Messages that matter by Dr. Andrew Corbett

The writer to the Hebrews was addressing the errors that led some in the largely Jewish-Christian house-church to be lured back into Judaism with the false claims that Jesus was not really the promised Messiah and Son of God. He does most clearly in the opening six verses where he emphatically states that Jesus was indeed sent by Father God, Yahweh, as the Son of God who came to make purification from sins. The writer to the Hebrews then goes on to say that GOD commands all the angels of Heaven to worship Jesus and that He is greater than Moses, the High Priest, the Sacrifices, the Tabernacle, and ceremonies. In addition to this, Christ's death on the cross has atoned for sins once and for all.

The Message to the Hebrews in the New Testament also serves as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments. If you have never quite understood why the Old Testament is all about sacrifices and ceremonies and priestly rituals, then this brief presentation of the Message to the Hebrews may be just the thing you need. The Biblical book, “To the Hebrews”, is regarded as one of the most complex and rhetorically detailed arguments in the Scriptures. It's message was written by someone who had been a highly trained rhetorician. He wrote this sermon with great urgency sensing the impending danger coming soon to his audience. In this presentation, the author of Hebrews uses the rhetorical device of exemplary and highly regarded witnesses to further persuade his audience and lead them into parentic response. For more Biblical teaching via podcast subscribe to Messages That Matters with Dr. Andrew Corbett on iTunes, Soundcloud or Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/messages-that-matter-by-dr-andrew-corbett/id1059252114 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3GuYKpgiAyKiF56LCekRSS Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/DrAndrewC Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/u/0/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjY5NjkzNjY5L3NvdW5kcy5yc3M For Biblical Thinking Resources - https://www.andrewcorbett.net/ Read “The Most Embarrassing Book in the Bible -understanding the Book of Revelation” on Kindle https://www.amazon.com/MOST-EMBARRASSING-BOOK-BIBLE-ebook/dp/B0081RZ91O/ Read “Authentic Apostolic Leadership - Structure For the Church” https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Apostolic-Leadership-Structure-Church-ebook/dp/B003GIRESO/

We need to keep in mind that the Bible in early Christian times was more often heard when read aloud to a group than read privately; very few early Christians owned copies of the Bible, and some did not known how to read. This is why preaching was so central to the early Christian worship. Teaching the Bible involved hearing more than reading. The early Christian preachers implemented what rhetoricians had learned and practiced. Consider these traits of of the Greco-Roman rhetoricians. They" 1. Authoritatively proclaimed the truth. 2. Spoke with urgency & without hesitation. 3. Invoked metaphors to sensorily involve hearers' imaginations and emotions. 4. Their statements were emphatic and all other ideas are outrageous. 5. Pronouncements have global and eternal ramifications. Rhetoric is the art and science of persuasion. Effective rhetoric involves: relevant content and engaging style leading to responsive persuasion. What preachers can learn from an understanding of the Ancient Greek principles of Rhetoric: (i) Preach with a sense of clarity about you are saying. (ii) Prepare your message around the rhetorical structure. (iii) Plan what you will stress and how you will do it (especially your conclusion and exhortation). (iv) Practice before you preach

In what way is the Old Testament relevant for Christians today? Perhaps, in the same - or least similar - way that it was relevant for the first century believers! The message to the Hebrews cites or quotes the Old Testament in each of its 13 chapters. By doing so, the writer was demonstrating what Jesus told the two disheartened believers on the road to Emmaus - that all of the Old Testament pointed to Jesus the Christ. In referring to the Old Testament the writer was also demonstrating how the interpretative principles of Hillel could be applied appropriately. In this episode those principles are considered and promoted for believers today to better read and understand the Old Testament.

