Much More and Better

By Doug Schauer

Much More and Better is a book based on the finished work of Christ as described in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews gives us one of the best descriptions of the much more and better that we have through the new covenant ratified in the blood of Jesus Christ. This book will exalt Christ with the preeminence that he is more than worthy of, for everything lost in the fall through Adam has been restored through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. My prayer for you as you read this book is that you will get a magnified picture of Jesus Christ and the awesome glorious new covenant that He paid for with His own blood. As you read, it will be obvious to you that the book of Hebrews is definitely a Holy Spirit-inspired book. Read and enjoy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781642148770

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Much More and Better

Doug Schauer

Copyright © 2018 Doug Schauer

All rights reserved

First Edition

Page Publishing, Inc

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64214-878-7 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64214-877-0 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Acknowledgments

I give honor and thanks to the Holy Spirit, who leads us and guides us into all the truths of the written Word of God. I will be eternally grateful to the revelation knowledge gained through the voice of the Holy Spirit, which came through the reading and studying of God’s written awesome Word. The Holy Spirit always encourages us to keep our focus on the Father and Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.

I also want to thank my wife, Joyce, for reading the book in its entirety while looking for grammatical errors. She has always been a great encouragement for me to continue on and not give up. Thank you, Joyce!

Introduction

One of the reasons that I enjoy the book of Hebrews so much is that it exalts Jesus Christ above everyone and everything. All that was held in high esteem under the old covenant is placed under Jesus Christ, who brings us a new covenant ratified in His very own blood. The new covenant brings to us a love that is so high, so wide, and with so much depth that we may not gain a total understanding of it this side of heaven. I believe that Hebrews describes the much more and better to be received by faith because of the finished work of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, burial, and resurrection. My prayer for you as you read this book is that you will get a bigger picture of Jesus Christ and the awesome glorious new covenant that He paid for with His own blood. Jesus Christ brings us back into God’s presence, and not only that, but He restores to us everything that Adam lost in the fall. There are many different options concerning the author of Hebrews, but whoever it was, I believe it will be obvious to the reader that it was definitely Holy Spirit–inspired.

As you read, you will discover that the recipients of this letter were under persecution, and false teachers had gained access telling them they needed to return to old covenant practices again. The Hebrew writer therefore exalts Jesus Christ above everything the old covenant had of offer, for the blood of Christ is the perfect sacrifice for all of mankind. It truly is a much more and better covenant.

Hebrews Chapter 1

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets. (Verse 1)

It is important for us to note that in these first verses God not only spoke in times past, but He is still speaking to us today. One of God’s supreme desires is to communicate with mankind, who is His most prized creation. Under the Old Testament, men spoke highly of Moses, prophets, and angels, but one of the purposes of Hebrews is to exalt Jesus Christ to be first place in their lives. It isn’t that Moses, prophets, and angels are not important, but there was a temptation to place them before the Christ, who was the way, the truth, and the life. God communicated to men using spokesmen, like Jonah, Jeremiah, David, Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Moses, but they couldn’t fully express His heart, His mind, and His will, so God sent His only begotten Son as the exact expression of His heart to save the world. The writer to Hebrews contrasts Jesus with the prophets, for they were always believed to be the ones to whom God would reveal His secrets.

Long ago, Amos had said, The Lord God does nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7 NKJV). The prophet was said to be an interpreter of the God who speaks within or interpreters of the God who uses them as instruments to reveal to men that which he wills (William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 1). Jesus was the exact representation of God, bringing to us the exact heart of God. Dr. William Barclay comments on this in his commentary on Hebrews as follows: Out of their own experience of life and out of the experience of Israel, the prophets had each grasped and expressed a fragment of the truth of God. None had grasped the fullness of truth in its entirety; but with Jesus it was different. He was not a fragment of the truth; He was the whole truth. In Him, God displayed not some part of Himself but all of Himself (The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 1). Yes, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and in the Gospel of John as He prayed for us, He said the following: Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth (John 17:17 NKJV). There is sanctification power in the word of His power which transforms us into sons of God.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets. (Verse 1)

Has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. (Verse 2)

When the writer said that the Son has been appointed heir of all things, he was not just talking about the things on this earth but the entire universe. Even though being heir of all things was given to the Son, He also earned it through His finished work at the cross, for He is the perfect offering for all mankind. He is the perfect offering because He came to this earth as a human being filled with the Holy Spirit and walked without sin despite being tempted in every way possible. Since Jesus is heir of all things, we are a part of His inheritance, but it is still only those who will receive Him that He gives the right to become children of God. (See John 1:12 NKJV.) Paul in his writings to the Romans tells us that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:16–17 NKJV)

What an awesome fact that we are heirs with the one who made the worlds. The twenty-four elders around the throne worship Him as the one who made the worlds as declared in the Revelation of Jesus Christ given to John: You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created (Revelation 4:11 NKJV). This is a powerful verse, which we can use as we come before our King to worship Him. Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians declares Him to be the creator of all things: For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16 NKJV).

