Fathers & Prophets

Hebrews chapter 1 says that God spoke in times past by the prophets to the fathers. Who are those fathers? They are not just the patriarchs of Israel; we are connected to them as well. Open with us to Hebrews chapter 1 and discover how.

Could you open your Bibles and stand with me? Open your Bibles to the book of Hebrews. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of the ushers will bring you one. Hebrews is near the end of the Bible, one of the bigger books, right after a very small book called Philemon and just before another book called James. Hebrews chapter 1 is where we will read from today, verse 1.

The letter to the Hebrews, chapter 1, verse 1, states, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed the heir of all things, and through whom He also made the worlds."

Father, as we open Your word, I pray that You would open our hearts and that You would continue to transform us more and more into Your image and likeness. God, the Scriptures declare that You created us in Your image, and we want to be, I want to be, one who is sharing and showing Your likeness to a world that is in such desperate need of Your grace, mercy, and peace.

Lord, I pray that You would cause these things to be evident in our lives, that it would be seen that we are people who have patience, self-control, and joy—all the fruit of the Spirit that is spoken of in the book of Galatians. I pray that this would be evident in our lives, not just when we gather here together in this room on a Sunday, but Lord, when we are at school or work during the week, that these things would be seen in our lives.

So continue to make us more like You; mold us, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, Amen. You can be seated.

Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation.

Conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Those 30 words are the opening of one of the greatest speeches in American history. It was delivered on a Thursday afternoon in November, specifically November 19th, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by the president at that time, President Abraham Lincoln. When he said those words, when he stated that our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, he was speaking, of course, of the Founding Fathers who, four score and seven years—87 years—before that time, had assembled to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776, not far from where he was speaking in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

When we come to the book of Hebrews, chapter one, verse one, the unnamed author states, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets." A simple question arises: Who are the fathers, and who are the prophets? Who exactly is this author speaking of when he says that God has spoken to our fathers by the prophets?

As we prepare to step into a study through the book of Hebrews, over the next several months, we will be going from Hebrews chapter one through Hebrews chapter 13. It is important to take a step back from the book of Hebrews and consider the context in which it was written. The context involves who it was written to and why it was written to them.

When we delve into that discussion, it becomes clear that most Bible commentators and teachers believe that the author of Hebrews was writing to a very specific group of Christians—those who came from a Hebrew heritage and a Jewish background. It is believed that this letter was written to that group of people for a very specific purpose, although there is still some debate on that issue. The general consensus is that this letter was written to Christians of Jewish heritage to establish in their hearts and minds the supremacy of Jesus in all areas of life, especially in areas of faith and practice. It was to establish in them that Jesus is better than everything.

Even though most of us probably do not come from a Jewish heritage, this letter and the purpose of this letter are still very important. We are living in a time where we are constantly being bombarded with the temptation to put our trust in things other than Jesus.

People put their trust in their bank accounts, which are not always a very solid thing to trust in. They put their trust, even worse, in their good looks, which are fleeting very fast. People also put their trust in their health and their jobs. They rely on all kinds of different things, and we are even told that we can put our trust in these sorts of things. However, we know that those things are not ultimately what will be steadfast in times of crisis. If your hope and trust are bottled up in those things, then you are going to have a rough time. But Jesus is better. That is one of the core messages of these words in Hebrews: Jesus is better.

The author was writing to Christians who came out of a Jewish tradition, which, because of their culture and tradition, was pulling them back toward trust in those things they once relied on. The author is saying, "No, you need to set your hope and trust in Jesus alone."

He begins with, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets." Last week, we primarily focused on the first ten words there: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke." If you were here, you know that we zeroed in on two truths that come from those words—two truths that are firmly established in Scripture, not just here in Hebrews chapter one, but also in the very first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis.

Those two truths are that God is and was, and He created all things. Secondly, the Creator God speaks to His creation by revelation. If you have a hard time with those truths, you will have a hard time with the rest of the Bible. You really have to approach the Bible with those two truths as a presupposition: God is and was and created all things, and God, who created all things, speaks to His creation by revelation.

As we looked at that last week, we saw that there are three different forms of revelation. The first is general revelation, where God speaks through creation. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth shows forth His handiwork. God also speaks through the moral law that He has given to every single one of us; He speaks through conscience. So, through creation and through conscience, we have general revelation.

The second form is special revelation, which is the way by which God speaks in a language that can be understood by individuals we call prophets. The author of the book of Hebrews speaks about this, stating that God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets. Thus, we have general revelation and special revelation.

