Introduction to Hebrews (02/07/2021)

Good morning. This morning, we will begin a line-by-line breakdown of Hebrews. But before we dive in, I'd like to add a couple more things. It's clear from the contents of the epistle to the Hebrews that the community of Christian Jews to whom the writer addressed the letter was facing the possibility of increased persecution.

We get that from Hebrews 10, starting at verse 32, if you want to go there. Hebrews 10, 32. But call to remembrance the former days, in which after you were illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions, partly whilst you were made gazing-stock both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly whilst you became companions of them that were so used.

For ye had compassion of me in my bonds. I'm going to stop a minute and say, apparently the writer either is or has been imprisoned, either for something that he did in support of Christ or his beliefs.

So ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Whatever it is that you lose, whatever loss you might suffer in this life will be nothing when compared to what you will gain in eternity.

And that's one of the themes of Hebrews throughout. What you lose is nothing compared to what you gain. Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For you have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.

For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now verse 38, Now the just shall live by faith. I bold face that for a reason that we're going to get to in just a few minutes.

The just shall live by faith. But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. And then I went down another couple of chapters in Hebrews to chapter 12, verse 4, and took just this part of a verse, this one sentence.

You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. What that means is you haven't yet been killed for your belief in God, but you soon will be. The persecution that you're going to face will intensify.

Now as they were confronted with the possibility of intensified persecution, the first century Christians were tempted to cast aside any identification with Christ. And we're facing just such a temptation now.

And we need the message of Hebrews just as much or maybe even more than they needed it in the first century. So now we're ready to begin Hebrews where the author of Hebrews began. He began with one word, God.

We talked about that a little bit last week. If you're going to start a book, what better place to start with than God? No mention of the author. Paul's letters, he always identifies who he is and who he's writing the letter to.

And those are very important parts of the letters because it tells you the context that you're dealing with. Hebrews is a little harder. There is no mention of any author, only God. The human author of Hebrews is unknown.

No one knows for certain. I have an opinion. My personal opinion is Paul wrote the book. There are many commentators who agree with that and say, well sure, Paul wrote the book. But there might be even more that disagree.

But something to consider, however, is this. Three New Testament letters. Quote Habakkuk 2, 4. At least this portion. The just shall live by his faith. We know that Paul wrote two of these letters. He wrote Romans and it didn't take him long.

In chapter 1 of Romans verse 17, he quotes Habakkuk. The just shall live by faith. Then we come to Galatians. Paul wrote Galatians. He waited a little longer to introduce this quote in Galatians. He waited all the way to chapter 3 verse 11 and he said the just shall live by faith.

And now we come to Hebrews. And he waits a good while in Hebrews. In fact, he waited until chapter 10, the verse I just read. Now the just shall live by faith. Now, if you make a careful analysis of these three letters, you might see something that's interesting.

They form a trilogy. And the outline of this trilogy is the quotation from Habakkuk. Habakkuk is the outline. Romans, the just. The letter to the Romans answers two questions. Who are the just and how did they become just?

That's what Brother David's been dealing with over the last almost year. Romans, who are the just and how did they become just? And we know by now from Brother David, they didn't get that way by what they did.

They got that way because of what Jesus Christ did. Yes, you're justified by works, but not yours. You're justified by the works of Christ, if you're justified at all. So that was Romans. Galatians, the second part of that quote.

The first part, the just. The second part, shall live. The letter to the Galatians answers the question, how should the just live? And then we come to Hebrews by faith. The letter to the Hebrews answers the question, what gives the just the ability to live as they should?

Well, I thought that was interesting. So much so that I added this. So if Paul did not write the letter to the Hebrews, then the Bible is even more remarkable than it would have been had he written it.

That is to say, we know that ultimately it doesn't really matter who wrote the book. Who wrote the book? The author of the book is the Holy Spirit. He is the author of every book in the Bible. They're different pensmen.

They have different styles. But the author is always the Holy Spirit. And this book's inspiration is clearly evident. Now, I'm going to go back to Hebrews and get past the first word, God. There is no attempt to prove God's existence in the book.

