Introduction to the Book of Hebrews

 

By way of introduction, I would like you to note three things about this fabulous Book of Hebrews: Its author, its audience, and its argument.

The Author: Debates have raged for almost two thousand years concerning the author of this book. Many scholars believe it to be Luke while others insist the orator Apollos. It could be Apollos or it could be Luke. One thing, however, is certain: Whoever penned this epistle had an intense understanding of theology combined with an immense Greek vocabulary. And these two factors point me personally to the apostle Paul. Not only did Paul’s brilliant mind give him a greater grasp of the Greek language than any other man throughout history, but his understanding of Old Testament theology was unrivaled as well. In a greater sense, though, the question of authorship doesn’t really matter, for truly, God is the author of Hebrews ultimately.

The Audience: The Book of Hebrews was addressed to Jewish believers who were being pulled back into Judaism. Living in Jerusalem, no doubt each time they heard the trumpets sounding from the courtyard of the temple, reminded of their heritage and history, they found themselves drawn back into the religion and rituals of the Levitical system. Jesus came to establish a New Covenant, the New Testament. That is why there are very sober warnings throughout the book.

The Argument: The argument of the Book of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is superior to the old way of religion. He is superior in His majesty because, as the Son of God, He is superior to angels, to Moses, to Joshua, and the entire Levitical system. And He is superior in ministry because, as the Son of Man, He died for us. He relates to us. He works with us.

I think you are going to be blessed greatly in the study of this book because the theme and message is to point out the sufficiency and beauty of Jesus – always a grand endeavor. Expanding souls encounter an expanding Christ! And this is why I am particularly enthused about this study volume on the Book of Hebrews, for that epistle has a double dose of growth-producing power – first, because it presents the greatness of Christ as no other New Testament writing does, and, second, because it repeatedly demands a response from the reader. Seriously considered, Hebrews will make us grow and find a bigger Christ.

*The material for these studies is from Jon Courson’s Commentary by Thomas Nelson Inc., R. Kent Hughes Preaching the Word series by Crossway, and Warren W. Wiersbe’s Commentary by Chariot Victor Publishing, unless otherwise noted.

Isaiah 29:1-24 Fire in the Fireplace

 

There is no doubt that Ariel in verses 1,2 and 7 is a code word for Jerusalem, described in more familiar terms in verse 1 as the city where David settled and in verse 8 as Mount Zion. In fact it is this sustained focus on Jerusalem/Zion which unifies this first part of the chapter. But Ariel appears to be a term which Isaiah has used for his own purposes at this point, since it is not used as a name for Jerusalem anywhere else in the book or, for that matter, in the entire Bible. It must bear, in a very pointed way, on the specific message which Isaiah is delivering in these particular verses. It means “a hearth” or, more specifically, “an altar hearth” – the flat surface of the altar on which a fire was lit to consume the sacrifices. It alludes to Jerusalem as the religious center of the nation, the place where the temple was situated and the Lord was worshiped, especially through the offering of sacrifices. But the word as Isaiah uses it has a terrible barb in it, for it also foreshadows the judgment that the Lord is going to bring on the city (v. 2). That is, the Lord is going to light another kind of fire in Jerusalem, the fire of His judgment, and when he does so the entire city will be like one vast blazing altar hearth. Jerusalem was heading for a flaming judgment because it was on a collision course with the Lord.

Sometimes we need to hear old truths in a new way if they are to shock us out of our complacency and stir us in needed action. The foolish notion that the externals of religious observance can of themselves protect us from God’s judgment in one that the Old Testament prophets attack again and again. Isaiah has already done so in 1:12-17, and will do so again later in the chapter in verses 13-14. He is not saying anything new here, but hammering home a familiar message in a particularly vivid manner. False religion is the very worst kind of pride because it attempts to make God our servant instead of recognizing that we are His servant. Isaiah predicts that the effect of the Lord’s judgment will be to reduce proud Jerusalem to the most abject weakness and helplessness (v. 4) before He at last turns His judgment (flames of a devouring fire) against her enemies (vv. 5-8).

