Hebrews: Greater Than… Part 1 It All Starts Here Heb. 1: 1-13 April 28, 2019
I. The WAY God SPEAKS. (v.1-2)
A. COMMUNICATION is what He DOES. (v.1-2; Ps. 19:1-4)
B. WHAT God already SAID. (v.1)
C. Jesus: The FINAL WORD. (v.2: Jn 1:14)
The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians. We can tell that by the way that the author (who chose to remain nameless) assumes their in depth knowledge of Jewish history and religious practice. It also states right up front that God has something to say.
1. Have you ever felt that God spoke to you? What was that like and how did it happen?
2. Do you find it easy or difficult to reconcile what God said about Himself in the Old Testament with what He says about Himself in Jesus?
II. HOW do you DESCRIBE Jesus? (v.3; Col. 1:15-20)
A. Jesus from is START to FINISH. (v.3; (Col. 1:16,17,20)
B. The EMANATION of God TOWARD us. (v.3; Col. 1:19-20)
C. The PICTURE of God FOR us. (v.3; Col. 1:19)
D. The SUSTAINER, HEALER, and KING. (v.3; (Col. 1:17,20)
For those who have encountered Jesus it is often hard to express in words what He means to them, much less who He is. The writer of Hebrews uses 43 Greek words to sum up a description of who Jesus is and why that is the most important thing to be clear on in our lives.
3. Kid’s Question: What does Jesus’ life teach you about what God is like?
4. Read Col. 1:15-20. What characteristic of Jesus stands out most to you from that passage and why?
5. Does v.3 help you as if you struggle with some of the things God does/allows in the OT? Or does it make it more complicated? Why?
III. The SO what and the NOW what…
A. More than a MAN, more than an IDEAL. (Mt. 27:54)
B. Jesus is ALL we really SEEK.(v.3; Col. 2:2-3)
C. Yet we OFTEN look for ANOTHER. (Heb. 1-10; Mt. 11:3)
Hebrews 1:1-3 is the underlying theology/philosophy for the entire letter. It’s a foundation the writer wants people to understand before he (or she) continues. But we are stopping here for this week. So how do we take the theological and give it legs? How do we apply these truths about Jesus to our day to day lives? I’m glad you asked.
6. How do you think most of your non-Christian friends and acquaintances would describe Jesus? How can you ask questions that might help them to reconsider their conceptions of who He is?
7. Does Col. 2:2-3 really mean that everything we need to know or understand can be found in Jesus? How does that actually play out in our lives?
8. Hebrews is written to well meaning people who were seeking other things in place of Jesus. How can we know if we have drifted in the same way?