It's assumed that we learn of God's existence and some of His attributes from nature. I've got two quotes. One, I got carried away and I went on a long tangent. And then I said, no, I'm not going to talk about that today.

And that one is in Psalms 19, starting at verse 1. I think you probably have all got part of this memorized. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night showeth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language where the voice is not heard. And the line is gone out through all the earth and the words to the end of the world. That Psalm is really dealing with the omniscience of God and the omnipresence of God.

God knows everything and God is everywhere. That's what it's dealing with. I started to do like a 20-minute rabbit trail. I'm going to condense it to like five minutes. If you continue reading, one of the things that it talks about is as a strong man that goes out to run a race.

And the race will take him to the ends of the world, throughout the heavens. And for a long time that was used to ridicule the Bible saying, when we found out that the sun didn't go around the earth, but the earth went around the sun.

Then they said, well, obviously the Bible is wrong. The earth goes around the sun. The Bible thought that the sun went around the earth. No such thing. They failed to consider other motions. The sun is wrapping around the galaxy at about 16 miles per second.

And the galaxy is heading away from other galaxies at about 360 miles per second. Now that's clicking along pretty quick. So indeed it's true that the earth is running through space at about 360 miles per second.

And it goes wherever it goes. And then I went to the next verse, Romans 1 .19. I probably should have gone to Romans 1 .17 and got my quote back, wouldn't I? Romans 1 .17, the just shall live by faith.

But I started later. Because that which may be known of God... This is Romans 1 .19. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them. For God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

You are without excuse to know something about God and some of His attributes. A moment ago we mentioned that we learn of God's existence and some of His attributes through nature. We learn enough to condemn us.

We don't learn enough to save us. We can't study the trees and the birds and the stars and the atoms and learn enough to save us. There's only one place we can get that, and we'll get there shortly. Continuing, because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and they changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed beasts, and to creeping things.

Now, given a chance to glorify God or to glorify Himself, the natural man always chooses to glorify himself. And once again, he succumbs to what I think is Satan's greatest lie. John, what do you think Satan's greatest lie is?

That's a surprise. I didn't mean... You'll be like God? Brother David? That is the most eminent of Satan's lies. No, I think I'm more in agreement with John, but not that part. Same verse, Genesis 3 -4.

I'll just read it. And the serpent said unto the woman... That's Satan talking to the serpent. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Oh yes, they know good and evil. Their eyes were opened. But the real important crucial question is, they all want to be their own God. That I think is Satan's greatest lie, that you can be God. He convinced all the Mormons that they can be God.

He convinced Adam and Eve that they could be God. He convinced Nebuchadnezzar that he could be God. That is a lie that he keeps going back to. You can be the master of your own ship. Oh, I love that poem.

And then I realized what a diabolical lie it was. And it was couched so beautifully. I could be whatever I wanted to be. I was in charge of my own life. And I finally realized this when he said, I think whatever gods may be for my inconquerable soul.

Whatever gods may be, it doesn't matter. I am my own God anyhow. Oh, I didn't like that. Satan's greatest lie. Okay, back to Hebrews. Word three. God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners, spake in time past unto the Father by the prophets.

Now, it's true that God spoke to the prophets in a variety of ways in the Old Testament. But the idea here is it's the prophets that spoke to the fathers in various ways. God, who at sundry times and diverse manners, spake in time past unto the Father by the prophets.

So the prophets speak God's message to the fathers. Now, the method by which he spoke. Well, he spoke through the prophets. But he spoke in sundry times. John MacArthur identifies that word or defines that word as pretty strange.

Many portions as in many different books. Sundry times, he brought his messages to them at various times through various books. Through various books of the Bible. And over the course of time from Job to Nehemiah, we have a lot of prophecies, lots of messages that God chose to reveal to his people.

He used different historical times, different locations, different cultures, different situations. And then there came a 400-year period of silence where there were no messages from God. And then a baby was born and things changed.

