Sermon Tone Analysis

Hebrews 1:1-4

Study #2

Sunday, March 18th, 2007

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We opened up our study of Hebrews a couple of weeks ago…

·        Talking about a bit of the history of this book

·        It’s uniqueness

·        It’s origins and authorship

·        It’s controversies

·        And its strong authority and message

·        How it is so basic, yet so revealing

·        And how it is foundational to our doctrine as Christians

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And the power of what is written in this book

·        Starts of right at the beginning

·        The author wastes no time getting right to the point

·        In dealing with the Hebrew nation, the Jews as a race of people

·        If we, as evangelicals are to reach them…

·        What is central to Christianity…

·        Needs to be understood by them to be central to Salvation.

·        And the spiritual epicenter of salvation is Jesus Christ Himself.

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There is a moving scene in the movie Fiddler on the Roof…

·        Where Tevye the father, after finding out that his daughter married a Orthodox Christian boy rather than a Jew

·        And he looks at his wide Golde and says..

·        “she is dead to us now…”

!!! To the Hebrew, Jesus is dead to them too.

·        And if they are going to come to that saving faith in Christ

·        If they are going to realize that it is faith and not works that saves them

·        If they are going to finally know, in this lifetime, that Jesus Christ is the way to salvation…

·        They need to know who He is, and most of all, that He is alive!

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The author here, knows this, and wastes no time getting to it.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 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; 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, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

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The Hebrews are the chosen people

·        They know this, and they know they are special because of it.

·        They also know that they have suffered because of it.

·        Some of this suffering is self-inflicted as they refuse to take heed of the hope that is in Christ, the true messiah.

·        But in any case, they have a great reverence for God

·        The author knows this of course, and so this is exactly how the book starts

·        GOD!

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We like to look at Hebrews and say that there is no known sure author to this work…

·        As we had said last week…

·        Many earthy authors have been suggested for this epistle.

·        Remember the tradition of,

o       and typical style of writing of the day

·        was for the introduction to contain the name of the author.

·        A well known author was important for the Christian movement

·        A well known author…  

o       as we have seen with so many other letters,

o       names like Paul, Peter, Luke, or James…

·        …meant that the letter held apostolic authority

·        And therefore had public support for it’s authenticity and value to the Christian faith

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Such as is the case with Hebrews…

·        …Not the author in its introduction had its draw backs

·        And its authority would have been questioned.

o       As it is in some circles still today

·        But is this epistle really lacking an author?

·        The fact of the matter is that the introduction of Hebrews DOES list the author.

·        Right here with the very first word,

·        GOD.

·        There is no better authority to back the Work than the heavenly author of all things

·        The Father Himself.

!!! God…

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets

·        Napoleon once said that, /‘all things proclaim the existence of God’ /

·        This is profound, and true, but not something that Napoleon came up with on his own

·        Paul taught us all in Romans…

o       another famous treatise towards a particular people group…

·        *Romans 1:20 *

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible /attributes/ are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, /even/ His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

·        Through nature itself is one of the various ways through which God has spoken to us.

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We would be wise to remember, that ‘speaking’ to someone…

·        …does not always mean with words

·        Saint Francis of Assisi made the famous quote, ‘preach always, if necessary, use words’

·        This sentence could also be used to make the same statement

·        But the word used for ‘speak’ is a word that literally means ‘words’

·        Utterances, to tell

·        To use words to declare one’s mind or thoughts…

·        In this way God spoke to us as well…

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And in 2 ways…

1.    Audibly

o       Most famously from Mount Sinai to Moses

o       *Exodus 3:14*

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

o       And he continued to speak to Moses and his people audibly over the years

2.    By proxy

o       First through the Fathers

·        Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses,

·        God spoke to the people through these, the earliest of “church fathers”….

·        And then as this verse says, through His prophets.

o       Prophet means to declare, or announce.

o       Gods chosen prophets did just that

o       The proclaimed and announced the words and truths that God gave them

o       And the price they paid for doing so, was typically heir lives

o       As far back as I Kings the bible talks about how the Hebrews, God’s chosen people killed them

o       *I Kings 13:26, 2 Chronicles 28:9, Nehemiah 9:26*, all in the OT, all before Christ this was spoken of.

o       And then Jesus Himself made the famous remarks from the hills outside of Jerusalem;

*Matthew 23:37, and Luke 13:34*

34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen /gathers/ her brood under /her/ wings, but you were not willing!

35 See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until /the time/ comes when you say, /‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord/!’ ”

·        The Hebrews killed almost all that God has sent

·        That being the case, how would God talk to His people?

·        The same way he does it right now