 Hey, good morning. Happy new year and welcome everyone for this course Where we will cover a couple of books of the Bible. So we're gonna cover Hebrews We will cover James first and second Peter and the book of Jude This is DC 307. We will have two assessments Both of a 50 marks each for all the modes. So whether you're a non-campus online or Pelearning student, we will have two assessments. Please make sure to attempt and Complete both the assessments in order for you to clear the course and also would encourage That we those who are online on campus to maintain your attendance Also, please act 85 percent. So This morning, let's just get started with our course here. We will Read mostly from NKJV version of the Bible. So that would be The version that we use for the classes You're free to look up other versions for your better understanding of the word and We are going to follow through with Enduring word.com That's a commentary by David Guzik and we are using his commentary primarily But then you know that there's a little bit of content from elsewhere as well So again, you're free to refer to David Guzik's commentary and additional commentaries That you prefer. So let's start off with a word of prayer and We'll get into the book of Hebrews today. So let me just start with a word of prayer Heavenly Father, we thank you Lord. We worship and honor you We thank you Lord for this time in your presence and the opportunity to learn your word Father, we pray that your word will come alive and Father God that you will help us so God to Be so strong in the faith father that that we can fulfill The purposes that you have Lord for each one of us father this morning. We come at all our concerns and Father Anything Lord that that may be weighing heavily upon our hearts into your hands. We pray for Lord the power of God to be demonstrated and reveal your glory Father God Father we speak blessing upon all the students and Their families as well, but especially Lord as we look ahead at the new year Lord We pray that this be a glorious your father a year with greater glory We thank you for this time in Jesus made me pray Okay, so the book of Hebrews very very interesting Study for all of us. We will begin with an introduction and understand Who wrote the book? You know when it was written. So then it gives us some context when we Read what has been written by the author. So as far as the authorship of the book is concerned The author does not identify Himself or herself give me generally in the epistles that Paul wrote we notice that he openly says Paul An apostle called by God Paul a bondservant of Christ. So he introduces himself But the unique thing about the book of Hebrews is that the writer doesn't Openly introduce himself or herself. So then that has given place for some speculation about who the author could be now there are people who state that Hebrews was also written by Paul Simply because it's around around the time when Paul was alive And they they also notice that some of the teachings which we observe in the book of Hebrews Can only come from someone who understands the Jewish culture very well and we know that Paul was a learned person and Thereby he would have had the capacity to write the way Hebrews is written Along with this the teachings in here are in harmony with the teachings of Paul. So there's no contradiction. So even though The name of the author is not mentioned and the style of writing is somewhat different from your usual letters who starts with an introduction and then addressing different matters and then Closing off with greetings Blessings thank you's that's not the style of the book of Hebrews. So it's like a prose. It's you know, it's it's a lot of text given here, it's quite different from the letters of Paul and so Maybe he wrote it, but why did he write it differently? So that's that's a question that arises So people think it could be Paul But then we can't clearly say that it is him Now other matters that you know, we see in some of the passages is in Hebrews 11 32 the author Identifies himself in the masculine grammar apparently Hebrew language and so that has Made people think that the writer could be a male Personality now whether it's Paul or not. We are not, you know, we can't tell a hundred percent because it's not written in there, but Who else, you know, if you say another male personality who else could it be there is speculation people think that it could be Barnabas Because he was a Levite and he may have had knowledge about the Jewish traditions and The temple practices and some others speculate that it could be Apollos because he was also a very learned person So all of this is speculation, but at the end of the day The writer does not identify himself. So I don't know if you've heard this, but I have a lot of People dealing with the text of the Hebrews would simply say the writer of the Hebrews Whereas some others will boldly say Paul says so believe it, you know, I add that whoever thinks that This particular person has written They are they are using that name in their messages or their writings But yeah, so that's how it is the the writer is not clearly identified So what is the time when this book was written? it is said that it was written somewhere between 67 to 69 AD and also Another thing for us to note at this time duration The temple was still there because the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem happened You know around 70 AD so then We also recognize that whatever the writer is talking about you'll see references to you know temple sacrifices priests so The practices were probably still going on and the writer With that understanding has put it across for us So maybe