And the baby began to preach. He actually began to preach at 13, but his ministry began at about 30. And after three years, he had so convicted the Jewish religious establishment that they decided that he was better off dead.

And so they plotted and succeeded in having him killed. But they couldn't keep him that way. I'm sorry? They didn't really succeed. They only put him out of play for three days. And after the third day, he rose from the dead.

And then a while later, he ascended to heaven. And then a flurry of activity, revelation upon revelation, book upon book. The whole New Testament was written from the time Christ ascended until John wrote Revelation.

And they were presented in different methods, visions. We have symbols, parables, prose, poetry. And although the literary form and style varied, it was always the same message. Oh, not the particular message, but it was always the message that God wanted revealed to His people at the time He wanted it revealed.

When He wanted the message of Acts revealed, He inspired Luke to write the book of Acts. When He wanted the information in Matthew revealed, He inspired Matthew to write the book of Matthew. So the revelations kept coming, kept coming.

And the last of the revelations was the revelation, the apocalypse, the unveiling. But it's a progressive revolution, a progressive revelation. What is revealed is what God wants revealed at the time He wants it revealed.

He wanted some things revealed way back in the time of Moses. He wanted some things revealed at the time of Isaiah. He wanted some things revealed at the time of Zechariah. He wanted some things revealed at the time of John the Apostle.

Now, this revelation... I'm going to say revolution again before we are through. This revelation includes God's program of redemption. Now, scattered all through the Old Testament and the New Testament are laying out of God's plan of redemption.

From way back in Genesis where God lays out the plan of redemption by covering the sins of Adam and Eve and wrapping them in clothing made of animal skins, indicating that something had to die to cover their sins.

All the way to Revelation. I picked a passage in 1 Peter 1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. And by the way, you notice that Peter identifies who is writing the letter and who he's writing it to.

That's what makes Peter easier than Hebrew. We don't know for sure. Elect. We know he's talking to. He's not talking to everyone. He's talking to the elect. According to the foreknowledge of God the Father.

How long have they been elect? They've been elect since before time began. Through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. That's how it was done with Jesus Christ.

Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

What did we do to gain that? Nothing. Why did we get it? Because of God's abundant mercy. Undeserved. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Now, does the inheritance go away?

Can anything make it go away? So you think if you've got it, you always have it? There is no possibility of losing it if you've got it. And if you've not got it yet, there is a possibility that you can get it.

But there is not a possibility that once you have got it, you'll never lose it. You may think you're going to get it, and you may not. That's a scary thought. But in any case, the inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled, and it fadeth not away, and it's reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise, honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love, in whom though now you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice, with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify when it testified beforehand the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow.

They prophesied, but they didn't really understand all of them exactly what it was that they were prophesying. They only prophesied what the Holy Spirit told them to say and do. Unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but to us they'd administer the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things angels desire to look into.

So you're special. You're special. You're above the angels. Well, not right now, but you will be. The progressive revelation of the Old Testament, prophet by prophet, and book by book, also describes God's will for His people.

If you go to Romans 15, 4, you will see this. For whatsoever things were written for time, were written for our learning, that we may, through patience and comfort of the Scripture, might have hope. I read that badly, so I'm going to read it again.

For whatsoever things were written for time, were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Spirits, might have hope. So where do we get our hope? We get our hope through the Scripture.

Now the epistle to the Hebrews was addressed to Christian Jews who were facing the possibility of intensified persecution. The Holy Spirit inspired this letter to provide guidance and hope in the face of that persecution.

Likewise, it is apparent that God-fearing men and women today will also face increasing persecution. And that's one of the reasons that I chose to study Hebrews. What's the reason? That we might have similar guidance and hope.

We're going to need to know what to do, and we're going to need to know that in the end, everything turns out all right. I was listening to someone talk about revelation just the other day, and they said, whoever it was, they went into a building, and there was a custodian-type guy reading a book.

