Hebrews 1:1-2a

Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Hebrews chapter 1.

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

While you're getting there, just a little aside, a little over a week ago I turned 39, and I'm feeling that.

But then I realized that I got an extra short haircut.

I sat down with the barber and said, do whatever you want to, which I think is the kind of attitude you should have when you're 39.

And this is the haircut he gave me.

And then I got contacts, which I realize that many of you have never seen me without glasses.

It's been a while.

The reason I got contacts is because I used to always wear contacts, but we had a baby, and we just paid him off.

He's almost three, and I felt like I could afford contacts once again.

I just, I want you all to know that I am not having a midlife crisis.

It just kind of all happened at the same time, so I'm okay.

I can't guarantee what will happen next January, but at least for now.

Our text for today is Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1, and the first half of verse 2.

Hebrews 1:1

It's my intention, although we know how this goes, to preach a brief sermon this morning as an introduction to the book of Hebrews.

But this brief sermon, I hope, is going to be a brief sermon with a long introduction.

So I just want you to hang tight on Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1 and 2, as I work to give you some background to the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 1:1

The book of Hebrews is a gorgeous book of the Bible.

It is extremely well written.

And we'll talk a bit more about that soon.

As such, it can also be a bit perplexing.

If you've ever taken up the task of studying the book of Hebrews, you know exactly what I mean.

As we work through it in this next year, I'm sure I'll feel that more than I even do now.

I have a wonderful commentary by a man named William Lane, who's a contemporary, highly respected New Testament authority.

And he wrote this in his introduction to his commentary.

Hebrews is a delight for the person who loves puzzles.

Its form is unusual.

Its setting in life is uncertain.

And its argument is unfamiliar.

It invites engagement in the task of defining the undefined.

Undefined are the identity of the writer, his conceptual background,

the character and location of the community addressed,

the circumstances and date of composition,

the nature of the crisis to which the document is a response,

the literary genre,

and the purpose and plan of the document as a response.

Although these undefined issues continue to be addressed and debated vigorously,

no real consensus has been reached.

It's encouraging because we begin a study of the book of Hebrews, is it not?

There is probably no other book of the Bible of which more has been written

and more opposition exists because we're laboring to define the undefined.

There's some things that are unclear about this book.

So, Lane then goes on to do a very careful work

to give us what I like to call the probabilities and the likelies.

So, you'll hear me use those words quite a bit to say probably.

So, we're going to talk about the writer of Hebrews

because we don't actually know.

We don't have a confidence in who wrote the book of Hebrews.

But we could say something like probably so-and-so or such-and-such,

which I won't really do.

But we may do that in some other areas,

the probabilities and the likelies.

There is, though, one matter without contention.

The theme of Hebrews is

the supremacy and finality of Jesus Christ.

The supremacy and finality of Jesus Christ.

Christ is greater than.

You can fill in anything in that blank.

Christ is greater than.

And the writer of Hebrews makes the case

that Christ is greater than angels.

Christ is greater than priests.

And Christ is greater than any old covenant institution.

Christ is supreme.

And Christ is the final word.

God has spoken by His Son.

We'll see in our text this morning.

And we need now no new revelation.

God spoke in Christ and in the New Testament

that gives witness to Christ.

So, Jesus is also final in this way.

The supremacy and finality of Jesus Christ.

Now, let's talk about some things we can know

and maybe guess at

about the author,

about the audience,

and about the occasion of this writing.

Now, the author is presumably

within the circle of Paul.

Pauline's circle, missionary band.

You remember that Paul would travel around.

He'd pick up a disciple

and leave a disciple behind.

They were constantly in this melee

of joining and splitting apart.

Although, with fair confidence,

we can say that the author was not Paul.

So, we can see that he was part of the circle of Paul

because in Hebrews 13, verse 23,

Hebrews 13:23

he says,

you should know that our brother,

Timothy,

has been released,

with whom I shall see you

if he comes soon.

So, he often has the intention

of coming back and joining this people,

and he anticipates

that Timothy will join him.

