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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Norman McNulty: The Book of Hebrews

Norman McNulty

Hebrews 1:1-9: Introduction and Divinity of Christ

Why don't we start with a word of prayer and we'll get right into our study on the book of Hebrews.

Father in heaven, we thank you for this Sabbath day.

We pray that you would bless us as we start this new study on the book of Hebrews.

May we learn things that will be helpful for us on our journey to heaven.

All right, well, it's good to see each 1 of you here and I always enjoy starting a new class and I'm particularly excited about studying the book of Hebrews together up here.

This is a powerful book in the New Testament and we're going to talk about the reasons for it being written and what the purpose for the book is.

Personally I have found it to be a very helpful book in the understanding of Seventh-day Adventist theology.

Just for starters, you know, the book of Hebrews is an interesting book in that it starts off immediately with a theological exposition.

It doesn't start off with the author saying, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, to the Hebrews in Jerusalem, or anything of that nature.

It just starts off directly with a theological introduction.

There's very few books in the Bible that are actually like that.

We think of the book of John, we think of the book of Genesis.

Also, when it comes to the authorship of the book of Hebrews, Modern scholars have a big debate over who actually wrote the book.

If you look at the setting for the book, it was written in 66 AD, which was written 4 years before the fall of Jerusalem.

And so for those who say that it was written after the fall of Jerusalem, it would be kind of hard to...

For those who say it was written in the first century and that it wasn't Paul, it would be hard to argue that because this book was written while the city of Jerusalem was still standing.

And so that at least keeps Paul on the running from that standpoint.

The other thing is, people say, well Paul in his other epistles, the way he wrote is different than the way he writes, or whoever is writing Hebrews writes.

In the other epistles, Paul kind of loosely quotes the Old Testament if he quotes the Old Testament, but in the book of Hebrews, the Old Testament is being quoted word for word, so therefore it can't be Paul.

Well, let's think about the setting of Paul when he wrote those other epistles.

He would sometimes write a short letter to the Galatians or the Ephesians while he was on a ship somewhere and he hastily wrote off a letter.

The book of Hebrews, Paul would have written it from a prison cell where he would have had all the time in the world to make sure that he got everything exactly right word for word.

So that keeps Paul in the running as well.

And a couple of other points, in Hebrews 10, the author makes the point that the just shall live by faith.

Paul makes that very same point in Romans 1, so we see some similarities there.

And finally, last but not least, Ellen White says that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews.

Now, in my particular Bible, it says the epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews.

So this is an Oxford King James Version Bible.

So the people who compiled the King James Version also thought that Paul was the author of Hebrews.

Now we believe that the the book of Hebrews was written in 66 AD.

Now what is the significance, or around 66 AD, I don't want to be totally hard and fast on that date, what is the significance of that time period for the Hebrew people that claim to be Christians?

Now, if you read the book of Hebrews, you can see that Paul is writing this book with the understanding that his readers are Hebrew, they're Jewish, and they also believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

So what would the significance then be of this book being written in 66 AD or around that time period?

Well if you think about history, 4 years later the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman Army.

So what about the epistle of Hebrews would be important to the Jewish Christians living in the city of Jerusalem.

If you remember, Jesus in the book of Matthew tells his followers that when you see the abomination of desolation with the Roman army surrounding the city, flee the city at that point.

The problem with the Jew, the Jewish Christians however, was even though Jesus said that shortly before he died in 31 AD, By the 60s, over 30 years later, the Jews had, the Jewish Christians had not yet built their own tabernacle for worship.

They still participated in the Jewish ceremonies, and they still kept all the rites and ceremonies.

And even though the Jerusalem Council had taken place in Acts chapter 15 where Paul comes back from his journeys to the Gentiles and says look how God is blessing and we aren't circumcising the Gentiles and God's blessing us anyway and the Holy Spirit is being poured out on the Gentiles just as it has been on us.

So clearly circumcision shouldn't be a determining factor on salvation and all of that.

At the Jerusalem Council, if you read Acts chapter 15, the Jewish leader said fine.

The Gentile Christians don't need to participate in the Jewish ceremonies.

However, just a few things, don't eat food offered to idols, don't eat things that are strangled and things like that.

But when it came to the Jews, the Jews basically said, hey, we're going to keep doing this.

