January 16th - Hebrews 1:3

Hebrews 1:3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. None of the original manuscripts of the New Testament exist today. But there are many very early copies still around, and on a number of them this letter is titled “to the Hebrews”. Therefore, there can be no doubt it was written specifically for Christians who had a Jewish background. The writer wanted them to realise that Jesus was the perfect fulfilment of everything that they had heard about in their Old Testament scriptures. Jesus revealed the very character of God and so, having been present with his Father in creation, he was able to sustain everything by his command. Then, having made the perfect sacrifice of himself on the cross, he was able to return to the right hand of his Father in heaven. In short, the letter to the Hebrews is all about Jesus. If you want to find life in all its fulness, then you need to meet Jesus. If you want to be able to come boldly into the presence of God, then you need to know that it is Jesus who has made that possible. If you want to find forgiveness, then you need to understand that he died for your sins on the cross by making the ultimate sacrifice of his life. Everything depends on Jesus. Many years ago, I visited a young Jewish woman in Tel Aviv, the second largest city in Israel. She had recently become a Christian and I remember that as we walked around a park she said to me, “Keep talking to me about Jesus. I love to hear his name.” Her words remind me of the old hymn: “How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear. It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds, and drives away our fear.” Whatever you are facing today I urge you to keep Jesus at the centre of your thinking. Question In what way is the name of Jesus special to you? Prayer Lord Jesus, thank you that you want to meet with me today in everything that I will be doing. Amen