This Week’s Sunday School Lesson, “A Time To Rejoice With Christ:, Hebrews 1:1-9

THE TIME TO REJOICE WITH JESUS

Hebrews 1:1-9

THE SPOKEN WORD, PAST AND PRESENT

V:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

In this text, God speaks of two-time frames. The time before the birth of Jesus and

the time after His birth. The time of the law and the time of grace. The time of darkness

and time of enlightenment

In the past, the time before the birth of Jesus God spoke through the prophets, through

elders. Through our parents, through angels, and our children, God spoke

through events, and trial and tribulations. He recorded His word in all the

scriptures of the Old Testament which He preserved for our teaching.

In the last days which is our present time. It is the time between the first coming of

Jesus and His second coming. This is the time of His grace and mercy for all mankind,

but particularly for all who believe in Jesus. God has given us time to prepare ourselves

for an eternity with Him before He judges all nonbelievers for an eternity in hell.

Today Jesus the Son of God is the teacher as opposed to the past when the law was

given as a tutor. Jesus is the owner of all things, in heaven and on earth which were made by Him (John 1). He earned the right to be the owner and chief caregiver with

His death on the cross one Friday evening.

There is no better relationship to have than with the one who sacrificed His life for

your salvation. Jesus is the owner of all who believe in Him because He paid the

ransom required to satisfy God’s demand for justice (Hebrews 9:15).

THE GLORY OF JESUS

V: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.

The Holy Trinity is one God in three persons. It is God in the person of the Father,

God in the person of the Son, and God in the person of the Holy Spirit. In Genesis

when God said let Us make man in our own image and likeness it was referring

to the Holy Trinity.

Jesus is the preexistence essential being. He is the light of light. He and the Father are

one (John 10:30). He is exactly the same as the Father. The difference is Jesus to om

the assignment clothing Himself in human flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The question is why did Jesus need to become fully man while being fully God?

The first thing the first Adam did was to disobey God’s command thus breaking

the relationship with Him. You will notice in Genesis 2: 16? God killed an animal to

cover the sins of Adam and Eve. A blood sacrifice was required to reestablish the

fellowship with God the Father.

Because of Adam’s sin, all mankind was born in sin in need of a sinless blood

sacrifice for redemption. This set up the need for Jesus to take on human

nature. By becoming man Jesus experienced all the frailties of man. He experienced

anger. Hate, the pride of man, tiredness, disappointment, grief. Jesus experiences the

pain of death by crucifixion.

It was His voluntary death on the cross that provided the way for the purification of

sin. Having reconciled man back to the Father with His death on the cross, He was

raised on the third day and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

THE SUPERIOR POSITION OF JESUS

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

5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son; today I have become your Father”?

Or again,

“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”?

Angels were God’s first created beings (Job ). They rejoiced while God

was speaking the earth into existence. Angel was created holy but given

the ability to choose righteousness or sin. Lucifer created as an archangel

sinned by pride and caused a number of other angels to follow him into sin.

While angels who remained faithful to their position were never never called

sons are given any station other than God’s praise team and His messengers.

The angels who remained faithful were given from time to time the power to

destroy man and property at the will of God.

THE WORSHIP OF JESUS

V:6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

7 In speaking of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels wind, his servant’s flames of fire.”

Angels were given the responsibility to worship Jesus and bring the good

news of His birth to mankind. They are powerful beings under the will of

the Father but completely submissive to Him.

THE ETERNAL AUTHORITY OF JESUS

V: 8 But about the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

Lucifer the Arch angel wanted to establish a throne in heaven and be equal to God

Isaiah 14:13-16

13 You said in your heart,

“I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne

above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,

on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.

14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.”

15 But you are brought down to the grave,

to the depths of the pit.

While Jesus has all power, He never sinned but humbled himself to the Father

for the mission of salvation

Philippians 2:6-7

6 Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

No angel was ever considered for the job of salvation. It is certainly the highest

honor for Jesus to lay aside His robe of glory, and step down out of heaven

to become the salvation of mankind. No angel can claim, I am the way, the truth

, and the light. No angel ever raised a person from the dead or died and was raised

from the dead. They are distinct messengers of God, spirit beings in God’s service.

Jesus our Lord and Savior is the creator and above all His creation. He deserves

all praise and honor of man and angels.

Believers chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world share in the honor

of Christ through the great commission (Matthew 28:19) to bring men to Him

through the preached Word.

LET US REJOICE IN THE WORK OF OUR LORD

AND SAVIOR

Rev. M. Mitchell