The message to the Hebrews is often presented in English bibles as "The Letter fo the Hebrews" by several publishers - but the most ancient designation of it refers to it simply as "To the Hebrews". It is time that we realise this is not an epistle, but is a sermonic message. By reading Hebrews as a sermon, we can be enriched by two means. Firstly, we can read it as a relevant and classic message for all Christians at all times and places. This means it is still relevant for us today. Secondly, we can analyse how skilful the author has been in preaching a sermon that reads eloquently and very persuasively. This additionally means that those who are called to preach and teach God's Word, especially sermonically, can learn from the principles that the author used to improve how effective their own public speaking and writing can be. I invite you to subscribe to this channel and leave a comment with your feedback. For more Biblical teaching via podcast subscribe to Messages That Matters with Dr. Andrew Corbett on iTunes, Soundcloud or Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/messages-that-matter-by-dr-andrew-corbett/id1059252114 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3GuYKpgiAyKiF56LCekRSS Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/DrAndrewC Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/u/0/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjY5NjkzNjY5L3NvdW5kcy5yc3M For Biblical Thinking Resources - https://www.andrewcorbett.net/ Read “The Most Embarrassing Book in the Bible -understanding the Book of Revelation” on Kindle https://www.amazon.com/MOST-EMBARRASSING-BOOK-BIBLE-ebook/dp/B0081RZ91O/ Read “Authentic Apostolic Leadership - Structure For the Church” https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Apostolic-Leadership-Structure-Church-ebook/dp/B003GIRESO/

Why was the Epistle to the Hebrews written? Originally this epistle was written to a community of beleaguered Jewish Christians who had just suffered greatly by the Edict of Caesar Claudius, and then by some in their number defecting back into Judaism. Now, it seems that something worse was about to come their way. The writer to them has to remind them of - preeminently about the preeminence of Jesus the Christ. The writer pastorally urges these defectors to consider the evidence about Jesus which became the basis for their faith in Him in the first place. As the writer spoke about how Jesus has taken our guilt and shame upon Himself, I was struck by something I have been thinking quite a lot about: What if the former Prince Andrew walked in on one of my sermons? What would I want him to hear? This message answers those questions.

The New Testament book of Hebrews is written to a church in the city of Rome which was comprised of persecuted Jewish Christians. This group of Christians, which numbered about 20 people or so, might be considered an insignificant church because it was only small. But this church was not treated as irrelevant by God who inspired this important document to be written to them. There are some powerful insights within Hebrews that present Jesus Christ as superior to angels, Moses, the Temple/Tabernacle, the Old Testament sacrifices and ceremonies, the Mosaic Law, the Aaronic Priesthood, and all of the Old Testament personalities.

The New Testament book of Hebrews is one of the most advanced biblical books to study. It draws deeply on the Old Testament so that many commentators have referred to as the bridge between the Old and the New Testament. In this introduction I outline what the book is about, why it was written and who probably wrote it.

The Latin term 'imago Dei' means "the image of God". It is considered one of the most influential anthropological concepts about what it means to be human. It occurs in various forms only four times in the first nine chapters of Genesis but is considered the chief reason for the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights declaring the inherent equality of all human beings, and the reason that human life is treated as exceptional by all nations around the world. This important motif is introduced in Genesis 1:26-27 without definition or explanation, yet it has spawned hundreds of thousands of books and articles exploring its consequences and significance. Dr. Brent Strawn, in the Cambridge Companion to Genesis, makes the point that no where in Genesis is the "imago Dei" (image of God) ever singular. From its literary establishment in Genesis 1:27 it is plural ("male and female") and throughout "the unfolding of the book" it continues to be revealed as a plural. After the depiction of the Fall in Genesis 3, from chapters 4 to 36 it is revealed as intact yet presented as broken leading to fratricide, violence, deceit, depravity, and innocent deaths. Yet, in all this, the doctrine of the imago Dei remains the pillar for understanding the answer to the psalmist's question: "Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them?  Of what importance is humankind, that you should pay attention to them?" (Psa. 8.4 NET) The doctrine of the Imago Dei is the most uplighting insight into what it means to be human and has shaped the The U.N.’s Declaration of Human Rights and west civilisation itself. But these three distortions of it have become far from what GOD intended for humankind. Have a listen to this podcast and discover for yourself what they are. In this episode we conclude this short series by seeing the Book of Genesis bookends its opening introduction about the image of God and show how during the darkest section of human wickedness and evil, GOD shine a light by opening Rachel's womb and giving her a baby whom she named 'Joseph'. In this episode I show how there was at least 11 parallels between Joseph and Jesus. And then explain how this is relevant for you and me today. For more Biblical teaching via podcast subscribe to Messages That Matters with Dr. Andrew Corbett on iTunes, Soundcloud or Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/messages-that-matter-by-dr-andrew-corbett/id1059252114 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3GuYKpgiAyKiF56LCekRSS Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/DrAndrewC Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/u/0/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjY5NjkzNjY5L3NvdW5kcy5yc3M