The third form is personal revelation, where God Himself steps into creation and reveals who He is in the person of Jesus Christ, the most perfect form of revelation. God is, was, and created all things. The Creator God speaks to His creation by revelation. Everything else in the Bible will be very hard to understand and believe if you do not first hold these two core truths in your heart.

As we continue on in Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1, it says that He spoke to the fathers by the prophets. The question before us then is, who are the fathers and who are these prophets? To answer the question simply, the prophets are those who received that special revelation of God. They are the ones to whom God spoke in a language they could understand, though He spoke in various ways. Sometimes God would speak through a dream, sometimes through a vision, and sometimes through a still small voice. Other times, we see God speaking from the midst of a burning bush, or He would speak through certain circumstances happening in the day, giving an application as to what that was.

This was special revelation through the prophets, such as Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel. We can go down through Habakkuk, Haggai, Hosea, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi, and Micah. All these different names are individuals revealed to be prophets—those whom God spoke to and through.

In the context of the author writing to Christians of Jewish tradition, when he said God spoke through the prophets, those are the names that would come to mind: Obadiah, Haggai, and Zephaniah. They would recall the ways in which God spoke and the things that God communicated.

Through the prophets, but to the fathers, when those who received this letter would hear the fathers, it would come to their mind the patriarchy of Israel, the people from whom they descended—individuals like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Now, if you're new to the Bible, these names may not mean much to you. When we talk about Abraham, we're not talking about Abraham Lincoln, which can be confusing because I quoted Abraham Lincoln at the beginning of the message, and now I'm talking about a guy named Abraham—different Abraham. But 2,000 years ago, when this letter was written, those who received it, when they hear the words "the prophets," they think of Daniel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. When they hear the word "the fathers," they think of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

If these names are new to you, that's okay. We want to begin to understand who these individuals are. Even if you know these names, you may wonder, "What's this got to do with me? I'm not Jewish. These guys are not my fathers. Why do I care about them? What do they have to say to me? What's so special about these individuals, these fathers?"

To answer that question, I think it's important for us to move from Hebrews chapter 1 over to Hebrews chapter 11. Turn to the right in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11. One of the things that we'll see, and we're going to read through the entirety of Hebrews chapter 11, is that these individuals—these prophets and these fathers—are connected by something that is more than just blood.

There is something very important that will become clear as we read through Hebrews chapter 11. Some of you have read through it before, and you know that there is a very important theme to Hebrews chapter 11. There is something that binds these individuals together that is greater than just their lineage from this individual named Abraham. It's greater than just a bloodline.

Even though we live 2,000 years away from this letter and more than 3,000 years away from many of the names of the individuals that are given here in Hebrews chapter 11, there is something that connects us to them—a very important thing that connects us to these individuals.

So, Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1, says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." For by it, the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen are not made of things that are visible.

By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he, Abel, obtained a witness that he was righteous. God testifying of his gifts, and through it, he being dead still speaks.

By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him. For before he was taken, he had this testimony that he pleased God. But without faith, it is impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

By faith, Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear and prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of righteousness, which is according to faith.

By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he would receive as an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith, he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he waited for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

By faith, Sarah also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore, from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky and a multitude innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. Truly, if they had called to mind the country from which they had come out, they would have had an opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city.

By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promise offered up his only begotten son, of whom it is said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." He concluded that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from which he also received.

By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the things to come. By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel and gave instruction concerning his remains.

By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king's command. By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. By faith, he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith, he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians attempting to do so were drowned.

By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith, the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she had received the spies with peace.

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak, Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, and out of weakness were made strong. They became valiant in battle and turned to fight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourging, yes, of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

All of these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Did you catch the common word? What is it that links these individuals?

Together, greater than blood, faith is what links us to them. Though we may not be children of Abraham, though we may not be descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or of the Jewish faith, that which connects us to them and them to us is faith. Faith is called the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

Point number one on the outline took us a little while to get there: the fathers are the first followers of God by faith. The fathers are not just the patriarchs of the Jewish people, not just the fathers of those who are Hebrew individuals, but they are the fathers of those who believe.

Point number two on your outline: the fathers are the fathers of all who believe. If you are a believer today, if you have put your trust and your faith in Jesus for salvation and for forgiveness of sins, then you have Abraham as your father. If you grew up in church, you might have sung that song, "Father Abraham had many sons; many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you. So let's just praise the Lord!" Right arm! Right! Everybody remember that? If you do, you should. If you're not serving in children's ministry, you should. So you're one step closer; you got it.