This is what we're used to doing and we think this is a perfectly good thing to do.

And after the Jerusalem Council, years later, Paul comes back to Jerusalem and the issue comes up again where the Jews are saying, hey Paul, you're telling the Gentiles that they don't have to keep the law, meaning the ceremonial law.

Are you telling people that the law of Moses isn't important?

You know, the Jews are starting to question you, the Jewish Christians, and we're worried about this.

You're losing your influence with the Jewish Christians.

And so Paul, in order to try to gain the favor of the Jewish Christians.

Paul takes a vow where he purifies himself and goes to the temple and shaves his head.

The ironic thing is, Paul is going around teaching the Gentiles, you don't have to do these purification things that the Jews do anymore, because when Christ died on the cross, those things are no longer binding.

Yes, the 10 Commandments are still binding, but all those Jewish ceremonies, you don't have to do anymore.

But then Paul comes to Jerusalem and in order to try to keep the influence of the Jews, he goes through this vow, shaves himself, and what happens?

He gets recognized immediately by the non-Christian Jews in the temple.

He gets arrested and he is a prisoner the remainder of his life.

And Ellen White tells us that the effectiveness of his ministry was cut short because of that decision.

Paul has the rest of his life as a prisoner to think about how him bowing to the pressure of the Jewish Christians to try to show them, hey, I'm still part of the team here, even though he's preaching that you don't have to do these ceremonies, how that cut short his ministry.

So Paul had a vested interest then in trying to help the Jewish Christians not make the same mistake that he made that cut short the effectiveness of his ministry.

And Paul, of all of the apostles, you might argue was perhaps the most theologically astute.

Not to minimize Peter or John or the others, I mean John wrote Revelation and so forth.

But Paul had an outstanding knowledge of the Old Testament and Paul knew that according to the words of Christ the city of Jerusalem was going to be destroyed.

Jerusalem was going to be destroyed and what would happen to all of these Jewish Christians who still thought that the temple was the centerpiece of their worship?

If you're a Jewish Christian you've accepted Christ as your Savior, He's the Messiah, but yet you believe that the center of worship still revolves around the temple in Jerusalem.

If Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed, and that's where you are placing, you know, the center of your worship, you're gonna have some serious issues when Jerusalem is destroyed.

And so Paul understood that there was a great danger for the Jewish Christians.

So just a few years, 3 to 4, 5 years before Jerusalem is destroyed, the book of Hebrews arrives on the scene.

Now, do we know if this book was effective?

First of all, we are told by historians and also by Ellen White that not 1 Jewish Christian lost their life in the siege of Jerusalem.

Number 2, you could say, oh well that's fine, they followed the words of Christ and he said when you see the city surrounded, get out of there.

But how do we know Hebrews was effective?

The Jewish Christians were so adamant about continuing to observe the ceremonial law that they basically convinced Paul to do a vow that ended up getting him arrested and taken to prison.

And you would think that if they were still that adamant after they left the city, as the Jewish Christians dispersed into the other cities around the world as they did, and they started to worship with other Christians, which would be Gentile Christians, if they thought that the ceremonial law was so important, don't you think they would have tried to have imposed that system on the other Christians around the world?

They would have if they still believed it was important, but there is no record of them doing so, which tells us that whatever Paul said in the book of Hebrews, convinced the Jewish Christians that, hey, this ceremonial law that we were continuing to do has no force now because of what Christ did.

So it was a very effective book and we're gonna study some of the things that Paul teaches that convinced the Jewish Christians of that time that they no longer needed to enforce the ceremonial system.

And you would have to think that the Jewish Christians who loved Paul and then they saw how his ministry was cut short, how that a book like this would have a lot more force as he's writing them and he's basically saying, hey, look what happened to me.

Here's what we really should be focusing on.

Now, was the book of Hebrews written exclusively and only for the Jewish Hebrews of that time to Help them escape Jerusalem when the Roman army armies surrounded the city And the short answer to that is no How do I know that Well in Matthew chapter 24 the words of Christ were intended to save the Jews from the destruction of Jerusalem.

However, is Matthew chapter 24 only for the Jewish Christians to help save them from the destruction of Jerusalem?

No, it's also for God's last day people to help us to be ready for the second coming of Christ.

