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Hebrews Chapter One

1. Hebrews begins with a prologue comparable to Genesis and John for depth of meaning (Heb. 1:1-3a).
   1. Long ago, God had a message to the fathers.  This message came through the prophets in many portions and in many ways.
   2. Just recently, God had a message to us.  This message came through His Son.  This Son is described as:
      1. The Heir of All Things.
      2. The Creator of the Ages.
      3. The visible representation of the Father’s invisible glory.
      4. The sustainer of all things according to the will of God the Father.
2. Following His work on Earth, God the Son obtained the greatest title of all creation in all the ages (Heb. 1:3b,4).
3. The superiority of Jesus Christ to angels is an undeniable witness at the right hand of God the Father (Heb. 1:5-14).
4. Hebrews quotes the Old Testament (Septuagint translation) throughout the Book, especially here with reference to the Son’s glory over the angels (Ps. 2:7; 2nd Sam. 7:14; Ps. 97:7; 104:4; 45:6-7; 102:25-27; 110:1).

Hebrews Chapter Two

1. The angels’ destiny as our servants (Heb. 1:13) and our role in teaching them the manifold wisdom of God (Eph. 3:10) should motivate us for an incredible degree of diligent service (Heb. 2:1-4). The word spoken by angels refers back to Satan’s original rebellion and the separation of elect and fallen angels (Ps. 82:1-8; 89:5-10; Rev. 12:4; Dan. 8:10-11).
2. The plan of God the Father exalts the race of man over the realm of angelic creation, and therefore the Christ came to identify with fallen man (Heb. 2:5-18; Ps. 8:4-6; 22:22; Isa. 8:17-18).
   1. It was fitting for the Son to be made complete in his human experience by enduring the sufferings of His brethren (Heb. 2:10).
   2. It was necessary for the Son to identify with man, in order to become a merciful and faithful high priest, satisfying God the Father on behalf of man (Heb. 2:17-18).

Hebrews Chapter Three

1. Believers in the Dispensation of the Church are required to actively direct their minds entirely upon the Apostle and High Priest of their confession—Jesus (Heb. 3:1).
   1. κατανοέω katanoeō ^#2657: to consider attentively, fix one’s eyes or mind upon.
   2. ὁμολογία homologia ^#3671: profession, confession (Heb. 3:1; 4:14; 10:23).
2. Christ is superior to Moses, even as a son is superior to a servant (Heb. 3:2-6). Our house identity is our priestly function as a temple in Christ. Such function is absolutely conditional upon our holding fast, as this conditional reality is unrelated to our absolute and unlosable salvation (Heb. 3:6).
3. Even as the followers of Moses had a promised reward for faithfulness, so do the followers of Christ (Heb. 3:7-11; Ps. 95:9-11).
4. The Church faces the same test that Israel faced in the wilderness—the unbelief of the believer as the manifestation of a hardened heart (Heb. 3:12-19).

Hebrews Chapter Four

1. Believers no longer fear falling short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).  Our concern is falling short of the Sabbath rest He supplies on a daily basis (Heb. 4:1-11; Ps. 95:11,7).
2. Believers fall short of the daily Sabbath rest by failing to unite the Word of God with faith (Heb. 4:2).
3. The Word of God is the living and active agent that pierces the believer’s soul & spirit, convicting us daily in our walk and rest (Heb. 4:12-13).

(Chapter Four continues tomorrow)