you know that the temple was still there It was not yet destroyed and that is why the writer was able to present Those pictures here in the book of it was to 67 to 69 AD before the destruction of the temple Literally form. I've already said it's not written like a letter, but it's written more like an essay in the Hebrew language and Who are the people that it was written to? It is said that this letter was written to persecuted Jewish believers or persecuted Jewish Christians so people who started moving away from Judaism They they were passionately following Christ, but then there was persecution They were opposed and they also may have gone through losses Because they would have lost the rights and privileges that they had among their own Jewish families Even in the society or the community people may have excluded them from their gatherings or or Some celebrations and it is also speculated that these people may have undergone greater losses such as Their property being taken away from them or some opportunities being taken away from them So being a Jewish Christian was not an easy thing Because you would you would have people against you and the writer of the Hebrews is trying to Work with the knowledge and information that these Jewish Christians already had they knew about worship and priests and sacrifices, so he is Through all of this knowledge, he is reiterating Then you found Christian faith and encouraging them and letting them know you know how much how What they are in right now is the fulfillment of all the traditions that they have been following so far So he's really bringing a word of encouragement to the persecuted believers And helping them stand strong in the Lord. So this is whom the book has been written to So what is the purpose of this book as I said? Encouragement mainly for the Jewish believers, but apart from this, you know, it's one of those rich Rich every word of God is rich But I'm just trying to say that when it comes to the revelation of who the Lord Jesus is his deity his redemptive work and how complete that redemptive work is you know and The the Trinity so many so many of these doctrinal concepts are beautifully explained and I would also say explained with depth in the book of Hebrews and I don't even know which which Which year this is that I'm teaching how many times I have taught the book of Hebrews But every time I prepare and I teach I feel like wow this this just gets better It just gets deeper And the same scripture seems to you know bring forth incredible meaning and Revelation so it's a beautiful book, but so much depth particularly when it comes to the doctrine that we hold on to And another thing so first I said is encouragement second. I said is the the Revelation right that we find here especially about the Lord Jesus Christ his deity doctrines It's all encompassed in the book of Hebrews and the third one is we will also find a Warning in the book of Hebrews so from time to time the author will remind the Jewish Christians and tell them look just because you're going through difficulty to give up and go back to Judaism You know, it's not the right thing to do like don't give up hold on and he also wants them about Pushing it too far. So in Hebrews chapter 6 we'll come to a passage where he talks about those who give up And go away from God and they even lose their faith. And so these consequences are quite dire and Therefore, he's warning them and saying don't go Away from God don't go back to the earlier practices because it's convenient comfortable and it will Once again, give you that that feeling of of being received by the community around you stand strong For the Lord, even if it is difficult and God will reward you So if it's a warning to not turn away from God and not to turn back from God so let me just pause here quickly check with all of us if you've ever done a study on the book of Hebrews and If if at all, you know, you have any thoughts to share, please let us know Okay, even if you've done a study any Any thoughts, I'm sure we've read the book of Hebrews. So What comes to your mind when you think about the book of Hebrews? I think the book is so intense much of revelation It takes a lot of it takes a lot of time to meditate and get the crisp of it And it's so so profound so deep. Yeah, and it also correlates with all the oldest And reminding us about our faith and Sure, sure. Yeah, sure. Yeah John, that's that's true. Thank you so much for sharing anyone else I've read the book a couple of times and I like how it shows that about angels and God the differentiation And I feel in Christology we have we have seen this where it says that Jesus is God and Yeah, that's one of the things I like and about even high priest how it's compared with Jesus I just feel like as you said, it's it's more about a deeper revelation of Jesus One of the things that we Get in this book Like how in the Old Testament and the New Testament are beautifully compared That full expression of Jesus I remember reading Hebrews even as I started this year And I was just asking God that one of the things that I want to do this year is to just know more About you. That's one thought that God put in my heart as I started 24. So yeah Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much for sharing Uh, so I think similar to what John shared depth revelation Especially revelation of who the Lord Jesus Christ is so, uh, let's begin and uh, Let's see what we can Get out of chapter one this morning. Uh, let's begin by reading the entire passage So that's what we'll do. We'll quickly read through chapter one and then I'll come back and explain portions of the first chapter Uh, so would one of you like to read through