03 Weighty Words
A Guided Study
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Handout: 03 Weighty Words
Steve Ellis
Lesson 3: Weighty Words
Hebrews 1:1–2:4
Main Truth
Because God has spoken through the Son, his word deserves our closest attention.
1. God Has Spoken
Hebrews 1:1–2
In the past, God spoke through the prophets.
In these last days, God has spoken through the Son.
Hebrews presents God as still addressing his people.
The question is not whether God has spoken, but whether we are listening.
2. Who Is the Son?
Hebrews 1:2–4
The universe was made through the Son.
He is the radiance of God’s glory.
He is the exact representation of God’s being.
He sustains all things by his powerful word.
The Son entered the human story, provided purification for sins, and was exalted to God’s right hand.
Jesus is fully divine and became fully human.
3. Why Does Hebrews Talk About Angels?
Hebrews 1:4–14; 2:2–3; Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19
Jewish tradition associated angels with the giving of the Law at Sinai.
Hebrews does not suggest that Jesus is an angel or that the church was worshiping angels.
The comparison concerns the weight of God’s message.
If God’s word mediated through angels was binding, how much more should we listen when God has spoken through the Son?
4. The Father Speaks About the Son
Hebrews 1:5–14
The Preacher brings together passages from Israel’s Scriptures to show us who the Son is:
2 Samuel 7:12–16 — God promises David a Son whose kingdom will endure.
Psalm 2:1–8 — God’s royal Son is installed as King.
Psalm 45:6–7 — The Son’s throne and righteous kingdom.
Psalm 102:25–27 — The eternal Creator who remains when creation changes.
Psalm 110:1 — The King is seated at God’s right hand.
5. God Promised David a Son
2 Samuel 7:12–16; Hebrews 1:5
God promised David an enduring royal house.
The immediate promise included Solomon, but the promise reached beyond him.
Israel continued looking for the promised Davidic King.
Hebrews identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of this royal hope.
6. Psalm 2: The Royal Son
Psalm 2:1–8; Hebrews 1:5
Sonship > Kingship > Inheritance
“You are my Son” is royal enthronement language.
The king is identified as God’s anointed ruler.
“Today” does not mean that the Son came into existence at that moment.
Hebrews applies this royal language to the risen and exalted Jesus.
7. This Is Jesus
God promised David a Son.
Psalm 2 pictures God’s Son installed as King.
Jesus was crucified, raised, and exalted.
The resurrection and exaltation do not make Jesus divine. They reveal and confirm him as God’s promised King.
Jesus is that King.
8. Servants and the Son
Hebrews 1:7–9, 13–14
Angels are God’s servants.
The Son reigns.
No angel is invited to sit at God’s right hand.
The Son is God’s enthroned King.
9. The Eternal Creator
Psalm 102:25–27; Hebrews 1:10–12
Psalm 102 speaks of the LORD as Creator.
Hebrews applies this Creator language to the Son.
Creation changes, but the Son remains.
10. The King at God’s Right Hand
Psalm 110:1, 4; Hebrews 1:3, 13
Jesus is enthroned at God’s right hand.
Psalm 110 joins the themes of King and Priest.
Hebrews will later develop Jesus’ priesthood “in the order of Melchizedek.”
11. Therefore, Pay Attention
Hebrews 2:1–4
Hebrews 2 begins with “Therefore.”
Everything said about the Son leads to a response.
If God’s earlier word deserved careful attention, the word spoken through the Son deserves even greater attention.
The weight of the messenger gives weight to the message.
12. Do Not Drift
Hebrews 2:1
Drifting does not have to be deliberate or dramatic.
We drift when we stop paying careful attention.
Many voices compete for our attention.
Hebrews calls us to keep listening to the Son.
The Question for Us
Whose voice carries the greatest weight?
“In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2; NIV)
Because God has spoken through the Son, his word deserves our closest attention.
For Additional Study
John Mark Hicks, Hebrews Teaching Series
BibleProject
Scripture Acknowledgement
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®), Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.