And this is the Timothy we know

as Paul's compatriot.

Right?

However,

we do not believe that he is Paul

because the language of Hebrews

constitutes the finest Greek

in the New Testament.

Now, you might think,

gosh, but Paul's writing.

And yes, I agree with you on that.

But even as we say that,

we have to go,

oh, but the writer of Hebrews.

It is the finest Greek

in the New Testament.

Right?

We don't really have a standard

for that as American Christians.

So, we have to look to scholars

to help us with it.

Again,

William Lane says

that the writer of Hebrews,

Greek,

is far superior

to the Pauline standard.

And,

it contains within it

very distinctive imagery.

Ship Adrift,

chapter 2, verse 1.

An anchor gripping the seabed,

chapter 6, verse 19.

A double-edged sword,

chapter 4, verse 12.

And these are all images

that are foreign to Pauline usage.

He never again,

he never picks these things up,

I shouldn't say again.

He never does use any of this imagery.

And it's wonderful imagery.

If you stick with me for very long,

you'll hear me use the same imagery

because when I find one that works,

I use it.

Right?

And Paul doesn't do that

in any of his letters.

And so,

this man,

I think with fair certainty,

we can say,

was in the circle of Paul,

but was not Paul.

We also,

with some fair certainty,

can know that he was a

Hellenistic Jewish Christian.

That is to say,

he was Jewish

in his ethnic descent,

but he was Hellenistic,

it means he's a Greek-speaking Jew.

He had been part of dispersion

and his family had been spread abroad

and then had come down through.

So,

the Hellenistic Jews

were those who were primarily,

predominantly,

Greek-speaking Jews.

Hebrews.

And we can presume this

because the book of Hebrews

is full,

it is,

it is just chock full

of Old Testament references,

but they are exclusively

from the Septuagint.

The Septuagint,

the Septuagint was the Greek translation

of the Old Testament.

This would have been the Old Testament

of the Hellenistic Jews.

Much like we pick up our English copies

of the text,

they would have picked up

a Greek copy,

a translated Greek copy

of the text.

It's called the Septuagint.

And all of his citations

are from that text.

So,

maybe he knew his audience

so well,

who were also most likely

Hellenistic Jewish Christians,

that he was using their text,

but his familiarity with it

probably means that it was also his.

It was the text that he himself

would have learned from.

The book of Hebrews

is a work of eloquent rhetoric.

Eloquent rhetoric.

So, the author makes a case

and then spends the letter

defending that case.

Because of that,

I like Apollos as the writer.

I can't know this for sure,

but I just like him.

If I was going to say,

I've got to pick one,

that's my guy

I'm going to pick.

And this is because,

and this is as complicated

as my argument will be,

and then I'll move on.

Luke writes in Acts 18,

Acts 18:24

verse 24,

Now a Jew named Apollos,

a native of Alexandria,

Hellenistic Jewish Christian,

came to Ephesus.

He was an eloquent man,

competent in the Scriptures.

And this phrase eloquent man

was used to describe somebody

who had been trained in rhetoric.

So, we know that Apollos

was a Hellenistic Jew.

He was a Christian.

And he had been trained in rhetoric.

And Luke then tells us,

verse 24,

that he was competent

in the Scriptures.

What would have been

Apollos' Scriptures?

The Septuagint,

that Greek translation

of the Old Testament.

That's it.

That's why I like him for it.

And not beyond.

So, I will not refer to Apollos

as the author.

I will just say

the writer of Hebrews.

Now, this eloquence

that's here used to describe Apollos

can most certainly be used

to describe the writer of Hebrews

is persuasive speech or writing.

I think we really quickly think

of eloquence as beautiful speech.

And it can be that.

The book of Hebrews is that.

But moreover,

the word means persuasive writing.

Sometimes beautiful writing

is persuasive.

But that's the point,

is that the author of Hebrews

is an eloquent writer.

Has made the case

very carefully

and very well

for the supremacy

and finality

of Jesus Christ.

It's very likely

that the writer of Hebrews

was a trained man.

