Bible Talk Series
The Letter to the Hebrews
“Jesus is Better”
Glenn Lyons
Contact: [email protected]
Website: https://presidingbishop.co.za/
The Message of Hebrews
Jesus is Better – so don’t give up on Him!
Hebrews’ is written mainly to Jewish believers who had made a
good start with Jesus (Heb.10:32f) but were now beginning to lose
heart. They had flattened out in their faith and failed to grow
(Heb.5:11f). Some were starting to doubt that Jesus was the
promised Messiah and were going back to the old Jewish religion.
Hebrews responds by showing that Jesus is way better and more
superior to anything the old religion had to offer. (e.g. Angels,
Moses, Joshua, Priests, Temple etc.)
Much like a sermon, Hebrews proclaims the truth about Jesus,
punctuated with regular cycles of warnings (Heb.2:1-4; 4:1; 6:4-8;
10:26-31) and encouragements (Heb.3:1; 4:14-16; 6:9-12; 10:19-25).
The goal is to urge believers not to give up their faith in Jesus
but to persevere to the end. The book may seem quite long and
complicated, but it really has one basic aim: To present the
reality of who Jesus is (Ch.1-7), what He has done for us
(Ch.8:1-10:18) and, in the light of that truth, call on us to keep
following Him by faith (Ch.10:19-13:25).
Structure
Introduction -1:1-4
1. The Person of Jesus
· Divine Son of God-1:5 – 4:13
· Great High Priest-4:14 - 7:28
2. The Work of Jesus
· All Sufficient Sacrifice-8:1 – 10:18
3. The Call to Faith
· Obedient Perseverance- 10:19 – 13:25
Key Verse: (Hebrews 4:14)
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has
ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
firmly to the faith we profess.”
1. The Person of Jesus
“Since we have a great high priest…Jesus the Son of God
2. The Work of Jesus
Who has ascended into heaven
3. The Call to Faithfulness
Let us hold firmly to the faith we profess”
Session 1
A Better Word (Hebrews 1:1-4)
Introduction to Hebrews
1. The Word of the Son
2. The Identity of the Son
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
3. The Work of the Son
4. The Rule of the Son
Our Response: Bow the knee to King Jesus
Session 2
A Better Name (Hebrews 1:4-2:4)
1. The Superior Son (1:4-14)
a. Superior ………………………………… (v.4,5)
b. Superior ………………………………… (v.6)
c. Superior …………………………………….. (v.7-9)
d. Superior ……………………………………… (v.10-12)
e. Superior …………………………………………. (v.13,14)
2. Pay attention to the Son (2:1-4)
a. The Warning (2:1)
b. The Consequences (2:2,3a)
c. The Foundation (2:3b)
d. The Confirmation (2:4)
Session 3
A Better Human (Hebrews 2:5-18)
1. Humankind – Creation’s Crown (2:5-9)
Psalm 8
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in
all the earth!You have set your glory above the
heavens.2 Out of the mouths of babes
and infants,you have ordained praise because of your
foes, to silence the enemy and the
avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of
your hands, the moon and the
stars, which you have set in place,4 what is man that you
are mindful of him, the son of man,
that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the
angels and crowned him with glory and
honour.6 You have given him dominion over the works of
your hands; you have put all things under
his feet,7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts
of the field,8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the
sea, all that swim the paths of the
seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all
the earth!
a. Corporate Failure (v.8)
“Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them (him)”
(2:8b)
b. Representative Victory (v.9)
9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels
for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because
he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste
death for everyone. (2:9)
2. The Suffering, Saving Son (2:10-13)
3. The Son, our Perfect Representative (2:14-18)
“For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s
descendants.” (Heb.2:16)
“Understand, then, that those who have faith are children
of Abraham” (Gal.3:7)
17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully
human in every way, in order that he might become a
merciful and faithful high priest in service to
God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the
people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was
tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
(Heb.2:17,18)
Session 4
A Better Faithfulness
Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who
share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus,
whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high
priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him,
just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. 3 Jesus
has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses, just as
the builder of a house has greater honour than the house
itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is
the builder of everything. 5 “Moses was faithful as a
servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what
would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is
faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his
house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the
hope in which we glory.