The fathers are the first followers of God by faith, and everyone who believes has them as their father. How so? Well, if you would, you're in the book of Hebrews. Turn to the left to the book of Romans. You'll pass Thessalonians, Colossians, Philippians, and First and Second Corinthians. Go to Romans chapter 4.

The important thing here is that you don't have to know all the names—Barak, Jephthah, Abel, Cain, Moses. You don't have to know all of those names to realize that what connected them together is faith, and what connects us to them is faith. By faith, Abraham becomes our father.

Why is this important, or how does this happen? Well, Romans chapter 4, verse 1, the Apostle Paul says this: "What then shall we say that Abraham, our father, has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God."

Scripture says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now, to him who works, the wages are not accounted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works, he said, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin."

What is Paul saying here? He is saying that Abraham, the father of the Jewish people and the father of all those who believe, received salvation and righteousness from God not by works but by his faith. This is the core declaration of the New Testament: that we are justified by faith. This is also the core tenet of the Protestant Reformation. This year, we are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

What is the core tenet of the Protestant Reformation? Justification by faith alone. By putting your trust in Jesus, we are given salvation from God, just like Abraham. So, Paul the Apostle, 2,000 years ago, when he wrote to the Romans, was saying, "Listen, how was Abraham saved before God?" He says he was saved by faith, as Genesis 15:6 states: "He believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness." He received the blessedness of forgiveness, the very thing that King David wrote about 3,000 years ago in Psalm 32 when he said, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin."

That word "blessed" means happy. Happy is the person who has their sins forgiven. Amen. David knew it, and we know it. But how are your sins forgiven? He is telling us it is by faith.

Then notice what he says next. In verse 9, he asks, "Does this blessedness, this happiness of forgiveness of sins, then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also?" If you don't understand Jewish tradition, you might wonder what he is talking about. Why did he suddenly bring circumcision into the story?

Well, thousands of years ago, when God established the Old Covenant, the first covenant with Abraham, the sign and symbol of the covenant was circumcision. I know it makes no sense, but that's what it was. I guess it was a sign of true devotion, and so God established it.

A covenant was made with Abraham thousands of years ago, and the sign of that covenant was circumcision. The children of Israel, who all came under the Old Covenant, felt that they had a special relationship with God because of that covenant and its sign. They believed that this relationship was greater than any other relationship that any other person could have. They had Abraham as their father, which was a significant matter, and they had the sign of that covenant relationship through circumcision.

Paul asks whether this happiness, this blessedness of forgiveness of sins, comes only upon those who have Abraham as their father through circumcision, or does it also come to those who are not circumcised, the Gentiles? He states that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? Was it while he was circumcised or before, when he was uncircumcised? Paul clarifies that it was not while he was circumcised, but while he was uncircumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith he had while still uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all those who believe, even though they are uncircumcised. This means that righteousness might be imputed to them also.

Now, what is this all about? Paul is saying something very important for those of us who do not have Abraham as our blood relative. He explains that even though you are not a child of Abraham by blood and not under the Old Covenant, you can still have Abraham as your father. How? By putting your trust and faith in God, just like Abraham did thousands of years ago, before the Covenant was established and before the sign of the Covenant, circumcision, was instituted.

He continues in verse 12, stating that Abraham is the father of the circumcision, not only to those who are of the circumcision but also to those who walk in the steps of faith which our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.

Look at verse 16 in Romans chapter 4. Therefore, all this to say, it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. This may seem like a long way around to get to this point, but verse 16 is core.

The word "therefore" is important. It simply means all of that which I just said about circumcision and non-circumcision to say this simple thing: even though you were not under the Old Covenant, the Old Testament of law and works, you can still receive the grace and forgiveness of sins from God by putting your faith in Jesus, just like Abraham did. He becomes the father of all those who believe.

Point number two on your outline is that the fathers are the fathers of all who believe. They are the first followers of God by faith, and we follow God with the same faith and trust. That faith and trust in God stir us to follow Him in obedience.

Point number three on your outline is that the fathers followed faithfully, anticipating God's promised blessing. There is a lot of alliteration here, I know. The fathers followed faithfully, anticipating God's promised blessing. This is what Hebrews chapter 11, often referred to as the Hall of Faith, illustrates. Like the Hall of Fame for those who had faith, they put their trust in God for salvation and for the forgiveness of sins. Their trust in God was seen actively in their lives as they followed Him faithfully.

