Hebrews 1: 1-4
New Living Translation
I want to share what the Lord showed me today. He had me reading and writing on the first chapter of Hebrews. The first four verses.
1 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.
2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.
3The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.
These four verses answer some important questions for us. Let’s examine them.
Q: Did God speak to our ancestors? If so, how?
A: Long ago, for example the Old Testament, God tells us about several prophets that God used to relay messages to his people. Isaiah, Joel, Samuel, David, just to name a few.
Q: Did God speak to us through his son, Jesus Christ?
A: Yes, in the New Testament we read about many things Jesus told people that were messages from his Father.
“Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
Matthew 5:43-47
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”
John 10:27-30
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 14:6
Q. Did the father promise his son his inheritance?
A: Daniel 7: 13-14 refers to the earthly kingdom. Daniel says, ‘I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.’ Again, we see that in the future Christ will inherit everything. This is the point of the writer in Hebrews chapter 1. He is demonstrating the superiority of Christ by the fact that He is heir to everything
Q: Did Jesus Christ actually create the universe?
A: Yes, according to this scripture. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).
Q: Does the Son have the same character as God, the Father?
A: Yes “The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.” Psalm 116:5 This describes the Father and the Son.
Q: Did Jesus fulfill his mission, and sit down after he demonstrated his power and radiance?
A: As verse 3 says, 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.
Q: Is Jesus superior to the angels?
A: Yes – Verse 4 makes another reference to the superiority of Jesus. In prior verses, the writer has explained that God’s message to mankind is now being given through Jesus. Since Jesus Christ is the “exact imprint” of the nature of God, He is the ultimate authority. These verses also remind a reader that Jesus is the Creator; He is not a created being. This makes Him superior to all other beings, including the angels..
My question for God: “So, what do you want me to get out of this, Lord?”
His answer: My son is greater than all prophets, words, messages, and ideologies. He is the creator of everything, and I will give it all to him in the end. All knees will bow to my Son, because I am well pleased with him.
Steve Holder 