He'd been trained in this art

of being persuasive

with words.

But at the end of it all,

he is unknown

and obscure.

We're just not sure.

Let's talk a little bit

about his audience.

Again, as I said,

I believe that these were

Hellenistic Jewish Christians

because of the use

of the Septuagint.

They were Greek-speaking Christians

of Jewish descent.

And these were

Hellenistic Jewish Christians

that had not seen Jesus

but had heard the gospel

and believed.

This was a church

that had been

formed by

those who had gone out

to preach the good news

of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 2, verse 1.

Hebrews 2:1

The writer says,

Therefore,

we must pay much closer attention

to what we have heard

lest we drift

away from it.

In other places

in the New Testament,

Paul will say things like

what we have seen

and heard.

So it's most likely

that they hadn't seen

but they had heard.

They had heard this good news

and believed it

and became Christians

as such.

We also believe,

with the kind of certainty

that we can have,

that this group of Christians

had an Italian

locust,

location,

the center.

They were somewhere

in the realm

of Italy.

And there's some clues

in the text

that they were in

an urban environment

and so many will say

likely they were somewhere

in or around Rome.

Hebrews 13, 24,

the writer says,

Greet all your leaders

and all the saints.

Those who come from Italy

send you greetings.

But we think

he's referring to people

who had been sent

from them,

who knew them,

right,

or sent from them

to where he was

are simply saying,

oh hey,

you're writing a letter

back to them?

Please let them know

we said hello.

So it's likely

this is where

they're located

but once again,

unknown

and obscure.

We're not really

sure.

Now we know

a little bit more

about the occasion

but not the specifics

of it.

Why is the writer

of Hebrews

writing?

Why is it that he

thinks it's so important

to develop

such a beautiful work

to convince them

of the supremacy

and finality

of Jesus Christ?

We know a bit

about what was

going on

with them.

We believe

that this was

a first century letter

likely written

before A.D. 70

which is when

the temple in Jerusalem

was destroyed.

And we believe

this because

he uses language

speaking of the

sacrificial system

as if it's still

happening.

He doesn't speak

of it in past tense.

He speaks of it

in present tense.

And in A.D. 70

when the temple

was destroyed

that service

stopped.

It no longer

existed

at that point.

So Hebrews

Hebrews 7:27

chapter 7

verse 27

and 28

he says

he has no need

speaking of Christ

like those high

priests

to offer

sacrifices daily

first for his

own sins

and then for

those of the

people

since he did

this once for

all when he

offered up

himself.

For the law

appoints men

in their weakness

as high priests

but the word

of the oath

which came later

than the law

appoints a son

who has been

made perfect

forever.

So you see

that present

feeling to the

text that he's

writing there.

So it likely

happened

this letter

was written

before the

temple was

destroyed.

It also

likely happened

we don't know

but probably

after the

Christian persecution

under the

Roman emperor

Claudius.

The Roman

historian

Suetonius

wrote in

Life of the

Deified

Claudius

quote

there were

riots in

the Jewish

quarter

at the

instigation

of

Crestus

as a result

Claudius

expelled

the Jews

from Rome.

Modern

historians

widely agree

that

Crestus

is a

reference

to Christ.

It's a

mishearing

it's a

Romanization

of the

word

Christ.

And so

this Roman

historian

tells us

that there

was a

time we

think

around

AD

49

when

Jewish

Christians

were

expelled

from Rome.

So that

may place

this group

having already

bore up

under some

persecution

as we'll

see in a

moment

sent out

of Rome

possibly

living still

in an

urban

environment

on the

edges

of

their

suburban

Christians.

They were

a suffering

group of

Christians

and they

would

suffer

further.

It's the

purpose of

the very

writing of

this letter.

It's a

very pastoral

work.