They set out to follow God as Abraham did when God came to him in Genesis chapter 12 and said, "Leave your father, your household, and your country, and come follow me to a land that I will tell you of. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless him who blesses you and curse him who curses you. In you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Abraham left everything. He left the familiarity of home, the comforts of home, and all the security of what he had there. He followed God by faith because he was looking forward to the reception of this great promise: that through him, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. He sought the promise of this blessing, and so did Isaac, his son, and so does Jacob, Isaac's son.

And so did Jacob's twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel, and so did all their descendants. They followed God faithfully, or they tried to follow God faithfully, seeking these promises. Here’s the amazing thing: in this life, they never received that blessed promise. They never received the blessed promise that they sought for in this life.

Hebrews chapter 11, verse 39 states, "All of these individuals—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Abel, Moses, Jephthah—all of them having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise." Some of them were put to death because of their faith and obedience. Some were stoned with rocks, some were sawn in half, and some were tortured. Many of them lived their entire lives wandering, never having a place to put down roots and call home. They lived as pilgrims and sojourners their entire lives, following God by faith, faithfully seeking the promise that would come. Yet, in this life, they never received the fulfillment of that promise, but they looked forward to it.

Therefore, point number four: the fathers are those through whom the blessed promise of God came. What is the blessed promise of God that came through them? Jesus. Jesus is the blessed promise. The fathers are those through whom Jesus came.

Why is this important? Because Jesus is the one through whom now God speaks. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1 says, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past through the fathers by the prophets, has spoken in these last days to us by His Son." These fathers are the ones through whom the blessed promise would come, and Jesus is that blessed promise. Jesus is the one through whom God speaks. Jesus is the one through whom God's blessed promise of salvation and forgiveness of sins comes. Jesus is the one who is better than angels, better than patriarchs, better than prophets, priests, kings, and politicians.

All things come through these fathers for us, and this brings us to a very simple question: Have you put your trust and your faith in Jesus as Abraham put his trust and faith in God thousands of years ago? Have you become a child of God by faith? I hope that for many of you, you are connected to Abraham through your faith in God. However, in a crowd this size, it is very likely that there are some today who have never put their trust and faith in God for salvation and for the forgiveness of sins.

David speaks of the blessedness, the happiness, of no longer having sin on your account—no longer having the guilt and the shame of that sin—because Jesus wipes it out; He clears it away. The author of the book of Hebrews says that God, in these last days, has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed the heir of all things, through whom He made the world. Jesus, who is the brightness of God's glory and the express image of God's person, upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

He by Himself purged our sin. That was the promise that God spoke to Abraham 3,000 years ago when He said to him, "Leave everything that you have and come follow Me, and I will make you a blessing to all nations." The blessing is Jesus, and the blessing that comes from Jesus is salvation and forgiveness of sin. So, have you obtained that? Have you received that? If you've never received that, I want to give you an opportunity to do that this morning by putting your trust in Jesus.

If you would, please stand with me as we close in prayer. Father, I thank You for the grace that You bring, the grace that You give through Your Son. We are not at all worthy of the wonder of that grace, and yet grace has nothing to do with us being worthy of it. Lord, it's just a picture of Your love and Your wonder. So, God, we thank You that You have made us.

By grace through faith, you've made us accepted in the Beloved. You've adopted us into your family and given us an inheritance that is eternal—one that nothing can come against and nothing can shake. God, I pray that this inheritance you’ve given to us would cause us to shine with joy as we carry that treasure in these earthen vessels. May it shine with joy to those who do not yet know the goodness of your grace, so that we would be those through whom the good news of your salvation flows to others.

But, Lord, I pray right now as we're standing here that there may be some who have not put their trust in you for salvation. They have not received the blessedness of forgiveness of sins that you came to this world to give. I pray, God, that you, by your Spirit, would draw them to put their trust in you.

If that's you today, if you've never put your faith in Jesus and you'd like to receive his forgiving grace, if you'd like to know that your sin has been dealt with and completely taken away, would you just lift up your hand as we're in an attitude of prayer? Anyone here this morning? God bless you; I see you here in the front. Anyone else? God bless you.

If that's you and you want to trust in Jesus for salvation and forgiveness of sins today, I just want to lead you in a very simple prayer where you're at. Just out loud, would you pray with me?

Dear Jesus, I recognize that I have failed. I have not lived up to your perfect standard. I have sinned. I thank you that you came to this world and died on the cross to forgive me of my sins. Lord, help me to follow you by faith. I repent of my sin. I ask you to forgive me and help me to follow you all the days of my life. In Jesus' name, amen.