the whole thing or we can have two people Read two different portions We need uh, one person can read six verses and the next person the remaining seven verses Hebrews chapter one God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past To the fathers by the prophets Has in these last days spoken to us by his son Whom he has appointed here of all things Through whom also he made the worlds Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person And upholding all things by the word of his power When he had by himself purged our sins Sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high Having become so much better than the angels as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they For to which of the angels did he ever say you are my son today? I have begotten you and again I will be to him a father and he shall be To me a son, but when he again brings the first one into the world He says let all the angels of god worship him In Thank you rosalind. Uh, would anyone else? Like to read the next couple of verses, please And of the angels he says Who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire? But to the sun he says your throne o god is forever and ever A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness There for god your god has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions And you lord in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth And the heavens are the work of your hands They will perish but you remain and they will all grow old like a garment Like a cloak you will fold them up and they will be changed But you are the same and your years will not fail But to which of the angels has he ever said sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation Thank you rosalind. Thank you for reading through the entire passage. Uh, let's come back to The first few verses and try and understand. Oh my god is speaking to us So as we begin, uh, the writer here starts off. I told us there's no introduction as such And it's amazing that he starts with the word god This also tells us that he is sure that he's speaking to uh, uh, a believing crowd Um and When we say god, of course with the rest of what is written we can affirm that he's speaking to the Jewish people They already have an idea about who this god is. So he doesn't try to explain it further It just starts with god meaning you already know This is the god of you know, the yoway god. It's the god of amram. Isaac jacob. I'm talking about that god god Who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past. So he's revealing to us the manner in which God, uh, the nature of god and the manner in which he wants to relate to us he is Almighty All powerful and we talk about the attributes of god, uh, where we say that you know, he is uh on mission or me potent or me present but Having these attributes. He still wants to relate to us. That's so beautiful because in various times and in various ways he spoke He communicated to us Uh, and he still communicates with us, right? And so we have this, uh, whole Desire for the prophetic. What is god speaking to us now? We we want to know that I know we've done a course on the prophetic as well. So he's a speaking god And he spoke to our fathers by the prophets in time past. Now god has spoken throughout ages And particularly he points to the prophets under the old You know in the old testament times But the writer is talking about the greatest message ever spoken by god So among everything that the lord has spoken if there is one thing that the writer chooses to emphasize It is about the lord jesus christ So in the person of the lord jesus christ is a message coming forth to us And that's what he's letting the people know that god Right now meaning in their times Has spoken in the best way possible and the best message possible and that message Is the lord jesus christ so Excuse me. He says in verse two Hasn't these last days Spoken to us by his son last days Simply referring to the time, you know after The death burial resurrection Of our lord jesus christ. So we are technically in the last days So right now the greatest message that god has spoken to us is through his son and notice We are told About god And his son so though we we don't have this term called trinity Input into The book of hebrus We will find that in some places there is a beautiful picture of the trinity emerging So god and his son Part of the trinity He has spoken to us by his son and now he's talking about the attributes of the son of god Where he the whole of the first chapter is telling us that jesus is lord The jesus is god He's part of the trinity and so he describes The attributes of the son of god and he says he has appointed air over all things being air over everything is a picture of lord ship So when we say the lord jesus christ and we talk about him We crucified on the cross of calvary. We know about his redemptive work But it's not just limited to that the lord jesus as jeffina was saying christology when we study about who he is Uh in you know being fully mad fully god There are all these aspects that we have to consider one of which the the writer is pointing to and he says appointed air of all things meaning look at jesus as lord ruler Okay, uh, and and he he reads over everything through who also he made the worlds so describing the activity of creation uh Sometimes we would say that you know the god he spoke let there be light and we attribute creation to the father And and sometimes people focus more on the spirit the spirit of the lord was hovering upon the waters And and you know, uh, we know that brooding is is a reproductive term So the spirit of god is involved in creation but the writer of