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Published: Oct. 26, 2023, 7 a.m.

Welcome to Day 2226 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 04/16/2023 “The Last Word…Worthy of Worship”  Last week, on Resurrection Sunday, we focused on The Death of Death because the Resurrection is real and changes everything.   Today, we are beginning an extended series through the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. The theme of the superiority of Christ in His person and work resounds from every chapter of the book of Hebrews. It is the repeated melody with which every subject of the letter resonates in perfect harmony. To develop his anthem of Christ’s superiority, the author conducts his readers through three major movements:

1. Christ is superior in His person. (1:1–4:16)
2. Christ is superior as our high priest. (5:1–10:39)
3. Christ is superior for pressing on. (11:1–13:25)

  The first question that may come to your mind is, what is the relevance of Hebrews for us? Most people reading the book of Hebrews today are not Jewish believers. And even if they are of Hebrew ancestry, none are living in the terrors of first-century Rome under the madness of Nero. However, we all—Jew or Gentile—can sense the heat rising in our increasingly anti-Christian culture and feel pressured to conform to this darkening world's values and priorities. Like the first-century Jewish followers of the Messiah who were tempted to abandon /His way,/ truth, /and life /for a more comfortable path, we need to come to grips with Christ's sufficiency and absolute superiority over all things. We must pledge our allegiance to the Lord, who bought us with His blood.   The central theme of the book of Hebrews is simple but powerful: Christ is superior in His person and work. Throughout the book, the author develops this theme in vivid detail. Throughout today’s message, I will read the verses of Hebrews 1 on pages 1862-1863 in the Pew Bibles as we come to each section.   Drawing on the Hebrew people's great regard for the primary means of revelation in the Old Testament,/ the prophets and angels,/ the author of Hebrews compares these celebrated earthly and heavenly beings/ with God’s Final Word and Messenger, Jesus Christ. As powerful and significant as those holy people and holy angels were, they were inferior to the Son of God. He alone is God’s Final Word, superior in His person to God’s previous messengers and ministers—/whether human or angelic. Why? Because Jesus is the Word incarnate (in the flesh)—fully human and fully divine—who occupies a superior place over all things.   1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, In the first century, the apostle Peter described the ministry of the Old Testament prophets, noting that in 2 Pet. 1:21:  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. For centuries leading up to Peter’s simple summary of the process of divine inspiration, a long line of prophets spoke and wrote God’s words under the supernatural guidance of the Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. These prophets issued warnings and rebukes, which flew off their lips like arrows from a bow to strike at the hearts of...