Christ is Greater than the Prophets Hebrews 1

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Christ is Greater than the ProphetsHebrews 1

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Heb 1 1-3

• 1 God, who at various times and in various ways
  spoke in time past to the fathers by the
  prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us
  by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all
  things, through whom also He made the worlds 3
  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

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Comparing Jesus Christ with theprophets

• Why?
• Moses the prophet was their leader, his brother
  Aaron was the high priest.
• Moses represents the revelation of the divine
  truth, especially through the Law,
• Aaron represents the practical aspects of
  worship and sacrifices which reconciled man with
  God.
• The two acts accompany and compliment one
  another.

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Comparing Jesus Christ with theprophets

• A true believer
• has to accept the truth,
• through the Law, the commandments,
• through a life of true worship - through the
  sacrifice of reconciliation

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Comparing Jesus Christ with theprophets

• Jewish priests deviated from their mission to the
  outward appearances
• The truth was lost.
• There was an enmity between the hypocrite priests
  and the true prophets.
• Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest who was
  also chief governor in the house of the LORD,
  heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. Then
  Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him
  in the stocks (Jer 201-2)
• And now, O priests, this commandment is for
  you.If you will not hear, and if you will not
  take it to heart, to give glory to My name, says
  the LORD of hosts, I will send a curse upon
  you (Mal 21-2)

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High Priest

• The Lord Jesus alone is the complete Truth who
  reveals the truth, through His unique Sacrifice
  on the cross.
• He is the Heavenly High Priest who can purge our
  sins, sitting at the right hand of the Father in
  the highest.

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God Spoke

• 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

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The Voice

• The prophets delivered the divine voice to the
  Fathers, as channels who only deliver the
  message.
• "Chiefly because to them were committed the
  oracles of God" (Rom. 32).
• The Lord, is the Voice Himself or the Truth in
  Person.
• "All things have been delivered to Me by My
  Father, and no one knows the Son except the
  Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except
  the Son, and he to whom the Son wills to reveal
  Him" (Matt. 1127).

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Abolisher of Enmity, Grantor of Righteousness

• The prophets were instruments
• Christ is the Word of God, One with the Father
• He carried the cross to grant us the right to
  enter to Him, abolishing enmity.
• Through His resurrection, we became righteous,
  meeting His Father as our Father too.
• We become one with the Word of God and members
  of His Body.

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The Joy of the Father

• The Son alone is the subject of joy to His
  Father.
• This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
  pleased. Hear Him! (Matt 175)
• In Him we are the subject of His joy as well.
• His commandments are no more a burden
• They are an enjoyment with the Word who grants
  us heavenly life.

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The True Word

• The prophets offered glorious Divine messages.
• But when the Father spoke to us now in His Son,
  He offered us His Son Himself, the Mystery of
  life, salvation and resurrection!

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Our Reconciler

• The Son, who is one with the Father, carries the
  Father and contains us in Him by sanctifying us
  through His blood.
• We meet the Father in the Son.
• It was impossible for the Father to settle in the
  prophets and unite.
• The prophets were not able to take the people to
  meet the Father.
• The Only-Begotten Son is the One able to
  reconcile us with the Father to be in Him forever.

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Heir of All Things

• Whom He has appointed heir of all things
• The Son, Creator of everything, emptied Himself
  and took the form of a servant.
• Carrying us in Him, as He inherits everything
  through His righteousness, we may also inherit
  with Him and in Him.
• The prophets were mere speakers about the
  inheritance which God prepared for us.
• They just referred to it without being able to
  present it to anyone, or even obtaining it
  themselves.
• These all died in faith, not having received the
  promises, but having seen them afar off were
  assured of them (Heb 1113)

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The Creator

• through whom also He made the worlds
• The prophets were human beings who accepted the
  divine messages, and devoted all their lives that
  God may fulfill this message through them.
• The Lord Jesus is the Creator, Maker of heaven
  and earth
• "All things were made through Him, and without
  Him nothing was made that was made" (John 13)

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Eternal Light of Light

• being the brightness of His glory and the express
  image of His person
• "brightness of His glory, refers to His eternal
  birth,
• Eternal Light cannot exist without His
  brightness.
• The Son is the Light out of Light, or the eternal
  Brightness inseparable from the Light
• St. Athanasius of Alexandria
• Who wouldnt see that brightness is inseparable
  from light, for this is the case by nature, they
  exist together, and not following each other.

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Moses Veil

• When the prophet Moses met God, God's light was
  reflected on his face that the people could not
  look at him, so he had to cover his face with a
  veil whenever he spoke to them.
• He removed the veil when talking to God.

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Moses Veil

• This was a symbol of the Lord Jesus, the
  Brightness of the Father
• Christ put on a human body as the veil of Moses,
  that we may look at Him and get to know the
  mysteries of the Father
• "With Your light we behold the light,"
• Through the Only-Begotten Son who is Your
  brightness, we may see Your mysteries, and enter
  into Your eternal glories.

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Of One Essence With the Father

• the express image of His person
• St. John Chrysostom
• This phrase testifies to His Person that He is of
  the same essence as the Father

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The Pantocrator

• upholding all things by the word of His power
• He is the Almighty, the Pantocrator.
• He cares for, and is concerned about all even the
  minor ones.
• But the very hairs of your head are all
  numbered. (Matt 1030)
• St. John Chrysostom
• His care is inexpressible, His compassion is
  incomprehensible, His goodness is unlimited, and
  His loveis unconditional!

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Intercessor by Blood

• He had by Himself purged our sins
• After we sinned and defiled our nature, He paid
  the price of our sins on the cross
• He sits now at the right hand of the Father as
  the High Priest on our behalf, not through words
  of intercessions but through His Self-sacrifice
• He intercedes by His Holy Blood which was shed to
  purify us.

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Our Exalter

• sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
• When He ascends, we ascend with Him, and sit
  where He sits, enjoying the fellowship of His
  eternal glory.
• The Head was exalted so that the body may remain
  up in spirit and heart, till the great Day of
  the Lord, when the body is also exalted to
  enjoy the glory!

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Our Exalter

• St. John Chrysostom
• For your sake, O man, He prepared the kingdom!
  For your sake, He prepared indescribable
  blessings, an inheritance prepared in heaven, a
  unique abundant life and inexpressible joy.

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Christ is Greater than the Prophets(Hebrews 1)

• Christ is
• The High Priest
• The Voice
• The Abolisher of enmity and grantor of
  righteousness
• The True Word
• The Joy of the Father
• Our Reconciler
• Heir of All Things
• The Creator
• Eternal Light of Light
• Of One Essence With the Father
• The Pantocrator
• The Intercessor
• Our Exalter