Why Believe in Jesus Sunday School Lesson

Home >> Sunday School >> Sunday School Lessons >> Why Believe in Jesus Sunday School Lesson

Why Believe in Jesus Sunday School Lesson

1. Jesus: God's Self-Expression(Hebrews 1:1-3)

Hebrews begins with no preliminary material.Instead it plunges immediately into its maintopic: a doctrinal presentation of the nature androle of Christ in relationship to previous revela-tions of God.

A. Revelation Before Jesus (v. 1)

1. God, who at sundry times and in diversmanners spake in time past unto the fathers bythe prophets.

The author begins by describing the partial na-ture of revelation before Christ. Two rare and un-usual Greek adverbs, translated at sundry timesand in divers manners, present themselves. Liter-ally, the author is saying that God spoke "in manyparts" and "in many ways." Before Jesus, God'srevelation of himself came in bits and pieces, de-livered sporadically over a long period of time.

These revelations of God were delivered to thefathers of Israel's history. The messages came viaGod's spokesmen, the prophets. The author of He-brews does not minimize the importance of thisprophetic voice. Rather, the author wants thereaders to realize that there is incompleteness ifwe stop with the Old Testament. The Old Testa-ment tells of many people who were commendedfor their faithfulness, yet "received not thepromise" (Hebrews 11:39). Thus they were at acertain disadvantage compared with Christians.

B. Revelation in Jesus (v. 2a)

2a.Hath in these last days spoken unto us byhis Son.

By last days the author is not intending a refer-ence to the final few days or weeks just beforethe second coming of Jesus. Rather, last daysrefers to the final period of human history, theera of Christ. This period is characterized by anew age of revelation. No longer do we receiveour knowledge of God in bits and pieces. Godnose speaks through his Son.

There are two major implications to this state-ment. First, the ministry of Jesus was strategi-cally chosen by God as a way to reveal himself.As John wrote, by experiencing Jesus, "We be-held his glory, the glory as of the only begottenof the Father" (John 1:14). Later in this sameGospel, Jesus declared, "He that hath seen mebath seen the Father" (14:9).

The second implication is that Jesus is the per-fect and complete revelation of the Father. TheOld Testament prophets, for all their virtues,were able to give only a fragmentary picture ofwho God is. God has revealed himself fully bysending His Son; we neither need nor should ex-pect further revelation about God while we'restill in our earthly existence. Therefore Jesus isthe culmination of God's revelation about him-self in this, the final period of human history.

C. Revelation Through Jesus (vv. 2b, 3)

2b.Whom he hath appointed heir of allthings, by whom also he made the worlds.Understanding the exact relationship betweenJesus and God is difficult. One of the best waysto understand it is the frequent biblical descrip-tion of the Father-Son relationship. This passagematches this description in two ways. First, asheir of all things, Jesus is the unique Son of God.He shares this level of sonship with no one else.We are able to become sons and daughters ofGod through faith (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26), butnot in the way that Jesus is God's Son. [See ques-tion #1, page 1361

This unique relationship is further explainedby the second description: Jesus as co-creatorwith the Father. In the ancient world a son com-monly worked with his father in the family busi-ness. The Son has worked with the Father, evenin creating the universe. This serves as a furtherconfirmation of Jesus' sonship and also affirmsHis preexistence. The Son is not a created beingbut rather the creator himself.

3. Who being the brightness of his glory, andthe express image of his person, and upholdingall things by the word of his power, when hehad by himself purged our sins, sat down on theright hand of the Majesty on high.

To define and explain the true nature of theChrist completely is impossible because of thelimitations of human language and understand-ing. However, the author gives four powerful ho-ages to help us.

First, the Son is the brightness of the Father'sglory. This could be translated as the "reflectionof God's glory." In this the author emphasizesthat Jesus was a visible revelation of God. Theglory of God in Jesus was partially uncovered atthe transfiguration for the disciples to see (Mark9:2, 3). The miracles of Jesus also were partialrevelations of God's glory (John 2:11).

Second, the Son is the express image of the Fa-ther's person. The original, Greek word used isthe one from which we get our English wordcharacter. In the ancient world it was used to de-scribe an exact imprint of a coin, a complete andfaithful reproduction stamped from the original,engraved coin die. The author is saying thatJesus is a full and faithful representation of theFather, without flaw or defect. (See question #2.page 1361

Third, the description upholding all things bythe word of his power expands upon Jesus' role ascreator. This includes the power to sustain Hiscreation (see Colossians 1:17, last week's lesson).

