Hebrews 2

HEBREWS 2

Heed the Word…Don’t Drift!

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to Truths!  We must not DRIFT past them and slip away!!!  We must pay attention and OBEY!  Through the book of Hebrews we have a progression from DRIFTING from God’s Word to DENYING God’s Word in Chapter 12.  IF we enter into this progression, the LORD does not sit idly by and permit His children to rebel against Him.  He will continue to speak and when necessary, HE chastens His own. 

The writer of Hebrews is warning us of the danger of neglecting our salvation.  He is not encouraging sinners to become Christians but he is encouraging Christians to pay attention to the great salvation that we have received from the LORD.  We must not neglect the Word, prayer, worship with God’s people and/or any other opportunities for spiritual growth…To neglect means TO DRIFT!

In today’s world it seems that we hear the idea expressed or demonstrated that believers “under grace” can escape chastening by the Lord.  We have received the complete Word … Word confirmed by the apostolic miracles (v.4) His

We don’t need the confirming miracles today…God now bears witness through His Spirit using the Word (Romans 8:16, I John 5:1-13)  The Spirit also gives spiritual gifts to God’s people so that they may minister in the church to one another. 

You and I have either experienced personally the depressing results of DRIFTING in our life or observed its devastation in the lives of others.  It can be easy to drift with the current of this current age, and it is difficult to return against the stream once we have turned.  Our salvation is a GREAT salvation and it was purchased with a GREAT price!  How can we neglect it?!!!

v. 5-18…Jesus was human and humans were ranked lower than the angels.  Today the LOD has His glorified body that knows no limitations.  Quoted from Psalm 8:4-6.  When the LORD was in human body on the earth, He did what man had not done…He had dominion…suffered, died for man’s sin and restored dominion that was lost because of sin.  Everything today is under His feet…Eph. 1:20-23. 

Man had lost his crown(v.7) and became the slave of sin.  Jesus regained that and believers today share His kingly dominion.  One day, when He establishes His kingdom, we shall reign with Him in glory and honor.  Jesus did all of this for us…for lost sinners…because of “the grace of God(v.9)

Verse 9 Assurance that there is NO “limited atonement” (something that many accept as true).  KJV “…that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”  LIVING Bible:  “…Yes because of God’s great kindness Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world.”  Amp.:  “…in order that by the grace (unmerited favor) of God [to us sinners] He might experience death for every individual person. 

v.10-13 Christ is the last Adam and the Captain of salvation…captain means pioneer – one who opens the way for other to follow.  The Lord gave up His glory to become man; He regained His glory when He arose and ascended to heaven.  Now He shares that glory with you and me…all those who trust Him for salvation.  He is united to us and we are united to Him…we are spiritually one.  We share the same nature and belong to the same family!  We are His brethren and we are His children. V.13

v.14-16  The Lord did not come to save angels…He came to save the fallen children.  The Lord did not annihilate Satan…he is not destroyed, but he is disarmed.  We who trust in Jesus have once and for all been delivered from Satan’s authority and from the terrible fear of death.  The death, burial and resurrection of Christ have given us victory!

The Lord stooped lower than the angels to become Man…a Jew, a part of the “seed of Abraham” (v.16) …a despised and hated race.

The Lord’s humanity enables Him to be a sympathetic High Priest!  V. 17-18  The angels could not identify with us, but the Lord can.  While He was here on earth He experienced the sinless infirmities of human nature.  He knew what it was to be a helpless baby, a growing child, a maturing adolescent.  He knew the experiences of weariness, hunger, thirst.  He knew what is was to be despised and rejected, to be lied about and falsely accused.  He experienced physical suffering and death.  This was all part of His training for His heavenly ministry as High Priest. 

Jesus is merciful and faith.  He is merciful toward people and faithful toward the Father.  He can never fail in His priestly ministry.  He made the necessary sacrifice for our sins so that we might be reconciled to God.  He did not need to make a sacrifice for Himself because of His sinlessness. 

Because Jesus was tempted when He was on earth, but never yielded, because He has defeated every enemy, He is able to give us the grace that we need to overcome temptation. 

High Priest and Advocate:  As our High Priest, our Lord is able to give us grace to keep us from sinning when we are tempted.  IF we do sin, then He as our Advocate represents us before the Throne of God and forgives us when we confess (I John 1:9).

The Lord is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters…Are we ashamed to call Him Lord????