The description of humankind as being in "the image of God" is an indication of what it means to be human and why we should regard each person with a sacred reverence which bestows on them dignity and a life that is worthy of respect. But can this "image of God" be lost, deformed and destroyed? If so, what does this mean for what it means to be a human being? In this episode Dr Corbett shows how the book of Genesis unfolds and displays the original human populations as failing to live up to what it means to be "in the image of God" - yet, simultaneously, GOD was at work unfolding His plan to redeem mankind so that they, we, could be reconciled to God and once again be renewed in our hearts and minds to live as imagines of God. The Latin term 'imago Dei' means "the image of God". It is considered one of the most influential anthropological concepts about what it means to be human. It occurs in various forms only four times in the first nine chapters of Genesis but is considered the chief reason for the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights declaring the inherent equality of all human beings, and the reason that human life is treated as exceptional by all nations around the world. This important motif is introduced in Genesis 1:26-27 without definition or explanation, yet it has spawned hundreds of thousands of books and articles exploring its consequences and significance. Throughout this mini-series of theological sermons and lectures I will demonstrate how it is enlarged beyond the ninth chapter Genesis and is finally presented in the closing chapters of Genesis Christologically.

God’s final and ultimate act of creation was to create “’Ishah” (the Hebrew word for ‘woman’). She could reflect GOD in ways that A’dam could not. She was given the gift reproducing imago Dei life! Angels could not do this. No animal could do this. She could exhibit a quality that only GOD Himself had. Little wonder then that at the moment she was created envy and pride arose in the heart of one of the high heavenly beings. When GOD created the “Ishah” for A’dam, the man broke out into poetry. These are the first recorded words of Adam. Perhaps as he walked and talked the Lord each day in the cool of the day, he learned from his Maker to speak poetically. Today, it is no accident that Christian worship still echoes that original impulse to worship GOD poetically. GOD created the ‘Ishah as an “ezer“ (an ally, in the military sense) and together the man and the woman would be a unit of covenant intimacy for worshiping GOD in their ordinary and mundane activities - yet now, nothing would be truly mundane, because everything they did —- walking, talking, gathering, washing, eating, cleaning—- would be an act of worship to the One who had made them. Throughout this mini-series of theological sermons and lectures I will demonstrate how it is enlarged beyond the ninth chapter Genesis and is finally presented in the closing chapters of Genesis Christologically. In this episode we examine whether the Fall from Innocence effected the imago Dei of humankind and show why it did not destroy, deform, or mar it. However, it did create a gulf in the relationship that our Progenitors were created to enjoy. Jesus the Christ, who is the Ultimate Imago Dei (2 Cor. 4:4) has now come to atone for the sins of humankind and by His resurrection He has defeated death and assured the redeemed of our future resurrection into imperishable and immortal bodies. In the meantime, we are each called to be renewed into the image of God through our growing knowledge of Christ.