In some religions the creator and the sustainerare different gods. The fully revealed truth is thatthe Son shares in both functions.

Fourth, the author reminds his readers thatafter Jesus' death and resurrection, He ascendedto Heaven to be seated at the right hand of thethrone of God. This presents the Son as a rulerand judge equal to the Father. It also shifts thefocus to the maim of Heaven, where the positionof Jesus is far superior to that of any angel. Thisis the next topic of discussion.

ON THE RIGHT HAND

In the English language the phrase right handis rich in symbolism. It can mean the hand thatis normally stronger (than the left). The OxfordEnglish Dictionary cites a source from the year1000 with this connotation. Another meaning isto symbolize friendship or alliance. This conno-tation is cited as early as 1591. We normallyshake hands with the right hand.

A third meaning is to indicate a person of use-fulness or importance, an indispensable or effi-cient helper. We use the phrase right-hand man,a usage that goes back to 1537. In 1063 GeneralThomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's left arm wasamputated after a wound (which eventuallyproved fatal); to this General Robert E. Lee ex-claimed. "You have lost your left arm, but I havelost my right!"

A similar meaning is that the right hand is theposition of honor. This is probably the meaningintended in Hebrews 1:3. After He had fulfilledHis task on earth, Jesus ascended and was seatedat the right hand of the Father. Jesus representsthe right hand of God in all ways—in strength, inalliance, and in honor. Do we hold Jesus in asmuch honor as the Father does? J. B. N

II. Jesus: Superior to Created Beings(Hebrews 1:4-9)

Recently we have experienced a renewed fas-cination with angels. Television programs,movies, and novels are filled with fanciful ac-counts of divine visitations. Cards, pictures, andartwork have used angels as a decorative motif.The Bible has comparatively little informationabout angels. We know that they are a class ofbeings with supernatural powers. They serve atthe pleasure of God. We even know the names ofa couple of them: Gabriel (Luke 1:19) andMichael (Revelation 12:7).

While our knowledge of angels is limited,some things about them are very clear in theBible. First, they are not to be worshiped. Worship is for God alone (see Revelation 19:10). Sec-ond, Jesus Christ is not some type of glorifiedangel. He is the divine Son and far superior toany angel. Apparently the author of Hebrews isaware of misunderstandings related to both ofthese things. He seeks to correct them in the fol-lowing verses.

A. Name Above Angels' (vv. 4, 5)

4.Being made so much better than the angels,as he hath by inheritance obtained a moreexcellent name than they.

What does your name mean? I recentlylearned that the name "Tiffany" does not mean"expensive jewelry." It comes from the Greekword Theophanos, meaning "presence of the di-vine." What a powerful name for a baby girl!The author's first point in showing that JesusIs superior to angels has to do with His name.We treat names casually in the modern world.We use nicknames, shortened names, informalnames, and other variations. In the biblicalworld, however, names were highly significant.They were chosen carefully and usually had aclear meaning. For example, Pharaoh's daughternamed her adopted baby "Moses" (meaningdrawn) because she "drew" him out of the waterTlxodus 2:10). The more excellent name in mindwere is not "Jesus" or "Christ" but "Son," as willbe explained in the following verses.

5.For unto which of the angels said he at anytime, Thou art my Son, this day have I begottenthee? And again, I will be to him a Father, andhe shall be to me a Son?

The author draws upon two well-known OldTestament passages to make his point: 2 Samuel7:14 and Psalm 2:7. Jesus is designated Son byGod himself. This is a name and (more impor-tantly) a title that Jesus shares with no one else,not even angels. [See question #3, page 1361 Al-though these verses probably applied to KingsDavid and Solomon in their original context,Jesus had discussed this question during Hisministry (see Matthew 22:42-45). In so doing Heaad shown himself to be the ultimate Son ofGod, superior to David (compare Acts 2:25-32).

B. Worthy of Worship (v. 6)

6. And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all theangels of God worship him.

The author uses another Old Testament quota-tion to show the readers what it means to be theSon of the Father in Heaven: He is worthy ofworship. See Revelation 5:13, where worship in-:hides both God and the Lamb (Jesus).

The source of this quotation is probably theGreek (Septuagint) version of Deuteronomy32:43. In that version heavenly beings are com-manded to worship God. No creature, includingangels, is exempt from the obligation of worship-ing God and worshiping His Son.

