What Did He Say

What Did He Say? Hebrews 1:1-2 Emmanuel Christian Church 1.12.25 INTRODUCTION: Last week, the first five words of the Book of Hebrews: “In the past God spoke”. Two simple, yet profound points: God exists, and He has spoken. Neglect those two foundational principles upon which the entire universe is founded and ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE! PROPOSITION: Today’s question is again, simple, yet profound: “What did He say?” That’s the question we need answered this morning! Hebrews 1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, TRANSITION: “God spoke” and He put great effort into it! Paul tells us, God spoke through forefathers, prophets and finally through His own Son. Just imagine for a moment how important His message must be!

  • What did God say to our FOREFATHERS?
  • First question: “Who are the “forefathers”? ANSWER: The men who led their families from the beginning of the Creation- most notably, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (also known as “Israel” whose twelve sons father the twelve family tribes of the Nation of Israel) These men were also known as “Patriarchs”.
  • God’s first message to the Patriarchs came in the revealing of His name: “I AM” (The Hebrew “YHWH” “to be”- Remember, the beginning of faith is the realization that God “exists”!) Having introduced Himself, God went on to speak specifically to the forefathers…
  • To Adam:
  • “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Genesis 1:28
  • “…you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:17 (And we now how that worked out…!)
  • In the midst of the consequence of their rebellion, God spoke to Satan in the presence of Eve and her husband Adam: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15
  • This is the first word God spoke in regard to His plan to redeem fallen humanity!
  • This is the first prophecy of Jesus our Savior who on the Cross suffered the strike of death for the sins of all mankind, but who three days later, broke the power of death by rising from the dead, crushing satan’s head!
  • From the Fall of man with Adam and Eve’s sin, the human condition only went from “bad” to “worse”. 126 years after the death of Adam, God spoke to another forefather/patriarch- Noah.
  • To Noah: “So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. Genesis 6:13-14
  • Having destroyed all human life with the exception of Noah and his family, God again spoke words of hope- pointing forward to Jesus: Genesis 9:11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
  • Noah lived 950 years. Within two years of his death was born Abram. Abram, renamed by God “Abraham” was so significant a forefather that he became known as “Father Abraham”- a very STRANGE title for a man who lived most of his life childless.
  • BUT, God spoke to him words that would become foundational not only for the nation Israel, but for the SALVATION of the entire world!
  • To Abraham: Genesis 12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Paul, writing to the Galatians, comments on God’s covenant promise to Abraham and reveals the promised source of blessing to “all peoples on earth”: Galatians 3:14 (God) redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Galatians 3:16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. APPLICATION: What did God say to the PATRIARCHS? In the midst of your sin, I am sending you a SAVIOR.
  • What did God say to the PROPHETS?
  • First question: “Who are the “prophets”?”. ANSWER: The prophets were those individuals who spoke the words of God given them either directly from God, or by way of angelic messenger.
  • The “Major Prophets” are: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.
  • The “Minor Prophets” are the last twelve books of the Old Testament: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi
  • Each of the major and minor prophets ministered during the time of Israel’s history where the nation went from decline to rebellion to destruction having walked away from their devotion to God.
  • The message of the major and minor prophets could be condensed into a simple outline:
  • Turn away from your sin.
  • Judgment is coming.
  • Destruction will follow.
  • Mercy and restoration will come to your rescue.
  • Now, before there were any “major” or “minor” prophets, there was one individual who we often fail to recognize as a prophet, but whose prophetic ministry and influence were so powerful that an entire age of human history is named after him- Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15)
  • So where did Moses get all his “inside information”? Two 40 day stints on Mt. Sinai.
  • Also, in the “Tent of Meeting” wherein God spoke with him as a man speaks with a friend. (Exodus 33:11)
  • So, what did God say to Moses?
  • The first five books of the Bible!
  • The Creation of the Universe.
  • The Fall of mankind.
  • The Destruction of the Flood.
  • The Rebellion of Noah’s descendants resulting in the confusion of the languages and God’s scattering of humankind across the earth.
  • The accounts of the Patriarchs and God’s promise to redeem mankind from sin.
  • Those first five books of the Bible aren’t just about history however, they are actually known as The Books of the Law.
  • Why are they so important? Without the books of the Law, we would have NO IDEA about the expectations of God, or the simple standards of right and wrong.Romans 7:7 “…Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
  • Without the “Books of the Law” we would not understand the TERRIBLE spiritual predicament we are all in!
  • To make it absolutely clear, God reduced His Law to the Ten Commandments:
  • No other Gods.
  • No Idols.
  • Do NOT abuse my NAME.
  • Remember the Sabbath. (CREATION)
  • Honor your father and mother.
  • Do NOT murder.
  • Do NOT commit adultery.
  • Do NOT steal.
  • Do NOT lie.
  • Do NOT covet.
  • And if the 10 were not simple enough, God reduced them even further to just TWO: Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Leviticus 19:18 “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. APPLICATION: What did God say through the prophets? Your sin is worse than you know! The Apostle Paul explains it simply: Romans 7:13 Did (the Law) which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. TRANSITION: The message of the Law and the prophets leaves us feeling like miserable failures! But, THAT is a one we need to hear! Unless we understood our need, we’d never listen to God’s final Messenger- His very own Son…
  • What did God say through HIS SON?
  • First question: “Who is God’s Son?”
  • By right of Creation, are we not ALL God’s children? Yes, but that is NOT the answer to our question!
  • “God’s Son” is His ONLY Son. He is the second personage of the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  • “God’s Son” is Jesus. APPLICATION: Fully two thirds of the book of Hebrews is dedicated to our understanding of “God’s Son Jesus”. He is more than you know. He is more than you are able to know this side of eternity. However, if you patiently walk through this book, you will get to know Him in ways you can’t even imagine!
  • Next question: “What does the phrase “in these last days” mean?”
  • We’ve been in the “last days” for nearly 2,000 years!
  • There is only one chapter left in human history- and we’re nearly at its end! (Patriarchal Age, Mosaic Age, Christian Age). APPLICATION: Time is short for human history. Regardless, all of us are living the short days of our one life on earth. BE READY TO MEET JESUS!
  • Last question: “What does the phrase “he has spoken” mean?”
  • It is a phrase whose Greek grammar means “God’s DONE talking!”
  • If we fail to listen to the words of Jesus, waiting for some other message from God, we will have missed the ONLY WAY, TRUTH AND LIFE. CONCLUSION: The PATRIARCHS heard God’s promise. The PROPHETS delivered God’s warning. JESUS is God’s final WORD on the subject of our salvation. Even more, Jesus IS the SAVIOR God promised!