
The entire universe is His possession.
Everything in the universe is His possession.
I am His possession.
You are His possession.
My clothing belongs to Him.
Your jewelry belongs to Him.
The food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe, all belong to Him.
What’s more, Jesus is appointed heir of all things.
His inheritance is not merely a reward, but a responsibility.
He has been made a steward of all creation, placed in the position of Lordship by the express will of the Father.
In the Father says to the Son,
psa 2 8-9
“Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession.” ()
says,
says,
For by [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through [Jesus] and for [Jesus].
()
Moses is not the heir of anything.
Israel does not inherit the Kingdom of God.
It’s Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is made the heir of all things by the Father.
Moses is not the heir of anything.
Israel does not inherit the Kingdom of God.
It’s Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is made the heir of all things by the Father.
It is only reasonable that Jesus is appointed the heir of all things, because, after all …
Jesus is the One through whom God made the world
The word translated “world” can have different meanings, depending on the context.
The context here makes it clear that “world” means “the universe itself and everything in it.”
Jesus is the agent of creation, the means by which God created the universe and everything in it.
says,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
()
So clearly, Jesus – the Word – is God Himself, Yahweh.
So clearly, Jesus – the Word – is God Himself, Yahweh.
All things came into being through Him [Jesus], and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
()
So Jesus, the eternal Word is the agent of Creation for everything that has been made.
So Jesus, the eternal Word is the agent of Creation for everything that has been made.
says,
By the word of the Lord [Jesus] the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth [Jesus] all their host.
()
The New Testament continues this theme.
says,
The New Testament continues this theme.
says,
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God [Jesus], so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
()
Some false religions, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, teach that Jesus is the first created being, who created everything else.
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