C. Rules in Heaven (vv. 7-9)

7. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh hisangels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.The author now quotes Psalm 104:4 to definethe glorious function of angels. They are power-ful spiritual beings who are servants of God. Todescribe them as a flame of fire reminds us ofpassages such as Genesis 3:24 and Exodus 3:2.8, 9. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, 0God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteous-ness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hestloved righteousness, and hated iniquity; there-fore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee withthe oil of gladness above thy fellows.

The author now uses his most formidable quo-tation: Psalm 45:6, 7. David and Solomon hadbeen promised an eternal throne or dynasty (seePsalm 89:4, 29, 36). But neither of these esteemedkings was ever promised he would be a god. Thustheir promise of an eternal throne is fulfilled onlyin Jesus. [See question #4, page 136.1

There is another important detail in this quo-tation that should not be missed. When God theFather anoints God the Son, He literally makesHim Christ. The term Christ (or its Old Testa-ment counterpart, Messiah) means "AnointedOne." Jesus is not a self-anointed messiah. He isanointed by God for a special ministry, the mostimportant ministry in the history of the world.

Jesus himself proclaimed, The Spirit of theLord . . . hath anointed me to preach the gospel"(Luke 4:18).

The sweeping claims about Jesus Christ in thisbeautiful text still serve today as guideposts inour quest to know Him more fully. He is theunique Son of God, the ultimate revelation ofGod the Father, the co-creator and sustainer ofour world. I, -41 pug.

WHAT DO You LOVE?

When I was a youngster, I used to love goingto my grandfather's farm. There were fascinatinganimals, and the wooded area at the rear of thefarm was an exciting place to a suburban kid.When I got older, I used to love riding my bikeand exploring residential and factory areas sev-eral miles away. I loved eating banana splits. Ialso loved playing baseball; the kids on our blockoften would play several hours every day, allsummer, straight through the heat and humidityof July and August.

In my adult years my tastes have changed.Now I love to sit in a comfortable chair with atall, cold glass of caffeine-free diet cola and a bigbowl of popcorn, and read a book. Other peoplelove to go to NASCAR races. I have a friend wholoves to participate in Civil War reenactments.Some people love watching sunsets. Others lovetaking walks along the beach or in the woods.What do you love? Jesus loved righteousness.That's a much more lofty value, isn't it? We tendto love things. Jesus loved virtues. He loveddoing God's will. He loved doing what was rightin God's sight. When He was baptized, He said itwas to fulfill all righteousness. He did not livejust to fulfill His own selfish desires or seek His own pleasures; He waisted to fulfill God's will inall things. He loved righteousness. Do we?

Conclusion

A. Personal Revelations

A recent newspaper story claimed that a ma-jority of people have hidden aspects to their livesthat would embarrass them if revealed. The clas-sic example of this is the traveling salesman whohas two wives and families residing in differentcities. He may operate for years by spending partof each week at the different locations. Whensuch arrangements are made public, the result istragic, with strong feelings of betrayal.

Many people, however, have "dirty little se-crets" on a smaller scale. The ability to remainanonymous in our electronic age has led manyinto online pornography, affairs, and other secretyet sinful behavior. An overemphasis on the"right to privacy" has proved to be a stumblingblock to some Christians, even Christian leaders.The secular press delights in uncovering thesetransgressions and revealing the hypocriticallifestyles of guilty believers. There is nothingmore comical to the critics of the church than thepreacher who rails against adultery on Sundaymorning and visits his mistress Sunday night.There are some things about God that remainhidden to us. There are, however, no foul detailsthat are hidden. God is pure and holy and righ-teous consistently, without any deviation at anytime.

We can learn much about God from studyingthe Old Testament, but even more by looking atJesus. The life of Jesus shows us that God is lov-ing and compassionate. God loved us enough tosend His only Son to redeem the world as an of-fering for human sin (see John 3:16, 17; Romans5:8). God's self-revelation in Jesus Christ is thesure foundation of all Christian faith and hope.This stands as a great assurance and comfort toall believers.

B. Prayer

Holy Father, thank You for sending Your Sonto help us understand You better. Because of Hisdeath, we need never doubt Your love for us. Hehas revealed Your heart to us, and we rejoice inthat revelation. We pray in His name, the namefar above any angel's, amen.

C. Thought to Remember

Jesus is God's ultimate revelation and is far su-perior to the angels.

Home :: Contact Us :: About Us :: Privacy Policy :: Site Map