Meditation of September 23rd 2024 HEBREWS 1:1 - 4 - JESUS IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE SOURCE FOR BELIEVERS.

Day 1

Hebrews 1

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways

 

Let us emphasize again that the book of Hebrews carries a profoundly important message for all of us. Although it addresses itself to the Jews, it is crucial for everyone, especially for those of us who may, at times, align more closely with Jewish traditions. The book helps us understand that Christianity and Judaism are not the same, despite their shared roots. The New Testament introduces significant changes in how the Old Testament is interpreted.

As Barry Smith famously said, "The Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament, and the New Testament is concealed in the Old Testament," highlighting that both testaments convey a unified message.

The book of Hebrews has two main themes:

1. The Supremacy of Christ: the writer emphasizes that Christ is not merely another human being, angel, or created being. His supremacy is a central focus throughout the book.
2. Perseverance in Christ: once you come to Christ, you are encouraged to remain steadfast in your faith, even in the face of persecution. The call is to persevere in your belief.

Hebrews spends considerable time comparing and contrasting Jesus with various historical figures and events from the Old Testament. Through these comparisons, it becomes evident that Christ surpasses all figures and practices from the Old Testament. He is greater than Moses, who led the Jews to the Promised Land, greater than any priest, and greater than any sacrificial ceremony. He is even superior to the Old Testament covenant and the angels. This clear depiction of Christ’s superiority is a key reason the writer delves deeply into these comparisons.Regarding authorship, there is debate about who wrote the book. While some attribute it to Paul, others argue that the author remains anonymous. Despite this debate, it is widely accepted that the book was written by a great apostle with a clear understanding of Jesus Christ’s identity.

 

Day 2

Hebrews 1

² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

 

The book of Hebrews, traditionally attributed to Paul by some theologians, aims to encourage Jewish Christians to remain steadfast in their faith in Jesus, despite pressure from fellow Jews and the temptation to revert to old practices. This message underscores the importance of clarity in understanding why one might leave a former belief system for a new one.

For instance, consider the historical context of the Reformation. Martin Luther, despite not being martyred himself, played a pivotal role in challenging the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrines. Many were willing to die for the truth they believed was revealed in Scripture, distinguishing Protestant beliefs from Catholic teachings. The persecution of heretics by the Catholic Church highlights the gravity of doctrinal disagreements and the significance of adhering to what one believes is the true message of the Bible.

Similarly, the book of Hebrews addresses why Christianity is distinct from Judaism. If Judaism were sufficient, the question arises: why Christianity? Hebrews clarifies the reasons for this transition, explaining that Christianity provides a more complete understanding of God’s nature, righteousness, faithfulness, mercy, and love.

The book of Hebrews addresses human rebellion, estrangement from God, and perversion. It emphasizes that Christ came to address these issues by providing redemption and reconciliation. Through Christ’s sacrifice, believers are forgiven and transformed, demonstrating God’s grace and the significant change brought about by the new covenant.

The book of Hebrews can be divided into three main sections:

1. Chapters 1 to 7: focuses on the supremacy of Christ. This section explains who Christ is and why He is superior to any other being or system, including angels and Old Testament figures.
2. Chapters 8 to 10: examines Christ’s ministry and its superiority over the Old Testament priesthood and sacrifices. It details why Christ’s role as a mediator and His sacrifice surpass those of the Old Testament.
3. Chapters 11 to 13: provides practical guidance for believers, highlighting the results of trusting in Christ. This section emphasizes the solidarity and conduct expected of those who have embraced the faith.

 

 

Day 3

Hebrews 11

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

 

You know, one of the things that will come out clearly in the book is the concept of faith. That is why, in Chapter 11, there is a roll call of faith for the faithful. Verse, one says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Hebrews takes the trouble to define the use of the word “faith” before discussing the people who exhibited faith. In verse 1, it says: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

What is faith? It is being sure of something you cannot yet see. You cannot say, "I have faith" if you are not sure of it. You are sure. And you cannot say you have faith if it is already visible. If I can see it, I do not require faith. So, faith is being sure of something you are hoping for. In fact, to put it in stronger words, faith is certainty about something you do not see. We then say you have faith. If you are not sure, then you have no faith. If you can see it visibly, then you do not require faith. Faith is related to something God has promised; you have not received it yet, but you believe you will get it. That is what the book of Hebrews explains. It then lists the people who have practiced that faith, after defining what faith is all about.