The Latin term 'imago Dei' means "the image of God". It is considered one of the most influential anthropological concepts about what it means to be human. It occurs in various forms only four times in the first nine chapters of Genesis but is considered the chief reason for the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights declaring the inherent equality of all human beings, and the reason that human life is treated as exceptional by all nations around the world. This important motif is introduced in Genesis 1:26-27 without definition or explanation, yet it has spawned hundreds of thousands of books and articles exploring its consequences and significance. In this episode I focus on three fallacies that are actually distortions of the 'imago Dei' teaching: (i) Chauvinism - leading to women being oppressed; (ii) Racism - leading to slavery and unfair discrimination and worse; and (iii) Ableism - treating the physically and intellectually disabled as if they also were not image bearers of God. The text version of this podcast can be found at: https://www.findingtruthmatters.org/articles/theology/the-imago-dei-revealed-through-genesis-part-3-fallacies/

The doctrine of the imago Dei is grounded on one verse in Genesis chapter 1. From Genesis 1:27, Brent Strawn observes, “The image of God (Latin imago Dei) is a familiar, even fraught, biblical notion because it has served as something of an empty cipher that countless interpreters have sought to fill.” Strawn continues to highlight how much of a lacuna there is in trying to define and explain the Genesis 1:27 reference to imago Dei: “Despite a great deal of spilled ink, what, exactly, the imago Dei is remains no small mystery because the notion goes largely undeveloped and underdeveloped in the Bible.” Despite Strawn’s highlight of the lack of biblical development of this motif, he is not suggesting that it cannot be developed from the scant biblical data we do have. This is where biblically informed philosophy can be helpful.

This is the first sub-series in the grander Imago Dei series. It is the first series because the Book of Genesis is the first book of the bible, and appropriately so because Genesis means “beginning”. Yet as I will show throughout the grander series it is not the very beginning - that will be referred to in the New Testament documents (Jn. 1:1, 17:5; 1Cor. 2:7; Titus 1:2; 2Tim. 1:9; Jude 25). In the meantime, I will commence this series “in the beginning” described in Genesis 1:1 from which we will see that God is the introduced as the Creator and humankind is introduced as the created. Theologians tend to use the Latin term for “the image of God” - imago Dei. As we proceed in our study through Genesis I am going to argue that its introduction in the opening chapter marks one of the predominant themes of this book. As such I will demonstrate that the book has been ordered in a way that we are able to see why certain people did not live up to this created purpose and how Genesis concludes by giving an example of someone who did. The reason that this is an important way to regard Genesis is that establishes a literary sophistication one might reasonably expect from a book claiming to have divine inspiration and authority. Secondly, it will be shown that this positive example exhibits Christological qualities that will contribute to the Hebrew expectation of what the Messiah would be like.

This is the concluding message in this brief Peter Series and begins by pointing out why New Testament scholars consider that Jude was either the amanuensis of Second Peter or was at least a significant influence on Second Peter. Both apostles were concerned that their audiences would be prone to the errors of the false teachers, and that they would need something to remind them of what had taught His apostles to teach. The two New Testament epistles ascribed to the Apostle Peter are lesser known by most Christians than the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Some scholars believe that First Peter may have been written to young Christians and may have even served as a 'catechism' for those about to be water baptised. In this episode, we look at how Peter presents God as Father, Son, and Spirit, and how Christianity commences with becoming 'born again'. But this is not where Christianity ends - and that aged Apostle Peter gives instructions on how a new believer is to grow in the faith by exploring what the knowledge of God and HIs grace requires.

The apostle Peter knows that his execution as a martyr is imminent and now pours out his pastoral heart for those he is writing to. He is deeply aware in the Spirit that after his 'departure' that false teachers will arise within the churches he has helped to plant and will try to deceive many of them. What he warns them of is still relevant for us today. May God grant us open hearts to hear what the Spirit is saying to us today. The two New Testament epistles ascribed to the Apostle Peter are lesser known by most Christians than the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Some scholars believe that First Peter may have been written to young Christians and may have even served as a 'catechism' for those about to be water baptised. In this episode, we look at how Peter presents God as Father, Son, and Spirit, and how Christianity commences with becoming 'born again'. But this is not where Christianity ends - and that aged Apostle Peter gives instructions on how a new believer is to grow in the faith by exploring what the knowledge of God and HIs grace requires. For more Biblical teaching via podcast subscribe to Messages That Matters with Dr. Andrew Corbett on iTunes, Soundcloud or Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/messages-that-matter-by-dr-andrew-corbett/id1059252114 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3GuYKpgiAyKiF56LCekRSS Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/DrAndrewC Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/u/0/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjY5NjkzNjY5L3NvdW5kcy5yc3M For Biblical Thinking Resources - https://www.andrewcorbett.net/ Read “The Most Embarrassing Book in the Bible -understanding the Book of Revelation” on Kindle https://www.amazon.com/MOST-EMBARRASSING-BOOK-BIBLE-ebook/dp/B0081RZ91O/ Read “Authentic Apostolic Leadership - Structure For the Church” https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Apostolic-Leadership-Structure-Church-ebook/dp/B003GIRESO/

