Valley View Chapel June 22, 2014 God s Final Answer, Part 1 An Introduction to the Book of Hebrews. Introduction

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1 1 Valley View Chapel June 22, 2014 God s Final Answer, Part 1 An Introduction to the Book of Hebrews Introduction In C. S. Lewis memorable set of books The Chronicles of Narnia Lucy saw the lion Aslan, a metaphor for Christ, shining in the moonlight. In a burst of emotion Lucy rushed to him, burying her face in the rich silkiness of his mane, whereupon the great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half-sitting and half-lying between his front paws. He bent forward and touched her nose with his tongue. She gazed up into the large, wise face. Welcome, child, he said. Aslan, said Lucy, you re bigger. That is because you are older, little one, answered he. Every year you grow, you will find me bigger. Every year you grow, you will find me bigger. Hebrews 13:8 declares that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Jesus never changes. But we do. And every year that we grow in our knowledge and awareness of the beauty and magnificence of Christ, he grows bigger in our spiritual eyes. And no book of the Bible explains and celebrates the bigness of Jesus more than the book of Hebrews. The eminent New Testament scholar J. Ramsey Michaels said of Hebrews: It is undeniably one of the most difficult New Testament books, and whether in spite of that or because of it, one of the most rewarding. I love the Bible in its entirety but the book of Hebrews is my favorite among its 66 books. I love it first of all because it exalts Jesus Christ in elevated language and I love it because it completes and explains the Old Testament s relationship to the New. We re going to take our time with the book of Hebrews. The plan is to cover the first ten chapters before Christmas. We ll take a break during December and January and pick up with chapter eleven in February and finish the week before Easter. As we take this difficult but rewarding journey together, my prayer is that Christ will grow bigger in our eyes. Jesus Christ, you are the same yesterday, today and forever. As we study your life and work in the book of Hebrews, may you grow bigger in our eyes so that we can give you the worship, love, and obedience that you deserve. We ask this in the Name of the One who never changes our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Is Hebrews a Letter? The first question to ask at the beginning of our study is: What kind of literature is Hebrews? Most Christians have been taught that Hebrews is a letter. And maybe it is. If you read Hebrews 13:22 in the NIV you will have no doubt that Hebrews is a letter: Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter. (NIV) However, the Greek word translated by the NIV as short letter is used 6 other times in the New Testament and never means a letter. The ESV translation is more accurate: I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. (ESV) Moreover Hebrews does not have the usual characteristics of a letter. There is no greeting nor is there any identification of the author at the beginning or the end. In fact the

2 2 recipients of the letter aren t even named. So there is no formal greeting; no named author; and no designated recipients. If it is a first-century letter, then it breaks all the rules! What Hebrews does have, however, are the elements of a good sermon! Every sermon possesses two components: exposition and exhortation. Exposition is an explanation of the text; an unwrapping of spiritual truth; a probing beneath the surface to discover the meaning of what is written. The author of Hebrews does this with numerous Old Testament passages as we will see in the weeks and months to come. The conscientious preacher s sermon should answer two questions: What does the Bible say and what does it mean? Exhortation is the practical side of preaching. It answers the questions: What do I do with what the Bible says? How do I respond to the Word of God? There is a rhythm to the book of Hebrews. The author will expound an Old Testament passage or truth, uncovering its meaning. Then he urges his readers to apply it to their lives. We see this pattern repeated again and again throughout the thirteen chapters. While I can t be 100% certain, my best guess is that the book of Hebrews is a sermon or an essay meant to be distributed, read, studied, and applied. Who Wrote Hebrews? For centuries it was assumed that the Apostle Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. If Paul wrote Hebrews, it is unlike anything else he ever wrote. As I mentioned a moment ago, the author of Hebrews never identifies either himself or his readers. This is most unctharacteristic of Paul. In addition, the book of Hebrews includes 169 Greek words that do not appear in anything else Paul ever wrote that has been preserved in the Bible. But there is one more clue within the book that might cause us to question Paul s authorship. It contained in Hebrews 2:3, How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. (NIV) The author of Hebrews first heard the gospel not from Jesus himself but from those who heard him (presumably the apostles). Yet Paul said in Galatians 1:11-12 that he had heard the gospel from Christ himself, I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. (NIV) In the final analysis, perhaps a third century theologian named Origen had the best answer: Only God knows who wrote Hebrews. But that doesn t mean that we don t know a lot about the author of this book. He was a man because he employed a masculine participle in Hebrews 11:32 when he said: And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about (and he goes on to list several Old Testament heroes of faith). We also know that he was a second generation Christian since he became a follower of Christ through the testimony of those who had heard Jesus personally. We know that he was highly educated; extremely well read; and immersed in the language and theology of the Old Testament translation into Greek called the Septuagint. In fact, the

