Hebrews 1:1-14

Today we are going to start Hebrews. The author of this letter is unknown. It was written in the late A.D. 60s to the persecuted church. Many Jewish Christians were so beaten down by persecution they were considering going back to the Jewish faith. The author of this letter writes to encourage these Christians about the superiority of the Christian faith.

Our reading schedule:
2/28 Hebrews 2:1-18
2/29 Hebrews 3:1-6
3/1 Hebrews 3:7-19
3/2 Hebrews 4:1-13
3/3 Hebrews 4:14-5:10
3/5 Hebrews 5:11-6:12
3/6 Hebrews 6:13-20
3/7 Hebrews 7:1-10
3/8 Hebrews 7:11-28
3/9 Hebrews 8:1-13
3/10 Hebrews 9:1-10
3/12 Hebrews 9:11-28
3/13 Hebrews 10:1-18
3/14 Hebrews 10:19-39
3/15 Hebrews 11:1-40
3/16 Hebrews 12:1-13
3/17 Hebrews 12:14-29
3/19 Hebrews 13:1-25

From reading this opening chapter we can infer that there were some questions regarding the deity of Jesus Christ. First, the author contrasts the way in which God's word came to man. In the Old Testament, God spoke through prophets. In the New Testament, God spoke through His Son. Secondly, God made it clear that there is a distinction between angels (supernatural beings) and Jesus Christ (the Son of God.) Angels are God's servants. Jesus is the Son of God who:

• is worshiped by the angels (Deuteronomy 32:43)
• laid the foundations of the earth, created the heavens, and is eternal (Psalm 102:25-27)
• sits at the right hand of the Father (Psalm 110:1)
• will love the righteous and judge the wicked (Psalm 45:6,7)
• is the heir of the universe (verse 2)

The Jewish faith has denied that Jesus is the Messiah. They want the Messiah to be a king who will rule this world, giving back earthly power to the Jewish nation. Their eyes are blind to the prophecies. Jesus is not about ruling this world, he's all about eternity. Jesus is not about power and wealth, He's all about individual relationships with God. In their effort to deny the deity of Christ, they have compared him to a prophet - a human being who hears from God; and a supernatural being - an angel that serves the Lord. They can't deny that He existed, nor can they deny His miracles or wisdom. So, they attempt to come up with some other reason for what He really is. It's pretty clear in this opening chapter that the Old Testament Scriptures do not support these theories. Jesus Christ is the Messiah of the World. The author will continue to support this fact in the chapters to come.