LIGHTHOUSE MINISTRY LEADER S STUDY GUIDE Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews) Jesus! God s Final Word (Part 2) Hebrews 1:1-3 R2R Distinctive: Jesus Christ November 9, 2014 Week 02 of Jesus: Loud & Clear; Front & Center (Hebrews) This guide is designed to provide helpful hints in preparing and leading your Lighthouse discussion. If you need any assistance or further instruction on any part of this teaching lesson, don t hesitate to contact Chris at celler@ffclife.com. Announcements:! Keep in mind that during the month of November we will hold our Fireside Chats with your elder.! Autumn Night of Worship. Our worship ministry is planning an Autumn Night of Worship for Sunday evening, November 23. Given this is Thanksgiving week, many Lighthouses will not meet, so please plan on being a part of this special night and invite your group! SERMON IN A SENTENCE Hebrews teaches us that God has spoken historically, and finally through Jesus, for He is the ultimate and greatest expression of God's voice the Son, the Creator, the Revealer, the Sustainer, the Savior, the Victor God incarnate! Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Spring 2014 Page 1 resources on this series are available at www.ffclife.com. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
Contents! Overview of this Lesson! Introduction! Read the Text! Digging Deeper! Concluding Thoughts Overview of this Lesson Introduction Purpose: There is one, single purpose to this lesson, and it mirrors the one, single purpose of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and that is to demonstrate that Jesus is superior. Better than the prophets, better than angels, better than the Law, better than the priests, even better than Moses. This lesson begins with a resounding declaration of the majesty and glory of Jesus Christ. With the rise of Nero as Emperor of the Roman Empire, persecution of the Christians became unbearable 1. Since its inception, Christianity had always been closely tied to Judaism, and while Judaism was never popular with the Romans, who viewed it as anti-social, Judaism was a legal religion, a recognition Christianity did not receive until 313. The Roman persecution of Christians in the 60s caused Jewish Believers to look back longingly to their more peaceful existence as simple Jews. This tension underlies the entire Epistle to the Hebrews. No where is this tension more clear than in Hebrews 10:32-34 when the author reminds his readers, 32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 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. Hebrews 10:32 34 1 Nero "had some [Christians] sewed up in skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs until they expired; and others dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, fixed to axletrees, and set on fire in his gardens, in order to illuminate them." Fox's Book of Martyrs, ed. William Byron Forbush (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967), p. 6. Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Fall 2014 Page 2
1. Looking back at your notes from this week s sermon, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged or confused you? 2. What situation might tempt you to turn your back on Christ and flee for a safer belief system or life style? SERMON IN A SENTENCE Hebrews teaches us that God has spoken historically, and finally through Jesus, for He is the ultimate and greatest expression of God's voice the Son, the Creator, the Revealer, the Sustainer, the Savior, the Victor God incarnate! Read the Text (Hebrews 1:1-3) The writer of Hebrews challenged the hearers to hold on to their profession of Christ by showing them that Jesus, God s Son, is superior to everything in Judaism. In the first three verses, the writer gives us a list of descriptions that demonstrate Christ s superiority. Read Hebrews 1:1-3 Digging Deeper Hebrews 1:1 3 (ESV) 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, In this section, feel free to develop your own questions to help guide your group s discussion. Below are some suggestions. 3. Can you identify the descriptions used to describe the superiority of the Son?! Jesus, the Son, is God s spokesperson. God has in these last days spoken to us by his Son. Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Fall 2014 Page 3
! Jesus, the Son, is the one appointed heir of all things. The first heir of mankind was Adam, who was given dominion over the world (Gen. 1:26; 28), yet fell into sin and lost his dominion. Jesus represents the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45) and he won the victory through His death, burial and resurrection, and was therefore appointed heir of Creation.! Jesus, the Son, is the creator of the world 2. Jesus is the active agent in creation in that the world was made through Him (John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17).! Jesus, the Son, is the radiance 3 of God s glory. Literally, Jesus is the light of the Father s glory. This is in contrast to the prophets, who were a mere reflection of the light. It is the same as light from the sun vs. the moon, which is a reflection of the sun s light.! Jesus, the Son, is the exact image 4 of the Father. Jesus is the precise reproduction of the Father s nature.! Jesus, the Son, is the sustainer of all things. This is not the passive image of Atlas holding the earth on his shoulder. Rather, it is the image of Jesus as the very force of nature that hold all things together. The comparative image is of the prophets holding a stone 2 The word translated world in v. 2 represents much more than simply the physical creation. The word is aion (αἰών, 165), an age, era (to be connected with aei, ever, rather than with ao, to breathe ), signifies a period of indefinite duration, or time viewed in relation to what takes place in the period. The phrases containing this word should not be rendered literally, but consistently with its sense of indefinite duration. Thus eis ton aiona does not mean unto the age but for ever (see, e.g., Heb. 5:6). The Greeks contrasted that which came to an end with that which was expressed by this phrase, which shows that they conceived of it as expressing interminable duration. [W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 19.] 