Introducing Hebrews

If you've got your Bible, turn with me to the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews. We are in for a fascinating study through the 13 chapters in this book called The Letter to the Hebrews. It's a book that truly is about Jesus Christ our Lord. And there is no greater study in all the world than the study about Jesus Christ. And particularly we're going to study about His supremacy and His sufficiency. For that is the emphasis in the book of Hebrews. How Jesus Christ is the preeminent one, the supreme one.

And He is the sufficient one to handle every situation in your life. Particularly when it comes to the saving grace of Christ our Lord. And so we're going to spend many, many weeks and months looking at what the Bible says concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord.

I want to begin by reading the first three verses of the book of Hebrews because they really are a summation of the entire book.

And we won't get to those first three verses this morning but we will get to them next week. And we will spend a series of weeks in just the first three verses.

Just because that's what we do. And we want you to be able to digest all that's there because it will set the tone for the rest of our study throughout the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1 says, God after He spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways in these last days has spoken to us in His Son whom He appointed heir of all things through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power.

When He had made purification of sins He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Now that is an absolute mouthful of theology when you begin to understand the excellency of Jesus Christ our Lord. And it's always difficult when you begin a new book because you want to introduce the book to the people. You want to be able to introduce it in a way that they understand where it is you're going to go. So let me do that with you this morning as we look at number one the author of the book number two the audience in the book and then we're going to look at the argument that surrounds the book the appeals that are written in the book and then with the application we have about the book.

Five A's. Very simple. That's where we're going this morning. It won't take us long to get through it. First of all the author.

There's been much discrepancy about who wrote the book of Hebrews. Some have said Apollos wrote the book of Hebrews. Some have said Priscilla and Aquila wrote the book of Hebrews. Some have even said Peter wrote the book of Hebrews. But the majority of people seem to think that the Apostle Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. The question is did he or didn't he? Well there is some good evidence to show that he did. If you go back into church history you will note that they tell us that in fact Clement of Alexandria who lived between 150 and 215 A.D.

said that the Apostle Paul wrote the book. Well does that mean he did write the book? Not necessarily. If you go back to the third council of Carthage in 197 A.D.

I'm sorry 397 A.D. They say along with the council of Hippo in 410 A.D. that Paul wrote 14 epistles. Hebrews was that 14th epistle. If you go back even further than that the earliest copy we have is in the 3rd century Papyrus number 46 which declares that Paul wrote the book. So again did he write the book of Hebrews? We also have in the book in the 13th chapter the 23rd verse these words Know that our brother Timothy has been set free with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly. And many will say well because of that statement about Timothy and Paul's particular relationship with Timothy that it was Paul who wrote the book of Hebrews.

Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. But believe me I know who wrote the book of Hebrews. It is the Holy Spirit. There's no question about that. Now whose pen he used I'm not quite sure. And maybe it was the Apostle Paul. But there's a unique statement in Hebrews 2 verse number 3 that says this. The latter half it says After it was at the first spoken through the Lord it was confirmed to us by those who heard.

Well Paul was one who heard. So if the person who was writing the book is among the us who heard then it couldn't be the Apostle Paul. But the important thing is it is inspired by God. It is written to us and given to us through divine inspiration. And I think it's unique that we don't know specifically who the author is. There'll be some people who'll come out and be dogmatic that it is Paul. Because the letter nowhere states who wrote it I think it's safe to say that the Lord wanted it to be that way.

Because it's all about the preeminency of Christ. It's all about us seeing Christ in His splendor and glory. So the Spirit of God doesn't reveal to us who wrote the book for a particular reason. So I think it's safe for us to sit back and say we know the Spirit of God wrote the book. We know it's divinely inspired by God. And it's all about the supremacy of Christ. Let's leave it at that. And I'm a dogmatic guy. So if I think that somebody wrote it I'll tell you but I'm not quite so sure who wrote it.

And so that's the author. But who did he write to? Who is the audience that he writes to? This is very important. Because you need to understand when it was written. And we're not sure exactly when it was written either. Okay? So we know this. What do we know for certain? We know that there are no Gentiles mentioned in the book. That's why it's called the Letter to the Hebrews. It's not about Gentiles. It's about Hebrews. It's about Jewish people. Now that doesn't mean it doesn't apply to us as Gentiles.