Hebrews

Hebrews 10:32

chapter 10

verse 32

and following

but recall

the former

days

possibly

these

days

under

Claudius

when

after you

were

enlightened

you

endured

a hard

struggle

with

sufferings

sometimes

being publicly

exposed to

reproach

and affliction

and sometimes

being partners

with those

so treated

for you

had compassion

on those

in prison

and you

joyfully

accepted

the plundering

of your

property

since you

knew that

you

yourselves

had a

better

possession

and

an

abiding

one.

Part of

his

writing

to convince

them of

the supremacy

of Christ

is to

remind

them

that they

also

believed

in the

supremacy

of Christ.

That they

had suffered

and in the

process of

suffering

had lost

property.

Possibly

they were

driven

out of

Rome

altogether.

And then

they would

suffer

further.

The author

writes

Hebrews

Hebrews 12:4

chapter 12

verse 4

In your

struggle

against sin

you have

not yet

resisted

to the

point of

shedding

your blood.

It would

seem

there's a

hint

there

that no

one had

yet been

martyred

for their

faith

but that

this was

coming

their way.

So we

see there's

a great

deal of

suffering

that has

happened

to these

Hellenistic

Jewish

Christians

and we're

going to

see in

our study

of it

that the

temptation

for them

then was

to simply

go back

to Judaism.

This had

been accepted

by Rome

and there

was no

persecution

for those

who worshipped

God in

that way.

It was

Christ followers

who were

being persecuted.

It was

Christ followers

as Jesus

said

who were

suffering

the way

he suffered.

They were

the ones

who were

filling up

what was

lacking

in the

afflictions

of Christ.

So there

was this

temptation

to say

oh but

the old

ways

weren't

too far

off the

mark

were they?

And the

writer of

Hebrews

says

absolutely

you cannot

go back

you know

this Christ

and he is

supreme

and he is

final.

So

at the end

though we

don't know

the specific

circumstances

verses

and so

it is

still a

bit

unknown

and

obscure.

Even the

literary

genre

of this

letter

is a

bit of

a

head

scratcher.

I would

suggest

to you

that it is

written

more

as a

sermon

than as

a letter.

In fact

it kind of

starts out

that way.

You see

all of

Paul's

letters

begin

with a

greeting.

This

does not.

There is

no greeting

whatsoever.

It just

launches

right in

to the

discourse.

And it

remains

at this

pace

almost

to the

very

end.

All the

way through

chapter 13

and verse

21.

And then

there seems

to be this

postscript

added to

it.

Like,

oh and

by the

way,

goodbye.

Seems

to be the

way that

it's

written.

So this

man who's

most likely

trained in

this

rhetoric,

unable to

be with

them and

speak these

words,

wrote the

words down.

It's like

a sermon

manuscript.

And I

am so

encouraged by

that possibility

because most

of the

preaching we

have recorded

in the

Bible are

very short

presentations.

Oh,

I love

that there's

a 13

chapter one

now.

It's

pretty

fantastic.

It helps

me preach

longer than

45 minutes

to make a

case for

such a

thing.

Again,

there's a

thesis,

right?

The supremacy

and finality

of Jesus

Christ,

which he

lays out

in verses

one through

four.

And then he

goes on

through the

rest of

the text

to defend

what he's

saying in

those first

four verses.

And then he

ends with

chapter 13

and verse

22,

I appeal to

you brothers,

bear with my

word of

exhortation,

for I have

written to

you briefly.

So he

even calls

what he's

written a

word of

exhortation.

He uses

the Bible

to make

his case.

Very

sermon-esque

in that

sense.

He is

appealing to

what we

now call

the Old

Testament,

what was

their

scripture

in their

day.

And in

doing so,

he exposes

both the

unity and

the disunity

of the

old and

new

covenants.

We don't,

as New

Testament

Christians,

disregard the

Old Testament.

There's much

continuity between

the two.

There's also

discontinuity.

And we

should be

careful and

think through

this very

carefully.

I think the

book of

Hebrews is

going to

serve us

well as

we work

on that

together.

William Lane

again.

Hebrews is

impregnated

with the

Old Testament.

The writer

makes vital

use of the

Old Testament

text in

developing

his persuasive

sections as

well as

those that

are more

theologically

oriented.

