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Sunday School Lesson Sunday, October 2, 2016 The Express Image of God

To follow along, visit your local Christian bookstore, and ask for the Bible Exploratory Study Book

Golden Text:  He is the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, upholding all things by the word of His power – Hebrews 1:3.

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets – Sundry times indicates various ways God used to communicate with His people by visitations, dreams, signs, parables, prophets and events. He used many of the prophets such as Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah and Ezekiel to instruct His people of the ways of God. God uses people to get His message to His people. Throughout time, God used a human to speak His word and manifested His powers through. Hebrews was written to Jewish believers who had once served the Lord, but had begin to return to Judaism because of persecution. Rather than serving the Lord in faith and in spirit, they returned to the Law. The Old Testament prepared the way to the New Testament, and the New Testament can’t be fully comprehended without the old.

Hebrews 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds. – The author introduces the Son in several descriptions. First, He is the One whom God hath appointed heir of all things. He’s entitled to the supreme place above all things. Secondly, it is through the Son that God made the world. The Son is the Creator spoken of in Genesis 1:1 (In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth), and 1st Corinthians 8:6 (But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him). The covenant was eventually fulfilled in Jesus through the line of David. The angels are created beings, they are God’s messengers, their role is to serve God, and the Son is God.

Hebrews 1:3 – 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 on the right hand of the Majesty on High. The Son, Jesus Christ is described in relation to His Father, brightness could refer either to a radiance emanating from within or to a reflection of brightness from the outside. His express image of His person details and exact representation of His Father. Whatever the Father is, Jesus is also. Jesus sustains all He has created, as He spoke, the universe came into existence, and His word keeps it stable. Jesus is the only one who could remove our sins, through all the prophets God used, no one could provide purification for our sins, but Him. Once He completed His work, Jesus sat on the right hand of the Father, showing His deity.

Hebrews 1:4 – Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. What is said here about Jesus and the angels  has come about through His finished work. Angels are subservient to Jesus, at the birth of Jesus, angels were sent to worship Him. Angels aren’t to be worshiped as some do, they are messengers of God to the redeemed.

Hebrews 1:5 – For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And  again, I will be to him a Father? And he shall be to me a Son? God never said to any of the angels that they were His Son, and that He would be their Father, these words were only spoken to Jesus. Angels couldn’t remove the stain of sin, but Jesus came to save His people from their sin (And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins – Matthew 1:21). Angels were created by God, what was created can’t be superior to the Creator of the creation.

Hebrews 1:6 – And again, when He bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, He saith, And let the angels of God worship Him. This is another statement of God, it could refer to the second coming of Jesus. The heavenly host came to worship Jesus in the manger (And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men – Luke 2:13-14). At the second coming of Jesus, the angels will be worshiping the Lamb of God who is the Son of God.  (And I beheld, and I heard the voice f many angels round about the throne and the beasts (living creatures) and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousands times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing – Revelation 5:11-12).

Hebrews 1:7 – And of the angels He saith, Who make His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire. The Son is superior to the angels because He is the Sovereign who is worshiped. The Son does not worship, but is worshiped by angels.The angels are ministers, that is, servants to God.

Hebrews 1:8 – But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Jesus Christ is accorded the rank of fully deity. The Son has an eternal throne, which means He possesses an eternal kingdom. Jesus is King of Kings, the divine King rule is the symbol of a scepter. Jesus Christ is by nature righteousness and whatever He rules, righteousness will prevail, sin will not be allowed in His kingdom (And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life – Revelation 21:27). This is why the Bible indicates those who accept salvation is new creatures, the old way of behavior should diminish, and we should have on the garments of righteousness, daily we should be created more in the image of the Father and Son. A believers life should change because he or she is being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Instead of living for oneself, a believer lives for Christ. The Fruit of the Spirit begin to manifest in the believers life, making us examples of the Father and Son.

Hebrews 1:9 – Thou has loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed  thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. The concept of believers being companion with Jesus is mind blowing. The term refers to those who will be participants with Jesus in His reign. Jesus’ righteous acts come not from duty or expediency, but from His nature. Because Jesus and His Father are one, He express the nature of His Father. Believers should be an example of whose their Father, DNA will express the character and behavior of the Father. His radiance should be glowing within and outwards from the professing Christian. Because God hates sin, we too should hate it. We don’t hate individuals who practice sin, we love them, and hate the act of sin.

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