It does. Because we're grafted in. And we understand the importance of the New Covenant. But we do know that it was written sometime before 70 AD. How do we know that? We know that because the temple was destroyed by Titus Vespian of Rome in 70 AD. And yet the book clearly speaks to us about the temple sacrifices. So we know it was written before 70 AD. Some would speculate that it was written before 64 AD. Why? Because then it was Nero who was persecuting the Christians. And while you read through the book of Hebrews, in Hebrews 12 verse number 4 particularly, the writer says that none of you have suffered as unto blood or as losing your life.

So some would say it was written before 64 AD because when 64 AD came about the Christians were being persecuted. Maybe so. Now, another unique point in the book is this. That it does say these words in chapter 13 verse number 24, those from Italy greet you. Now if we take that literally and say that there are those who are actually in Italy who are greeting these other Hebrew people, maybe, just maybe, this was written before 49 AD because in 49 AD it was Emperor Claudius who expelled all Jews from Rome.

So some would say it's one of the earliest books written, not one of the later books written. You say, does that really make a difference to me? Well, it doesn't make any difference when it comes to your eternal salvation. But it's good to know what are the events surrounding when it was written to kind of get in your mind exactly what the writer wants to convey to us. And so although we don't know exactly when it was written, we do know it was written to the Hebrews. Now that becomes very important because in the audience that received this letter, there are three particular groups of Hebrews.

It would be like me preaching to you today. In the church we know that when I stand to preach, not everybody is saved. Some are, some aren't. We don't know who they are. But some know Christ, some don't know Christ. It's particularly interesting to note that the author makes a unique distinction between the brethren and the holy brethren. So when he addresses the brethren in the book, he is speaking to Jewish people. When he addresses the holy brethren in the book, he is specifically addressing Jewish believers.

And so when you read through the book of Hebrews, there are three distinct groups of people. One are Jewish believers. Those who have given their life to Christ and truly believe in the finished work of Christ. But then there's another group. You have those specifically who are intimately committed to the Christ. And then you have another group that is intellectually convinced about the Christ. But they're not born again. They know about the Christ. They've heard about his life. They've heard about his death.

They've heard about his resurrection. And they know all about that. They know just about all they need to know about the Christ. But the Christ doesn't know them. Excuse me. And so you have these people who are convinced that Jesus Christ lived. Are convinced that Jesus Christ may even be the Messiah of Israel. Who are convinced that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again. But are not born again. They've never given their life to Christ. They know the facts about Jesus. They're a lot like the demons.

They believe in Jesus. And they know everything there is about Jesus. They are doctrinally sound, the demons are. But they do not have the saving grace of Christ. And so there are a lot of people today in the church who are intellectually convinced about the Christ. But have never made a commitment of their life to him. Repented of their sin. And then there are those who are Jewish who are very curious about the Christ. But they truly are not saved. And everybody knows it. Why do I tell you that?

Because if you don't know those distinctions you're going to have a difficult time interpreting certain aspects of the book of Hebrews. Most authors will tell you that the book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians. If that's the case the five warning passages, the five appeals in the book are going to be difficult to interpret. Because that would mean that maybe you could lose your salvation. And so you must know the audience that the author is speaking to. There were some who were committed Christians.

They loved the Lord. They were receiving difficulty and hardship from those who were Jewish people who didn't know the Lord. They needed to be encouraged. There were those who knew about the Christ. Had all their facts in line about the Christ. But have not made that commitment to the Christ. There's a lot of people in the church that are like that today. They know doctrine. They know Jesus. And they know about the aspects surrounding who He is and what He did. But that doesn't mean they're born again.

You see, knowing about Christ doesn't save you. You must truly, intimately know Him in an intimate way where you've given your life to Christ and truly surrendered everything to Him. These people were at the doorstep of surrendering but had not made that full commitment. That's why the writer gives five particular appeals, warnings to those who are on that doorstep. To make sure they understand that if they hear the voice of God today and turn away from it, they are in danger of never entering the rest, the eternal rest that God gives them.

And there's another group that are truly curious about the Christ but they are not born again. And that's what Hebrews 9 basically is all about. In terms of helping us understand the importance of the new covenant. And that is particularly addressed to those people. So you need to know your audience when you are reading the book. And we will make that very clear to you. Please remember the distinction between brethren and holy brethren. When He says holy brethren, He is addressing true believers.

When He says brethren, He is addressing Jewish people who are not true believers but they know about the Christ. They understand about the Christ but they've never given their life to Christ. That's why He calls them brethren because the writer is Jewish. He's writing to Jewish people who are His brethren. But when He wants to make a sharp distinction to the Christian, He calls them holy brethren. Okay? Are you with me so far? Because that's the author, now the audience, and now the argument. What's the argument?

