Master Teacher: 4th Quarter 2015

LESSON 1 FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 2, 2016

SEEKING GUIDANCE

UNIFYING TOPIC:

The Imprint of God

LESSON TEXT

I. He Has Spoken to Us by a Son

(Hebrews 1:1–3)

II. Better Than the Angels

(Hebrews 1:4–6)

III. His Throne Is Forever

(Hebrews 1:7–9)

THE MAIN THOUGHT

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 on the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3, KJV)

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

People seek guidance for their lives but may question who is the appropriate person to give direction. Who should they trust to provide direction in their quest for guidance? Christ, the reflection of God’s glory, is the One who addresses life’s questions with a powerful and sustaining word.

LESSON AIM

To investigate the book of Hebrews’ claims about the nature of Jesus Christ.

LIFE AIM

To understand that we can look to Jesus, because He is divine, for guidance in life.

BEFORE YOU TEACH

Consider . . .

Focus for College and Career—Younger adults, coming of age in an increasingly post-Christian society, can benefit from a careful study of Scripture’s claims about Jesus.

Focus for Adult Christian Life—Older adults, reminded of who Jesus really is, can grow stronger in their faith in the face of life’s challenges.

Supplementary Study Materials

For further reference, see today’s lesson from Boyd’s Commentary, New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition, #171 (NNBH, #176), and God’s Promises Bible.

Teacher Helps

For teaching supplements visit http://www.rhboydpublishing.com.

First Step: Introduction. Hebrews can be a difficult book to understand. In your preparation, make sure you comprehend the argument in Hebrews 1.

Second Step: Open class with prayer. Begin by discussing the concept of identity. What does it mean to your students? How would they define it?

Third Step: Read Hebrews 1:1–9. Summarize the main points of today’s lesson. How important is Jesus’ divine identity for us and our faith? Does it matter at all?

Fourth Step: For College and Career: Have students make a list of all the ways they identify themselves (e.g., by family relationships, ethnicity, geography, interests, or hobbies). Which of these do they consider most important? For Adult Christian Life: Have students make a list of the various ways in which they identify themselves (e.g., father, mother, brother, teacher, etc.). Which of these has been the most significant in bringing them to this point in their lives?

Fifth Step: Close class with prayer, asking that your students’ trust in Jesus and His divinity will strengthen and grow in the days ahead.

God’s Word in Life

This fall, we find ourselves in the middle of the quadrennial campaign for President. It has been a campaign like no other in recent memory. Even so, as voters—whether conservative, progressive, moderate, or anything else—we ask ourselves the same questions this year that we do in every election cycle: Who are these candidates? What do they stand for? But we ask larger questions, as well: What sort of country do we live in? What hopes do we have for the future? Note well that these are questions about identity. Identity is the concept at the center of today’s lesson. The opening chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews is closely focused on one question: Who is Jesus? Is He a mere human being? Is He an angel? Today’s lesson will explore this question, which is as relevant today as it was in the first century. †

— EXPOSITION —

Introduction

Jesus’ identity is still a matter of debate in some circles. Was He simply a great prophet sent from God with many good things to say? Or was He something more than that? Was He really human, or was He really God? Could He truly be both human and divine? The writer of Hebrews addressed these questions by asserting that Jesus is superior to the prophets, the priests, and the angels. He is the Son of God. This identity will come to have many implications for the reader of Hebrews, as our other lessons for this month will explore.

Today’s lesson comes from the book of Hebrews. Hebrews remains one of many mysteries of the Bible because of how little we know about it. Its authorship is unknown, but various scholars have suggested Barnabas, Silas, Paul, or John Mark. The specific audience is also unknown. Generally speaking, Hebrews was written for Jewish Christians encountering persecution. The letter serves as a means of exhortation and encouragement. Whoever the author was, he had a keen understanding of the Torah and the sacrificial system. There are multiple references to themes such as temple worship, sacrifices, and Moses. But the central theme of the book is that Christ is far superior to any created being. Because of this, the way to authentic faith is to follow Him.

I. He Has Spoken to Us by a Son (Hebrews 1:1–3)

Both the Old and New Testaments affirm that God has spoken to His people throughout human history. One particular way in which He has spoken is through the prophets: Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets (Heb. 1:1, NRSV). The prophets were messengers from God. They informed the people of what God expected and what He wanted them to do because of their special relationship with Him. It was a task to which they had been uniquely called.

The prophets had used many means of communication to make their messages known. Sometimes these were dramatic acts. For example, Ezekiel was told to eat a cake baked over cow dung (see Ezek. 4). Sometimes the prophets made bold public declarations, as when Jeremiah spoke boldly in the king’s palace and brought unpleasant truths to the king’s ears (see Jer. 22). Sometimes their very lives were a demonstration of their message, like Hosea’s marriage and family (see Hos. 1–3). The prophets performed an important role in allowing people to hear God’s Word and will. They were not often popular with the people, however. After all, they pointed out where the people were sinning and how they were displeasing God, which is not something anyone wants to hear. They were often persecuted for speaking for God, but a true prophet did not stop speaking just because the people did not want to listen. The prophet’s role could be lonely, but it was always done in service to the Lord in hopes of bringing His people back to a right relationship with Him.

But by the time Hebrews was written, things had changed. In these last days, the writer says, [God] has spoken to us by a Son (Heb. 1:2, NRSV). In today’s text, the writer of Hebrews is beginning to build the case that Jesus is better than anyone else or anything else we have known as a means of learning God’s will. Jesus is better because of who He is and because He shares a unique relationship with God. He is the Son of God. This makes Jesus an Heir to all that God has created and to all that God has done. As Son and Heir, Jesus is in a position to speak about God in ways that others could not speak. As God’s Son, Jesus is the very Reflection of the glory of God’s own being. Furthermore, as the Son, Jesus has power that others have not had. Jesus is better than the prophets in every way. That is the overriding message of the book of Hebrews.

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Though the Old Testament prophets were faithful to God, Jesus is more than that: He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word (v. 3, NRSV). Because Jesus is God and became a human, He is the best Representative for God who has ever lived. Anyone who has met Jesus has met God! The prophets were faithful to the Lord, but only Jesus is God and perfectly reflects God’s desires for human life and flourishing.

REFLECTION

(Greek: apaugasma)

A reflection is the image of something or someone. Jesus is the Reflection of God’s glory and shows what God’s glory is because He is the perfect Image of that glory, because He is perfectly God, even though He became human. The Gospel of John focuses on how Jesus revealed the glory of God through His signs, most clearly in His resurrection from the dead.

II. Better Than the Angels (Hebrews 1:4–6)

The Law set forth an extensive system of sacrifices for the sins of the people. The sacrifices were the way the people atoned for their sins and sought to make their relationship right with God. For generations, priests would go to altars to offer sacrifices. This was ordained by God to give the people assurance that He accepted their repentance and would forgive their sins. Sacrifices were not a manipulation of God in the Jewish tradition. Rather, they were a means of humbling the people to seek God’s will and repent