Now the focus sharpens again so that we can take a closer look at its people. The picture that is drawn is damning: they are blind, drunk and stunned (vv. 9-10) – and this is both their own choice and God’s judgment on them. The “vision” or revelation of God’s purposes that has been given to them through Isaiah has become like a sealed scroll to them (vv. 11-12), and for all of this it is the religious leaders who are principally to blame. In view of what has gone before we might have expected Isaiah to single out the priests. Instead he lays the major blame at the feet of the prophets and the seers (vv. 10, 14). These were the people who, in a crises situation, should have been able to bring a contemporary word of revelation or wise counsel to bear. But instead of being people of insight who might have cut through to the heart of the problem, they had deliberately fallen in with the establishment and pursued a course which they knew the Lord disapproved of. This is why they hide their plans from the Lord and do their work in the dark where they foolishly pretend that God cannot see them (v. 15). In order to justify their actions they have to deny God’s right to tell them what to do and, by implication, claim that it is they who are wise and He (their Maker!) who knows nothing(v. 16): all of this (take note) while retaining their religious titles and the meticulous observation of the externals.

To rectify the situation the Lord will have to take drastic action and this is exactly what is signified by the “Therefore” of verse 14. This kind of language is regularly used in the Old Testament of the mighty acts of God, works of such a nature that only God Himself could be the doer of them. What the Lord will do about the present situation will be just as “wonderful” as His deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. But it will be far less pleasant for the present generation, for it is not a foreign tyrant that they are enslaved to but their own foolish wisdom. That is what the Lord must destroy if they are to be free (v. 14b), and we have already seen earlier in the chapter the means that He will use. The outcome, as Isaiah describes it in verses 17-21, will be a complete reversal of the present situation. The deaf will hear and the blind will se, so that the scroll of the divine revelation will no longer be sealed (v. 18). The proud will be abased and the meek exalted, and instead of the empty, insincere worship of verse 13 there will be a heartfelt, joyful praise to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel (vv. 19-21). The final paragraph sums up the great reversal and points to its significance: it will mean that everything that the Lord had in mind when He “redeemed Abraham” (by calling him out of pagan idolatry) so long ago will finally be a reality. God will be honored and worshiped by a people who no longer trust their own wisdom but humbly rely on His (vv. 23-24).

Isaiah 29:1-24 Reflection Questions:

Why does God abhor the externals of religious observance? Give one New Testament example where Jesus deals with it.

Do you know God? I mean really know Him not just knowing about Him. Do you have a real personal relationship with Jesus like you may have with your family, wife/husband, children, or best friend?

Why do you think the religious leaders contradicted the faith in God (Hypocrisy)? How did Jesus deal with this?

Are you still relying on your own wisdom instead of humbly relying on God’s?

Philippians 4:20-23 Grace and Glory

 

Few of Paul’s books end abruptly, and none of them ends without thought. In this book, as in others, Paul’s thoughts ran back over the work he had written, and his final remarks were added to impress his most important themes upon his readers. These last verses (Phil. 4:20-23) contain a twofold doxology interspersed with a few brief words of greeting. The doxology has the glory of God and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as its theme.

What is the glory of God mentioned in these last verses of Philippians? It is not exactly the same thing as the glory mentioned in verse 19, although the words are identical. In verse 19 Paul is talking of glory in the sense that God’s glory expresses God’s character. God’s glory is the outward expression of what God is internally. Hence, Paul is really saying that God shall continue to supply the need of the Christian out of His inexhaustible might, wisdom, love, holiness, truth, and other perfections. However, when Paul prays in verse 20 that glory might be given to God, he is thinking of glory in another sense. Here glory is praise. He is really looking forward to the day when God shall be praised and honored as He should and must be forever. There is a picture in the fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation of how this will happen. When Paul closed his letter to the Philippians he was looking forward to the day when God should be praised in this way and when all honor should be given to the Lord Jesus Christ, before whom every knee should bow. In this desire the first part of this doxology sums up much of the teaching of Philippians.