The whole argument centers around the fact that Jesus Christ not only is sufficient and supreme, but Jesus Christ, because He is that, is better than anything else and anyone else. He's better than the angels. He's better than the prophets. He is better than the Aaronic priesthood. Because He's in the line of Melchizedek or is after the priesthood of Melchizedek. And of course, that will be a big discussion on who is Melchizedek. I mean, how do we even spell his name? Let alone know who he is, right?

But he is in Genesis chapter 14. And so we'll take you back to Genesis chapter 14 because Abraham pays tithes to Melchizedek. Who is Melchizedek? Is he a pre-incarnate Christ or is he truly a prophet and priest who is not the Christ? How do we know? That will be a fascinating study. You won't want to miss that. But that's a little ways down the road yet. But the author makes many references to that. But the fact of the matter is, is that Jesus is better than all that. Jesus, because He is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, because He represents the New Covenant, the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant.

It's not that the Old Covenant was wrong. It's just that it was insufficient and incomplete. So the New Covenant, which Christ fulfills, bodily, is better than the Old Covenant. So the whole argument centers around the fact that because Jesus is sufficient, because Jesus is supreme, because Jesus is preeminent, because He's better than anything and everyone, you need to give your life to Christ. You need to follow Jesus Christ. Which leads us to the appeals. And there are five appeals that the writer gives us that are throughout the book of Hebrews.

They're called the warning passages in Hebrews. And the warning passages are all invitations that are given. Yes, it's a warning. But in that warning is an invitation to give your life in obedience to the Christ. Surrender your life to Him. The first one is recorded in Hebrews 2.

So if you're in the book of Hebrews, chapter 2, verse number 1. For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through the angels provided unalterable, excuse me, proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, he's speaking of the Ten Commandments, because as you go back to the book of Exodus, you realize that the Ten Commandments were given by angels. And he's talking about the fact that every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty.

So when someone broke the commandments, whatever the penalty that they incurred was a just penalty, because we serve a just God. How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? If you know about the Ten Commandments, and you know about the law of God, and you know about the penalty that God had upon people who broke his law, then how shall we escape this great penalty if we truly are those who disregard the salvation of God? So the first warning is given in terms of disregarding the salvation of God.

If you disregard it, if you don't come to saving faith, the penalty will be an eternal judgment, an eternal consequence. So how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? So he gives this warning, and it centers around disregarding the salvation of God. That's in chapter 2, verses 1 to 4. And then in chapter 3, the warning comes, and it talks about disbelieving the sufficiency of God. The first warning, disregarding the salvation of God.

The second warning, disbelieving the sufficiency of God. And there's a great tragedy in not believing in what God himself has done. He uses the illustration of Israel. He quotes from Psalm 95. And he uses the illustration of Israel, because they are the ones who truly disbelieved in the sufficiency of God. Verse 7, this is where it begins. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, today, if you hear his voice. Verse 13, it's still called today. Verse 15, today if you hear his voice. Okay, so it's all about the urgency of giving your life to Christ today.

So he says, just as the Holy Spirit says, today if you hear his voice. Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tried me by testing me, and saw my works for 40 years. He goes back particularly to Exodus chapter 17. Therefore, I was angry with this generation, and said, they always go astray in their heart, and they did not know my ways, as I swore my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. Take care, brethren. Remember, it's not holy brethren, it's brethren.

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. And he warns them today, if you hear his voice. Verse 19, so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. And so they were not able to enter the rest of Canaan because of their unbelief. They disbelieved in the sufficiency of God to take care of everything that they had. And therefore, God says, they provoked me to anger.

They shall not enter my rest. And they died in the wilderness. And the writer is saying, listen, today is the day. If you hear his voice, do not harden your heart, as in the day of provocation. Today, Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, today is a day of salvation. Don't wait. Don't put it off. Today is the day. So he gives warning number one, do not disregard the salvation of God.

Number two, do not disbelieve the sufficiency of God. And then number three, it begins in verse 11 of chapter 5, do not discredit the Son of God.

Do not discredit the Son of God. Concerning him, we have much to say, verse 11 of chapter 5, it is hard to explain, since we have become dull of hearing. You have become dull of hearing. Remember he says in chapter 2, verse number 1, he says, pay much closer attention to what we have heard. Chapter 3, today if you hear his voice, now he says, you have become dull of hearing. You have become calloused in what you have heard being said. And of course you have that very familiar passage in Hebrews 6, verse number 4, for in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucified to themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame.

