Jesus Christ the Living Word

Book of Hebrews

Scripture Lesson Hebrews 1:1-13             Isaiah 61:1-11

Jesus Christ is Superior to the Prophets,

Man has always felt an inner drive to live forever in a perfect world. Therefore, he has sensed an inner need to search and find out if there is a God, and if there is, to please Him and to gain His approval and acceptance. This is where so much religion has come from, from the inner struggle of men to find God.

The great tragedy is this: men have searched to find God as though they were in a dark world that gave no evidence of God. But this is just not so; there is no need for man to be in the dark about God. Why?

Because God has revealed Himself to man and He has revealed Himself in so many different ways:

1.      Through nature or what might be called a revelation of His Supreme deity and power. A person can look at nature and clearly see God's deity and power.

2.      Through conscience or what might be called an inner witness or sense of duty to God.

3.      Through law or what might be called a revelation of Supreme justice.

4.      Through religion or what might be called a revelation of how to worship and become acceptable to God.

5.      Through prophets and priests or what might be called the revelation of God through human spokesmen and mediators.

The list could go on and on, but the point is that God has revealed Himself to man, and each revelation has been very important for man's understanding of God. But despite all these revelations, something vital is still missing. If man is ever to know God, there is only one way, the very same way that man gets to know anybody. Man can know about a person, know all the facts about a person's life; but until he personally meets the person and associates and fellowships with him, he does not personally know him. Therefore if man was to ever know God, God had to reveal Himself in the most supreme way possible: He had to come to earth and show Himself to man, revealing exactly who He is and what He is like. This is the whole point of these lessons on Jesus Christ. In fact, it is the point of the whole Book of the Holy Bible. But you can clearly get a good sense of who Jesus Christ is in the Book of Hebrews: The Supreme revelation of God is Jesus Christ, God's very own Son. God has revealed Himself in the most glorious way possible: He has sent Himself into the world in the presence of His very own Son into the world. Read Philippians 2:5-11

God has from the beginning of time has used nature and its elements to let us know He is God.  Can you name some ways God has done this through nature?  (examples changing of the season).  But most of all God has shown Himself through the very creation  of Man  Read Genesis 1:26  By during this God has express His majesty, His Power, but most of all His love for man and His love to  man, through Jesus Christ

Discussion Point:  With all this evidence given to us by God of His existence, Why is there so much confusion, question or doubt in the world over Is God real and Who Jesus is?   Think about this scripture as you discuss this point. Genesis 2:22-25 and Matthew 19:8   The key point “Hardness of your heart”

People have usually looked upon the prophets of the Holy Bible as great servants of God. They have seen the prophets of God...

•as very special servants of God.

•as servants who had a special message from God.

•as servants who could tell others how to become acceptable to God.

•as servants who could tell others how to live and please God.

As this was a true understanding in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible because the prophets were great servants of God. They are servants to whom God spoke and to whom God entrusted His message. But as great as the prophets are, they could not be compared to Jesus Christ, God's very own Son. Jesus Christ is far, far Superior to the prophets. Read Matthew 3:1-17 1. Jesus Christ is the supreme spokesman of God (v.1).2. Jesus Christ is the appointed heir of all things (v.2).3. Jesus Christ is the Creator and Maker of the worlds (v.2).4. Jesus Christ is the very glory of God Himself (v.3).5. Jesus Christ is the express image of God (v.3).6. Jesus Christ is the Sustainer of the universe (v.3).7. Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of mankind (v.3).8. Jesus Christ is the supreme Mediator (v.3).

Jesus Christ is the supreme spokesman of God. This is the first reason why He is superior to the prophets. Note the glorious truth: God has spoken to man. He is not as most people think, far off in the distance, someplace in outer space, so far away that He is unconcerned with what is happening to man and this world. The very opposite is true: God is concerned with our lives, with the trials and trouble, sin and evil, suffering and disease, death and decay—with all that happens to us. Therefore, God has spoken to us; He has given us the wonderful words of life and of deliverance. He has told us exactly how to conquer the trials and temptations, the corruption and death of this world. When did God speak to man, and where can we find the record of God's Word? If God is really not far off in the distance someplace—if God has really spoken to man, then we must get His Word and heed it. For His Word would mean everlasting life and victory over all the evil and trials and corruption and death of this life. Where is God's Word? It is found in two places.

 First, God's Word is found in the prophets. In ancient times and today God speaks to His people by His prophets, that is, by persons whom He had chosen to proclaim His Word to the world. Who are these persons? They are the men and women who proclaim the Holy Bible Scriptures. Read Job 32:7-9 and 2 Timothy 3:15-17  and Romans 10:1-21

In Hebrews the writer is pointing out that in times past God spoke through the prophets...

•"at sundry times": that is, in many parts (polumerōs 230); in many separate revelations, at many different times, in many ways (polutropōs 2115).

What does this mean? No man could possibly receive and understand or explain the whole revelation of God. God and the truth of God is too big for any one man. Therefore, God had to make many revelations to many different people, and He had to use many different ways to speak to men. No man could ever contain or share the whole revelation of God. The full revelation of God is not found in the prophets. Where is it found then? This brings us to the second point.

Second, God's Word, His full revelation, is found in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. "In these last days [God has] spoken to us by His Son." This is the most astounding truth ever told! For God could send no greater messenger with His Word than to send His very own Son. And this is the astounding declaration of this passage: God has sent His Son to proclaim His Word to men. Read John 1:1-14 key verse 14

Before Christ, no man could fully grasp or understand God, and no man could fully proclaim the Word of God. Men could understand only a part or fragment of God. But now God's very own Son has come to earth and revealed God, proclaiming all that God is. And note: it is He Himself who is the revelation of God. He embodies the Word of God. In fact, He is the Word of God. Everything that God ever wanted to say to man is said in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the perfect expression of God's mind. Everything that man needs to know about God and the conquest of life with all its trials, corruption, and death is seen in Jesus Christ.

Thought . What does this mean to us today?  It means several wonderful things.

1) God loves His people. He has not left us in the dark, searching, groping and grasping and trying to find the truth of life and death and the hereafter. God has spoken to man and revealed the truth about, where we have come from, why we are here, where we are going, how we can conquer the trials, evil and death of this life and world. Read John 16:32-33

2) If we want to know the truth about God and ourselves, we have to look to God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He and He alone is the full revelation of God. Read Colossians 2:8-10