As you go through the book, your aim is to elevate Jesus so that you know He is superior to anyone or anything else that you will ever meet or have met. When you are reading the book of Hebrews, please understand it is Scripture—God is talking. It is important to recognize that you are listening to God. You still have to observe what He says, interpret His message, and apply it to yourself.

The book of Hebrews states that God sent Jesus, and yet Jesus is God. He came as a human being. How do we know He was human? Because He was a Jew, born into the tribe of Judah. If you look at the book of Matthew, you will see that Matthew, as well as Luke, takes the trouble to prove the earthly lineage of Jesus. Whether you follow His lineage through Mary, His mother, or through Joseph, His foster father, both leads back to King David and the tribe of Judah.

Of course, you are aware that Jesus had a cousin named John, who is also known as John the Baptist, the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth. So, they have a familial relationship. To prove that Jesus is a Hebrew, you need to trace His lineage back to Abraham, the ancestral patriarch of all Hebrews.

Abraham was born in Ur. After Abraham’s father died, Yahweh visited Abraham and instructed him to destroy all the idols and worship only the unseen God, the One and Only True God, Yahweh. In addition to destroying all the idols in his family, Abraham moved to Canaan, where he would worship God alone. This is the lineage of Jesus.

 

Day 4

Hebrews 1

³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

 

And this book, these New Testament books, we would associate with Paul. However, if you must insist that it is not Paul, it should be understood clearly that he is the most likely candidate. Even if it is proven to be another author, the message will still hold its importance. I would not want the uncertainty of the author’s identity to diminish the significance of the message for every Christian reading and studying the book.

Unlike the Greeks and Romans, the Hebrews, who are not known for being scientists, philosophers, or conquerors, had their religion—Judaism—as a crucial element in the history of the world. The Hebrews provide the religious root for both Christianity and Islam. Therefore, the book of Hebrews is set within this context.

The important beliefs explained in the book of Hebrews are also present in the book of Daniel. Daniel prophesied that God would rescue the Jews from evil and suffering, and the book of Hebrews affirms that this has happened. The time would come when good would triumph over evil; this is the story of the book of Hebrews.

As previously mentioned, the author begins with a reminder of pre-existence—meaning even before Jesus was born. Then it discusses the incarnation, explaining how God became man, and finally moves to exaltation, showing how this boy child is recognized as God.

This introduction to the book of Hebrews, starting in Chapter One, highlights the climax of the story: God declared the work of His Son to be the cause of salvation for all mankind. Jesus became man and, as man, suffered for the forgiveness of the sins of the world.

We must remember that the man being saved is a composite of three distinct components. When you talk about a man getting saved, you are referring to a being with a body, a spirit, and a soul. This is an important concept to be aware of. While "soul" and "spirit" are often used interchangeably, they can represent different aspects of the same spiritual entity. The book of Hebrews will address these three components—body, spirit, and soul—and sometimes consider soul and spirit as related aspects of a unified entity

 

Day 5

Genesis 2

⁷ Then the Lord God formed a man^[c] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being

 

You know, Genesis chapter 2 says, “Then the LORD God formed a man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” So, we see that it is the spirit put into man that makes him a living soul, with the living soul residing in the man.

We cannot consider this as merely two parts in one; you are one, but you are also two. It is important for us to understand that when you look at a person, you are seeing the body, but the person is inside the body. This is something you need to spend time contemplating.

Let us look at the first few verses of the book of Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1 to 4:

“In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways.”

Right at the beginning of the chapter, we are introduced to this God. The most important thing to understand is that what Jesus teaches supersedes any other thought. That is why, when you read the Old Testament, you must read it with an eye on the New Testament. The text tells us that before Jesus came, God spoke to our ancestors, the Hebrews, through prophets who conveyed messages in many ways. However, with the arrival of Jesus, any new revelation must be consistent with what Jesus has already taught.

For example, if someone claims to have met God on Mount Kenya or received a vision, what they say must be checked against the teachings of Jesus. Before Jesus came, different cultures had their own stories about gods and spiritual experiences, such as the Agikuyu’s stories about the god of Mount Kenya and the Luos’ different stories. But now, since Jesus has come, these routes are no longer the means to know who God is.

