"THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS" - Introduction

INTRODUCTION  1. The Epistle to the Hebrews is a unique book in the New Testament...    a. It begins as an "essay" - He 1:1-2    b. It progresses as a "sermon" - He 2:1-4    c. It ends as a "letter" - He 13:23-25  2. Its contents are deep and challenging...    a. Many Christians find it difficult    b. Some equate its difficulty with the book of Revelation  3. But for Christians who are willing to take the time to read and     reflect upon it...    a. They are REMINDED of how blessed they are to have trusted in        Christ    b. They are IMPRESSED with the superiority of Christ and His New        Covenant over Moses and the Old Covenant    c. They are WARNED of the danger of apostasy and the need for        steadfastness in their faith  4. With this lesson, I wish to begin a series of expository sermons     based upon this epistle...    a. Yet just as one should not begin a journey without some idea of       where they are going    b. So it is beneficial to begin with a preview of this epistle, that       we might have an idea...       1) Of where we are headed       2) And what we can expect to find  [Such a "preview" or introduction would naturally include some  information on...]  I. THE BACKGROUND TO THE EPISTLE     A. THE AUTHOR...       1. The author does not identify himself       2. Many believe it to be the apostle Paul (e.g., Clement of          Alexandria)          a. This seems unlikely in view of the author's statement:               "...was confirmed to us by those who heard Him," - He 2:3          b. For Paul declared that he had not received the gospel from             or through men - Ga 1:11-12          c. Yet there are many arguments which favor Paul as the author             (cf. New Testament Commentary on Hebrews, Robert Milligan,             pp. 5-19)       3. Other names have been proposed over the years:          a. Barnabas (suggested by Tertullian)          b. Apollos (suggested by Luther)          c. Priscilla (suggested by Harnack)       -- In the end, we can only say with Origen, "But who wrote the           epistle, to be sure, only God knows."     B. THE RECIPIENTS...       1. The general consensus is that this letter was written to           Jewish Christians       2. But there is uncertainty as to where they and the author were          at the time of composition          a. Most believe the recipients were in Palestine, and the              author in Rome          b. Others suggest the readers were in Rome and the author              elsewhere, based upon a possible implication in He 13:24       -- In any case, they were Jewish Christians whom the author knew          personally - cf. He 10:34; 13:19     C. THE DATE OF WRITING...       1. We know it was prior to 96 A.D., for Clement of Rome quotes           from Hebrews in his letter written at that time       2. There are certainly strong implications that it was written           prior to 70 A.D.          a. There is no mention of the destruction of Jerusalem and the             temple          b. The author writes as though priests were still offering              sacrifices - He 8:4; 10:11       3. If the Jewish Christians were in Palestine, it was likely           before or at the beginning of the Jewish Wars (ca.66-70 A.D.),          in light of He 12:4       -- The time frame of 63-65 A.D. is often suggested     D. THE PURPOSE OF THIS EPISTLE...       1. To prevent his readers from abandoning their faith in Christ           - cf. He 2:1-4       2. To encourage his Jewish brethren not to go back to the Old Law          a. By showing the superiority of Christ and His Covenant             - cf. He 8:1-2,6          b. A key word found throughout the epistle is "better"             1) Christ is "better than the angels" - He 1:4             2) We enjoy "the bringing in of a better hope" - He 7:19             3) Jesus has become "the surety of a better covenant"                - He 7:22             4) He is also "the Mediator of a better covenant, which was                established on better promises" - He 8:6             5) The heavenly things benefit from "better sacrifices"                - He 9:23       -- Indeed, the purpose of this epistle was to exhort his readers          - He 13:22  [With this background to the epistle, let's continue our brief survey of the book by noticing...]  II. THE MAIN DIVISIONS OF THE EPISTLE     A. THE SUPERIORITY OF CHRIST - He 1:1-8:6       1. Better than the prophets, as a much better Spokesman - He 1:          1-3       2. Better than the angels, by virtue of His Deity and humanity           - He 1:4-2:18       3. Better than Moses, for He is the Son who provides a heavenly          rest - He 3:1-4:13       4. Better than Aaron, as His priesthood is a superior one - He          4:16-8:6     B. THE SUPERIORITY OF THE NEW COVENANT - He 8:7-10:18       1. For it is based upon better promises - He 8:7-13       2. For it is based upon a better sanctuary - He 9:1-28       3. For it is based upon a better sacrifice - He 10:1-18     C. EXHORTATIONS DRAWN FROM THIS SUPERIORITY - He 10:19-13:25       1. To draw near to God and hold fast - He 10:19-39       2. To run the race of faith with endurance - He 11:1-12:29       3. Miscellaneous exhortations - He 13:1-25  [A unique feature of "The Epistle To The Hebrews" are the warnings throughout the book.  As we conclude this introduction, perhaps it may be profitable to summarize...]  III. THE KEY WARNINGS IN THE EPISTLE     A. THE WARNING AGAINST DRIFTING - He 2:1-4       1. Through neglect we can easily drift away       2. The solution is to give the more earnest heed to the things we          have heard     B. THE WARNING AGAINST DEPARTING - He 3:12-15       1. Through sin's deceitfulness we can become hardened and develop          a lack of faith by which we can depart from the living God       2. The solution is exhort one another daily and remain steadfast     C. THE WARNING AGAINST DISOBEDIENCE - He 4:11-13       1. Like Israel in the wilderness, we can fail to enter our rest          through disobedience       2. The solution is diligence and heeding the Word of God     D. THE WARNING AGAINST DULLNESS - He 5:11-6:6       1. Dullness of hearing can make it difficult for us to appreciate          the extent of our blessings in Christ, and even falling away           to the point of crucifying the Son of God afresh!       2. The solution is grasping the first principles of the oracles           of God, and then pressing on to spiritual maturity and           perfection     E. THE WARNING AGAINST DESPISING - He 10:26-39       1. It is possible to so despise God's grace as to no longer have          a sacrifice for sins, but only a certain fearful expectation          of judgment       2. The solution is to hold unto our confidence in Christ, and           believe with endurance     F. THE WARNING AGAINST DEFYING - He 12:14-29       1. It is possible to refuse to listen to the One who now speaks          from heaven!       2. The solution is to look diligently to the grace of God,           receiving it in such a way so we may serve Him acceptably with          reverence and godly fear  CONCLUSION  1. With such warnings, this book is indeed a "word of exhortation"!     - He 13:22  2. As we proceed through the book in the coming lessons, it will be my    intent...    a. To REMIND you of how blessed we are to have trusted in Christ    b. To IMPRESS you with the superiority of Christ and His New        Covenant over Moses and the Old Covenant    c. To WARN you of the real danger of apostasy and the need for        steadfastness in our faith

