Introduction:
- What are some of the pictures that come to your mind when you think of Jesus?
- What are some of the ways that Jesus is popularly understood within our culture?
- After discussing these first two questions, read Hebrews 1:1-3 (I would also recommend reading Colossians 1:15-20 and John 1:1-14). Make a list of all of the things that these verses say about Jesus and then compare that list to the answers you gave to the previous two questions. How are the answers similar/different?
Understanding the Structure of Hebrews: Hebrews is a comparative study from beginning to end showing us over and over that Jesus is better.
Jesus is a Better Message and Messenger (1-4)
- Better than the Prophets (1:1-3)
- Better than the Angels (1:4-2:18)
- Better than Moses (3:1-19
- Better than Joshua (4:1-13)
Jesus is a Better Sacrifice and High Priest (5-10)
- Better than the earthly High Priests (4:14-7:28)
- Mediates a better covenant in a better sanctuary with a better sacrifice (8:1-10:18)
Jesus Demands Better Faith (11-13)
- A Call to Faith (10:19-25)
- Examples of Faith (11-12:3)
- A Call for a Disciplined Faith (12:4-29)
- Faith in action (13)
The dominant idea from Hebrews 1 is that Jesus is God’s superior self-revelation. He is greater than the prophets and the angels, and he is big enough for us to trust in him.
Hebrews 1 emphasizes three things about Jesus.
- His unique authority
- His unique identity
- His unique power
Application:
- Go through Hebrews 1 and write down specific things that the author says about Jesus’ authority, identity, and power.
- This text challenges us to be careful about making Jesus too small. It is also a warning about allowing anyone or anything else to become bigger than Jesus.
How does this chapter encourage you?
