Like Father Like Son
Like Father Like Son
Hebrews 1:1-4 NIV
Thesis - Jesus Christ is the final and full revelation of God.
Worship Objective - To cause people to appreciate the mission and purpose of Jesus Christ.
"It's raining cats and dogs." He's "smart as a whip." She's "cute as a button." "That's enough to gag a buzzard off a gut wagon." These are just a few of the curious expressions in our language whose origins I have wondered about.
I used to also wonder about where the expression, "like father like son" came from. It could well have originated from Hebrews 1:1-4. If you'll open to Hebrews 1 and follow along as I read the first four verses you can see for yourself why I would say that. (Read Hebrews 1:1-4.)
Let's look more closely at the Father and Son in these verses and see why the expression fits them. We’ll begin with
I. The Father
A. The name of the Father is God (v. 1).
B. The work of the Father is speaking ( vv. 1,2).
1. God spoke to our forefathers (v. 1).
a) Through the prophets (v. 1)
(1) In (NAS) is a better translation than by or through.
(a) The prophets were not passive instruments.
(b) For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21
(2) The prophets were Moses, Elijah, Isaiah ...
(3) The speaking continued over 10 centuries.
(4) The time of the speaking was more than 10 centuries before.
b) At many times and in various ways (v. 1).
(1) God spoke to men when and as they were able/ready to
hear Him through the Old Testament period.
(2) "Sometimes God directly intervened in history; sometimes
the Holy Spirit worked internally in the minds of the prophetic writers; sometimes God revealed himself through visions or dreams; often God's message was delivered by angels. Such revelations were preparatory and piecemeal." -The Complete Biblical Library
2. He has spoken to us (v. 2).
a) In these last days (v. 2)
(1) This phrase can mean at "the end of these days" referring to the time of the Old Covenant.
(2) It probably refers to the time after His resurrection and before His return.
b) By his Son (v. 2)
(1) While the word his doesn't appear in the Greek the thought here is "one who has the quality of being a son."
(2) The revelation of God in the prophets was imperfect because it was impersonal.
(a) Christ personalized and perfected God's self-disclosure.
(b) He is the end of progressive revelation.
(1) Not from false to true
(2) But from part to whole
(c) He is God's last word to man.
(1) All that came before Him was partial and preparatory.
(2) All that comes after Him is amplification and clarification.
(3) This is true religion - not man groping after God but God revealing Himself to man.
Having considered the Father let's turn our attention to
II. The Son
A. The name of the Son is Son of God (cf. v.4).
1. No specific name is mentioned until 2:9.
2. His name is more excellent than the angels (v. 4).
a) They were called sons of God (Job 1:6; 38:7).
b) He must be the Son of God.
c) Jesus = Son of God (cf. Philippians 2:9-11)
B. The work of the Son
1. To provide purification for our sins (v. 3c)
a) This is something the old covenant couldn't provide (cf. 10:2,4,6,11).
(1) Jesus is a better way.
(2) Jesus is the only way.
(a) Acts 4:12
(b) John 14:6
b) One of the main points of this epistle is that Jesus did all that needed to be done with regard to sin:
(1) Made a propitiation for it (2:17)
(2) Put it away from remembrance (8:12; 10:10)
(3) Bought redemption from it (9:15)
(4) Annulled it (9:26)
(5) Bore it (9:28)
(6) Offered a sacrifice for it (10:12)
(7) Brought remission from it (10:18)
(8) Made an offering for it (10:18)
c) We need to personally receive the benefit of His work.
2. To make intercession for us (v. 3d, 7:25)
C. The identification of the Son
1. The heir of all things (v. 2)
a) End of all history
b) Because He is the redeemer and creator of all things
(1) For by him all things were created ... Colossians 1:16a
(2) "This dual ownership is illustrated by the story of the junior
boy who carved out a small sailboat with great care. It was
his pride and joy. One day, as he was sailing it on the river near his home, the string slipped from his fingers. The current carried the boat downstream out of sight beyond recovery.
"Some weeks later, passing a secondhand store in town, the
lad saw his boat in the window for sale. He went in and
claimed it. The merchant said, "I'm sorry, Son; but I paid
good money for that boat to the boy who found it. If you want it, you'll have to buy it.
"Saving his allowance, the young boat builder bought back
the boat he had made and lost. As he left the store with his prize cradled in his arms, he said, 'You're mine! You're twice mine! You're mine because I made you, and you're mine because I bought you!'"
2. The creator of all things (v. 2)
a) Beginning of all history
b) Actually He was the agent in creation (John 1:3)
3. The manifestation/counterpart of God (v. 3)
a) He is the image of the invisible God ... Colossians 1:15a
b) He is the exact representation of God.
(1) The idea here is of an impress in wax.
(2) Like father like son
(3) Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9
4. The sustainer of all things (v. 3).
a) Through all history
b) And in him all things hold together … Colossians 1:17b
5. The Co-regent with the Father (v. 3)
6. The better messenger (v. 4)
a) The Israelites claimed that angels delivered "their" covenant on Mount Sinai.
b) He is better than theirs (vv. 4-14)
It is because Jesus is exactly like His Father that He was able to provide purification for our sins.
If you haven't appropriated His finished work personally, do so today.
If you have received purification of your sins through Jesus then join me as I pray a personal prayer of praise and thanksgiving for a Son like His Father.
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