Third Quarter 2003
Adult Sabbath School Lessons:
"Sanctuary Themes"
Insights
to Lesson 2:
Jesus Our King
July 5-11, 2003
(Produced
by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message Study Committee)
I am not in the
habit of injecting personal notes into the Sabbath School
"Insights," but I must make an exception when it comes to this
quarter's lesson study. The book of Hebrews is of special interest
to me personally for at least two reasons. First, Hebrews was one of
the first books of the Bible that I studied through systematically
after my conversion experience, and I can still remember the impact
that this letter made on my life. To see Christ so clearly portrayed
was and still is a great joy to me. The second reason is the fact that
the 1888 message (with its presentation of justification by faith in
light of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary) is so vitally linked
to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews explodes with themes such as the
person of Christ, the meaning of His sacrifice, and the importance of
His high priestly ministry. All these themes are tied into the grand,
glorious sanctuary truth, and are seen to lead to the cleansing of the
heavenly sanctuary and the second coming of Christ. These were themes
that the 1888 messengers (A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner) along with
Ellen White brought out clearly and powerfully. Every Seventh-day
Adventist should rejoice to have the opportunity to consider these
great themes this quarter.
A. T. Jones summarized the message of the
book of Hebrews in the introduction to the book The Consecrated
Way. "We must consider Him [Christ] in His office as prophet,
not only in order that we may be taught by Him who spake as never man
spake, but also that we shall be able properly to consider Him in His
office as priest. And we must consider Him in His office as priest,
not only that we may have the infinite benefit of His priesthood, but
also that we shall be prepared for what we are to be. For it is
written: 'They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with Him a thousand years.' Rev. 20:6. And having considered
Him in His office of prophet as preparatory to our properly
considering Him in His office as priest, it is essential that we
consider Him in His office as priest in order that we shall be able to
consider Him in His office as king; that is, in order that we shall be
with Him there, and reign with Him there. For even of us it is
written: 'The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and
possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever,' and 'they
shall reign forever and ever.' Daniel 7:18; Revelation 22:5."
Hebrews 1:1-4
Hebrews 1:1, 2 begins by
presenting Christ in His prophetic office. Though God "spoke in time
past to the fathers by the prophets," He "has in these last days
spoken to us by His Son." In this verse, Christ is placed in
parallel with the Old Testament prophets, showing that He Himself when
He was here on this earth was also a prophet. His own words confirm
that He was a prophet, for He said "I did not speak from Myself, but
He who sent Me, the Father, He has given Me command, what I should
say, and what I should speak" (John 12:49).
Christ is no mere human prophet though, for
the Bible goes on to say that this One through whom the Father spoke
has been "appointed heir of all things," and is also the One
"through whom He made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:2). Verse 3 goes on to
demonstrate that this One is also the brightness of the Father's
glory, and the "express image of His person." He is the One who
upholds "all things by the word of His power." It is He who when
He had "by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of
the Majesty on high," taking by right a position above all the
creation. These words show Him to be Creator, Redeemer, and omnipotent
King.
Let us rejoice that He is still "upholding
all things by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:3). It is the word of
God that presently upholds the life of every man, whether he be just
or unjust. No man lives today apart from that powerful word. Believer—it is the word of God that upholds your Christian
experience. Peter says that we are "kept by the power of God through
faith," but what is it that creates faith in a man? Doesn't faith
come "by hearing, and hearing by the word of God?" So then
believers are kept by the powerful word of God. This certainly puts a
new perspective on a person's devotional life, for it is the word of
God which works in the mind of a person to keep him in the narrow way.
One day, Christ will speak the word that will destroy sin and sinners.
This is clearly taught in Revelation 19:15 in which Christ strikes the
nations with the sharp sword that goes out of His mouth. That day He
will cease to uphold the lives of those who have persistently and
ultimately rejected the gospel.
Christ is said to
have "purged our sins" (Hebrews 1:3). The thoughtful question should
be asked, "whose sins?" If by His atoning sacrifice Christ only
purged the sins of those who afterward would believe, then this would
be the equivalent of the Calvinistic idea of "limited atonement."
But the Bible is very clear—listen to 1 John 2:2: "And He is the
propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world." Clearly the corporate guilt of the entire
lost race was dealt with there at the cross! This is the powerful good
news of the gospel that changes hearts. Pray that those in your
Sabbath School class might rejoice to hear this message!
In summary, verses 1-4 constitute a
declaration concerning Christ's person and work, emphasizing His
divinity. The rest of the chapter lays out the Scriptural proof for
the statements made in verses 1-4.
Hebrews 1:5-14
Christ's position as God is not
compared with that of the angels, but instead it is contrasted.
Christ's infinite superiority to the angels is clear because:
"He has by inheritance a more excellent
name than they,"
They are are commanded to worship Him,
and
They are servants, ministering spirits, while
He sits on the throne as King.
Christ is the Son who is installed as King on
the "holy hill of Zion" (Hebrews 1:5, Psalm 2:6, 7). This is
undoubtedly the "mount of the congregation" upon which Lucifer
desired to sit enthroned (Isaiah 14:13). It seems that this "holy
mountain of God" serves as the location of the heavenly sanctuary
(see Ezekiel 28:14). Hebrews 1:8 applies the words of Psalm 45:6, 7 to
Christ, the Son of God. He is called "God"—a clear reference to
His divinity, and He is also said to have a throne and a scepter.
These things belong only to a King.
Further, in quoting from Psalm 102:25-27
(Hebrews 1:10-12), the inspired writer shows that Christ is Yahweh,
because the inspired writer is speaking to Yahweh in Psalm 102. And in
quoting Psalm 110:1 (Hebrews 1:13) a clear reference is made to
Christ's kingship and priesthood, since the Melchizedek priesthood is
one which involves the kingly office as well as the priestly one. He
is the King of Righteousness, the King of Peace (Heb. 7:2) who is the
Sovereign Monarch of the universe--an infinitely higher Being than any
angel, yet He is our great High Priest, interceding for feeble, sinful
mortals such as we.
Let me summarize
this week's "Insight" with the words from Hebrews 8:1, 2: "Now
this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a
High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true
tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man." May God bless you
as you study this week's lesson.
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