3 3 book of Hebrews includes 35 direct quotations from the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament and 34 other allusions to the Old Testament text. Dr. George Guthrie, Professor of Bible at Union University, had this to say about the author of Hebrews: His copious use of the Old Testament reveals a mind saturated with the Word of God and a heart committed to that Word as bearing the utmost authority. His mastery of the Greek language is unequaled among not only biblical writers but all poets and philosophers of antiquity. The late Scottish New Testament scholar William Barclay observed concerning Hebrews 1:1-3, It is a passage that any classical Greek orator would have been proud to write. The writer of Hebrews has brought to it every possible skill and form of word and rhythm that the beautiful and flexible Greek language could provide. Whoever wrote Hebrews was well educated; a master of the Greek language; immersed in the facts and theology of the Old Testament; trained in biblical exposition; intense in his love for Jesus Christ; and passionate about the spiritual well being of those to whom he wrote. When and to Whom Was Hebrews Written? Though the original readers of Hebrews are never identified, we can assume that they were Jews because of the many references to the Old Testament in the book. We can also assume that the book was written before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. One of the main points in Hebrews is that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross was vastly superior to the sacrifices made under the Law in the Old Testament. If the temple had already been destroyed, the author would have certainly mentioned it to support his case concerning Christ s better sacrifice. We also know that it was a time of persecution of the Church. The author noted in Hebrews 12:4, In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. His readers were suffering persecution but had yet to give their lives for Christ. There is one more fact which can shed light on both the identity of the recipients and the time when Hebrews was written. It s tucked away in Hebrews 13:24, The believers from Italy send you their greetings. (NLT) It is clear from this reference that wherever the letter originated, the author was with Christians from Italy, most likely Rome. Put it all together and here s what we have: Hebrews was written to a band of Jewish Christians who were members of the house church movement in Rome. The fact that persecution was occurring but had not yet escalated to Christians being martyred tells us that Hebrews was probably written before the great fire in Rome which unleashed Nero s campaign against the Church. Thus many scholars put the time of Hebrews between A.D. What is the Purpose of Hebrews? The book was written to Jews living in Rome who had converted to Christ or who were seriously considering a commitment to Christ. To be a Christian in Rome was to confront a two-fold challenge to faith. The New Living Translation Study Bible described the environment in which Jewish Christfollowers lived in Rome around 64 A.D.: The pagan society misunderstood and mistrusted both Christians and Jews and considered them atheists because they did not believe in the Greek or Roman gods. Opposition to Christianity also arose from within traditional Judaism.

4 4 Many Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah and held interpretations of the OT Scriptures that conflicted with those embraced by the Christian movement. Those who converted to faith in Christ from various backgrounds often paid a high price in their jobs, family connections, friendships, and other social associations. Persecution of Christians was common. So, the recipients of the book of Hebrews were persecuted by Rome for not acknowledging the deity of the emperor and other Roman gods and they were being pressured by their fellow Jews to abandon Christianity and return to Judaism. Some were wavering in their commitment to Christ and thinking about giving it up. Others who had not yet made a commitment to Jesus but who had shown an interest in the gospel were also intimidated and strongly considered returning to the old ways. The purpose of Hebrews is to prove conclusively that Christ and the new covenant are vastly superior to the old covenant instituted by Moses. Through passionate pleading and reasoned argument the author asks: Why go back to the old way when the new way is so much better? In fact, the word better is the key that unlocks our understanding of this book. It is used 15 times. Over the coming weeks, we ll follow the author s argument that Christ is better than angels; better than Moses; better than Aaron and all the priests of the Levitical system; and a better sacrifice than all the animals of the old covenant put together. The message of Hebrews is that Christ is God s final answer to the problem of sin and the reconciliation of sinful humanity with a holy God. Conclusion So, how can we apply the purpose of Hebrews to our own lives? Let me answer that question with a question: Isn t part of the human experience a universal quest for something better? Don t we work and sacrifice for a better education and a better job? Haven t all of us thought of living in a better house or driving a better car or finding a better plan for our smart phone? There s even a term that people sometimes use: I want to better myself. We want the better things in just about every area of life. How about the spiritual side of life? Hebrews describes a better way to have a relationship with God. Hebrews is about the inadequacy of the old way and the sufficiency of the new way. It s not that the old way was bad. It s that the new way under Christ is better. The old way was about good works and religious rituals. They have their place and at one time served a purpose. But they could never complete the job. They could never provide forgiveness, a clear conscience, an intimate relationship with God, or confidence in facing death. The new way is about the finished work of Jesus Christ. By his once-for-all sacrifice, Jesus made it possible to come into God s very throne room and enjoy fellowship, intimacy, protection and provision. In short, Hebrews is all about the difference between Religion and Christianity. Bill Hybels said that the difference between the two is in the way they re spelled. Religion is spelled D-O. Christianity is spelled D-O-N-E.

5 5 Religion is an unending hamster wheel always moving, always trying to satisfy a God who can never be satisfied by our own efforts. Christianity is about a better way a sinless Savior whose death on the cross made religion and rituals and the blood sacrifices of animals obsolete. It s no wonder that the hymn writer Philip P. Bliss put pen to paper almost 150 years ago and wrote a song with the title: Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! What a Savior! That s the message of Hebrews.