Recap:
Jesus is better - don’t go back, don’t drift away.
· A better prophet (Word) (1:1-3)
· A better messenger (Angels) (1:4-2:4)
· A better human (2:5-18)
· A better faithfulness (3:1-6)
1. Consider Jesus
· Apostle
· High Priest
2. Jesus is better than Moses
· Faithful servant
· Faithful Son
3. Whose House are you in?
· If
“We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our
original conviction firmly to the very end.” (Heb.3:14)
Session 5
From Rescue to Rest (Hebrews 3:7-19)
1. The Warning (v.7-11)
2. The Appeal (v.12-15)
3. The Conclusion (v.16-19)
Session 6
A Better Rest (Heb.4:1-13)
1. The Future Promise of Rest (v.1-5)
2. The Present Labour of Faith (v.6-11)
3. The Test of Authenticity (v.12,13)
a. Present
b. Future
Session 7
A Better Representative (Heb.4:14-5:10)
1. The role of the High Priest
a. Human Representative (5:1)
b. Temporary (weak) Representative (5:2,3)
c. God Appointed Representative (5:4)
2. Jesus our better High Priest
a. God Appointed Representative (5:5)
b. Permanent (powerful) Representative (5:6,10)
c. Human Representative (5:7,8)
High Priest = (Latin: Pontifex = lit. Bridge Builder)
3. Jesus our Great High Priest
a. Our Assurance 4:14
b. Our Comfort 4:15
c. Our Response: 4:16
Session 8
A Call to Diligence (Hebrews 5:11-6:12)
1. The Problem - Spiritual Immaturity (5:11-14)
2. The Appeal - Pursue Maturity (6:1-3)
3. The Warning – Danger of Apostasy (6:4-8)
4. The Encouragement – Evidence of Salvation (6:9-12)
Session 9
Promises Kept (Hebrews 6:13-20)
1. The Patience of Faith (v.13-15)
2. The Certainty of the Promise (v.16-18)
3. Our Anchor of Hope (v.19,20)
Session 10
A Better High Priest (Heb. 7:1-28)
Context: Genesis 14:18-20
1. The Superiority of the Melchizedek Priesthood
a. Permanence
b. Pre-eminence
c. Perfection
2. The Benefits of the Melchizedek Priesthood
a. Better Hope (v.18,19)
b. Better Covenant (v.20-22)
c. Better Priesthood (v.23-25)
d. Better Priest (v.26-28)
Session 11
A Better Covenant (Heb.8:1-13)
1. Jesus’ Superior Ministry (v.1-6a)
· Permanent Priest
· Permanent Place
2. Jesus’ Superior Covenant (v.6b-13)
a. Old Covenant Failure – Faithless Israel (v.7-9)
b. New Covenant Superiority – Faithful God (v.10-12)
The Better Promises:
a. …………………………………………….
b. …………………………………………….
c. ……………………………………………..
By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one
obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon
disappear. (Heb.8:13)
Session 12
A Better Mediator (Heb.9)
The Tabernacle
1. From Shadows to Reality
2. Through Death to Forgiveness
3. By One Sacrifice, Salvation for All
Session 13
A Better Sacrifice (10:1-18)
1. Christ, the Foreshadowed Reality (v.1-4)
2. Christ’s Willing Sacrifice (v.5-10)
3. Christ’s Complete Sacrifice (v.11-14)
4. Christ’s Eternal Covenant (v.15-18)
Session 14A Better Response (Hebrews 10:19-25)
The teaching bracket:
Hebrews 4:14-16 and Hebrews 10:19-25
The central message:
· Jesus our Permanent High Priest (Heb. 5-7)
· Jesus our Perfect Sacrifice for sin (Heb. 8:1-10:18)
Therefore:
1. Our Motivation (Heb.10:19-21)
2. Our Response
a. Faith (10:22)
b. Hope (10:23)
c. Love (10:24,25)
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