the Hebrews is Letting us know that the son of god Is also involved in creation Through who also he made the worlds so the worlds were made through the lord jesus christ So there is uh, there is his involvement in creation itself So it's really beautiful That is reminding us and he's telling us look god spoke in so many ways in the past while all those messages are beautiful We uh can enlist you know god spoke to Moses through the burning bush. We could say you know, Elijah Through a stills small boys all of which are really You know things that we talk about a god spoke like this or you know isiah through a heavenly vision But beyond all the beauty and the magnificence of the way god has communicated The best way which he has communicated is through his son the lord jesus christ okay, and uh We are being told that he is part of creation the work of creation And he's the author of the worlds the author of the worlds that that term there the greek word is Aeon aeon which refers to ages and history itself. All right. So, uh, this is the manner in which This book has been written revealing the deity of christ. Okay. Uh, just a quick Correction, I think when I started out introducing the book I said the Hebrew language So my apologies greek. Okay, so it's written in the greek language Though the name of the book is Hebrews it is written to the Hebrew believers or the or the Jewish believers, but the text here that we are We we have to interpret is in the greek. So Right, so let's move on verse three He says who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person And upholding all things by the word of his power. Okay, it's too power packed to You know, sort of unpack quickly and keep moving on with the next verse But what what is the writer trying to reveal in these? Words he says who being the brightness of his glory So, you know when we look at uh, let's say you consider the source of light if it's dim Let's imagine The source of light is in this room and we are in the other room and some rays are reaching us if it's dim We can easily say that. Yeah. Okay. Maybe it's uh, whatever, you know, low Low watt wattage bulb Uh, or if it's super bright We could say hey, it's coming from a powerful source of light because the rays are so powerful Uh, and in the same way he's trying to give us an analogy here about the lord Jesus He says being the brightness of his glory So the lord Jesus is like that ray of light Imagine he is the one who has created all this the sun and all the stars And uh, what would be his brightness the one who's the brightest of them all? Okay, uh, the brightness of his glory Jesus is like that ray of light and through that ray of light We are able to understand who god is Okay So god Jesus is representing God or the father and as we look at the glory of the lord Jesus We get an idea about the glory of the father the glory of the godhead So he when he came here to our world He showed so bright by his character by his ministry Right by the power in which he moved and That's why he says the brightness of his glory so powerful life of Jesus Everything he said everything he did just by observing studying the life of Jesus You recognize oh, this is who god is, you know, so just so holy so mighty so loving And and he shone bright the glory of god among us That's the lord Jesus and the express image of his person express image of his person is somewhat to say you know when when letters go out and We may have a stamp All organizations institutions do this we have a seal Put that seal each time we can't recreate the logo or the emblem So we just carry a seal we just you know a dip it in ink and we stamp it out on our letters and the same seal goes out And it it represents the same thing Right, uh, it it represents who we stand for what we believe and In that manner the writer is saying, you know, Jesus is the Stamp like he is that express image exact image that exact if this is god It's like this when you stamp You get the same picture same image or you could even say like a mirror image exact image of god And that's what jesus came to do to represent god Well to us. So he's the brightness of his glory And he's also the express image of the person of god now. I want to understand god who is god We can understand god by the names that god revealed to us covenant names. We keep saying right jahoba um jahoba jaira jahoba rafa Covenant god who provides covenant god of healing to covenant god of peace through the names of god We can understand who he is. You know adonai, elthradai, elohim We recognize. Oh, this is the god that we serve we recognize him through his works What he did for the israelites how he You know went before uh joshua and the people and the miracles Elijah the god of Elijah the god of elisha and we get a picture an awesome god This is who he is But the right of the Hebrews is now adding to that and he's saying When you look at jesus You understand who god really is You can understand it by his names by his works but Primarily we understand him by the person of our lord jesus because he is the express image Of his person So for me to know god Remember jesus said i am the way the truth and the life no one goes to the father except i know You need to know me. You need to accept what i have done for you and uh through me is salvation Jesus is the express image of god jesus is the way to the father Jesus is revealing the father to us and the next patya upholding all things by the word of his power Think about this What holds the universe Because we can describe all the scientific philosophies and you know principles that we know and work out some mathematical Uh, you know algorithms, uh to explain how the stars are suspended