Paul had been speaking of the glory of God, which is certainly an exalted theological concept, but he no sooner speaks of this than his mind immediately turns to those who would actually give God glory. Of whom did he think? In these two short verses Paul’s thoughts run to four distinct bodies of believers. First, there are the Christians at Philippi. Second, there are the Christian leaders who are in Paul’s immediate company. Third, there is the larger company of believers in Rome. Finally, there is the special body of Christians who were employed in various services related to the imperial court. Paul knew that it was these very human brothers and sisters in Christ, some of whom had been sharply critical of him, who would one day join in the great heavenly chorus to sing God’s praises. He rejoiced that they would give God glory.

The final verse of the letter to the Philippians says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” God’s grace! There is nothing more significant that Paul could have used to end his epistle. If we have understood anything at all about this letter, we have understood that the message of Christianity from beginning to end is grace, God’s unmerited favor to human beings. Do we deserve anything from God? Not at all! We deserve nothing. We have run from God, and still, even after we are born again, we run from Him. Yet, when we were far from Him, God came to us dying for our sin, rising for our justification, and now living to enter the life of those who believe in Him and to guide them in holiness. God loves us and will love us forever. That is grace. It lies at the heart of the gospel.

Finally, Paul does not only mention the word grace, he also mentions the Lord Jesus Christ. This is significant, too, for it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that we know God’s grace and indeed continue to experience it. In fact, it is only through Jesus Christ that we experience any spiritual blessing. Think how many times the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned in this letter. The letter begins with the name of Jesus; it ends with His name. He is mentioned in every conceivable relationship.

As I reflect on our journey together through this study my heart is warmed, thinking of the preeminence, honor, and great glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our life; He is the hope, prayer, song, and joy of Christians in all ages – of Paul and his friends at Philippi, of the Roman Christians, and now of our congregations today. May this great theme – the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace – bless your heart today, and may it continually do so until that day when we shall know Him perfectly even as we are known. Amen!

Philippians 4:20-23 Reflection Questions:

Do you think about and pray for the Christians you associate with, even if they are objectionable and may be extremely critical of you?

What is one thing God has shown you through this study?

Isaiah 28:23-29 The Parable of the Farmer

 

Just as Jesus often used parables to illustrate His teaching, so Isaiah does here. It may be an already existing parable which he presses into service, whether it is his own creation or not it certainly serves his purposes well. It relates to what he has just been saying in at least two main ways.

First, it illustrates God’s various ways of working in history. Sometimes He deals harshly with His people, and sometimes He saves them from their enemies; sometimes He gives them over to their enemies. Why do His ways change so much? The parable gives the answer. A farmer changes his manner of working according to the materials he is working with and the stage he is at. So too the Lord changes His manner of working in history. But His ways are not haphazard; He is working according to a plan. Most of the processes described in the parable suggest pain – plowing, threshing, grinding – but all contribute to the final good of food production. In a similar way the Lord’s severe dealings with His people are directed towards a good end which He constantly has in view, as we have seen (vv. 16 & 22).

The second connection is via the theme of wisdom, to which our attention is pointedly drawn at the end of both sections of the parable (vv. 26 & 29). In acting as he does the farmer is simply putting into practice a wisdom that he has received from God. That is why his work is so productive: he is open to God’s wisdom and willing to be guided by it, unlike the proud, foolish leaders of Jerusalem. Like many of Jesus’ parables, this apparently gentle and reassuring picture of rural life has a sting in its tail.