In this episode the Apostle Peter describes one of the most dramatic encounters he had with Jesus when he and James and John were taken up a mountain one night by Jesus where they literally heard the voice of God declare that Jesus was the Son of the God! Yet he goes on to say that there is something even more persuasive for anyone — if they would open their hearts and accept it. The two New Testament epistles ascribed to the Apostle Peter are lesser known by most Christians than the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Some scholars believe that First Peter may have been written to young Christians and may have even served as a 'catechism' for those about to be water baptised. In this episode, we look at how Peter presents God as Father, Son, and Spirit, and how Christianity commences with becoming 'born again'. But this is not where Christianity ends - and that aged Apostle Peter gives instructions on how a new believer is to grow in the faith by exploring what the knowledge of God and HIs grace requires. For more Biblical teaching via podcast subscribe to Messages That Matters with Dr. Andrew Corbett on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/messages-that-matter-by-dr-andrew-corbett/id1059252114 For Biblical Thinking Resources - https://www.andrewcorbett.net/ Read “The Most Embarrassing Book in the Bible -understanding the Book of Revelation” on Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/MOST-EMBARRASSING-BOOK-BIBLE-ebook/dp/B0081RZ91O/ Read “Authentic Apostolic Leadership - Structure For the Church” https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Apostolic-Leadership-Structure-Church-ebook/dp/B003GIRESO/

We now venture into Second Peter which has quite a different tone than First Peter. In this episode we hear the apostle Peter talk about his own impending death and offering his faithfulness as a model for steadfast Christian living. He then offers the 8 qualities of a mature Christian and how these eight qualities should be what every Christian strives for. The two New Testament epistles ascribed to the Apostle Peter are lesser known by most Christians than the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Some scholars believe that First Peter may have been written to young Christians and may have even served as a 'catechism' for those about to be water baptised. In this episode, we look at how Peter presents God as Father, Son, and Spirit, and how Christianity commences with becoming 'born again'. But this is not where Christianity ends - and that aged Apostle Peter gives instructions on how a new believer is to grow in the faith by exploring what the knowledge of God and HIs grace requires.

This is Peter writing to church leaders about the kind of heart and attitude they should have in order to serve a local church. The two New Testament epistles ascribed to the Apostle Peter are lesser known by most Christians than the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Some scholars believe that First Peter may have been written to young Christians and may have even served as a 'catechism' for those about to be water baptised. In this episode, we look at how Peter presents God as Father, Son, and Spirit, and how Christianity commences with becoming 'born again'. But this is not where Christianity ends - and that aged Apostle Peter gives instructions on how a new believer is to grow in the faith by exploring what the knowledge of God and HIs grace requires.

In this episode, we ask the question, Is It God's Will for His Children to Suffer? We look at the 4 types of suffering that Christians can experience and compare them what the Apostle Peter details in this passage. The two New Testament epistles ascribed to the Apostle Peter are lesser known by most Christians than the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Some scholars believe that First Peter may have been written to young Christians and may have even served as a 'catechism' for those about to be water baptised. In this episode, we look at how Peter presents God as Father, Son, and Spirit, and how Christianity commences with becoming 'born again'. But this is not where Christianity ends - and that aged Apostle Peter gives instructions on how a new believer is to grow in the faith by exploring what the knowledge of God and HIs grace requires.