A very controversial passage in scripture. What do those phrases mean? And so the warning is, don't discredit the Son of God. Don't discredit the work of God. Just because you have once tasted of the heavenly gift, just because you have once been enlightened to this truth, listen, all the words he uses, none of them refer to the saving grace of God. But it refers to those who have come close to understanding all there is about God. And he says, listen, if you're on the doorstep of giving your life to Christ, if you apostatize the faith, if you fall away from the faith today, you are in danger of never, ever being able to repent of your sin because you have discredited the Son of God and you've turned your back on him.

You have hardened your hearts against him. So the warning's given. And with that warning comes the invitation. You need to give your life to Christ today. Warning number four is in Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. And this one deals with despising the Spirit of God. If you disregard the salvation of God, and if you are one who truly disbelieves in the sufficiency of God, and you are one who discredits the Son of God, and you despise the Spirit of God, you're in danger of never coming to saving faith.

So he says, verse 26, if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who sets aside the law of Moses, dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses, how much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

For we know him who said, vengeance is mine, I will repay. And again, the Lord will judge this people. Verse 31, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. So that's warning number four. But it's not done. Because if you go over to Hebrews chapter 12, and some divide this into two warnings, I believe it's one. In chapter 12, verse number 15, he gives the warning of disobeying the summons of God. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no root of bitterness spring up and cause trouble, and by it many be defiled, that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. He said, listen, be careful about disobeying the summons of God to come to saving grace to believe in him. Why? Because remember Esau? Remember he was into the temporal? He was into that which was satisfying now? Was not interested in the eternal? Was not interested in the spiritual? Only in the material and the temporal. Don't be that person.

Be that one who truly longs for the truth. For in verse 25, see to it that you do not refuse him who is speaking. Verse 29, for our God is a consuming fire. So there are these five appeals that are given to this group of Jewish people. Some of them are saved. Some of them are not. Those who are not, some of them are intellectually convinced of who Christ is. Some of them are inspirationally curious as to who Christ is, but they've never given their life to Christ. And so there's warnings are given today if you hear his voice.

Do not harden your hearts in the day of provocation. Do not discredit the son of God. Do not disbelieve what God has said. Do not disregard the salvation of God. Don't despise and devalue the summons from God. Why? Because today is the day of your salvation. So what's the application for all this? Why spend a Sunday introducing this book to us? What's the application for us? Let me give you six words.

Six words that will tell you what the book of Hebrews will lead us to. Okay? This is where we're going to go. You will see this each and every week. Alright? You need to get this. This is the application of the book of Hebrews. Number one, it leads us to exaltation.

It leads us to the exaltation of the Christ. If the book truly, and it is, about the supremacy and the sufficiency of Christ, then everything is about exalting him as King of Kings, as Lord of Lords. If truly he is better than the angels, if truly he is better than the old covenant, if truly he is better than all the rituals and all the sacrifices, because they all pointed and foreshadowed the coming of the Messiah, if truly he is better than Moses, if truly he is better than Joshua, if truly his priesthood is better than the Aaronic priesthood, you need to exalt him and lift him high.

You see, that's going to become a problem for some people. Because if you want to exalt yourself, you will not like the book of Hebrews. Because the book of Hebrews is about exalting Christ. We spent six weeks talking to you about it's a great day to be great. Why? Because you need a glory in his person, right? Boast about his person. Exalt the Christ. Live for Christ. The book of Hebrews teaches you how to exalt the Christ. He is better than everything and everyone. And because he is, he needs to be placed in the highest place.

He needs to be exalted above everything and everyone else in your life. He needs to be exalted above yourself. Are you willing to do that? So every week we gather together to study this book, it's all about exalting the Christ. It's all about his exaltation. We should be able to say, as the psalmist said, way back in Psalm 34, when he said these words, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord. The humble will hear it and rejoice.

Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. That should be the end product of every sermon in the book of Hebrews. Let us exalt his name together. Our boast should be in the Lord because of his supremacy, because of his sufficiency. Number two, not only does it lead us to exaltation, it leads us to expectation.

We're going to call this the X factor in the book of Hebrews. It leads us to exaltation. It leads us to expectation. That's why over in Hebrews 2,5, it talks about the world to come. And then over in chapter 9, verse number 15, the promise of an eternal inheritance. And then you go all the way to the book of Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11, it talks about those in the hall of faith. And it says in verse number 8, by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance.

And he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise. As in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. In other words, there's a book of expectation because it's going to cause us to live in the expectation of that future city. As Abraham lived in expectation of that future city. That's why Abraham was the father of our faith.