Every chapter

is marked

by explicit

or implicit

references to

the biblical

text.

The writer's

use of

scripture

expresses his

conviction

of the

continuity

between God's

speaking and

action under

the Old and

New Covenants,

which had

urgent implications

for Israel

and for the

church.

He

presupposes

both an

essential

unity and

a development

between the

old and

new economies

of redemption.

A detailed

knowledge of

the Old

Testament is

indispensable for

understanding what

the writer of

Hebrews is

endeavoring to

say.

He assumes

on the part

of his

audience a

deep

familiarity

with our

contents.

I don't

know that we

could say of

us that we

have a deep

familiarity

with the

Old Testament

text.

Hebrews is

going to help

us to become

more familiar

with it.

We're going to

have to do

some work

together because

the writer of

Hebrews assumes

a deep

familiarity.

He knows his

audience and

he knows that

he can both

explicitly and

implicitly quote

the Old Testament

text and just

keep right on

moving.

This would have

been read as

a single

sitting.

This was a

sermon.

And we're

going to

break it

up over a

year and

a half.

We've got

some work

out ahead of

us to

wring out

all that the

writer of

Hebrews intends

by God's

good hand

for us to

understand.

So imagine

for a moment

with me,

likely a

small church,

likely meeting

in a home

on the edge

of Rome,

having been

kicked out of

the city,

being tired,

beat down,

beleaguered in

their pursuit

of Christ.

They had

already suffered

much,

feeling a

temptation to

walk away from

this faith.

Some of them

we'll see in

Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

10 had already

stopped gathering

together with the

church.

They had just

ceased doing it

altogether.

This is a

tired group

of Christians.

And the word

goes out.

Hey, we

received a

letter from

the author

of Hebrews.

And so

they're gathered

together,

eager

expectation.

What is the

word that he's

bringing to

us?

We want to

hear.

God seems

to be silent.

What would you

say to us

from the text

to help us

at this time?

And somebody

stands up and

opens the

letter and

says,

long ago,

at many times

and in many

ways,

God spoke to

our fathers

by the

prophets.

But in these

last days,

he has spoken

to us

by his

son.

Beloved,

this is God's

word to

us.

It was

written for

his glory

and our

good.

We would

all do

well to

listen to

it in

order to

believe

its

promises

and obey

its commands.

Christians.

The writer of

Hebrews,

out of a

great love

for this

little

beat-down

beleaguered

church,

employs

his eloquence

to speak

of the

eloquence

of God.

Our

God

is a

God

who

speaks.

He is

not

silent.

In

Hebrews,

he uses,

our

God uses,

an

unknown

author

writing to

an

unknown

audience.

He uses

an

obscure

author

and an

obscure

church

to make

much

of

himself.

Our

God

is a

God

who

communicates

and he

communicates

convincingly

about

himself

that we

would

know

him.

What an

astounding

reality.

May we

make much

of him

as we

consider

this

little bit

of text

this

morning.

First,

let's

consider

the

eloquence

of God

in the

past.

The writer

of Hebrews

says,

long ago,

many times

and in

many ways,

God

spoke to

our fathers

by the

prophets.

God

says,

now I

don't

think the

writer of

Hebrews

intends to

leave this

little point

out,

but I

just want

to add,

not only

is there

a prophetic

eloquence,

God's

people to

hear from,

but there's

also a

cosmic

eloquence.

God

spoke the

world into

existence

and he

designed it

in such

a way

to say,

look at

me.

Here's the

creation

and it

exists to

worship

the

Creator.

Psalm 19

Psalms 19:1–4

verses 1

through 4,

the heavens

declare the

glory of

God,

His

greatness,

His

grandeur,

and the

sky above

proclaims

His

handiwork.

Day to

day it

pours out

speech

and night

to night

reveals

knowledge.

There is

no speech,

nor are

there words

whose voice

is not

heard.

Their voice

goes out

through all

the earth

and their

words to

the end

of the

world.

In

them He

has set

a tent

for the

Son.