Uh in the universe how the planets are suspended But the light of the Hebrews In line with describing the lordship Of jesus christ is now saying to us You know how god upholds This world the universe everything in its place, you know By the word of his power He said and there was light he said and created that the heavens were created By the word of god some uh 33 reminds us of that So the whole universe Is second place The word of his power it says instead of the power of his word the word of his power So this is how god is sustaining the world Now a small question to you and me What about our lives, you know if i may just for comparison sake say a small little lives In comparison to the universe The whole universe is sustained by the word of his power Why can't your life and my life be sustained by the word of his power and we know When we read the book of john He's the word In the beginning was the word The word was with god the word was god and So we must embrace The word of his power and let it really work in our lives Uh, so it's again talking about jesus how he's the radiance of god You know the brightness of his glory another word is the radiance of god The express image of his person upholding all things by the word of his power When he had by himself purged our sins now again talking about the redemptive work of god Why did he come here to the earth with the mandate of taking the sins of the world upon himself? and paying Our price on the cross so that we could be We could be set free from the wrath of god. So there's a reference to purging our sins and notice it says When he had by himself You know that again is so beautiful because god could have Uh done it any other way You know get your best angel get your best prophet Something like that or create another creature and say okay go you bring redemption for mankind At the love of god for us to do a complete work And a just work Is is such that he by himself purged our sins and The next thing again so very beautiful Sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high again a description of the uh trinity Up in heaven god is in heaven. Where is jesus at the right hand of the majesty? So uh god One god three persons Hebrews talks about it So jesus is at the right hand of the majesty majesty referring to Father god Uh, and he sat down. He sat down. I think in uh the book of acts. I explained that where Sitting down is a picture of having completed a task or an assignment which was given to us So we sit down after we have finished Jesus on the cross when he hung what did he say? It is finished I've done the work of it. I completed it okay, and now uh ahead of him was The the promise of the father that he spoke to the disciples about and he himself ascended up into heaven And when he went up into heaven He sat down because he had completed what god called him to do Uh, all right. So moving forward from there What do we see verse four having become so much better than the angels as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they so it is said Commentators say that another problem during the times of Uh, you know this this uh Hebrew believers was the worship of angels Which is why the writer had to Clarify and say that the lord jesus is god He's the son of god. He is creator He is the very representation of god. Whereas the angels are not And the angels are subject to this lord jesus christ And he's coming to that point the verses that follow will talk about angels Uh, and the comparison between jesus and the angels right here in verse four He's saying having become so much better than the angels. So obviously he's higher than the angels So what's the comparison jesus is creator? Angels are created You see so you cannot even equate the two Because it's completely different And so he's greater. He's so much better than the angels now. How is he better than the angels? One that is pointed here or listed here is by inheritance meaning The father has a son and it's not an angel. It's the lord jesus christ are angels the You know sons or i know in some places they're termed as sons sons of god, but That doesn't mean You know In the context that we are speaking the trinity being co-equal with god. They are not Only jesus is co-equal with god And you know the second personality in the trinity. So By inheritance that way, it's only the lord jesus who's the son of god He has obtained a more excellent name than they so Very clearly the writer is saying look jesus is greater Now by inheritance he has a great name, but remember when we uh read in philippians chapter two We see that the lord jesus humbled himself and obtained a name that is greater than Any other name so even through his obedience to the father not just inheritance So sometimes we look at it like oh look at this person They just inherited a fortune and they became the king or they became the boss They became the you know, whoever top ranking official in the company Just by inheritance, but in the case of jesus that's true as a son. He inherited A more excellent name, but also through his life his character his obedience And we read about that in scripture as well. So he was not that You know disobedience are who just inherited the father's legacy No It's the other way around Though he could be so proud and you know claim Uh superiority over people He was still so humble My inheritance he was already the son of god, but even by action by character by humility he Obtained a more excellent name and we read about that in philippines chapter two So just want to check how you all are doing if you're still there if you're still awake and still tuned in Okay, is that a yes or no Okay, okay. Thank you Anyone else? Yes