Because he lived always anticipating what was going to happen in fulfillment of the promises of God to him. That's why when you go down to verse number 13, it talks about all these died in faith without receiving the promise. But having seen them and have welcomed them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.

But as it is, they desire a better country that is the heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared a city for them. The book of Hebrews is going to give you an expectation. It's going to lead you to learn to expect all the promises of your eternal inheritance. You know, the Bible says, Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

Do you know that we are joint heirs with Christ? And Christ owns everything. One day you'll own everything. See those mountains back there? Those are mine. They're mine. I'm going to have to share them with you, but they're mine. When you go out at night and you see the stars above, just say, That's my star right there. And that's mine right there. Because they're all Christ's. And we're joint heirs with Christ. The meek shall inherit the earth. In other words, Christ is going to give us what he himself is going to obtain.

And therefore, we are looking forward to the promise of our eternal inheritance. That's a great promise. We live in expectation. So when studying the book of Hebrews, not only does it lead us to exaltation that we put Christ in his proper place, for he is the preeminent one, it leads us to an expectation that one day there's going to be a city whose architect and maker is God himself. That one day there's going to be that celestial city where I will rule and reign with him forever and ever and ever.

I live a life of expectation. So when you read through the book of Hebrews, that's where we are going. But we're not done. Because the book of Hebrews also is going to lead us to exhortation. Exhortation. Exhortation in terms of consolation, in terms of comfort. Because the word that's used in Hebrews chapter 13, verse number 22, But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. This is the word of exhortation. That same word is used in Romans 15, 4 to say a word of comfort.

It's used by Paul to talk about a word of consolation. This exhortation is going to bring comfort to your soul. Listen, nothing brings comfort to the soul of a person than the truth of God's holy word. Nothing does. God's word is consolation. God's word is comfort. And the writer of Hebrews calls it this exhortation that I've given to you. This word of exhortation is yours for the taking. So you'll study the book of Hebrews and you'll leave every Sunday exalting the Christ. You'll leave every Sunday expecting all that Christ is going to give you into the future.

You're going to live in expectation. Every one of us does. We all expect something tomorrow or something this next week or something next month. We live from expectation to expectation. But the ultimate expectation is glory with Christ himself. So we're going to leave leading to an expectation and we're going to leave with an exhortation every week. A word of comfort because Christ is supreme. Christ is sufficient. Christ is everything to the believer. So you're going to leave with that exhortation.

But we're not done. When you leave you're going to leave with examination. There's going to be an examination every week. It's going to examine where Christ is in your life. Is he the priority in your life? Scripture leads us always to self-examination. There should never be a time where you read the word of God and you don't encounter a self-examination. So when you gather together with the people of God and the word of God is open and expounded there's going to be some examination of your life.

And as you go through the warning passages in particular you'll be examined in terms of are you neglecting neglecting God's Holy Word? Are you hardening your heart to the call of God? Are you dull or sluggish in your hearing the word of God? Are you willfully despising the word of God in Hebrews 10? Are you defying His word and refusing to hear what He has to say? There's going to be an examination and the examination is going to come in this way. How did you hear the word today? Let me show you how it's going to happen.

Okay? Hebrews 1 1 and 2 begins this way. God after He spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways in these last days has spoken to us in His Son. Okay? God has spoken. When you come to Hebrews 12 verse 25 it says this See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. Okay? So the bookmarks of Hebrews is this God has spoken. If God has spoken you can't afford to refuse the one who is speaking to you on this day through the book of Hebrews. So the examination is going to be this How did I hear the word of God?

That's why that very first warning says in Hebrews chapter 2 these words it says You must pay much closer attention to what you have heard.

Verse 7 Today if you hear His voice Chapter 5 Verse 11 Do not become dull in your hearing. Here's the examination. The examination will always be how you listened to what the Spirit of God said to you through the book of Hebrews. How well do you hear? That's why in Luke chapter 10 with the discussion with Christ and Mary and Martha when Christ said to Martha Oh Martha you are so worried about all kinds of things but Mary has chosen the preeminent thing. She has chosen that which is necessary. And what was that?

To sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to the voice of God as He spoke to her. That is the necessary thing to listen.

That's why Christ throughout the gospels said Take heed how you hear. Take heed what you hear. Take heed when you hear. That's why in Revelation 2 and 3 to the seven churches He says He who has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. You must be willing to hear what God says.