And it's interesting the way Paul writes the book of Hebrews it has the same type of application.

Hebrews 1:9-2:9 “The Enemy After the Cross”

So we are continuing our study through the book of Hebrews.

And We got through the first 9 verses of chapter 1.

And this week we are going to finish chapter 1 and probably get to chapter 2.

Well, we'll see if we finish chapter 2 today.

So just a brief review of last week's lesson is that Paul wrote this epistle to the Hebrews shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem.

And this epistle, taken to heart by the Christian Jews at that time, saved them from destruction because up until that time the Christian Jews in Jerusalem were still worshiping in the temple, they were still hanging on to many traditions of the Jewish traditions from before the cross, and so Paul wrote this letter to help them understand that those things are no longer binding.

However, there's more to the epistle of Hebrews than just to the Jews of that day.

As you know, the book of Matthew, chapter 24, Jesus talks about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world and ties them into the same prophecy.

And Paul essentially does the same thing in the book of Hebrews.

So the book of Hebrews was for the Jews of that day, but it's also for God's last day people.

So then we got into chapter 1, and we see that the first 3 verses describe who Christ is.

And those characteristics of Christ in the first 3 verses are characteristics that will be built upon in the remainder of the book of Hebrews.

Number 1 is that he's creator, that he upholds all things by the word of his power, that he's the express image of the Father, a perfect reproduction of his character, that he purged our sins, so he's our savior and sacrifice.

He sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high, so he's our high priest.

So all of those things are gonna be developed as we go through the book of Hebrews.

And we got through verse 9 last week, and we see that Paul has proven that Jesus is clearly God and the Father is speaking to the Son and the Father calls the Son God.

So that's the the best evidence that we can have to show that Jesus really is God.

If the Father calls Jesus God, what further proof do you need?

And then we got into verse 9 and we got through about half of that.

So this is where we're going to pick things up today.

Before we start though, now that we've done a review, I'd like to have a word of prayer and then we will get into the rest of our study here.

Father in heaven, we thank you for the Sabbath day.

We pray for a special blessing as we study your word.

We thank you for the book of Hebrews and how it enlightens us for our time.

Okay, and I guess I should point out that I will have some of you read verses.

And if you have a question or a comment about what we're going through, this is an interactive study as much as possible as we go through the book of Hebrews.

And in verse 8, the Father tells the Son that He is God and that the principles of His kingdom are based on righteousness.

And in verse 9, the Father says to the Son, Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity.

Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." So why is it that the principles of Christ's kingdom are based on righteousness?

Well, we see that Christ loves righteousness and hates iniquity.

And especially here on this earth, He demonstrated those principles.

In fact, He hated iniquity so much that he was willing to die on the cross because of his hatred for sin.

Now what's interesting is when you get to Hebrews 12, Paul tells us, look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and then a couple of verses later he says, you have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Which means if you're not resisting sin into blood, that means that you don't hate sin the way Christ hated sin.

But Christ hated iniquity, and he loved righteousness.

So chapter 12 is gonna bring this concept out again.

But Christ shows us here on this earth that it's not just enough to love righteousness, we also need to hate iniquity or sin.

And that's how, that's the example or the demonstration that Christ gives to us.

And because of that, it says, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

This is speaking of the son being anointed with oil by the father.

So, the question is, what is this anointing speaking of?

And I would like a volunteer to read Psalms chapter 133.

Is there a volunteer that could read Psalms 133 verses 1 and 2?

Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

We see that it's good for brethren to dwell together in unity.

Aaron was the brother of Moses and what was his role?

So Aaron is being anointed as the high priest and the verse before that talks about unity.

Now in the New Testament with respect to Christ, Christ ascended to heaven after the 40 days, and at Pentecost, the Bible says that the disciples were in 1 accord in 1 place.

So they were dwelling together in unity, and then the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them.

I don't have a whole lot of time to go into this concept now, but the idea is that when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the apostles at Pentecost, as they were in unity, at the same time Christ was anointed as High Priest in heaven.

And Psalms 133 sort of gives us that idea.

And Hebrews chapter 1, speaking of the anointing of Christ, is giving us the idea that Christ was anointed for something, and when we get to chapter 3 verse 1, it says that Christ is the apostle and high priest of our profession.