Our

God

speaks

cosmically

that we

would know

Him.

There's a

cosmic

eloquence

to our

God.

There's

also this

prophetic

eloquence.

At

many times

and in

many ways

God

spoke to

our

fathers

by the

prophet.

God

spoke to

Moses

at

Sinai

in

thunder

and

lightning

and

with

a

trumpeting

voice.

God

spoke

to

Elijah

at

Horeb

in

a

still

small

voice.

God

spoke

to

Ezekiel

in

visions.

God

spoke

to

Daniel

in

dreams.

God

appeared

to

Abram

in

human

form

and

to

Jacob

as

an

angel.

God

spoke

by

the

law,

by

warning,

by

exhortation,

by

type,

and

by

parables.

He

spoke

in

many

ways.

When the

prophets

prophesied,

they used

as many

varied

forms.

Direct

oracles,

questions

and answers,

bizarre

symbolic

acts,

sermons

and

mysterious

signs.

At

many

times

and

in

many

ways,

God

has been

declaring

to the

world,

I

am.

And

He

has been

telling

the

world

how

it

is

that

we

can

know

Him.

And

He

has

been

doing

this

in

the

Old

Testament

and

now

on

into

the

New

progressively.

He

has

been

revealing

Himself

ever

more

across

the

text

with

now

the

great

fulfillment,

the great

finality

in the

person

and

work

of

Jesus

Christ.

Many

times

and

in

many

ways.

And

consider

these

Hellenistic

Jewish

Christians

who had

this

Old

Testament

text

that

God

had

been

silent

for

many

years.

God

did

not

have

a

prophet.

The

book

was

closed

in

a

sense

and

then

with

Christ

it

reopened

and

God

roars

into

the

world

again.

Know

me

by

my

Son.

So

let's

consider

the

eloquence

of

God

in

the

present.

The

writer

of

Hebrews

says

but

in

these

last

days

He

has

spoken

and

there's

this

precious

conjunction

pay

attention

when you

see

the

conjunction

but

in

these

last

days

God

spoke

in

this

way

at

time

many

times

and

in

many

ways

but

no

more

now

God

has

spoken

in

his

son

God

spoke

he has

spoken

and

he

is

now

today

speaking

in

his

son

I

came

across

trying

to

search

for

the

lyrics

of

an

entirely

different

song

the

lyrics

to

a

hymn

that

we

should

probably

learn

called

God

is

spoken

by

the

prophets

by

a man

named

George

W

Briggs

please

somebody

tell me

if you

know

him

and

we

shouldn't

sing

a

song

I

love

the

lyrics

of

this

three

verses

he wrote

God

has

spoken

by

the

prophets

spoken

the

unchanging

word

each

from

age

to

age

proclaiming

God

the

one

the

righteous

Lord

mid

the

world's

despair

and

turmoil

one

firm

anchor

holding

fast

God

eternal

reigns

forever

God

the

first

and

God

the

last

second

verse

God

is

spoken

by

Christ

Jesus

Christ

the

everlasting

son

brightness

of

the

father's

glory

with

the

father

ever

one

spoken

by

the

word

incarnate

God

of

God

ere

time

was

born

light

of

light

to

earth

descending

Christ

as

God

in

human

form

verse

three

God

is

speaking

by

the

spirit

speaking

to

our

hearts

again

in

the

age

long

word

declaring

God's

own

message

now

as

then

through

the

rise

and

fall

of

nations

one

sure

faith

is

standing

fast

God

abides

the

word

unchanging

God

the

first

and

God

the

last

good

he's

spoken

to

us

in

the

present

in

these

days

by

his

son

and

now

the

spirit

testifies

through

the

scripture

to

his

son

we

have

such

a

treasure

!

in it

God

and

so

lastly

the

eloquence

of

God

in

the

person

of

Christ

he

has

spoken

in

the

last

days

by

his

son

this

could

be

translated

in

his

son

a

familiar

text

to you

may be

John

chapter

one

verses

one

and

two

and

then

I'll

read