Since all things were created for Him, we have been created for Him, even for His pleasure. I like the way A. W. Tozer put it: It is God’s great pleasure for us to fully rest in His presence, moment by moment. God created man expressly for the use of His pleasure and fellowship; nothing in or of this world measures up to the simple pleasure of experiencing the presence of God (Experiencing the Presence of God, page 16). Here we have a great saint who has been promoted to the kingdom of heaven, saying that we as Christians should be experiencing the presence of God at some time in our lives, for there is nothing in this earth that can compare to an experience of being in the presence of God. It is a great honor to experience the presence of Almighty God.

Part of the inheritance that Jesus received is the more excellent name bestowed on Him by the Father, and we as members of the body of Christ have been given the use of that name. This will be discussed in further detail when we get to verse 4 of this chapter, where it speaks of the more excellent name He received by inheritance.

Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Verse 3)

Once again, as I read this verse from Hebrews, I stop in awe at the word of His power; and in my daily reading time, I came across the following scripture: Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast (Psalm 33:8–9 NKJV).

This is telling us that we should all be standing in awe at the Word of God’s power, for He spoke and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. God’s Word is His power, which really goes all the way back to Genesis as God said and it was so. When we move in the Holy Spirit and the word of His power, God’s will in heaven will be done on the earth.

Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, is the brightness of God’s glory, meaning that He was the exact representation of God come in the flesh. In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah literally saw the Lord sitting on a throne surrounded by His glory. The glory of God had such brightness to it that the angelic seraphim, each having six wings, used those wings to cover themselves in the presence of the glory of God. When they encountered the glory of God, they cried out to each other: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! I believe that every time they cried out, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory, they were experiencing a new depth of His holiness and glory. The voices of the angelic seraphim were so intense that as they continued to cry out, the posts of the door of the temple were literally shaken and the house was filled with smoke or the glory of God.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:1–4 NKJV)

I want to give you a more complete picture of the brightness of His glory as described in other books of the Bible. When John was on the island of Patmos, he was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day and heard a voice like the sound of a trumpet speaking to him. When he turned to see the voice that spoke to him, he gave us a description of what Jesus Christ looks like after having victoriously conquered the cross:

Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (Revelation 1:12–18 NKJV)

The very countenance of the First and the Last was like the sun shining in its strength. This speaks of Jesus Christ as being clothed with the glory of God, and it literally caused John to fall at His feet as if he were dead. It is impossible to look directly into the sun and especially the afternoon sun on a clear hot summer day, which gives us a picture of the brightness of the glory of God. It is this brightness of His glory with which He will destroy the lawless one when he is revealed. And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8 NKJV).

When Paul was describing his conversion experience to King Agrippa, he gave us a picture of the brightness of His glory as follows: At midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me (Acts 26:13 NKJV). This gives us a second witness that the brightness of His glory is brighter than the sun shining in its strength. This would be a good place for you to cry out, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory!

Jesus Christ is the express image of God! The phrase express image has the meaning of something engraved or impressed which has line for line all the features of the instrument making it. Kenneth Wuest describes this very well in his translation which reads as follows: Who being the out-raying brightness of His glory and the exact reproduction of His essence, and sustaining, guiding, and propelling all things by the word of His power, having made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3, Kenneth Wuest Translation). Jesus Christ is the exact reproduction of the essence of God and is well able to sustain, guide, and propel all things by the word of His power. When Jesus was moved with compassion in healing the sick and casting out devils, He was moving in the essence of God. When He overturned the tables and gave stern rebukes to highly positioned religious people, He was moving in the essence of God, because He was God come to us in the flesh to save us from the terrible destruction of sin.

Having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. (Verse 4)

Jesus Christ became so much better than angels because He gave His life to purge our sins, inheriting a name which is above every name that can be named. Luke said it this way in his composition of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. (See Acts 1:1 NKJV.) Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12 NKJV). There is no other name that can bring mankind’s salvation except the wonderful name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It is trusting and relying on the name of Jesus Christ alone that can bring a transforming salvation to the heart of mankind; yes, there is power in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and the apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to Ephesus:

And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:19–21 NKJV)

This is a prayer that Paul was praying for the Ephesians to have revelation of the exceeding greatness of His power which has been extended to us who believe in Him. He wanted them to have understanding concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which seated Him in heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion where He inherited a name that was above every name not only in their age but also in our age.