So Paul has used chapter 1 and chapter 2 to prove that Jesus is our high priest.

And so Hebrews 1 verse 9 is part of proving that point.

Now, let's see, I'd like a volunteer now to read verses 10 through 12.

Or I'll call on someone if no 1 raises their hand.

And thou, Lord, in the beginning has laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands.

They shall perish, but thou remainest, and they shall wax old as doth a garment.

And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Okay, so again Hebrews want us talking about proof that Jesus is God.

And what in verse 10 would help us to understand that Jesus really is God?

I mean, the Father's already called him God, but what's an attribute here that comes out that shows that he is God?

Yeah, he laid the foundation of the earth.

And in Genesis 1, it says, in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.

So once again, proof that Jesus is God and that He is Creator.

And what's interesting is it says that what the heavens and the earth that he has created shall perish.

They will wax old as a garment, as a vesture they shall be folded up." And what this is telling us is that because of sin, the things that God created will ultimately pass away here on this earth.

The earth that God created will pass away because of sin.

But even though they perish, Jesus will still remain and He will still be the same no matter what matter what happens to this earth and in Hebrews 13 verse 8 we have the famous verse Jesus Christ the same yesterday today and forever So sort of a chiastic structure there, chapter 1 and chapter 13, this concept that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He's always been and he always will be, and He is God, and He created the earth.

And so, to the Jews, who are trying to figure out, okay, who was this Jesus, okay, we believe that He's the Messiah, Paul is saying, look, this Jesus that we're talking about, the Father says He's God, This Jesus who we're talking about, He created the earth.

And He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He always has been and He always will be.

And that's where we should be putting our focus, not in the temple in Jerusalem.

And this was very helpful to the Christian Jews to escape Jerusalem at that time.

Hebrews 2:9-18 “The Humanity of Christ”

So in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 9 we see that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.

It says he was crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

And if you think about that, in the previous verses we see that man was made a little lower than the angels.

In verse 9, Jesus was made a little lower than the angels.

And 1 of the contrasts that you can see here is that when God made man, it wasn't his intention that man should die.

But then man sinned, and then of course, the wages of sin are death.

But the purpose for, 1 of the purposes for Jesus becoming a man was for the suffering of death.

And as I mentioned briefly last week, in order for Jesus to die, you know, Adam, he was not subject to death until he sinned.

And if Jesus had come in the nature of Adam before the fall, his nature would not have been subject to death.

So in order for him to be subject to death, he needed to take a nature that was affected by sin.

So even though he never sinned, he took a nature that had been affected by sin.

And so he was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man and that gives us the idea that when Jesus died, he died for every man, making it possible for all of us to be saved.

So we're gonna pick up now in verse 10 and we have the microphone for questions, comments, and also for reading passages.

So I'd like a volunteer to read verses 10 and 11 of chapter 2.

For it became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through their sufferings.

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of 1, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.

So there's several things that we're gonna take a look at here in verses 10 and 11.

So in verse 10 it says, for it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.

So 1 of the purposes we see for Christ becoming a man is to bring many sons unto glory.

And we talked about this last week, that when man was initially created, he was crowned with glory and honor.

And now man has sinned, and so Jesus comes to bring back many sons unto glory.

How does Jesus bring many sons unto glory?

If you look at the rest of the verses, it says to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Now, this is where I'm gonna point out a couple of other verses.

I'd like a volunteer to read Hebrews chapter 5 verses 8 and 9.

It says, though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

Okay, So Hebrews chapter 2 says, to bring many sons unto glory, the captain of their salvation should be made perfect through suffering.

It says, He learned obedience through the things which he suffered and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

So We see the concept of being made perfect through suffering again.

We see that those who follow him will be saved.

And Hebrews 5 kind of makes it even clearer.

In Hebrews 2 it says the captain of their salvation should be made perfect through suffering and through that he brings many sons to glory.

Well in Hebrews 5 it says Jesus was made perfect through suffering by being obedient and that's what made him perfect and because of that he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

So in Hebrews 2 it says Jesus is the captain of our salvation.

Hebrews chapter 5, Jesus is called the author of our eternal salvation.

Captain, author, basically the same concept.

And in both instances, he was made perfect through suffering and in both instances, many sons are brought to glory.

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