Hebrews....Things are Just Better!

We live in a world that's trying to make things better, all the time.  That's admirable and good.  No one wants to go back to a world when our situation was less comfortable.  I readily admit I appreciate the improvements of society.  Air conditioning, technology, and medical technology are just some of the things that make the world better.  

The presence of evil in the world complicates things.  Sin is destructive. (Genesis 4:7).  Sometimes, in our world of improvements and innovations, the spirit of improvement can creep into the Church. This can be a problem for believers. We are encouraged to grow in Christ and we want to make improvements with our relationship with Jesus.  Here is the challenge: The Gospel is already the BEST NEWS in the WORLD!  We have to make the decision to understand we have received the One who made everything better!  The Acres of Diamonds are in our own back yard.

The book in the Bible that makes the case for us is Hebrews.  As you think about your Bible study in the next few months.  Let me encourage you to take a good look at this wonderful portion of God's word.  I've decided to write this introduction on Hebrews for those of you who take up the challenge.

They don't know who wrote Hebrews. A good guess is Apollos.  One might recall that Apollos is mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians and by Luke in Acts.  Apollos was a gifted teacher.  Here is what the Inter-varsity New Testament Background Commentary says about Apollos:

It is more commonly suggested that the writer is Apollos, whose Alexandrian rhetorical and possibly philosophical training would have suited him especially well to write such a letter; he was certainly respected as Paul’s peer in the Pauline churches. (He seems to have been moving from Rome toward the east or south a few years before Hebrews was written—Tit 3:13—but he could have returned.)

I don't know.  I do know that the structure of the book is amazing.  I had to outline the whole book in Bible College and there discovered the wonderful detail of Hebrews.  For those of us raised in church.  Hebrews should be a treasure.  We did not happen upon the Gospel.  All of the redeemed are part of God's high redemptive plan.  The book of Hebrews makes the case. 

Here is the outline the Bible Knowledge Commentary gives for Hebrews

OUTLINE

I. Prologue (1:1-4)

II. Part I: God’s King-Son (1:5-4:16)

A. The King-Son exalted (1:5-14)

B. The first warning (2:1-4)

C. The King-Son as the perfected Captain (2:5-18)

1. The destiny of the Captain (2:5-9)

2. The Captain’s link with His followers (2:10-18)

D. The second warning (chaps. 3-4)

1. The call for faithfulness (3:1-6)

2. The admonishment from Israel’s failure (3:7-4:11)

3. God’s Word and the throne of grace (4:12-16)

III. Part II: God’s Priest-Son (chaps. 5-10)

A. Introduction: the qualified Priest (5:1-10)

1. The general requirements for a high priest (5:1-4)

2. The Son’s call to priesthood (5:5-10)

B. The third warning (5:11-6:20)

1. The problem of immaturity (5:11-14)

2. The solution to the problem (6:1-3)

3. The alternative to progress (6:4-8)

4. The concluding encouragement (6:9-20)

C. The greater Priest and His greater ministry (7:1-10:18)

1. The superior Priest (chap. 7)

a. The greatness of Melchizedek (7:1-10)

b. The new priesthood supersedes the old (7:11-19)

c. The superiority of the new Priest (7:20-28)

2. The superior service (8:1-10:18)

a. Introduction to the superior service (8:1-6)

b. The superior covenant (8:7-9:15)

c. The superior sacrifice (9:16-28)

d. The superior effect of the new priesthood (10:1-18)

D. The fourth warning (10:19-39)

1. The basic admonition (10:19-25)

2. The renewed warning (10:26-31)

3. The renewed encouragement (10:32-39)

IV. Part III: +The Response of Faith (chaps. 11-12)

A. The life of faith (chap. 11)

1. Prologue (11:1-3)

2. The divine acceptance of faith (11:4-16)

3. The variegated experiences of faith (11:17-40)

B. The final warning (chap. 12)

1. The introductory admonition (12:1-2)

2. The reminder that things are not as bad as they seem (12:3-11)

3. The call to renewed spiritual vitality (12:12-17)

4. The final warning itself (12:18-29)

V. Epilogue (chap. 13)

In the ESV the English word "better" is mentioned 11 times in 10 verses.  What's interesting to me is the scope.  From chapter 6 to chapter 12, the author keeps making the point. HINT: (hover your mouse over each reference and it will pop up., double click it and it will take you to the verse in context @ www.biblia.com)


Hebrews 6:9 
Hebrews 7:19 
Hebrews 7:22 
Hebrews 8:6 
Hebrews 9:23 
Hebrews 10:34 
Hebrews 11:16 
Hebrews 11:35 
Hebrews 11:40 
Hebrews 12:24 


I hope your year of 2012 is the best year yet.  May the Lord be magnified in your life.  Be assured that the salvation that you have today....is BETTER than anything this world has to offer.