We can still have dreams and prophecies, but they must all be aligned with the teachings of Jesus.

Look at verse 2:

“But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So, he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.”

Yes, in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son. This message is also reflected in the Gospel of John, chapter 1, which says:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth.”

It is the same message that Hebrews conveys: the son is the Word, the final Word. After what Jesus taught, there is no need to add anything. That is why the New Testament must be traced to those who were around Jesus. Teachings from individuals who came after Jesus are not regarded as fulfilling the canon or standard requirement for being considered God’s word.

 

Day 6

John 1

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

 

So, the book of Hebrews says that anything you hear after Jesus came and what he told the apostles who carried the message must be checked against his word. Because in these last days, and we are in those days, he has already spoken, not that he will speak. He has already spoken to us through the Son. Therefore, you must always show how what you are telling me is related to what Jesus has said. Why? Because Jesus was appointed by God as the heir of all things; he inherited all the power God had, and through him, God has spoken. It is very important to understand that we are dealing with a Creator; Christ is the Creator of the universe.

In other words, the Jesus you are talking about is not just Mary’s son. He was Mary’s son only for those thirty-three years when he was human, but even when he was in Mary’s womb, he was God-man. He is, in fact, the Creator of the universe. Before he existed as a man, he was still alive through whom the universe was made. Christ made the universe. So, when you deal with him, you are not dealing with just another being but with God. The choice between Muhammad and Christ is not a choice at all. We are dealing with the Creator of the universe in Christ, whereas Muhammad was a man. That is why what Jesus says is final.

This Christ is the radiance of God’s glory. In other words, when you want to know God the Father, you see Him through the Son. He is the radiance of God’s glory. In fact, this Jesus is the exact representation of God’s being. When you see Christ, you have seen the Father; you have seen God. That is why the whole issue of the Trinity exists. The Bible does not use the word “Trinity,” but God is three in one. This Christ, whom we are learning about, is the Creator and the exact representation of God, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. He is not only the Creator but also the one who sustains the world.

 

Day 7

Hebrews 1

⁴ So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

 

And then he goes on to say, "After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." In other words, Christ was only here for a mission: to provide purification for sins so that all the sins of mankind are now purified because of the death of Christ on the cross. After he completed the task, which he accomplished in thirty-three years, he returned to God, sitting on the throne with Him.

So, verse 4 says, "So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs." Christ is not an angel. The angels serve God; they are created by God. But Jesus created the angels. Therefore, he is not one of the angels and should not be mistaken for one of the founders of religion. That is the message the book of Hebrews wants us to grasp right from the opening pages.

You need to consider modernism and all the things we learn from the internet. If the modernist worldview tells you things that the Son has not given you, and the word of God, particularly the New Testament canon, does not support it, you have the freedom to reject it if it cannot be traced to the apostles or to Jesus.

Number two: how do you handle your traditions and cultural beliefs, whether you are German, Kikuyu, or Mijikenda? It does not matter what your tradition is; there are things in your tradition that must now be rejected. They were acceptable earlier, but now that Christ has come, you must abandon some of the beliefs your culture gave you. Why? Because Christ is saying, "I have come; I am the latest revelation from God." If you want to believe and worship God, you can only do so through the way Christ has shown you, because He is God, but your ancestors were not.

Christ says in His word, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Me." In Acts 4:12, the message is reiterated: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."

There is only one name given among men through which you can be saved. You will not be saved through your cultural icons, ancestral worship, the things your ancestors said, or the words of a witch doctor or prophet. No, that was acceptable before, but now that you know Christ and have the Bible for yourself, everything—whether from modern or traditional worldviews—must be brought into subjection to what God has now taught. That is what the book of Hebrews is teaching.

It is my prayer that Christians will recognize the importance of this New Testament theology and trust in God fully and exclusively. They should also understand that the Bible is not just the New Testament but also the Old Testament. You cannot understand the New Testament if you have not read the Old Testament. However, you must view it, seeing the Old Testament only as interpreted by the New Testament. The New Testament tells us that Jesus came to fulfil, not to destroy, what the Old Testament said, so you must see the coherence between the two.

My prayer is that you will acknowledge and accept the supremacy of Christ and understand that He is willing to dwell in your life. Based on the above information, you must therefore worship Him.

 

 

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