Hallelujah Chorus - Messiah(Handel)

The most famous movement is the "Hallelujah" chorus, which concludes the second of the three parts. The text is drawn from three passages in the New Testament book of Revelation:

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Revelation 19:6)

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:16)

In many parts of the world, it is the accepted practice for the audience to stand for this section of the performance. Tradition has it that King George II rose to his feet at this point. As the first notes of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out, the king rose. Royal protocol has always demanded that whenever the monarch stands, so does everyone in the monarch's presence. Thus, the entire audience and orchestra stood too, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries. It is lost to history the exact reason why the King stood at that point, but the most popular explanations include:

• As was and is the custom, one stands in the presence of royalty as a sign of respect. The Hallelujah chorus clearly places Christ as the King of Kings. In standing, King George II accepts that he too is subject to Lord of Lords.
• He was so moved by the performance that he rose to his feet.
• He arrived late to the performance, and the crowd rose when he finally made an appearance.
• His gout acted up at that precise moment and he rose to relieve the discomfort.
• After an hour of musical performance, he needed to stretch his legs.

There is another story told (perhaps apocryphally) about this chorus that Handel's assistant walked in to Handel's room after shouting to him for several minutes with no response. The assistant reportedly found Handel in tears, and when asked what was wrong, Handel held up the score to this movement and said, "I thought I saw the face of God."