Okay, thank you Okay, yes brother Collins. Thank you so much for confirming. Thank you everyone. Good to know that You know you're with me So let's see. We'll probably cover a little bit more before we wrap up for today uh All right, so coming to verse five here says for to which of the angels did he ever say you are my son Today I have forgotten you and again I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son But when he again brings the firstborn into the world He says that all the angels of god worship him and of the angels he says Who makes his angel spirits and his ministers a flame of fire? so very clearly Again, the writer is reiterating the relationship that god has with the sun and the position of the Angels and who angels really are and as I stated earlier, this is possibly to uh sort of If there was a wrong teaching about worshipping angels The author wanted to destroy it because the only one who we should worship is a lot jesus and not any angels So these scriptures here These verses here also reveal to us the knowledge and understanding of the writer of the Hebrews because he is literally Coating from the old testament and you will notice that the book of Hebrews is one of those books where A lot of quotes from the old testament have been included So that reveals to us the knowledge of the writer of the old testament scriptures that he was really Uh, uh, a very adept student of the word of god So these passages are from psalm chapter two. So one of the verses that's quoted is psalm two seven another one is from second san jill seven and verse 14, uh, where it's God speaking to his son And not calling the angels his son. So for his son, which is the lord jesus. There's terms used such as begotten Okay begotten not created begotten and The other term here is first born into the world All of this attributing to the lord jesus christ and his greatness And his relationship with the father And again, you know a picture of the trinity. I already mentioned that to us you have terms like the father to I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son All this is spoken to the lord jesus christ, but He has not spoken this to the angels. That's the point that he's trying to make but what about the angels then He's saying that all the angels of god worship him So angels as created beings are subject to god almighty Okay, they are they actually need to be worshiping god and Who angels are is also described for us because he says who makes his angels spirits And his ministers a flame of fire. So who are angels the angels are but They are spirit. We already know that and they are Ministers meaning they have been created by god to serve and we'll see later on verse 14 There is a reference to angels serving those who are born again who are part of the kingdom of god So Angels are supposed to worship jesus because he is god and he is lord and they are but created Spirits who must be subject to the lordship Of our lord jesus christ and they are ministers. Yes, they are powerful ministers. It says his ministers a flame of fire sometimes this scripture is quoted for Ministers as in not angels per se, but men and women of god who are serving But it's okay because the essence is correct powerful ministers. The lord surely equips his ministers, right? We are anointing the grace and all of that so But the verse as such is referring to angels who are serving spirits. So ministers means Those were in service now worship the word worship there in the greek Where it says let all the angels have got worship him. I'll just explain that word and stop for today The word worship is The word pros canoes it's greek. Okay, so I don't know if i'm pronouncing it correct But pros cano means Literally like lying cross prostrate So think about that picture of worship worship is To like sort of be in that position of surrender before god Where we are lying prostrate. I know we don't do it physically each time, but hopefully that's the Position of our heart where we are before the lord submitted to the lord and It's also said that that word means to to kiss or sometimes You know when we see maybe a pet dog licking the master's foot like it's it's adoring the master and it's it's You know just in the presence of the master Even that apparently is What this word means? So it's as of to say we Completely surrender to god. We we live prostrate for him It's it's going close to god and in our adoration Just just adoring the lord as if this word kiss is is mentioned here or like Uh, someone who is at the feet of their master just looking up onto the master that is worship And the writer says the duty or the responsibility of angels is to worship our lord jesus because he is so worthy of our worship Uh, I just wanted to translate that to us and say even we must be worshiping our lord jesus christ so with that It's a wrap on today's class and just to reassure our class based on our discussion yesterday. So discussions are Resolution for your concerns is underway. Uh, please do give me a little bit of time so that I can get back to you And uh, yeah, so maybe we can just pray Close today, uh, would anyone like to lead in prayer, please? Let's pray Father almighty god, we thank you for this lesson We thank you for speaking to us. We thank you for enlightening our brains King of glory. There is nothing we can pay for but only to glorify your name Let your word continue reigning in our life. Let it change us. Let us give Help us to do the great commission that we are called for we pray and declare this the name of the father the son and the holy spirit we pray Amen Amen Thank you everyone. God bless you Uh, I really hope that you're enjoying the book of Hebrews Bye for now