3 apaugasma (ἀπαύγασμα, 541), a shining forth (apo, from, auge, brightness ), of a light coming from a luminous body, is said of Christ in Heb. 1:3, KJV, brightness, RV, effulgence, i.e., shining forth (a more probable meaning than refiected brightness). [Vine, Unger, and White, 79.] 4 charakter (χαρακτήρ, 5481) denotes, firstly, a tool for graving (from charasso, to cut into, to engross ; cf. Eng., character, characteristic ); then, a stamp or impress, as on a coin or a seal, in which case the seal or die which makes an impression bears the image produced by it, and, vice versa, all the features of the image correspond respectively with those of the instrument producing it. In the NT it is used metaphorically in Heb. 1:3, of the Son of God as the very image (marg., the impress ) of His substance. RV. The phrase expresses the fact that the Son is both personally distinct from, and yet literally equal to, Him of whose essence He is the adequate imprint (Liddon). The Son of God is not merely his image (His charakter), He is the image or impress of His substance, or essence. [[Vine, Unger, and White, 319.] Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Fall 2014 Page 4
in their hands vs Jesus, who is like gravity, holding all things together.! Jesus, the Son, purifies us from sin. Jesus is the great Melchizedek an high priest and sacrifice who has purged our sins.! Jesus, the Son, is seated at the right hand of God. Jesus has finished His great atoning work and is now seated in the place of honor at the Father s right hand. 4. Why do you think the author of Hebrews made such a point of Christ s deity to these Hebrew Christians? Even today, it is difficult for many to fully accept the deity of Christ. Many acknowledge Him as a good man and even a great teacher, but God incarnate? Never! How much more difficult would this have been for Hebrew Christians who historically envisioned their Messiah as a conquering hero who would overthrow the evil Roman Empire and restore Israel to its rightful place as the pre-eminent kingdom on earth. Jesus is God, and as God, He alone is qualified and capable of gaining victory over death. This is a theme that will run throughout Hebrews. 5. What impact would you suspect these words had on Jewish Christians who were considering returning to Judaism? Think about it if you were facing life-threatening persecution, how conflicted would you be? You can turn from Christ and find some safety in your return to Judaism, or you can continue to claim Christ and Him crucified and face certain pain, suffering and even death. These words would have raised the bar. Jesus was not just a great man, He was, indeed, the Messiah and is, therefore, worthy of all praise and worship. 6. What are some ways we can honor Christ? We face some of the same challenges. Claiming Christ is not popular in many secular circles. You can claim to follow Mohamed, Buddah, or a God of your own making and receive the quiet approval of those in authority. Claim Christ, and you will face ridicule and isolation. Like the Hebrew Christians, our challenge is the same will we honor Christ in both word and deed, or will we turn and hide our faith. How do we honor Christ? May we possess the boldness of Peter and James, who Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Fall 2014 Page 5
were ordered to remain silent about Jesus. They looked at the authorities and stated, 19b Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. Acts 4:19-20 7. What difference does it make to you that Jesus sustains everything by His powerful word? Jesus has won the victory, and as such, it is in Him that we turn to as the substance of our faith and the hope of glory that is ours. By His word Jesus told us that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). We rest in the power of His promise. 8. Based on what we learn in Hebrews 1:2-3, how would you answer the question "Who is Jesus Christ"? User the summary statements from answer #1 to answer this question:! God s spokesperson.! The one appointed heir of all things.! The creator of the world.! The radiance of God s glory.! The exact image of the Father.! The sustainer of all things.! He purifies us from sin.! He is seated at the right hand of God. 9. Do you think God still reveal divine truth today? No. God has spoken in His Son, and there is finality in that revelation. We tend to look everywhere for a revelation from God, not realizing that He has fully revealed His will in His Word. Sure, He gives insight and illumination, but inspired revelation comes only through His Word. Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Fall 2014 Page 6
10. Has God lost control of the world? lf your primary source of information is the nightly news, you might get the distinct impression that He has. But when you read the book of Hebrews, you have to answer no. There's a sovereignty in His control. And we can only have peace when we trust that He rules over the rebellion and randomness of this world. In Him we can place our trust, despite any unanswered questions we may have. 11. Can man know the God who revealed truth and maintains control over this earth? This time, an unqualified yes. Jesus Christ is the exact imprint of the Father. Do you want to know God? Study the person of Christ. Do you want to know how to live? Study the teachings of Christ. Do you want to know how to follow God? Look into the final word from God-the New Testament. He is there, robed in all His splendor and majesty. Concluding Thoughts In this section, feel free to develop your own questions to help guide your group s discussion. Below are some suggestions. 12. What steps can you take to remind yourself that Jesus is the Son of God and worth following? 13. In what ways can you honor the Son of God as God in your worship this week? 14. Who can you tell today about the unique person of Jesus Christ? 15. In order to really meditate on the beauty of today's passage, let's memorize it. Try reading Hebrews l: 1-3 aloud six or seven times. Then, see if you can write this passage down. Use whatever method of memorization is best for you. Spend this time in solemn reflection upon the majesty of your Lord. Lighthouse Ministry Discussion Guide Fall 2014 Page 7