And he asked him what he was reading, and he said, Revelation. And it was a pastor that was doing this, and he said, Well, do you understand it? And the old man said, Yes. And the pastor said, That shocked him.

I've been studying the Bible all my life, and I've been studying Revelation half my life, and I don't understand it. And he asked the old man, Well, what does it mean? What does it say? You know what he said?

God wins. That's what it says. God wins. God, who at sundry times in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom He also made in the world.

Now, you understand whoever's writing this is writing it after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Christ is no longer speaking to them personally anymore. But in the last days, when the last days begun, when the end times began, when Christ came back into the world, or was born into the world, at that point, we are in the last days and we'll be in the last days until the Lord returns and sets up the Millennial Kingdom.

And at the end of the Millennial Kingdom, the revolt. And after the revolt, the suppression of the revolt. And that's the last days. We're in them now. And we've been in them since Christ was born. And that's what my excellent section is about, but I'm not going to read it.

Jeremiah 33, 14 talks about the last days. And Zechariah 9, 9 talks about the last days. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, thy King is coming. It's part of the last days when Christ came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.

He is just having salvation, lowly, riding on an ass and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. All of that's part of the last days. The fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies began with the birth of Jesus.

Since He came and was born, it's been the last days. 1 Corinthians says this, Now all these things which happen unto them for examples, they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.

We're still in the last days, and it's still important to us. James said, Be patient also. Establish your heart for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. And John said, Little children, it is the last time.

And as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many Antichrists whereby we know that this is the last time. So it's always been there, and it's getting more and more. We talked about this last week about the birth pangs coming more frequently and more severe.

Not that anything new is happening necessarily, but that these events that foretell the coming of the Christ are getting more and more frequent. Now in the past, God gave His revelations through His prophets.

While He was on the earth, He gave them Himself. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son? Or how did God speak to us while Jesus was alive on the earth? By His Son speaking, whom He had pointed air of all things, by whom He also made the worlds.

But now we're in the New Testament economy, and the progressive nature of God's revelation has changed. And now after a brief time from Jesus' birth until about 70 AD, everything that needed to be revealed had been revealed.

The written Word of God had been transcribed. The written Word of God, the Bible, is available to all of God's children. And each child of God has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit. So we have it all. We have everything we need to know.

And everything we need to know is in the Holy Scripture, ready to be revealed to us when we read it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And I'm firmly convinced that the extent to which God's nature is revealed to His children is directly proportional to the amount of time they spend studying the Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Now it doesn't do very much good just to read the Holy Scripture if the Holy Spirit is not guiding you. That's what happens in a lot of seminaries. People go in and study for the sake of studying. They go in not under the auspices of the Holy Spirit, and therefore they do not learn what they need to learn.

And also don't think that God is surprised by the perilous times we live in, nor the persecutions we must face. I want to read something. I want to ask you if this doesn't sound like today. In fact, I don't think I'm even going to tell you where I'm reading it.

This know also that in the last day perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, that means without self-control, fierce, despisers of those who are good, arrogant, traitors, heady, that's reckless, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

From such turn away. For this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins and led away with diverse lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth.

For me, that was a convicting statement. Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth. Anybody know where that was taken? Could have been Romans, but it wasn't. It was 2 Timothy. Did I say 2 Timothy?

I better go back and look. Yeah, it's 2 Timothy. Verse 3 is where it begins. Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Janus and Jamerus withstood Moses, so do those who resist the truth.

Men of corrupt minds reprobate unfit concerning the faith. You know Janus and Jamerus? Those were the two magicians at Pharaoh's court. Was it Moses or Aaron that threw down the rod? It was Moses. When Moses threw down the rod and it turned into a snake, they threw down their rods and they turned into snakes too.

Well, who's snakes won? Moses' snake ate their snakes. So they shall proceed no further, for their folly shall be manifest to all men as theirs also was. When they threw their sticks down, they turned to snakes.

Their snakes were eaten by Moses' snake and everybody knew that Moses' snake was more potent than their snakes. But now I fully know my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endure, but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ shall suffer persecution. I highlighted that and it confused me. I'm going to read the salient parts again. All that will live godly shall suffer persecution.