A.C.T.S

One structure for prayer is given by the acronym "ACTS", representing adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication (or intercession.) This is one order, where we start off focusing on who God is, and praising him for that. Others find a CATS pattern helpful, beginning by clearing out of the way the things that sadden God in our lives, before we can go onto praise him. Let's look briefly at each in turn : Adoration is to adore God, to worship him and to fulfil the commandment to love him with all of our heart, mind and soul. As we spend time in adoration, we praise God for who He is - our Creator, our Sustainer and our Redeemer. (more about praise and adoration.) Confession allows us to clear away the things in the relationship between you and God which are displeasing to Him. All of us have sinned. St John writes in his epistle "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I Jn 1:8,9) (more about confession.) Thanksgiving. From childhood we are brought up to say "Thank You" when someone does something for us, or gives us a gift. Each moment God is blessing us, every minute we can recall the wonderful things that God has done for us, and the gifts that we have been given. And so, we need to be constantly thanking God for his blessings. In writing to Timothy, Paul makes it clear that we also need to be giving thanks for everyday, worldly things " I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Tim 2:1. (more about thanksgiving.) Supplication or Intercession. Finally we come to ask God for our needs and the needs of others. There are many demands on our prayer time - many topics and issues that we could pray for, so we need to choose, and to be specific. (more about topics to pray for) Pray for others. In the epistles of St Paul, we read of him praying for those he has led to faith, and asking them also to pray for him. So, you too can pray for other Christians, and encourage them to pray for you. Pray for your familiy members, and for neighbours and friends. It's also good to pray for those who don't know Jesus to come to faith - many Christians have come to believe in Christ through the prayers of others. Pray for world issues : for peace in difficult situations, for leaders and those in influential positions, for global issues such as care of God's environment, justice for the poor, relief of suffering in less developed countries, and other issues that come to you. Pray for your own needs too. It's easy to neglect this, but Jesus encourages us to do so in the Lord's Prayer - the model for prayer that He gave us.

Pointers for Prayer : The ACTS pattern - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication - has been a helpful structure for many Christians. You can either use this pattern in an unstructured prayer time, or you could use a daily pattern for prayer that combines a structure with the freedom to pray by yourself..

Regaining the Art of Community

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

I have a friend who spent three months living in Israel with Jewish believers. During one of their conversations the Jewish man noticed how often my friend came to visit him only to discuss a project. He turned to my friend during dinner and admonished him: "You western Christians! You always seem to need a program or an event to get together. Why can't you fellowship with one another just because you love each other!?"

My friend was convicted by his assessment. They began to talk about how Jesus modeled love for the disciples and how they simply hung out together because of their love for one another. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).

Jesus often spent unhurried times of fellowship with the disciples. They shared countless meals together. It is often during such times we get to know others at a deeper level.

Love for one another is one of the greatest signs of faith in Christ. However, the pace of life often contributes to a life being lived for the next event instead of a relationship rooted in the love of Christ.

How many relationships do you have in your life that would allow you to fellowship simply because you cared for one another?

Os Hillman

A Watered-Down Gospel

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3

Without question the greatest life to live is the Christian life, because God takes a life that was empty, aimless, and, worst of all, headed for a certain judgment and then turns it around and transforms it. He forgives all our sin, removes our guilt, and literally takes residence inside of us through the Holy Spirit. Most importantly, He changes our eternal address from a place called hell to a place called heaven. This all comes about as a result of the power of the gospel proclaimed and believed.

Yet some have believed what I would describe as a watered-down version of the gospel, a gospel that promises forgiveness but rarely mentions the need to repent of your sin, a gospel that promises peace but never warns of persecution, a gospel that says God wants you to be healthy and wealthy and never have any problems to speak of, a gospel that says you will so find the favor of God that a parking space always will be available for you. But that is not the gospel of the New Testament.

The Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground. Not only is there a God who loves you and has a plan for your life, but there is also a devil who hates you and opposes God's plan.

I am not suggesting that once you become a Christian, you will be sick, poor, and miserable. But the essence of the Christian life is knowing and walking with God. It is about sticking with Him when the sky is blue and also when it is filled with clouds. It is about pressing on. Jesus made it clear that storms will enter every life. But as we seek to know and follow Christ, we will find happiness as a fringe benefit.

- Greg Laurie