You must be willing to listen to the words of God and then not just listen but respond to what He says. That's why over in the book of Proverbs Proverbs chapter 29 verse number 1 A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy. There are people who come and hear the word of God and they don't respond. They begin to stiffen their neck against the gospel of truth against the supremacy of Christ in their lives. And they if they continue down that road will be broken beyond remedy.

And that's what happened to the nation of Israel. In 2 Chronicles chapter 36 which by the way is the last chapter of the Hebrew Bible. It's not the book of Malachi like we have it. It's 2 Chronicles 36 because the Hebrew Bible ends with the destruction of the temple on the Temple Mount and why it took place the way it did. And it says in verse 11 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for the Lord.

He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. Verse 15 The Lord the God of their fathers sent word to them again and again by his messengers because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they continually mocked the messengers of God despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people until there was no remedy.

That's Proverbs 29 verse number 1. That is what the book of Hebrews warns us about. It talks about in verse 19 how they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all of its valuable articles. And that's why when you go to Israel and you watch the people at what is called the Wailing Wall or some say it's the Western Wall others say it's the Waiting Wall it's the Wailing Wall because they are remembering 2 Chronicles 36 and the destruction of the temple on the Temple Mount and how they got there.

How did they get there? They hardened their hearts they stiffened their necks against the word of God and God would send them messenger after messenger because he had compassion on his people and they refused to hear they stiffened their neck they rebelled against the truth of God and God says they would be broken beyond remedy.

So you go to that wall today it is surely the Western Wall but it's more of the Waiting Wall as they wait for their Messiah to come and they go through those actions those gyrations bowing and bending all the time before the wall I think it's more of a show than it really is reality for most Jewish people but for some it really is a lament a wailing over the fact that their sin brought them where they were and are today. The writer of Hebrews says today if he hears a voice are you hearing? are you listening?

So every week there will be an examination on how well I listen to what God says and the very first examination will be next week because you are going to be examined on your view of the authority of scripture in your life.

You will be examined on whether you believe God speaks to you today or God has spoken and is speaking no more to anyone today. You will be examined next week on that. In fact you will be examined the next three weeks on that one because you are going to need to know how does God speak today? Does God still speak through visions dreams and audible voices? Many will say to you yes He does. What does the writer of Hebrews tell you for a fact? God does. How did God speak in the past and how does God speak in the present?

Oh you won't want to miss that because it will turn your theology on its ear no pun intended on how God speaks and how we listen.

Very important. So there is going to be this examination there is going to be this exaltation there is going to be this expectation and I am running out of time. There is also going to be listen a great this is great an excitation. This will always lead you to an excitation. That's an excitable spirit an excitable attitude. Why? Because Jesus Christ is going to be revealed to you in unique and special ways through the word of God. And it's going to excite you as to who He is and what He has done.

And so you are going to come every week and this is why you need to bring somebody with you because they are going to need an excitation. And this book is going to excite you unlike any other books because it talks to us about the supremacy of the King the supremacy of Christ and how sufficient He is for every man and every woman. That's why Peter says 1 Peter 2 verse number 6 that they who believe in Him are never disappointed. You will come each and every week and you will never be disappointed because the book of Hebrews will lead you to an excitation.

It will lead you to an exhortation. It will lead you I forgot. Because I'm thinking of my last point. Number 6, right? It's going to lead you listen to an explanation. That is it's going to lead you to explain what you have heard and learned to someone else. Isn't that true that every time we come to worship Christ every time we open His word we learn about Him and when we learn about Him what's our responsibility? To teach somebody else about Him. Right? To explain Christ to somebody else. It's going to teach you how to explain who Jesus is to somebody else.

Not just Jewish people but all people. And that should in and of itself excite you because now you can explain the sufficiency and supremacy of Jesus Christ your Lord to anybody you come in contact with because you're going to know what the book of Hebrews says. This is a fascinating study. A study that's going to lead us in a way that will help us live for the glory of the Christ. Let me pray with you.

Father we thank you for today. We thank you for your word and the opportunity we have to study it. Oh how blessed we are. Lord thank you for this book. The book of Hebrews. Thank you for how you put into print everything we need to know about who you are. And our prayer Lord is that you lead us and guide us through this study. That every week we come we would learn we would grow. That there'd be an excitation in our hearts and minds over what we've learned. That we want to explain to others that which we have learned.

That truly Lord we would examine everything in our hearts as to how and what we learn about the Christ. And that Lord the excitation you give us, that consolation and comfort that comes through your word would cause us to live in a way that honors you. That truly Lord we would come to see Jesus only for truly you are everything. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.