The issue of the folly (false wisdom) of the nation’s leaders is taken up and developed further in the next chapter; so the parable points forward as well as backwards. Again and again Isaiah has reminded his hearers that in the short term the fate of Jerusalem hangs on the way its leaders respond to the warnings he has sounded, but that its final destiny is secure because of the Lord’s unswerving commitment to make it the center of a renewed earth.

Isaiah 28:23-29 Reflection Questions:

What New Testament parable has spoken to you?

Which agricultural term fits with what you have been or going through now?

What encouraging word do you get from this study?

Philippians 4:19 The God Who Provides

 

Are you depressed or discouraged? Has life gotten you down? If so, somewhere in the Bible there is a promise of God to cover it. I am convinced there is no need, no anxiety, no worry, and no dismay for which God has not made dozens of encouraging and uplifting promises.

Think of the breadth and scope of God’s promises. There is John 3:16, a promise of everlasting salvation, Romans 8:28, John 10:9, John 10:27-28. Some promises concern prayer: Philippians 4:6-7, 1John 5:14-15. Then we come to what is perhaps the greatest promise in the entire Bible. It is great because it includes all other promises. It is Philippians 4:19. Do you stand in need of salvation? God will supply salvation. Do you need strength for life’s trials? God will supply strength. If you are lonely, God can meet you and comfort you in your loneliness. If you are discouraged, He can lift you up. No need is left out, for the verse says that “God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

A verse like this needs to be savored in each of its phrases, and the place to begin is with the two most important words in the sentence, the subject. The words are “my God.” Who is the one who Paul knew was able to supply the needs of the Philippian Christians? It was not any God, for he did not say “a god” or merely “the god in whom you may happen to believe.” Paul was not referring to the gods of the Greeks, Egyptians, Assyrians, or Romans. When Paul said, “my God,” he was being specific and personal. Paul’s God was Jehovah, the God of Israel was had revealed himself to human beings personally in Jesus Christ. This is a great God. He is a gracious and effective God. In fact, to the biblical writers all other gods were “no gods” (idols); they were nothing. The God of whom Paul speaks is a God who will support His people and who will not let down the one who believes in Him. Is He your God? If He is not your God, if you have never come to Him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the promises of God’s care in the Bible are not for you. On the other hand, if you do believe in Him and wish to obey Him, you will find Him strong in you need. You will find Him entirely and consistently faithful.

The emphasis of the first part of the verse is on God, but the second part speaks of human needs. We must think of this also. What are our needs? First, there is our need for forgiveness. God provides that abundantly, for He offers forgiveness of sins that are past, present, and future. Forgiveness is made possible for us through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we receive it personally by acknowledging our sin before God ad accepting Christ’s sacrifice. Forgiveness is not our only need, however. Our second greatest need is for fellowship with God. Without God we are spiritually hungry, empty, and miserable. God longs to be known by us, to fill the spiritual vacuum of our hearts, to commune with us personally, and to meet us in our deep longings. Moreover, He is able to do so abundantly “according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. We also need God’s defense against enemies, and God is able to supply that too. There is one other need that must be added, for it is sometimes true that in God’s sight we have a need for that which in not so pleasant. We need to be disciplined, taught, or tested. If that is the case, then it is also true that Philippians 4:19 is a promise of God to supply the unpleasant discipline and testing.

The final phrase of our text speaks of the measure of the supply of God for our need. The measure is this: “according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” God has promised to fill the need of the believer in Jesus Christ out of His infinite wealth and resources. He will expand us as time goes on, and we shall come to hold more. We shall become more and more like Jesus Christ. But even at the greatest extent of our enlarged capacity we shall only touch His resources slightly. There will always be infinite resources beyond the ones we experience. In this life, as in the next, God shall supply all our needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, and still there will be inexhaustible resources beyond.

Philippians 4:19 Reflection Questions:

What are some of your “go to” Scripture verses when in a time of need?

Do you think that you can exhaust the riches of God by your needs, however great they may be?

What is your current need? Pray and ask God to supply for it now!