Is that discouraging or not? I don't know. In some ways that's a lifting of pressure. I should not expect to go through life thinking that life is a bed of roses. There's no country song. I can't remember it now.

So I shouldn't have even brought it up. I thought I was going to remember it and my mind slipped away. Into every life a little rain must fall. I never promised you a rose garden. That's the one I wanted.

I never promised you a rose garden. And had I promised you a rose garden, I would not have taken away the thorns. He didn't say that. Thank you, sir. Yea, and all that will live godly in Jesus Christ shall suffer persecution.

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse. Paul's saying it's not going to get better, Timothy. It's going to get worse. Deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. Now what's mandatory there? Not only that you have the scriptures available to you, but that the Holy Spirit is available to you to help you understand them.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

And that's why the scripture was written, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Now is it necessary that you do good works? Well the answer to that is yes. It's necessary that you do good works.

You're going to be rewarded for them, or punished for not doing them. But it's not necessary that you do good works in order to obtain your salvation. Paul is talking to Timothy. Timothy is a Christian.

And Paul is telling Timothy this. All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, that the man of God, Timothy, you, may be perfect, complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

You're going to do good works, Timothy. And now a bit on who wrote it. Verse 2, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom He also made the worlds.

Everything that exists will ultimately come under the control of Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, the heir of all things. Psalms 2 .7 says this, I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son.

This is Jesus talking. I will declare the decree the Lord, the Father, hath said unto me, Thou art my Son. This day I have forgotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou shalt dash them into pieces like a potter's vessel. When does that come to pass? When was Jesus given the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession?

Well, from the foundation of the world, they really belong to Him. Yes, indeed. And who was given dominion over the earth? Well, Adam and Eve first. And then they sinned and relinquished the possession to Satan.

And Satan has control over the ends of the earth right now, but only insofar as God lets him. Satan has been and always will be on a leash. But right now the leash is pretty long. When is it that this part, that this is going to be...

I lost my place. I went the wrong way. Pardon me. Psalms 2 .7. When will this come to fruition? Thou art my Son. This day I have forgotten thee. That's already happened. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

And thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, and thou shalt dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Has that happened yet? It hasn't happened yet, and it will happen in the thousand-year reign. In the thousand-year reign, Jesus will rule what part of the earth?

All of it. And He shall control it with a rod of iron. And He shall dash resistance to pieces like a potter's vessel. And then Romans 11 .36. For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To whom be the glory forever.

Amen. And then we have Colossians 1 .16. For all things were created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.

All things were created by Him and for Him. This inheritance that Jesus has is the full extension of the authority which the Father has given the Son. Matthew 28 .18 spoke of that. And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

As the firstborn, not first in order of birth. He wasn't the first man ever born, but He was the most prominent ever born. He was the first in order of prominence. And so, one last thing. God hath in these days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.

Now the worlds there is not just the physical world. It is time, space, energy, and matter. The entire universe and everything that makes it function. That's what God allowed Jesus to make. That's what Jesus made.

Jesus made time. Jesus made space, energy, and matter. The entire world and everything in it that makes it function. John 1 .1 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not made anything that was made. And we are just about at the end of verse 2. And the rest of chapter 1 will go much faster, but I can't do it in the seven minutes or less that we have left.

So we'll pick up here next week with who it was that made everything, including the time for the Son to live in. And I'll tell you this next time. God the Father is transcendent of time. He does not exist in time or in space.

But all of the attributes that God the Father has are the same attributes that the Son has, the difference being God the Father is outside of time, and God the Son is inside time with us. And it's only that way that He can be our Savior.

Let us pray. Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank You for this day, and thank You for all our many blessings. Protect us and keep us. Go with us through the service today. Lead us to understand the message that You have for us today.

And we understand that You reveal Your messages to us one by one, line by line, precept by precept, little at a time as we need them. Make available to us those things that we need to understand. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.