Peter gives us a demonstration of the power behind the name of Jesus as Peter and John were on their way to the temple for the hour of prayer. There was a certain man who had been born lame that was carried to the temple and laid at the gate called Beautiful that he might beg alms from all who entered the temple. When Peter and John arrived at the temple gate, the lame man, without even looking up, began to beg for alms from them, but Peter command him to fix his gaze upon them.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them walking, leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3:6–8 NKJV)

Every time I read this account, I like to visualize Peter, John, and the lame man, arm in arm, leaping, walking, and praising God as they entered the temple. I’m sure there were many bewildered looks from the people who had just deposited coins in the lame man’s cup, and here he was, walking, leaping, and praising God all because of the power invested in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. I like the way the Kenneth Wuest Greek Translation puts it: Then Peter said, Silver and gold coins I do not have, but that which I have, this I give to you. In the Name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, start walking and keep on walking (Acts 3:6, Kenneth Wuest Translation). The Greek text brings out the fact that the lame man’s healing was not just for a day but for the rest of his life on this earth and on into eternity.

The apostle Paul used the power in the name of Jesus Christ when he delivered a slave girl from a spirit of divination.

Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation. And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out that very hour. (Acts 16:16–18 NKJV)

Mark quotes Jesus as saying that His name will work for all who believe:

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. (Mark 16:17–18 NKJV)

The mercy, grace, and compassion of Jesus Christ desires to bring healing for the sick, deliverance for the bound, and protection from all evil; and His plan is to continue these works through His church.

For to which of the angels did He ever say: You are My Son, today I have begotten You? And again: I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son? (Verse 5)

But when He again brings the first born into the world, He says: Let all the angels of God worship Him. (Verse 6)

And of the angels He says: Who makes His angel’s spirits and His ministers a flame of fire. (Verse 7)

The Hebrew writer is letting us know that Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, is much more and better than the angels. There are a number of times that God used angels as messengers to speak in His behalf, but in these last days, He speaks through His Son. The angels worship Him because they understand His holiness, glory, and goodness. When the Christ was born of a virgin, the angels came to the shepherds worshiping God and bearing a message that a Savior had been born that day and where they could find Him. The shepherds experienced a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! (Luke 2:14 NKJV). The definition given for an angel is a messenger of God, and through all of Scripture, we can see them being used for that very purpose. A definition from the Key Word Study Bible, NASV, found under Lexical Aids to the New Testament #4397 Mal’ak is as follows: This is from an unused root meaning to dispatch someone as a deputy, a messenger, a herald. When God is doing the sending, it may be an angel, a prophet, a priest, or a teacher. The general sense is an ambassador representing someone who sent him. Such a person carried a message, or performed some other specific commission, or represented the sender in official negotiations. He could be a simple message bearer with good news, threats, or requests.

The psalmist describes angels as spirits who minister as a flame of fire: Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire (Psalm 104:4 NKJV), which is quoted by the Hebrew writer in verse 7.

The psalmist further declares angels excel in strength and are sent forth to perform the spoken Word of God: Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Psalm 103:20–22 NKJV).

Angels were used to bring messages to the patriarchs (such as Abraham, and Jacob), the prophets (such as Daniel), the priests (such as Zacharias), and to the people (such as Elizabeth and Mary). Angels ministered to Christ after His wilderness temptation in which He gained victory over the devil; they appeared to Peter and Paul, directing them to those in need of ministry. There were angels who did battle against ungodly armies, such as Sennacherib, when he came against Hezekiah, and there are angels dispatched for us today as we speak forth the word of His power into the airwaves. What we need to remember is that they are all only angels. They are not greater than the Son, but they worship the Son by heeding and doing His Word.

But to the Son He says: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. (Verse 8)

I like the fact that God’s throne is a forever throne, and since we are attached to Him through covenant, we are forever also. Our earthly bodies will not last forever, but God has promised us a new body which will be like His glorious body. (See Philippians 3:20–21 NKJV.)

When he talks about a scepter of righteousness, it is speaking of the righteousness of God. That scepter is held out to us, inviting us to come into His presence and be a part of His kingdom. Our own self-righteousness is as filthy rags before